(Part 2) Best products from r/transpassing

It is way post-Christmas but I'd revisited your other post because I remembered your hair. My hair used to look like that.

Gurl, your hair looks seriously dry and damaged, and I think that is 99% of the reason why it looks so frizzy in these photos. I dunno if you've spent much time over at /r/curlyhair but it is worth getting there for an in-depth look. But basically, right now I would bet you shampoo your hair every day and if you use a conditioner it has silicones in it. The silicones build up in your hair, necessitating a harsh shampoo to get rid of them. This means you're constantly stripping the oils from your hair, day after day, and it's seriously messing them up. You gotta remove the silicones from your routine, stop shampooing as often, and moisturize the crap out of it.


That said, as a fellow poor person here is what I would do if I were you:

Buy

1. VO5 Shampoo. You want the cheap kind that comes in these types of bottles, ~$0.50-1.50/bottle at a drugstore or grocery. I have no idea why these cost so much on Amazon, that's crazy. Doesn't matter the scent, just pick one without silicones. Look on the back, there shouldn't be anything in the ingredient list that ends in "-one". Most don't, but there are a couple that do, I think the "strengthening" types.
   
2. VO5 Conditioner. Again, SILICONE-FREE. Again, you should not be paying more than $0.50-$1.50 for this.
   
3. Nature's Gate Conditioner in Jojoba or Aloe. I like Jojoba better. This is a nice base conditioner that's also silicone-free. It's probably going to run you $5-$7 a bottle and may be harder to find in a grocery or drugstore--this you may have to order online.
   
4. Jojoba Oil. You do not want "hair oil" that you find in most drug and grocery stores. Look at the ingredient list--it will be basically industrial-grade silicones that won't do shit for repairing your hair. So you gotta find the real stuff. Crunchy-granola stores, Trader Joe's, Wegman's, Whole Foods will probably sell small bottles of it, usually by a company called Desert Essence (I literally have never seen any other brand of Jojoba Oil sold in any physical stores). This is the most expensive item on this whole list. If you buy it in physical stores you'll pay about $10 for this 4 oz bottle. If you buy online, you can find much better deals--this brand is cheaper per ounce and it's working for me. But you may want to get the smaller bottle at first just to see if you like it.
   
5. A normal-type comb for distributing hair-care products though your hair.
   
6. A wide-tooth comb for detangling.
   
7. Shower cap (optional)
   
   Next, it's time to
   
   
   FIX DAT HAIR
   
   
8. Wash with the VO5 Shampoo. We're getting all the residual silicones out. Use the wide-tooth comb followed by the small comb to gently distribute it through then rise. Now put it away. You will not need this again for at least a week.
   
9. Take your Nature's Gate Conditioner, and draw the outline of a circle about quarter to half-dollar size on your palm.
   
10. Fill that circle in with jojoba oil. Yes this is a lot of oil. Your hair needs it, trust me.
    
11. Mix the oil and conditioner together.
    
12. Massage it into your hair. Concentrate on the ends. Comb with the wide and small-toothed comb to really distribute it evenly. Be gentle because technically you're not supposed to comb wet hair but darnit, I've found it turns out better that way.
    
13. Now, ideally you put your hair up in the shower cap and wait at least 30 minutes. Maybe take a long bath, or primp, or watch Netflix, or whatever. The idea is you let the oil really soak in. At the very least take your sweet time taking the rest of your shower.
    
14. Rinse. Your hair should not feel squeaky when you pull on it in the shower. You don't want it to. That would mean it's not moisturized.
    
15. Gently detangle with fingers and wide-tooth comb (NOT THE SMALL ONE!) and let air dry.
    
    
    Ideally your hair will look a lot smoother and more manageable at this point. Hopefully it is not limp. If it feels limp and heavy, then I apologize, I told you to use too much jojoba. Use less next time. If it is not smoother and more manageable and still looks frizzy then you need to use MORE jojoba. Whatever the case, move to the next step:
    
    ALL DAY ERRY DAY
    
    This is what you'll be doing to your hair on a daily basis. Notice no shampoo is used. That is fine! The VO5 conditioner is cleaning enough, promise me!
    
    
16. Wash your hair with the VO5 conditioner. Pretend it's shampoo. That is, rub it in your hair, focus near the roots (not those delicate, delicate ends), rinse out. Use more if your hair is feeling limp or you think you used too much jojoba. Use less if it's not or if you haven't done that much that day. DO NOT USE THE SHAMPOO SRSLY YOU DON'T NEED IT
    
17. Repeat steps 2-5 from "Fix Dat Hair". You probably want to use more conditioner and less jojoba, but that will depend on whether your hair is feeling frizzy or limp. If it came out of the the FDH routine still frizzy, then by all means, load up on the jojoba. If it feels limp, then dial the jojoba back and make more of your circle conditioner. As always, when you're conditioning focus your attention on the ends and middle of your hair.
    
18. DO NOT RINSE YET. Now you do the rest of your shower-related routine. This gives the conditioner and oils a bit of time to sink in, just not as much as for the big ol' oil treatment above.
    
19. Rinse. Gently dry to dampness with towel, finger and wide-tooth comb detangle, let air dry.
    
    
    On a weekly basis--at most--you are allowed to replace the VO5 conditioner with the VO5 shampoo. But to compensate you must use extra jojoba because of all the oils you're stripping, and ideally you give it extra time to soak in. Shampoo day is usually the day when I stop being lazy and actually shave my legs and shit. I mean, ideally you shampoo less than weekly but you do what you can tolerate.
    
    
    When you first start this up you might feel like your hair is extra-greasy at the roots. This is normal. Your hair is used to you using the equivalent of dish soap on it every day and has been overproducing oils to try to compensate. The oil production will back down as it gets used to your new, gentler routine. Give it time! If you are really self-conscious about it then use a soft boar-bristle-type brush to distribute the oils from root to tip.
    
    Do NOT flat-iron or use a hair-dryer during this time period. The heat is damaging your hair further. It will make things worse. Anyway, once you see how lovely your curls are in their natural, healthy state you won't feel the need to. :)
    
    If your hair is very thick and coarse then as you get used to the routine you may even want to finger-comb a few drops or more of jojoba oil through it while it's still damp to help moisturize, after the towel-dry. You may want to do this anyway if it's very damaged (especially at the middle and ends).
    
    
    Anyway, I promise this will help. The routine took my hair from being a mess of split ends and nastiness to shiny and healthy, and it's turned my boyfriend's curly beard from a Brillo pad to a soft, bouncy cloud. It is a hell of a lot cheaper than keratin treatments and all that, too. If you go to the /r/curlyhair sub they have all sorts of product and routine suggestions, but I like using the above because they've worked for me and are comparatively cost-conscious.

pleeeeaaseee get some nice shampoo and conditioner, you look wonderful but your hair needs to be taken care of ;-; Shampoo first, then condition, leave it in for a few minutes and don't wash all of it off. Leave just a tiny bit of conditioner on your hair when you're done with the shower. I've been using Hask and it's pretty cheap ~$5/bottle and works well, no sulfates or parabens (bad for environment).



Brush gently when your hair is dry, no need to be hard on your hair and scalp, I recommend getting a nice brush like this, don't use a comb for regular brushing especially not when it's wet because the hair follicles are more fragile and can break easier.

I would even recommend getting a hair straightener and some heat protector (because you want the heat of the straightener to hit the product, not burn your hair, don't turn it up all the way either, keep it pretty med/low heat). Just for when you really want to style it up or you're having a frizzy day or whatever, it can be rough on your hair if you use it everyday. Your hair just looks dry and uncared for, but some love towards your hair will really improve your femininity!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecotools-Eye-Enhancing-Duo-Brush/dp/B00GNA9KKM

This set! they're pretty cheap but reeeally good. I use them for all of my eyemakeup now, including my eyebrows. The rounded flat brush is great for applying lid colour, the rounded brush is good for blending, slanted brush is perfect for eyebrows and crisper liner and the short stubby brush I told you about is good for putting colour in the crease as well as softly lining the eyes.

10/10 :) would recommend! They're available most countries I should think.

Have you tried clipping the top while you’re air drying? It works for me. I have fine, thin hair and volume was always a struggle for me.

It really helped when I actually got a good hair towel. And these things are awesome for getting ready with wet hair.

I thought I would share my finds since I’m pretty sure I tried almost every towel out there before finding these. LOL

Hi Isabella.

D Have you been reading my other posts? LOL
That's pretty much the secret though.

Okay, so the method evolved away from tape in this picture.
I got one of these beauties on Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NCFHPWA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_YkDGzbVEVX99D

So the tape hassle is gone.
You use the sticky bra to pull your own flesh together into a cleavage shape.
You need breast forms (cheap ones are fine, they're what I use - similar to these https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G7CPLE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_poDGzb5QW39WV)
You need to get a size that's 1-2 cup sizes lower than your normal (target) bra size.
You also need a push-up bra of your target size (padded or not is your choice).
And you also need something with a neck line to show off your weapons of mass distraction LOL.

So, follow me carefully, here we go;

-Scoop your boy boobs together with the drawstring sticky bra.

You will need a few tries at where best to place them for your body and total bra size.

-Put on your push up bra.

-Pop your forms in the bra.

-Get your top/dress on.

-now the only real fiddly bit, you have to have to have the bra just tight enough so the forms kinda press up to you rather than just resting there.

You need to re-gather all your own flesh forwards at this point.

A little contouring your new boob shapes doesn't hurt either but don't go mad with it.

Now, you get your top/dress neck line to rest so that your forms/bras are not seen, but your new boobs are.
I rest mine with about an inch and a half or 2 inches overlap for safety.

There it is, I guess LOL

I was thinking dress rather than crop top, but if you prefer crop tops

White, black, olive green, light blue, light pink and maroon red. I think these will work well with you x

If you havent started hormones yet, I cant wait to see they work with you. Really wow x

A few purple dresses I found which I think might work well

https://www.amazon.com/iLover-Womens-Rockabilly-Vintage-Dresses/dp/B073ZYP42R/ref=sr_1_39?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1511139973&sr=1-39&nodeID=1045024&psd=1&keywords=purple+dress

https://www.amazon.com/MISSKY-Shaped-V-neck-Elegant-Dresses/dp/B073W4NGL5/ref=sr_1_20?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1511139973&sr=1-20&nodeID=1045024&psd=1&keywords=purple+dress

https://www.amazon.com/VOGVOG-Womens-Vintage-Sleeve-Purple/dp/B01FFD5BXM/ref=sr_1_65?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1511140086&sr=1-65&nodeID=1045024&psd=1&keywords=purple+dress

Yeah, I guess I have to start moisturizing. I don't really use conditioner so it's not surprising, haha. I've been getting this rather expensive shampoo for months now, which claims it contains no "harsh sulfates", ouch. Thanks for telling me, I will change it.

Yeah, I know about that subreddit. Lol I get a heart attack (dysphoria kicks in) seeing gorgeous cis women that I quickly get off that page 😂 I really appreciate the list though. I was observing your post and thought about using this routine. I will probably try this out first (once I get the money) and see how it goes ☺

This is the progesterone cream I use. I read good things about getting micronized people that you need a prescription for, but honestly I just wanted to give this a shot and I'm pretty darn happy

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FJW4F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3acgybXT4HRQ7

A little eyebrow shaping, and a tinted lip balm would make a surprisingly big difference, I think. You have lovely skin! I might, if you are feeling make-uppy, consider very light use of a highlighter to accent that.

Tinted balm-wise the absolute easiest purchase would be Clinique Black Honey -- GIS for pix of people wearing it; it's pretty universally flattering and the colour is very 'buildable' and can go from barely noticeable to much more apparent with a few layers. If you are in the US and want a cheaper alternative, I'd check out Neutrogena.

You can straighten your hair, try using a product like Frizz-ease, and/or use some gel wax kinda stuff to tame the frizz. One of my female friends has amazing curly jew hair and I know she uses a ton of leave in conditioner. I would also recommend bringing your part back a little more towards the middle to where it's about over your eye. I think that would look more feminine on you. You can also try hair clips and hair bands to add an obvious female cue.

If you aren't that into make up, maybe try just a little eyeliner, not real thick or anything, just enough to brighten your eyes a little bit. A little concealer and foundation to cover up beard shadow and smooth your skin tone out wouldn't hurt either, at least in the short term. Try something like Covergirl Naturluxe. It's cheap, easy and quick to put on, and to me it feels like I'm not even wearing anything. It's specifically made to be lighter and it looks good and doesn't irritate my skin either. Just use concealer over your upper lip and wherever you have beard shadow and it'll help you out a lot. I know you've said you don't like make up, but it seriously will help you pass.

It was like ten bucks and came super fast! I went to the Pride Parade hoping to get one and they had literally 0 trans related things so I got it to bolster my spirits haha.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VEIT6M/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks , yea I took these at night with my phone, my friends are encouraging me to go out to a gay bar dressed up before I even start HRT so maybe the lighting won't be great there =p

The dress and I got from https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0197VUD7M/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's actually really comfortable too

Depends! Since your foundation sits kind of heavy and dry, I'd say go with a water-based primer to try and get a bit of hydration. On the cheap side, tons of girls over at /r/makeupaddiction really dig Nivea for Men After-Shave Balm. It happens to work really well as a primer, if you don't mind smelling like dude for a little while. Pricier options include Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer. Those are usually my go-tos when my skin is dry, otherwise I use Benefit Porefessional.

 

On a related note, are you using a moisturizer before applying foundation? You absolutely should be if you're not already. Just give it 5-10m to sink in before starting makeup. Skincare in general (see: /r/skincareaddiction) can go a long way towards making your makeup look great.

 

Last tip would be to try blending your foundation out with a slightly damp sponge (Beauty Blender, RT Sponge, etc) instead of a brush. Can help give your foundation a more 'dewy' look.