Yay, HRT!

Hello!

Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on figuring it out! (I guess that sounds a bit like you passed a test to join a secret society?)

Welcome to the girls’ team!

what do I do about an incredible amount and thickness of body hair?

I assume you’re talking about removing it? And by discreet you mean you’d rather deal with it by yourself for now?

First step would of course be shaving or waxing, the latter being more effective. Or hair removal cream for something in-between.

You can also buy IPL hair removal devices for use at home, although laser would be a more efficient option.

Or just get on HRT and it will slow down and (potentially) thin out a bit :3

Ah yes, I’ve watched that one several times. The last part really hits you straight in the feels.

One thing that surprised me about transitioning is how easy it is to just be myself now. Growing up I of course felt that I was in some way “failing” to live up to some kind of masculine ideal, but at the same time was totally repulsed by it. Women were a kind of mysterious unknown, and yet I was painfully jealous of them. And now, all that cognitive dissonance has vanished. Hanging out with women who now feel safe opening up to me, I don’t need to constantly monitor myself to make sure I’m “performing” properly. It was such a shock (but obvious in hindsight) to realize these people are just like me. Even more so in sapphic spaces :3

Ah, now that fits in my brain!

If it can’t be summarized as a meme, I don’t want to watch it :3

Face: scrub (am; I shower in the evening), toner, moisturizer. Occasionally exfoliate when I remember. Moisturizing cream before bed.

Body: moisturizing milk if it’s dry. Epilator once a week or so.

Nails: always painted. I like OPI and Nail Holic. I use a cuticle tool to keep things tidy.

Hair (curly: it tends to form ringlets): shea moisture shampoo and conditioner then hair mask, twice a week. Prefer to air dry, otherwise I use a diffuser. Styling water spray in the morning with a very coarse comb. Don’t usually bother to put it up at night. Sometimes leave-in conditioner, hair milk or oil when I feel like it.

The first step is the biggest; well done! <3

I started with very short hair too, and dealt with it by wearing a beanie for the first year.

The thing that struck me most about it was the idea (from Owen’s perspective) of actually being a character in a TV show you watch. Before cracking, I’d fantasize about being a women in pretty much the same way as you’d daydream about being in the world of a book or movie. Nice to think about, but in no way connected to reality. Until one day you stick your head through the screen and achieve what you thought was impossible.

And I guess to some people your old self is just gone, and they can’t see that you’re now more real than the world they’re stuck in.

I love that movie so much.

I was present in front of the screen for the entire runtime, but I think I’m going to have to try again with some stimulants because I have almost no memory of what it was about. Conservatives are like the guy in saw because they believe punishment is rehabilitation? Something like that.

I can’t help but imagine you blew his mind, and he was staring at you thinking, “holy shit, you can do that? Where can I get a dress in my size?”

Well, probably not, but anyway.

I assume you’re seeing the effects you want from estradiol? Otherwise I’d suggest adjusting that first.

I’ve been using bioidentical micronized progesterone for a while now, and it has improved my sleep, mood and libido. I’m currently on 200mg oral, but I’ve also been on 100mg both oral and rectal. Didn’t notice much difference in the end, so I’d recommend starting with 100mg oral and going from there if you feel it’s not enough.

I never got the “drunk” feeling taking it, but if you do then rectal is probably the way to go.

Ohhh… I was trying (setq bra-hook nil)

I tried on a bra as a joke and couldn’t figure out how to take it off.

Yay! Let us know how it goes <3

I didn’t really have a questioning phase; I went pretty much straight from “it would have been nice to have been a girl” to “oh shit, I’m trans”.

The conversation went largely along these lines:
[ME] So, er, you know what being transgender is, right?
[WIFE] Yeah.
[ME] Yeah.
[WIFE] Hmm, figures.

Everything was fine for a year or so, she seemed perfectly supportive, until suddenly she started insisting that I stop “dressing up” (presenting femme) when I’m out of the house, because “what if the neighbours saw you”. No idea what made her change her mind, or whether she was faking support all along.

And so (for that and many other reasons) we’ve now split up.

Hope that helps!

I’d also measure shoulder width and sleeve length for tops and dresses, and inseam (leg length) for pants - women’s clothing comes in a lot of different shapes and they won’t all fit.

Wait until you catch something and instinctively pull it in to your chest :3

Oh yeah, that’s a thing. You’ll get used to it. My guess is that it’s a combination of reduced muscle strength combined with thinner and smoother skin.

For dryness, learn to love hand cream (and moisturizer in general for your whole body). I like the Nivea stuff in the blue tube.

As for dropping stuff, I’ve learned to avoid relying on friction to hold things spiderman-style and instead support them from below.

Heh, heh… boobs…

That’s pretty quick to be visible under clothes, though. Congratulations, I guess? :3

I started with tube tops to as a kind of pseudo-binder, then went to padded sports bras when the pointies were visible even through that. At which point it was kind of impossible to hide that something was going on… and now at last I’m able to wear a proper underwire bra and show off a bit <3

Yay! That’s awesome <3