Haircare for Transgender Women

Note: This article shares general haircare information only and is not medical advice. For hair loss concerns or hormone-related changes, talk to a clinician.

As a transgender woman undergoing transitioning, understanding how to take care of your hair may be something you are grappling with.

Haircare is a complex subject, now that there are many ways in which you can damage your locks – heat, bleach, color, pollution, and so much more.

Adding to that, trans women typically want to grow out their hair but they are unsure as to how to go about it.

First thing to remember is that it takes a lot of time and patience.  

 

Next, also note that everybody has unique hair and as a result, what works for you may not work for everyone else.

Your hair length, texture, thickness, dryness, and oiliness are unique to you.

This article will look at ways in which you can take care of your hair as a trans woman to support healthy-looking, longer hair.

Nobody wants split ends and dead hair so we’ll also look at some great tips to grow out shiny hair.   

Affiliate Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

​​Oiling

The first step is to oil your hair. Oiling can help nourish your hair and scalp, and many people find it a useful step.

There are a lot of options available with respect to the types of oil that are good for hair care- Argan oil, Jojoba oil, and Jamaican Black Castor Oil are all great if you are looking for a product that penetrates your hair.

Avocado oil is another attractive option that is gaining traction. However, it is important to do your own research in order to find out which oil suits your hair best.

The reason is that, since every hair type is unique, your hair may be sensitive to certain components, such as protein.

In such a case, using coconut oil might make your hair brittle. However, warming up the oil may help, since warm oil penetrates hair more easily.  

You can double boil the oil to warm it up as overheating the oil may damage hair and reduce its beneficial properties.

Before oiling your hair, brush it out. Then, saturate the middle and the ends of your hair as they need the moisture.

You can then work through the roots. Then, allow the moisture to get soaked in for a while- 30 minutes or all day, it’s up to you.  

 

Rinse

Once you are ready to wash out the oil, condition your hair. The conditioner clings on to the oils, so when you rinse, the oil is removed easily.

After that, you can shampoo and condition your hair as usual. To dry your hair, it is a good idea to squeeze out excess water and then use a cotton tee shirt to soak out the remaining water.

Refrain from using a towel on your hair as its rough fibers tend to rub and break the shaft of the hair strands during the drying process.

Instead of rubbing with your t-shirt, try squeezing your hair to remove excess water. Finally, air dry it if you do not want to use heat.  

 

Hair Care Tips

If you do plan on using heat, please remember to use a heat protectant. Otherwise, your hair can sustain serious damage and you cannot live your dream of having long, thick locks.

Remember to dry your hair completely before styling it with heat; otherwise you are damaging your hair and your tools.   

 

Now that the basics are clear, it is time to move on to actual haircare tips. To truly take care of your hair, remember that you need time and patience.

But first things first, your hair will not grow three inches overnight. Trans women, due to their dysphoria, attribute a lot of importance to hair growth.

However, be ready to put in time, care, and a lot of patience. While hair treatments can soften your hair, there is no one definitive solution to this.

However, remember not to overdo this. Similar to how a plant might die if you overwater it, overdoing “haircare” can be detrimental to its health. 

Some people try products marketed for hair growth, such as Profollica, though results vary and are not guaranteed.

 

Profollica™ is a product marketed for hair regrowth.

Because rather than simply "cleaning" or "purifying" the scalp, Profollica™ is marketed as addressing DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone linked to pattern hair loss.

DHT can contribute to hair follicles shrinking over time in pattern hair loss.

That's why, as your first line of defense, Profollica™ is marketed as helping to reduce excess DHT.

But there's more to hair regrowth than just inhibiting DHT production. You also need to create a prime environment for hair regrowth. That's why Profollica™ has evolved into this powerful three-step hair regrowth system:

Step #1 -- Inhibits The Production of Excess DHT with a daily supplement containing herbal ingredients.

Step #2 -- Scalp-Cleansing Shampoo with a scalp purifying shampoo marketed for dandruff, oily hair, and itchy scalp.

Step #3 -- Follicle Stimulator Gel with the follicle stimulator (a.k.a. The Activator Gel), which is sprayed at the roots of the hair after each shampoo.

Results, if any, vary from person to person, and no regrowth timeline is guaranteed.

Costs and results vary, and this product is not a substitute for medical advice about hair loss treatments.

 

 

Here’s an interesting fact: Human hair grows about half an inch every month, or six inches per year.

If you have split ends, you may not even see as much growth. Essentially, your hair is growing, but it is splitting off at the ends and breaking.

The only way to fix this issue is by trimming your hair. It is highly recommended to get trims frequently instead of getting an extreme cut once in a blue moon.  

When growing out your hair, try to avoid heat as much as you can. Many people find that cutting back on heat styling helps reduce breakage, which can make growth easier to retain.

When your hair is growing and is in its awkward face, it may be tempting to style your hair. As stated above, remember to use a heat protectant in that case.   

 

There are many ways in which you can facilitate healthy hair growth- protect your hair from touch, brushing, and exposure to sun.

Even if you love wearing your hair down, it is a good idea to wear it in a protective style such as a bun or a loose braid. 

If you can, try to use a silk or a satin pillowcase when sleeping. 

As a trans person, hormonal influence on your hair growth, hair loss, and hair thickness cannot be ignored.

During HRT, hormone changes can affect hair growth, shedding, and thickness, and effects vary from person to person.

However, hormones are not magical; they can’t cure issues such as male pattern baldness. You can turn to other procedures to fix your hairline, however.  

So these are some tips we have to help facilitate quicker and healthier hair growth. We hope this helped. Good luck!!

  

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