THREAD OF SHAVING TIPS FOR TRANSFEMS!!!!!! obv anybody who wants to can use these but this is specifically a guide on how to get the smoothest shave possible that wont induce dysphoria from looking at it or feeling it which is what most transfems i know want

this is where a lot of the confusion starts. the one on the left is called a SHAVER, the one on the right is called a RAZOR. not everywhere will use these names (idk why) so double check youre getting what you want before you buy. shavers WILL NOT GIVE YOU A SMOOTH SHAVE!!!!

shavers are often the first thing teens who need to shave are told to use because they will get rid of 90% of hair and are very easy to use. however if the sight or texture of stubble gives you dysphoria, as it does for many transfems, youre gonna want to use a razor instead

most cis men dont mind a bit of stubble but we arent cis men!! use razors, if you can find an electric razor like these, they work very well (at least the ones that ive used). (dont use amazon btw i just dont feel like finding another link) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HT6E2PW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=wwwhip2saveco-20&linkId=ff7c32a9e99b77a142820ab78ae3589f&language=en_US

the reason none of the ones im posting are pretty pink flowery is because even as dysphoria inducing as it can be youre gonna want to shop for "men's" razors. when products say men's razors that just means facial hair razors as opposed to "women's" which are made for legs

i recommend this for cis women too, often anything where there is a version for men and for women ur gonna want to get the men's one because the womens is probably one that they made pink so they could throw 5 extra bucks on the price. ESPECIALLY when it comes to razors!!!

also part of why its double important with razors is because facial hair is much thicker than leg hair so "women's" razors arent gonna cut it (literally). they usually have less blades too as not to hurt dainty woman skin too which is utter bullshit lmao. so buy "men's" stuff

ALWAYS USE SHAVING CREAM!! this is one place where it wont make too much of a diff if u wanna buy the women's which i usually do because the men's remind me of men's locker rooms i recommend letting the cream sit on your face for about 10 minutes before you shave to open pores

^just to clarify i meant the scent of the men's ones, that is usually the only difference between gendered shaving creams. but yeah the other peace of the puzzle is steam. steam opens your pores too so i like to shave in the shower while the water is very hot

it took a bit to learn how to do this without a mirror so youre probably gonna want to start with one, if you have a small enough mirror you can wipe the front with soap or shampoo to take it in the shower so it wont fog up (this is a lifesaver). shave slowly, dont rush it

shave lightly, if you press it too hard into your skin you'll probably get rashes and possibly scratches. in addition to that SHAVE AGAINST THE GRAIN!! for most of your face that means shaving in an upwards motion with the razor held upside down. lemme make a quick example vid

because the steam helps so much ive made my shaving routine part of my showering routine, what i recommend put on the shaving cream first so it can sit for a bit, do whatever else you need to, and then reapply the shaving cream and shave

the steam helps me so much to the point that if i want to shave and not shower i'll often just run the shower briefly to get a bit of steam going in the room. if you cant use steam use a warm washcloth held to your face for a few seconds, it has a similar effect

i just realized i havent said probably the most important tip of all: USE HOT WATER!!! some of the best advice ive seen about facial hair is that u should think of it like metal wires growing from your face, which helps remember that heat weakens the hair and makes shaving easier

so yeah i'll add on to this thread if i think of anything else but as far as shaving these are pretty much the tips i have. now onto some general tips and info around transfem facial hair growth

a common misconception is that taking estrogen will thin out your facial hair, this is NOT TRUE!!! ESTROGEN WILL DO NEXT TO NOTHING IN TERMS OF THINNING FACIAL HAIR!!! this is a hard pill to swallow but thankfully it does effect your body hair if that matters to you

ive had my body waxed a few times while on estrogen and each time the hair grows back much thinner, to the point where i have next to no body hair dysphoria anymore. keep in mind that to get the thinning results you need to pluck/wax so the follicle can regrow entirely

ive never gotten my face waxed but i have plucked some of it and unfortunately it just grows back more or less the same. ive never had electrolysis but ive had laser hair removal done on my face and it worked well in temporarily removing some of it. EMPHASIS ON TEMPORARY!!

there are a few things you should know b4 getting laser to maximize the effectiveness and have realistic expectations. first of all that shit hurts like a motherfucker. each zap basically feels like a bee sting, it fucking sucks so youre gonna wanna find a place w numbing cream

idk if its common for places to have numbing cream but the place i went to did. im sure you could ask on the phone or however else you schedule your appointment if the place has numbing cream, honestly if it doesnt it might not be worth it unless you have v high pain tolerance

but yeah even when i used numbing cream and was able to last longer in the treatment, the results only last for a little less than a year unfortunately. ive never tried electrolysis but that is the permanent solution even though from what ive heard its more tedious & expensive

so yeah thats all i can really think of right now but if you have any questions on any of this ask away and ill clarify!! also if you have any info i didnt mention pls feel free to share. as always my DMs are open to any trans person who needs any advice or info on transitioning!