Academy 9 - Transformation 7 - A trip to the salon
Let us begin…
Today we’re going to take a look at the final part of your wardrobe but it’s not clothing it’s your hair!
We know a lot of you have been growing it out for quite a while, so we need to look at what you can do with it but we also know that some of you are unable to have long hair, so we’re going to talk about how to get around that too.
Hair can be an absolute game changer in helping you look as femme as possible, so let’s dive on in get to work.
Face
The first thing to do is to work out what shape your face is. There are apps available that can do this for you but you can do it just by looking at your face in a picture or a mirror.
You need to consider three things, where is your face the widest, what shape is your jaw and how long is your face.
Width
If your face is wide at the top, then you have an oval shape. Wide at the middle (roughly the cheekbone area) is a round face and at the bottom would be square however...
Jaw shape
If your jaw is pointy then you have a heart shaped face (sometimes referred to as triangle shaped).
A round jaw would give you a round or oval shaped face and a square jaw a square face.
Length
A short face is usually a round one and a long one oval.
Your face shape can be pronounced but it can also be quite subtle and once you start to master your makeup (especially your contouring and highlighting), you can start to soften your face shape even more.
Cuts
If you have long hair and you want to soften your appearance, the first thing you want to do is think about your life and your goals. The spectrum starts at a male haircut, then an androgynous male haircut, then an androgynous female haircut and finally a female haircut.
We’re going to go over some details here but if you want a more femme haircut, the number one piece of advice I can give you to help you find the perfect choice is to look for a trans-friendly hairdresser in your area and make an appointment with them (Google for it and you should find recommendations).
When you go for your haircut, explain that you want to present a more femme image and tell them how far you want to go. Do you want a fully female hairstyle or just something a little more androgynous? They’ll be used to dealing with girls all along the spectrum and have a huge base of knowledge and experience to draw on.
Let’s break it down by face shape:
Oval
Let’s get the lucky ones out of the way first. Those of you with an oval shaped face can handle pretty much any style and look good! It’s a tiny bit of a mixed blessing because you face many more choices but remember that your sisters are probably at least a little jealous of you!
The only thing to be aware of with an oval face is length. If you go too long or short it can exaggerate the length of your face in an unflattering manner.
Round
Asymmetry and pixie cuts are good choices for round faces as they de-emphasis the roundness. For longer hair, angles or wavy styles work really well by contrasting your features and long hair will make your face appear longer.
Avoid blunt hairstyles that stop at your jawline, these will draw attention to the shape of your face and that’s not what you want people looking at!
Heart
Longer hair with a heart shaped face will fill in the space around your chin and make it appear much less pointed. Having bangs (also referred to as a fringe) covering your forehead will help accentuate your eyes. So for shorter hair, a pixie cut with bangs would be a good choice.
Avoid styles that add a lot of volume or height on top of your head. This really emphasises your slender jaw line.
Square
Squares have it quite easy as the key with a haircut for a square face is to keep it soft so it looks less square. Avoid short haircuts and anything blunt or that ends very abruptly and you’ll look stunning!
Caring for long hair
Long hair needs a little extra love and attention to keep it in tip top shape.
Don’t wash your hair too often, every other day or even twice a week is enough. Overwashing will damage your hair and if you use a good shampoo, you won’t need much for it to work and keep your hair clean.
You should condition your hair whenever you shampoo it and use a deep conditioner weekly (a deep conditioner is like a face mask for your hair, leave it in for a while and let it work and it will make your hair stronger, shiner and more manageable).
Don’t brush your hair when it’s wet. Wet hair is fragile and more prone to breaking, so instead of a brush use a comb with wide teeth or just your fingers. You should comb towards your head, not away from it. If you run into a knot, combing away from your head tugs the hair and can lead to it breaking.
Regular towels should be avoided for drying your hair. Microfibre towels are much better, but the best choice is to let it dry naturally as much as you can. Regular towels are pretty rough and using a towel to dry your hair can lead to breaks or damage.
Heat is pretty damaging to hair and should be avoided as much as possible. If you have to blowdry your hair, use a warm setting instead of hot, but if you’re in a rush or straightening/curling your hair, make sure to use a product that will protect your hair from heat first.
Dyeing or treating your hair really takes a lot out of it. Ultra-processed hair can become very brittle and will break a lot easier. These techniques should be used as sparingly as you can or with breaks between them to give your hair a chance to recover.
Your hair care is very important and something you should track in your Training Book. Once you get into a schedule, it will be a lot easier but make you keep on top of things. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure and as your hair is on display all the time, you owe it to yourself to treat it properly.
Wigs
Unfortunately, some sissies can’t have long hair either for biological or professional reasons. This is where we come to the wonderful world of wigs!
We will look at longer term solutions in the next module, so don’t worry if we miss something out here that you thought would be included.
Even if you do have long hair, wigs can be wonderful for trying out a new look or style or even just as something fun to wear when you go out. You might not want bright pink hair 24/7 but every now and then it’s a fun option to have.
Real or fake
Wigs are either synthetic or made from human hair. Human hair wigs are more expensive than synthetic ones and from an appearance point of view, although it’s a fairly commonly held belief, wigs made from human hair don’t look better than synthetic ones. Differences in appearance come from style and colour and how well you position it, not the material it’s made of.
Human hair wigs do feel better and can be styled more but given the price, synthetic ones are usually a better choice. If you settle on a style and colour that you love and it’s something you want to wear with an intimate acquaintance, then that’s the time to start budgeting for a human hair wig.
Putting on a wig
You’ve got your wig and you’re ready to go! The process is pretty straightforward so let’s get on with it.
First up, should you use the wig cap? The answer is yes...probably. A wig cap will protect your hair, hold your wig more securely in place and it will also hide your hair so it doesn’t show through the wig.
Some people choose not to wear them because they can make your head feel warm and sweaty and wearing them for a while with a wig on top can occasionally be uncomfortable.
If you’re new to wearing wigs, use the cap and see how it feels. Then next time try without and see which you prefer. The wig cap is an easy step to skip but if you’re planning on wearing your wig for a while, it’s something I would recommend you always do.
Once you have the cap on, take the wig and shake it out. Hold it underneath and stretch it onto your head. When it’s on, go and look in a mirror. It’s easy to have the wig too far forward and it can take some maneuvering to get it in the right position on your head.
Once you’re happy with the positioning, if it’s too loose or tight, you can take it off and adjust the straps on the inside (most wigs have small straps on the base that let you tighten or loosen the fit). Then put it on again and get it into position.
Once it’s comfortable and you have it in the right position, shake your head a few times to make sure the hair hasn’t bunched up or gotten snarled and that’s it!
Take a few pictures to record how great you look in it and go about your day.
Taking care of your wig
Wigs can and should be treated like hair, they should be kept clean and tangle free. Human hair wigs need cleaning a little more frequently than synthetic ones and you and no matter which you kind you use, always be gentle with them. The hair on a wig is much more loosely attached than the hair on your head, so pulling and tugging try and get a tangle loose isn’t a good idea.
When you’re not wearing a wig, keep it on a stand (especially if it’s an expensive one). A polystyrene head is a good choice, this will allow it to keep its shape and stop it getting wrapped up in itself and tangled.
You can wash and even shampoo a wig just as you would regular hair but only use wig specific shampoos. Shampoos meant for live hair are too harsh and don’t use hot water. Once you’re done and the shampoo has been rinsed off, you can squeeze it to reduce the excess water and then leave it to dry on its stand, don’t use a towel or a hairdryer.
Use a comb to keep it tangle free, ideally a one meant for wigs to (gently) brush it out. You don’t need to comb it after every use, once a week will be fine and don’t comb it when it’s wet.
The amount of use you get out of a wig will depend on the quality of it but also the care you take with it, so be kind to your wigs!
Try before you buy
Before you decide on a new haircut or wig, you do have a couple of methods open to you that can give you an idea of what they will look like. If you’re an old fashioned kind of gal, you can get a fashion magazine, cut out the hairstyle that you like and stick it on a picture of your head (this is one of the activities that girls used to do at slumber parties before the advent of mobile phones and the internet!).
The other method is to use an app. A quick search will find numerous Android or iOS apps that will let you use your face and try different hair styles or colours on (if you want to try female styles, make sure to use a picture where you’re made up and looking femme).
Always remember that these should only ever be guides. The haircut itself will never look exactly what it’s predicted too and if you want to try something don’t be put off because an app suggests it might not work.
Homework
You have plenty here to work with (and hopefully, plenty on your head to work with too!) so get making plans. Those of you who are firmly in the sissy category can look for androgynous male haircuts that might suit you while those working towards transitioning should be leaning to the androgynous or regular female styles.
Find your face shape, get some magazines and dream!
