Hair plays a big role in your feminine image. While wigs can help you achieve any hairstyle, perhaps you dream of having your own full, feminine hair.
For crossdressers and transgender women dealing with male pattern baldness, this can be a challenge.
Gender affirming hormone therapy is one way to help reverse this process…
However, there are lots of other things you can do to promote healthy hair growth – whether you are on hormones or not!
In this blog post, I’ll share 12 tips for MTF hair growth to help you achieve fuller, more feminine-looking hair.
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
What you feed your body plays a major role in the health and beauty of your hair.
Protein and amino acids are your hair’s building blocks. This means that increasing your consumption of beans, fish, lean meat, soy, and nuts is critical for hair growth.
Furthermore, if you don’t eat enough protein, you are more likely to experience hair shedding.
2. Do Regular Scalp Massages
Regular scalp massages prevent hair thinning by increasing blood circulation and delivering nutrients and oxygen to the follicles.
Massaging your scalp can also help you relax and unwind – stress is one of the worst enemies of healthy hair!
To give yourself a scalp massage, spend a few minutes per day massaging your scalp with your fingertips using light to medium pressure. Be sure to cover your entire scalp.
3. Keep Your Hair Hydrated
Hair is prone to becoming dry, especially when it is growing. Dry hair can become brittle and break easily, which hinders its growth. That’s why it’s important to keep your hair nourished and moisturized while it grows.
Use a hydrating hair conditioner regularly to keep your hair looking healthy, lustrous, and bouncy. It’s also a good idea to use a hair conditioning mask at least twice a month.
4. Try Hair Growth Supplements
Hair growth supplements contain essential vitamins and minerals that support hair health. These can make a big difference in the strength and fullness of your hair.
Here are some of the key nutrients to look for in a hair growth supplement:
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Biotin
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Omega-3 fatty acids
5. Get Regular Trims
As crazy as it may sound, trimming your hair regularly will result in healthier, longer hair.
Although regular trimming doesn’t change the growth rate of your hair, it gets rid of split ends. Split ends can lead to breakage and can cause your hair to look thin and brittle.
6. Avoid Damaging Your Hair
It can be tempting to start manipulating your hair once it grows past shoulder length. However, dying, straightening, or curling your hair with hot irons can be very damaging to your hair.
These styling techniques damage to your hair at a molecular level and can hurt its long-term growth. That’s why it’s important to limit hair damage, especially in the initial days of your MTF transition as your hair grows.
7. Brush Your Hair Regularly
Brushing your hair for a few minutes each day is great for the overall health of your scalp and hair.
Brushing your hair helps distribute oils evenly through the hair to keep it naturally hydrated. It also promotes circulation for a healthier scalp, which in turn supports hair growth.
8. Sleep On a Silk Pillowcase
Another change you can make to achieve full, feminine hair is to use a silk pillowcase. (Plus, it makes your bed feel so luxurious and girly!)
Silk pillowcases help to keep moisture in your hair and keep it from drying out. This can help to prevent frizz and breakage. Silk pillowcases also prevent tangles, making hair easier to manage.
9. Try a Hair Growth Shampoo
Some shampoos and conditioners advertise “miracle” growth ingredients. Certain products may even be promoted to MTF transgender women looking to enhance the length of their hair.
You should proceed with caution and not expect immediate results. However, when used consistently over time, some of these products can effectively boost growth factors as well as strengthen your hair at the root.
10. Try Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy, or low-level light therapy, uses red and near-infrared light wavelengths to stimulate hair growth.
It works by penetrating the scalp and promoting cellular activity in the hair follicles, which can improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.
The downside is that red light therapy devices and laser caps are expensive, ranging from $600-$2,500. You can find cheaper alternatives on Amazon, though they may not be as effective.
The devices are meant to be used for 20 minutes, several times per week, and hair regrowth is seen after 12-16 weeks.
11. Consider PRP
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy for hair regrowth is a non-surgical treatment that involves using a patient’s own blood to stimulate hair growth. (It sounds scary, but hear me out!)
During the procedure, a small amount of the patient’s blood is drawn and processed to separate the platelet-rich plasma from other components of the blood.
Platelets contain growth factors that can help to stimulate cellular activity in the hair follicles, promoting hair growth.
Once the platelet-rich plasma is prepared, it is injected into the scalp in areas where hair loss or thinning has occurred.
As you can imagine, the treatment can be pricy. A single injection ranges from $250-$750 per session and multiple sessions may be needed.
On the plus size, RealSelf gives PRP for Hair Loss an 89% Worth It rating.
12. Consider a Hair Transplant
MTF hair transplant surgery can be performed alongside HRT to achieve maximum hair restoration. Hair transplants are used to correct thinning areas on the scalp and to create a more feminine hairline.
Hair transplant surgery can range in price from $2,000 and $20,000 based on the location and type of transplant. Check out this RealSelf article to learn more about the procedure, including costs, risks, and reviews.
In conclusion
Your hair says a lot about your female self! The good news is that wigs aren’t your only option for achieving feminine hair.
These tips can help you get fuller, healthier hair, which will also improve your appearance if / when you present as a male.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Take my poll and share your comments below!
Love,
Lucille
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P.S. If you liked this article, you will love my FREE Male to Female Makeup Mini Course.
For 2 to 20K for hair transplanting(!!!) I’m all about the wig! Not that I have much of a choice anymore but that’s not my point. The wide range of totally different looks are so quickly achieved thru wiggery!
Crazy right? I know that a lot of people travel out of the country for hair transplants because it’s so much more affordable. Turkey is a big country for hair transplants. But in any case, wigs are totally a great option!
you missed an expensive treatment called PRP which grows new hair-available through a dermatologist
I read that hair regrowth with PRP last 18 to 24 months ( so, not permanent ) – must have touch-up once a year ( so, costs some extra to maintain ).
Emily, GREAT point – thank you! PRP is a great procedure for hair regrowth. I will add that to the blog post!
I would definitely suggest working with a hair stylist at a salon. My Mary Kay rep referred me to her hair stylist, and she said I have beautiful hair and should grow it long. “Why do you have it so short?” she asked me. She said she will not be cutting my hair any more, just an occasional trim every few months. She said the first step will be to grow it half way down my chest, and then she will decide if she wants me to grow it all the way down to my bust line. So far I love how my hair is looking! I definitely want much longer hair. It just feels so much more feminine.
My No, 1 rule – never wear a hat! I’m 65, still have all my natural hair!
Meran, your hair and mine look nearly identical. Except yours appears to be a little longer. I’m sixty two.
My hair was very red when I was very young but it has been strawberry blond most of my life.
I grew up in a very strict, religious family and I was never allowed to grow it when I was a kid. I started growing my hair about 12 years ago I guess.
I like the lighting in your picture above. Nice hair.
Very nice! And yes, it’s true that there’s evidence that wearing tight hats can lead to hair loss or thinning.
In the opening paragraph it indicates that hormones would help hair growth. Is this female hormones?
Hi Teresa! Yes, estrogen and anti-androgens will both help with this.
Short answer is yes, female hormones. A more complete answer would be inhibiting androgenic effects of your hormones. DHT is a known trouble maker for people sensitive to it. Testosterone is converted to it. High levels of estrogen can be converted to testosterone and subsequently converted to DHT. Your diet can affect this big time.
Carla, great explanation. Thanks for expanding on this. Yes, DHT is a big trouble maker. Saw palmetto (an herb) can also help by blocking 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone to DHT. I might have to do a spin-off blog post on DHT. 🙂
Thanks for all your tips the picture I placed is my transformation from Doug
Currently use a wig and will start growing my natural hair when I go full time woman in early June, you are an inspiration and glad there are so many beautiful yet friendly ladies as you out there.
My hair tends to be dry. I’ve used argan oil and other conditioners. However, the effects were little and short term. I read that using castor oil had many benefits. I found that castor oil is super cheap. However it’s very thick and doesn’t smell very nice. So, I added some coconut oil to thin it and essential oils give it a nicer scent. I’m due for color and a trim. 🙂
Such a nice impressive list of tips. Thanks hun.