A little while ago, I finally come out as trans to my friends. They’ve been wonderful, supportive, and encouraging. They were honestly the whole reason I finally was able to discover myself, especially my GF. But, and here’s the key, I’m in a very delicate living situation, I’m pretty poor, and I can’t reasonably just leave where I am and live somewhere else, not right now at least. Between the world and my rather transphobic family, I’m kind of stuck. I obviously can’t get more feminine clothing, hair, ANY makeup of any sort, or anything I really want to try. I don’t wanna make this a whole sob story or anything, so basically. Does anybody have some advice to FEEL more like a girl?

  • Start a skin care or hair care regimen. Skin care for the face, neck, and décolletage can be done inexpensively, try looking up “oil cleansing” (only requires water, washcloth, and olive oil). Get in the habit of putting on body lotion after you shower - scented lotion is a sneaky way to “wear” perfume, too!

    Get your ears pierced, and stick with neutral studs for now.

    Start using lip balm, particularly in stick form like Chapstick or Blistex. It will keep the skin of your lips healthy and soft and get you used to applying and wearing lip products.

    Groom your nails. Keep them cut neatly with the edges filed smooth. Use lotion, olive oil, or cuticle balm on the skin around the nails. Maintaining your nails now will serve you well if you start using polish or growing them longer in the future, too.