KeenSnappersDontCome

I can’t tell you if you are trans or not, but I can share my experience with HRT that started similar to yours.

When I first started HRT I was worried about not being trans enough. What if I was wasn’t trans and I just got attached to the idea of HRT solving my problems. I was also depressed. Years before HRT I tried treating the depression without any mention of possibly being trans. It didn’t work. I decided to try HRT without worrying about the depression. When I went to the informed consent LGBTQ clinic I was afraid they would tell me I couldn’t have HRT. I realized that I would be sad if that happened. I decided I would try DIY HRT if I couldn’t access hrt through the official channels. I was prescribed HRT and started with pills to take twice a day. My depression got better. That lasted for 2 weeks. I started getting treatment for depression and it took a while to notice the effects. At one point I stopped my depression medication and noticed all of the old habbits I slipped back into. On the medication I wasn’t noticeably better, but when I stopped I was obviously worse. I got back on the medication.

Now, after 2 years of HRT, I am starting to taper off of the depression medication at the recommendation of my psychiatrist. Things are going well. I’m happier. I now care about myself and want to improve things. I started skincare and haircare routines. I’m losing weight. I have done several projects to improve my quality of life and have several more planned.

HRT was the right choice for me.

I’m so happy you found a solution that works for you!

I also prefer injections now that I found a method that works for me. I started with sublingual then moved to estradiol cypionate 5mg/ml in cottonseed oil in 5ml vials. With injections I found that part of the problem was that I was prescribed 18G needles to draw and 23G needles to inject. With the 18G needles I was coring vials and with the 23G needles they hurt more than they needed to and left little red dots at the injection site that would last for months. I switched to 23G for drawing and 25G for injecting. The gauge of the needle made a huge difference for me. With the 23g needles I no longer core vials, but it does take longer to draw. The 25G needles are painless now. With the 23G I had to use a bandage where I injected, but now with 25G it can be hard to tell where the injection site was.

If I can obtain it I would like to switch to estradiol enanthate in MCT oil at 40mg/ml. The carrier oil is less thick which makes it easier to draw and inject. The much higher concentration means you have less volume to inject. I plan to use even smaller 30G insulin needles for drawing and injecting.

I haven’t seen anyone mention Titanium pans yet. I came across this review channel on youtube https://youtu.be/iUMAAhxBeyM that tested 5 titanium pans. I plan on getting the our place titanium pan if it goes on sale.

I have used GreenPan ceramic coated pans before and they work well, but have limitations and specific care process to keep them working well. My first pan was ruined by using an oil based nonstick spray. The additives to make it spray end up forming a sticky layer on the pan. When I removed the sticky parts with barkeepers friend the non stick properties of the pan severely diminished. I bought another since they are fairly cheep and it has been working well as long as you follow all special care instructions. The brand has since reduced quality on the Lima line of pans and added more expensive products that cost 4x more.

I recently bought a Cuisinart Saucepan that has a “Quantanium non-stick” surface for $19. It has worked well so far, but I have used it less than a dozen times.

Seems like you already have a good idea on things you are interested in trying. I am a similar age and started HRT 2 years ago so I was in a similar situation, and I have a few specific recommendations.

When it comes to Hair Removal I bought a cheap at home IPL device. It has removed most of my facial hair, but IPL and Laser Hair Removal do no work on white hairs. I have a few white beard hairs that I am going to have removed with electrolysis.

For nails as others have said you can start with a clear nail polish to practice and to wear. In my experience most men don’t really notice a clear coat and women have been supportive. If you are going to do your own nail polish you may want a nourishing nail polish remover since 100% acetone can make your nails soft.

For wigs you can get cheap wigs on aliexpress or similar direct from china stores. The synthetic wigs are cheap and you can modify them without worrying about ruining an expensive wig. The synthetic wigs do not look as good, but you can use them to get a feel for what type of hair style you may want. If you do want to modify or style the wig a good pair of hair cutting scissors will help. I have followed youtube tutorials from brad mondo with some success.

I have some male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) using minoxidil (generic rogain) has helped. If you have recent hair loss minoxidil can help.

For makeup I have found the brand E.L.F Cosmetics to be good for makeup that is on the cheaper end. I have used E.L.F products to practice and learn makeup without spending a lot of money.

For clothing as others have said thrift shops can be a good way to try out new styles. A style guide that I often see linked is Triangle Body Shape I have wider shoulders so certain styles don’t look the best on me. This guide can give you an idea of styles you might want to try that can be more flattering if you also have wide shoulders.

AM CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
E.L.F. Vitamin C + E + Ferulic CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

PM
Alternate between Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
and
The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane

The memory foam silicon tip replacements are the only ones that have worked for me. I use complyfoam earbud tips now because the cheap foam eartips broke when the inner silicone sleeve separated from the foam.

I have Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds which has silicon tips. They came with 3 sizes and none of them fit and didn’t fall out. I bough a set of 6 different sizes of silicone tips and they still fell out. only the foam version worked for me so they might be worth a try if you already have a silicone tipped earbuds.

Chili powder because larger amounts are used at a time. Then smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne are my goto spices. I buy them in bulk.