#mod arlo

in my experience cheap tape can do that, but the biggest factor is how you remove it!

please please please SIZE UP when you order a binder, unless you are literally the smallest measurement for the given size. i just made this mistake, i was the max measurement for the size and i thought it was fine and now i have the binder and it is tight and uncomfortable. also if you are reading this how long have you had your binder on? and drink some water!!

love,

*disclaimer!! we here at transmasc advice blog do not promote lying and sneaking around behind your parents/guardians back! this is just a resource that might help if you are in a situation where you need a binder!*

**disclaimer #2! i am from the us in an urban area. i dont know if this will work in other countries or in an rural area where you dont have gas stations/stores as closely available. feel free to add in the notes/reblogs**

First: ask yourself: how much trouble would you get in if your parents if your parents found out? i trust that you are able to make a responsible decision in your situation. make sure you will be in a safe spot.

If you have access to money:

Do research! the best binder brands that ive tried or others have recommended to me are: Spectrum, Underworks, Wonababi, and ForThem. Make sure to look at the size guide and do measurements!

Depending on your binder, you will need about $30-$60. If you have a credit/debit card that your parents don't monitor, you can ship the package to a friends house whose parents are chill(ask them first!!), or get a p.o. box (this can cost about $5 a month, go to your local ups store to see!). You might be able to have the post office hold the package for you, but contact them about that (you might need a photo id).

If you only have access to cash, or your parents monitor your card, you can go to your local gas station/target or walmart and they should have visa giftcards. buy a visa giftcard with about $10-$20 more then the binder costs (shipping+tax).

If you don't have access to money:

There are programs availble! read the websites!

point of pride

ftm essentials

rainbow youth pride alliance

queer trans project

and many more! do your own research!

If you know transmasc people who bind, ask them! maybe they have a spare/old one, you never know!

i have some experience cutting my own hair (and i’m an aspiring hairdresser) so i hope im able to help! for reference i have fine but thick wavy-ish hair (probably 2a?)

here’s some basic tips

if you have wavy/curly/textured hair, a uneven diy haircut can be pretty easily hidden, so if you mess up a bit it wont be too obvious

use decent scissors! i use sewing/craft scissors because i don’t have any fancy actual hair cutting scissors, but please don’t use kitchen scissors i beg of you

layers are your best friend

go on pintrest (or tiktok or instagram or whatever idk) and look for inspiration. you can even find haircuts you like with videos explaining how to do them

dont cut too much off at first (especially if you have bangs, unintentional short bangs suck)

use mirrors or take videos of the back of your head with your phone throughout the process

once you cut your hair, finding a good way to style it is key. i really like sea salt spray, pomade, and medium hold gel to create volume and texture. i’ve heard flat ironing can also help, but my hair doesn’t hold heat styling at all so i have no experience w it.

also do it in your shower or put trash bags down on your floor so you don’t have hair everywhere

remember that hair can grow and if you fuck up every two weeks it will look gradually better

also recently i went to a great clips and got a haircut and they actually gave me a masc cut so maybe you could do that? i didn’t trust them at all at first but it turned out really well so idk 🤷🏻

Build a Queer kits are a free kit where you can get binders, tape, packing supplies, and other fun queer things, all for free. It comes in discreet packages so if you aren't out to your family its a good option. BIPOC get early access to restock. They do have GC2B binders which have a bad reputation, so do research to make sure its a safe choice for you.

Restock date: April 26th, 8pm EST, 7pm CST, 6pm MST, 5pm PST

please reblog!

ive found this video and this series pretty helpful!

a few quicker things you can do is work on you intonation. without deeping your voice, a good way to start is changing your vocal cadence from a more fem to more masc.

typically fem people talk with elongated vowels, and with alot of expression.

notice how men in your life talk and try to compare that with how women talk, and try to pick up those masc characteristics and add them to how you talk.

another way recommended by my transmasc friend who gets voice lessons:

Hum in the lowest comfortable tone you can

Slowly nod your head up and down, continuing to hum

After doing that 15 times lower the hum to be deeper

Repeat the 2nd step

And bam, your voice will be lowered.

do this carefully and not too much in one period of time, as it can be damaging. but with repetition of this your voice should get lowered for a longer period of time.

make sure to stay safe, drink lots of water while voice training, take breaks if your throat starts to hurt, and dont do this if you are sick/were sick recently!

the master list and specific posts I have linked are still in a rough draft state so the grammar is a little rough last thing is I’m always updating them all with new information I find so if you ever see a reblog of my master list make sure you go to my pinned post to check if it’s the most up to date version