Whether it's your first time taping or your 100th time taping, you may find yourself in a sticky situation. It happens to everyone! A common issue people face while applying, is the tape peeling up sooner than later. Something else that may pop up due to the peeling, is the tape sticking onto your clothes and if either of these sound familiar, you're in the right place!
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Hey, welcome back!
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Or just a regular welcome if this is your first post.
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As usual, we will be discussing TransTape.
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Surprise!
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Whether you're new to taping or have been taping since the dawn of time, you are more than likely going to experience a hiccup here and there.
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And that's SO okay!
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With that said, you may have come across the problem of your tape peeling up way sooner than you'd like to see.
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You probably spent a decent amount of time preparing and applying and now only a few hours later, the edges are coming up. What gives?!
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I've been there, a lot of us have.
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And to add icing on the cake, now the corner that peeled up is starting to stick to your shirt every opportunity it gets.
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If these sound anything like your complaints, you're definitely in the right place.
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After a quick overview of TransTape, we're going to have a nice little chat about this peeling business, I just wanna talk.
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As always, if you've heard it all before and don't need a TransTape refresher, feel free to jump to the next section, my feelings won't be hurt.
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No, I'm not crying, I'm just chopping onions.
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TransTape is a high quality, body-safe tape that allows the user to toss bras, binders, gaffes and harnesses away and live freely in their skin.
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Compression free.
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TransTape is sweat-proof, waterproof and it's designed to move and stretch with your body for days at a time without restricting your movements.
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The compression free and hypoallergenic design also gives users who have breathing difficulties or sensitive skin another option to feel free and safe in their skin.
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TransTape is a pretty incredible thing.
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Unlike other gender affirming products, TransTape doesn't limit you to how many hours you are able to wear it for.
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You're good to go for days, my friends!
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But of course, be mindful of your skin and look for signs of skin irritation or possible reactions. Because although TransTape is made with the highest quality materials possible, that does not guarantee that everyone is going to have the same experience.
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Which brings me to the next point.
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Before attempting to apply TransTape for the first time, complete your test strip.
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Do not skip the test strip!
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Do not.
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Skip it.
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And I think that just about covers our quick summary.
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So let's go!
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Have you or a loved one ever experienced TransTape peeling up and sticking to your clothes when you move your arms up and down and all around? You may be entitled to a solution, today!
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Bad infomercial material aside, it's super annoying when your brand new application starts peeling.
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You're having a great day, feeling good with your head held high and all the sudden, as you're raising your arm to high five your closest friend, you feel your shirt pull up on your tape and now you're wondering to yourself, "is my application going to make it the rest of the day? Should I go home and reapply?"
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Something like that has the potential to turn a good day into a bad day.
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And we're going to try and prevent that from happening!
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Chances are, before you even noticed your shirt getting stuck to your tape, the tape was probably already beginning to peel up and was exposing the sticky side.
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There are a few reasons your tape could be starting to peel up sooner than you'd like and some of those would be overstretching, not rounding your corners and using oil based skin products before application.
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Nobody ever likes to hear that they are overstretching their TransTape.
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But.
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You're overstretching your TransTape.
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Maybe you're not, but you might be.
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TransTape is absolutely flexible and meant to move with your body while you go about your day while keeping everything in place.
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That is correct, you're not wrong.
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That flexibility is mostly needed after your application though.
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When applying, some people have a habit of pulling the tape extra tight in an attempt to create a flatter looking chest.
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This will lead to early peeling and sometimes something even worse, blisters.
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When you use all of the flexibility during the application process, you're not leaving any for everyday movement throughout the time you're actually wearing it.
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This means the tape is super tight and almost always at maximum tension, pulling on your skin throughout the day.
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Which again, leads to peeling and blisters.
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When you go to apply your TransTape, first place down your "anchor" (first inch of tape) with zero tension.
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And while moving your chest tissue into place, it's normal and okay for your TransTape to be stretching a little bit.
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But before you place that last little bit of tape down, make sure it has the least amount of tension possible.
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This is also why it's important to cut your strips to an appropriate size.
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You want to make sure the strips are long enough to lay comfortably without stretching them out too much, but short enough that they won't be wrapping around your back.
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TransTape should never wrap around your entire body or onto your back. It is intended to be used as a compression free product.
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Another thing that for some reason people hate hearing, round your corners.
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Round your corners.
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Round. Your. Corners.
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Round them corners.
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Rounding your corners isn't just about how your application looks.
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Although, I do personally think it makes applications look a lot nicer.
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That's just me, though.
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When you round your corners, the tape sits a lot more flush with your skin and because of that, it's a lot less likely to start peeling up or to get caught by shirts.
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This is something that can be done in a matter of seconds and could save you a massive headache in the future.
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I'd say it's worth it but, that's really up to you.
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Not a lot of people consider the skin products they use when it comes to applying TransTape.
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Things like body wash, body soap, body lotion or any type of oils or serums we might rub into our skin, can all affect our applications.
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Removal oil and repairing salve included, don't apply those before taping!
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So if your favorite lotion is oil based, avoid applying it wherever you plan on taping.
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Oil prevents the adhesive used in TransTape from properly bonding with your skin and creating a long lasting friendship.
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Wrong type of bond, but why shouldn't your skin and tape be friends? It's better that way.
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If you do use oil based products and don't wanna give them up, or maybe your skin just produces a decent amount of oil, you can always take some rubbing alcohol and clean off your skin before applying.
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But wait for the alcohol to dry before applying, otherwise the TransTape will start peeling and we're back at square one.
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Even if you've been using TransTape for years, there's a good chance you still come across problems like this here and there and there's nothing wrong with that.
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We all have issues, believe me.
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Sometimes we just need a little help and it's okay to ask for it when you do.
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And if you've made it this far, hopefully I've been able to help you decipher your peeling TransTape situation.
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If not, I'm so sorry.
But lucky for you, and everyone else, TransTape has a Live Chat option where you can talk to someone and get some more answers and assistance with your application.
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If live chats really aren't your thing, there's a full video course too!
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The video course includes application videos by all body types and how to's for nipple guards and removal as well!
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Using TransTape comes with a learning curve, just like everything else.
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It takes more than one attempt to become good at something.
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Being patient is easier said than done, but being patient with yourself while you learn something new will almost always benefit you in the future.
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You deserve patience, love and kindness just as much as the next person.
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We all do.
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Until next time,
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Stay awesome,
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Stay beautiful,
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Stay you.
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You are loved and it gets better.
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Talk to you soon,
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JamieÂ
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My name is Jamie and I'm a young (ish) transman born and raised in the Hudson Valley of New York state. I started my transition in May of 2017 and since then, I've made it my mission to live unapologetically as myself and spread awareness through my pursuit of happiness. I am the creator and writer of Spilling T blog, a proud affiliate of TransTape and when I'm not outside with the best dog ever or hanging out with my two cats, I make and sell my own beard care products through Buckaroo's Beard Care. I'm always looking for my next adventure and have been skydiving, road-tripping, hiking in the mountains and even served for a short time in the United States Marine Corps. My life has had its fair share of twists and turns and I hope to use those experiences to create helpful and relatable content that may help someone else navigate a difficult time in life.
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Beards, Socials, Tape and Writing
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Use code FINALLYME10 for 10% off your TransTape!
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https://linktr.ee/jamieakajames
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