Hi there it’s Charli again. So this month I wanted to talk about how long it’s okay to wear your TransTape. So some years ago I was asked to test out a product called TransTape by my friend Aaron. I had recently began transitioning and he was curious what I would think about it. And if I could figure out a better way for trans women to use it.  

So with my first roll of TransTape and some removal oil I set off to experiment with this new product I had become aware of.. well kinda. I knew about the company I designed a logo for them a few years back. So I was aware of them. So I took it home and tried out a few ways of strapping everything in place and still being able to pee. So going against any reasonable sense of caution I did possibly the worst thing you could do. I done it so you don’t have to.

And then I wore it to a really big music festival in June. I wanted to kinda stress test it and see what it could handle. So I was going to attend roo and I figured what better way to test it than middle Tennessee in June dancing my pants off. Literally. I went to see a queer artist perform on the EDM stage and by the time their set was over my pants no longer existed. I was just in a bikini. It was the wildest thing. Well I was in a bikini and TrnasTape. In a crowd of like ten thousand people. 

I’m here to tell you TransTape stood up to it. I put on my TransTape on Thursday, this was Friday. Everything still in place and not embarrassing me, even just literally in a bikini. This was my first time being so scantly clad in public. And it was both VERY public, but also much more of a culture of tolerance than just the actual public. Overall not the west experience tbh. Nobody ever noticed me. 

Now by Sunday morning my TransTape just kinda fell off. And now I went into this with the expectation that it was entirely possible maybe even probable I was going to get a rash. Not even from wearing TransTape. Just existing in that hot Tennessee Summer heat as a person who has skin that touches. And while I did get rashes, none of them were from my use of TransTape. 

Here’s a weird sense of gender euphoria waddle walking your way back to camp because your inner thighs are actually aflame. And seeing numerous other girls in the same situation. Don’t know how much ‘euphoria’ was actually part of the equation. But a sense of belonging through shared suffering for sure. 

So again by Sunday morning the heat had seemingly done it’s work on the adhesive and it fell away. But what surprised me was under the TransTape even in the heat I was fine. I put a little oil on in my tent just to get off the rest of the adhesive that was still there..If you’ve never been large music festivals can be dirty places. There are showers available but they cost like 20 bucks US and when you get out you have to walk through a dusty lot at some point anyway. So your cleanliness is very much tied to how much money you have to spend on staying clean. 

So that’s my experience. It was a good one. Now these days practically speaking I don’t generally leave mine on for more than two days very often. But again I’ve worn it under very hot and dirty conditions for up to four. Though again. Probably don’t do that. 

Now what I should have done is to have used a patch test. What that means is you take a little piece of TransTape in the area you mean to use it on clean skin and keep it there for up to two days. Then using your TransTape removal oil you apply the oil over the area letting it soak in really well to release the adhesive. Then slowly remove your TransTape and check to see what if anything happened. If everything is all good you’re free to apply to that area as you please and keep it on for at least that long with a good indicator of what to expect.

But that’s not what I did. Classic case of do what I say, not what I did. But don’t take the risk. Don’t be sillier than I was. 

Again always make sure you apply your TransTape over clean skin. That’s another big one. Dirt, and moisture plus your skin do not make for a happy lady. So keep that in mind. That’s important. 

But again I don’t usually keep it on overnight. Not so much because it’s not comfortable or anything. But because if we’re being really honest. Having your partner take it off for you is absolutely amazing. So usually end up opting for that route.