Stretching your ears with silicone tunnels is a method that has held a stigma in the stretching world as "one of the worst things you can do for your ears." From personal experience, I have discovered otherwise.
The reasons silicone stretching has been condemned as a "no-no" would be because it is porous, and can easily harbor bacteria. What do you do when something can harbor bacteria? CLEAN IT. Make sure you take your plugs out in the shower, and clean them. Also, use an antibacterial ointment to keep your ears soft and healthy.
How to stretch with silicone:
1. Make sure that the silicone jewelry is made of thicker silicone. I recommend the silicone tunnels by Morbid Metals from Hot Topic. Make sure the tunnels are clean before you start anything!
2. Remove the jewelry you are already wearing.
3. Rub Neosporin, or another antibacterial ointment on your lobe, and inside the hole.
4. Rub a tiny bit of the antibacterial ointment around the silicone tunnel. (Not too much, or it'll be very slippery and hard to hold.)
5. Bend the plug in half, and work it into your ear. Once it is in, it will (generally)stay bent in half.
6. With your thumb on one side, and another finger on the other, start gently working at the tunnel, and opening it up.
7. Your plug is in, and you're a size up! Quick, and less painful than other methods, you might want to stretch with silicone again!
I have a video up on Youtube about stretching with silicone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG5UHCFcovI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75wVtG0SysY
I would not recommend Kaos Earskins for stretching your lobes. Kaos Earskins are extremely comfortable tunnels, and make your ears look more stretched than they really are, which are pluses, but the silicone is thin and soft, making them hard to stretch with. Use thicker silicone to stretch, and then use the Kaos earskins to wear as normal plugs.
Again, keep your ears clean, and to keep them soft and healthy, use an antibacterial ointment, and your lobes should be set!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
What is a "blowout", and how do I fix it?
A blowout happens when the pressure on the inside of the piercing is too great, and the hole, or part of the hole twists inside out, resulting in what looks like a flap on (usually) the backside of the piercing.
Now, unless you want to have trouble with your ear later on, and have the back of your ear to look like a butt-crack, you're going to have to fix this.
1. Remove the jewelry you just put in. (Yes, it may have been half-impossible to get in, and taken forever, but if you leave it in, you'll be in more pain, and your ear will heal like that).
2.BABY IT. Don't try to stretch it again until your ear is healed, or at least to the point where it doesn't hurt anymore.
Many people recommend sea salt soaks, and they do help.. but who has the time to soak their ears for an approximate total time of 40 minutes a day?! I know I don't. Treat it like another "ouch", and (once again) USE NEOSPORIN(or another generic brand).
Now, unless you want to have trouble with your ear later on, and have the back of your ear to look like a butt-crack, you're going to have to fix this.
1. Remove the jewelry you just put in. (Yes, it may have been half-impossible to get in, and taken forever, but if you leave it in, you'll be in more pain, and your ear will heal like that).
2.BABY IT. Don't try to stretch it again until your ear is healed, or at least to the point where it doesn't hurt anymore.
Many people recommend sea salt soaks, and they do help.. but who has the time to soak their ears for an approximate total time of 40 minutes a day?! I know I don't. Treat it like another "ouch", and (once again) USE NEOSPORIN(or another generic brand).
Getting Started
When you first decide to stretch (gauge, for some people) your ears, they will be around an 20ga to 18ga, or (.81mm to 1.02mm).
To get started, buy tapers from a website that sells body jewelry, or a “Hot Topic” store at your local mall. Buy sets of tapers labeled “14 gauge” or “12 gauge” (if you choose to skip a size). Make sure you have something to lubricate your ears.
Many people recommend jojoba oil for lubrication during stretching and to help “thicken” your lobes later on. The oil will help make them healthier, but it will not “thicken” your ear lobes. If you don’t want to spend money on jojoba oil, just use Neosporin.
When starting to stretch, remove your “normal-size” earring, and begin to take your Neosporin and massage your ear lobes with it. Spread a little on the taper, and with one slow movement, push it into your piercing hole. It may hurt, but stretching your ears can sometimes hurt.
After stretching your ears for the first time, leave in the tapers, (or what you had chosen to stretch with) for at least as long as it takes for the tenderness of your ear lobes to go away. Many people recommending waiting from a month to six weeks, but as long as your ears do not hurt, and are healed, you should be ready for your next stretch!
When I started stretching, I was at an 18ga, and I stretched to 12ga one night, without any lubrication at all. I cannot stress how important it is to lubricate your ears!! Using Neosporin can also help, because it helps heal the stretch. Also, try stretching them right after you get out of the shower, when your ears are softer.
To get started, buy tapers from a website that sells body jewelry, or a “Hot Topic” store at your local mall. Buy sets of tapers labeled “14 gauge” or “12 gauge” (if you choose to skip a size). Make sure you have something to lubricate your ears.
Many people recommend jojoba oil for lubrication during stretching and to help “thicken” your lobes later on. The oil will help make them healthier, but it will not “thicken” your ear lobes. If you don’t want to spend money on jojoba oil, just use Neosporin.
When starting to stretch, remove your “normal-size” earring, and begin to take your Neosporin and massage your ear lobes with it. Spread a little on the taper, and with one slow movement, push it into your piercing hole. It may hurt, but stretching your ears can sometimes hurt.
After stretching your ears for the first time, leave in the tapers, (or what you had chosen to stretch with) for at least as long as it takes for the tenderness of your ear lobes to go away. Many people recommending waiting from a month to six weeks, but as long as your ears do not hurt, and are healed, you should be ready for your next stretch!
When I started stretching, I was at an 18ga, and I stretched to 12ga one night, without any lubrication at all. I cannot stress how important it is to lubricate your ears!! Using Neosporin can also help, because it helps heal the stretch. Also, try stretching them right after you get out of the shower, when your ears are softer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)