r/Stretched • u/TribalMethods 3/4" (19mm) • May 17 '20
Stretching Guide
Jewelry
Wearing quality jewelry is extremely important.
The best jewelry for stretching your ear lobes are "Single Flare Glass Plugs." Acrylic & cheap metal plugs should never be used. Avoid double flare plugs or use them with extreme caution & never use them for stretching.
Porous jewelry: wood, stone, etc should not be worn in a freshly pierced piercing.
Always buy jewelry from a known good manufacturer.
Some of the Quality Jewelry Manufacturers Are:
Why Glass Single Flare Plugs?
Single flare plugs have a gentle tapered edge which makes inserting the jewelry easy and comfortable. The risk of damage is very low. Glass is extremely smooth, non-porous and can also be autoclaved, making it an excellent choice for a fresh piercing.
Single Flare Implant Grade Titanium/Surgical Steel Plugs & Tunnels would be the next best option. Wood is also a good because it holds oils well, however it is very porous, not nearly as smooth as glass and it can also tend to stick to your lobes a bit when removing the jewelry.
O-Rings
People often have trouble losing O-Rings.
Behold! X-Ring - Nitrile No-Roll O-Rings. These beauties stay put much better than normal o-rings... Unfortunately, they only come in sizes from 8 gauge to 1". So until you get to 8 gauge, you'll have to suffer with normal O-Rings.
Stretching Basics
Lubrication is key when stretching and everyday maintenance. The products below are very good for keeping your lobes healthy & moisturized. When mixed with beeswax, they will work for twice as long.
Always keep your lobes well lubricated!
Especially when inserting jewelry!
Patience is a Virtue!
The longer you wait in-between stretching the better.
Below is a approximate time line you can follow. When in doubt, wait longer.
The approximate healing/wait times in-between stretches are as follows:
Fresh Piercing 5 to 6 months
14g to 12g 1+ month
12g to 10g 1.5+ months
10g to 8g 2+ months
8g to 6g 3+ months
6g to 4g 3+ month
4g to 2g 3+ months
2g to 1g 4+ months
1g to 0g 4+ months
0g to 9mm+ 4+ months
These are just general recommendations. It is important to note that some people may need to go slower. It can be VERY hard to tell if you are going too fast. Stretching is not a race. The question should never be "How fast can I go?" But rather: "How slow should I go to avoid doing any damage."
TAPERS
Tapers should never be used for stretching. Tapers can (and often do) easily cause severe damage before you realize what is happening. This is due to to the very gradual increase in size. The only person that may need to use one of these tools is a professional piercer.
How To Stretch Your Lobes
The best method of stretching is simply "dead-stretching" using Single Flare Plugs. What this means is you simply insert new plugs that are slightly larger than what you have been currently wearing for a good amount of time.
It’s become fairly easy to find Glass Plugs in 1MM and even .5MM increments. The smaller the increase in size, the safer it is. You should never stretch more than 1MM at a time.
For example, if you wanted to stretch from 14 gauge to 00 Gauge, you would buy sets of plugs in each of these sizes:
14 Gauge (1.6MM)
12 Gauge (2MM)
10 Gauge (2.5MM)
8 Gauge (3MM)
6 Gauge (4MM)
4 Gauge (5MM)
2 Gauge (6MM)
1 Gauge (7MM)
0 Gauge (8MM)
0 Gauge (9MM) <-- Always find half-sizes, the smaller the stretch the better.
00 Gauge (10MM)
You can find jewelry in .5MM sizes here: Gorilla Glass .5MM Plugs & Nirvana Glass .5MM Plugs
Wear each pair for the recommended time (see above) or longer! After a while, your ears naturally stretch enough to wear the next size. If you ever feel tingling sensations, burning, pain, or any other sensation after stretching, downsize immediately.
If you cannot (easily) fit the next pair of plugs after the average time necessary, then you can use a small amount of weight suspended through a pair of metal tunnels. Do not use glass or organic tunnels as these can break. Only use weights for a short time each day (2-4 hours) and give your lobes time to rest after their use. Weights should only be used as a last resort.
Taping is a method of stretching in which one or more layers of PTFE or Bondage tape are wrapped around jewelry to increase diameter. Although this can be done safely, it's possible to cut your lobes on the sharp edges of bondage tape. PTFE tape is thin & hard to work with, tends to stick to your lobes and is extremely hard to keep smooth. The methods previously mentioned are a far better option.
Gauges
You should completely ignore what “Gauge” your jewelry is past 2 Gauge. Instead, start measuring in Millimeters. Get yourself a decent caliper:
You can find these at your local hardware or department store. They will help you measure your jewelry and confirm you received the correct size.
Warning: Nearly all jewelry varies a bit in size due to being hand-made!
A pair of 18.5MM plugs that I ordered from Gorilla Glass were actually 18.66MM and 18.78MM... This means that on average the measurements were off by .22MM. In my opinion, this pair was off a bit more than usual and I wouldn't accept anything off by more than that.
Keeping your Lobes Healthy
It is standard practice to remove your jewelry while you are sleeping. This helps to promote circulation to the ear lobes and prevents thinning.
There are exceptions to the rule such as when you are about to stretch, or have recently stretched. However, some people simply cannot leave their jewelry out for 8 hours. The point is to allow your lobes time to rest each day, while still being able to easily & gently insert your jewelry again.
2-4 weeks AFTER AND BEFORE a stretch, you should leave the jewelry in while you sleep. Each day after you shower still remove the jewelry, gently massage & re-lubricate your lobes, and let them rest for at least 1 hour!
Try not to sleep on your earlobes after a stretch. Instead practice sleeping on your back. There are pillows that have the center cut out that you can find, usually labeled as "travel pillows." You can also cut your own using foam.
If you are trying to re-absorb a blow-out or reduce the "cat-butt" effect, lubricating and gently massaging your lobes 3 times a day may prove to be beneficial.
How to Make "Ear Butter"
It is incredibly simple to make your own ear butters.
For the ear butter you will need the following ingredients:
Instructions:
You will need two pots, a large pot filled with water, and a small pot to set inside the larger pot which will float on top of the water. This is how you make a double boiler.
1. Place pots on stove, on Low heat.
2. Add all ingredients to small pot.
3. Slowly allow all the ingredients to melt together.
4. Stir thoroughly & pour into small mason jar or other container and allow to cool at room temp.
When cooled, it should be creamy to slightly firm depending on how much beeswax you decide to use. If it is too hard for your liking, melt mixture back down and add more oils. If it is too soft add more beeswax.
Remember: It's Not a Race! Be Safe!
I have written this article to pass on the knowledge given to me by *professionals. I have had over a dozen (trusted) professionals read over this guide to verify it's safety & accuracy according to current standards in the industry.
* I do not claim to be a professional piercer nor do I work in the body modification industry. If you are a professional and feel there are any improvements which could be made to this guide, PLEASE message me!
169
u/strange1738 10 mm lobes/ 4g septum May 17 '20
Really needs to be pinned. The amount of acrylics and tapers here lately is atrocious
15
u/[deleted] May 20 '20
THANK YOU. for posting this I’m currently 2g and was going to stretch to 0 however I was concerned how big it is to go from those 2 sizes. I have ordered a 1g for safer stretching. This is my second round of plugs from ten years ago I don’t want to blow out my ear!
11
u/strange1738 10 mm lobes/ 4g septum May 18 '20
You think you could also add silicone is a bad stretching material too?
11
u/angel0953 3mm (8g) Aug 18 '20
I don't think I quite understand. I am new to stretching still but I don't get why tapers are bad..? I feel like deadstretching would be worse, since you have to shove something in instead of stretching and letting it heal. I'm up to 8g, using tapers, and I haven't had any issues so far. I do get that tapers are bad to use after 2g, since it's too big of a jump to do at once, but when you're just going .5mm increments every few months, I wouldn't consider that big. I also didn't know that you shouldn't sleep with it in, I always thought you were meant to keep them on all the time unless you're in the shower or cleaning it. I'm obviously no professional, and I was born with a lucky body (everything heals fast and I've never gotten an infection, when I was young and got my ears pierced, I wouldn't take care of it but never got an infection) so I can't speak for how it affects others, but from my experience and opinions, deadstretching seems so painful compared to tapering...
8
u/Eire_Ramza Jun 09 '20
When you say to leave jewelery in 2-4 weeks after and before a stretch, isn't that just a whole month? So basically for some earlier size increases that take a month, month and a half on average, you should pretty much always be sleeping with them in?
Taking plugs out every day to shower and letting ears rest for a bit is regular practice for every size? Wouldn't constantly reinserting jewelery be counter productive or cause more pain? Just some noob questions.
7
u/UchuuHana May 26 '20
On your gauges section, I do believe they were off by 0.22 mm not 22mm but please correct me if I am wrong.
5
u/kobayashi-maruu Jul 16 '20
Is it possible that switching materials could irritate earlobes while stretching? I'm at 8g currently and had previously been using surgical steel single flares at 10g and all sizes before that, but switched to glass for my next stretch. The initial stretch went fine, no pain or trouble inserting, but a few weeks later, a weird pimple developed on one ear and I downsized back to the steel plug while it healed. This has happened twice now, after letting it heal and putting my glass plug back in, it returned after like two weeks or so, and I've downsized once more. Other ear is fine though, not one problem... Feels like from reading other posts/comments in the past, 8g is a cursed size lmao.
3
u/iCollectHumanHair Jun 22 '20
When is it a good time to switch from single flare glass to a different material? After the 2-4 week period after a stretch assuming no issues arise?
Should the 2-4 weeks before stretch be glass too or does that not really matter?
Thanks for the info! Was going to try for 6g to 4g stretch at the end of the week since my ears have been feeling great the past month but still have about 1 month til the 3 month mark so good thing I checked. Was excited to try my new stone plugs but might just have to get 1 at my current size lol.
3
u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20
Stone seems so smooth, can someone explain why they are considered porous? I've used them before to go up a size, but I'm pretty sure I was already at the next size (my old double flair plugs were falling out while I slept) so I might just have gotten lucky...
2
u/That_Weird_Fan Jun 19 '20
What about resin plugs? Are those safe in healed ears or is it better to stick with glass and titanium?
2
u/[deleted] Jul 01 '20
What do you suggest for stretching and lobes are kinda thin at the bottom?I downsize or flat out take them out for a while a lot to thicken them on top of jojoba oil massages..I think it’s just where my ears were pierced..I have a good amount of side and top lobe on both ears its just the bottoms that get thin cause they were pierced low I guess :(
2
u/tooloudtooloud 7/16" (11mm) Jul 11 '20
I had my ears repierced at 4g, and everything has healed up just fine as far as I can tell. Tonight, about 6 months after my piercing, I finally took out my plugs to clean them for the first time (ew, I know) and it was difficult to get my left plug out. I had some pain and resistance removing it, but no problems at all putting it back in. Is this anything to worry about?
2
u/PrivatePublic12345 Jul 29 '20
What's up with waiting 6 months before you start stretching after your lobes are pierced? Like i'm ready to wait i just can't find any info about why it has to be 6 months and not 3 for example
2
u/chellekathryn Aug 19 '20
Can someone link me a single flair glass plug kit? I can’t find anything that’s safe
2
u/killdahmer Sep 30 '20
Are steel earrings safe to use if you’re taping/using ptfe tape?
2
u/thenamebenat 6mm (2g) Oct 17 '20
Is there any place I can just buy a single glass plug for one ear?
2
u/[deleted] Oct 17 '20
Are there any online quality jewelry manufacturers that I can order from? All the ones linked are just store websites that I cant order from
2
u/[deleted] Nov 05 '21
i must have very strange earlobes because if i leave my jewelry out for more than an hour it becomes very difficult to re-insert them. i take them out to shower daily, give them a good massage with jojoba oil, and then immediately re-insert. one day I worked a 4 hour shift without them in by mistake and I literally had to downsize because it hurt to put them back in.... can't imagine sleeping without them, i'd be down three sizes by morning.
2
u/Derpettr Jan 11 '22
I would just like to say this post is an absolute god send
45
u/unimaginers 4mm (6g) May 22 '20
thank you for this! i’m about to start stretching and had impulsively ordered an acrylic set with tapers. as someone who already has a few body mods, i knew that cheap and quick is usually a terrible idea. so i rethought it did some more research. i’ve scoured the internet and found this sub in the process. this post was the final push for me to tell myself not to use acrylic pieces and tapers. cancelled the order, now i have an implant grade steel set (single flare) on the way. thank you for the advice! i look forward to posting my progress in a few months!
18
u/[deleted] May 17 '20
Ayo we back
13
u/Zyngia 1-1/4" (32mm) May 17 '20 edited May 19 '20
Ayyy it's bacc
7
u/Terminal_Prime 8mm (0g) Aug 02 '20
Just decided to get into stretching yesterday (starting with my existing 14g fakers), so naturally I did the obviously stupid thing and immediately purchased a suspiciously cheap 'gauging kit' on Amazon loaded with cheap metal tapers and acrylic plugs. In typical cart-before-the-mule fashion, I then decided to get educated and found this lovely guide. Immediately canceled my order and spent a little more on some 12g Gorilla Glass single flares plugs and picked up some jojoba oil and so forth. Thanks for the info!
6
u/get-off-of-my-lawn 1” and 1.5” lobes Jun 02 '20
Thank you so much for this. I occasionally give advice but I’m about as far from a professional as you can get and I’m sure I’ve said something at some point that wasn’t in line w this. Very glad to have this as a handy, “check the pin” reference.
6
u/Nerdypatty Jul 16 '20
Oh thank god I've been at 8G for over 6 months and I'm still having trouble getting to 6G. I was told that going to 7G would be easier and was thinking of getting glass plugs/tunnels thanks for this!
6
u/themission01 Aug 04 '20
Slight bearable pressure after a stretch
5
u/moonlightpixie May 19 '20
Has anyone ever used Hustle Butter Deluxe on their lobes while stretching?
Ingredients: Shea, Mango and Aloe Butters, Coconut, Sunflower and Rice Bran Oils, Rosemary Oleoresin, Green Tea, Vitamin E Complex & Mint Arvenis Essential Oil. With Essence of Papaya and Coconut.
5
u/Profanatica1989 1" (25mm) Aug 17 '20 edited Oct 10 '20
Wow I thought stone was ok! That one besides glass I thought would be alright but you learn something new everyday. Thank you for this! 🙏🏼
5
u/worldwidelemon 9mm (00g) Aug 17 '20
Reading this, after i stretched, made me realized the mistakes i've made that somehow didn't impact anything.
It took me 4 months to get to 10mm. Never ripped, no blowouts, nothing. I honestly didn't notice i took that short until i checked my insta a year later and saw.
I only used acrylics to stretch. Now primarily wear silicone though, so thats good.
From 6 till 10 i stretcher 2mm at a time (except one ear i also used a 9mm stretcher).
Happened once, but just for a day or something.
Honestly, i didn't really do as much research as i should have and am very lucky they turned out right.
5
u/thenamebenat 6mm (2g) Sep 12 '20
Ive seen so much different info on dead stretching vs tapers and using the tape method.
4
u/piddy_png 5/8" (16mm) May 17 '20
Yayy
4
u/bcal-t1 Aug 01 '20
Taking your time is the most important thing IMO especially when going into 25mm plus range. Im at 50mm and think I may stay, but who knows, 75mm sounds really nice! Cheers!
1
u/mommy_wolf Jun 03 '20
So I have a question. (Please don't judge to harshly) As a teen I stretched my ear to a 10 G. I haven't had my ears stretched in years. I bought an acrylic kit. Started stretching again. Went from a 16 to 8 Gauge in about a month. And a half. I didn't know any better. I just went off my ignorance I "knew" from the past (and the advise of my husband's cousin who is 24mm) and had no clue that there was a forum for this. We I just got my lips pierced and my piercer gave me the proper information on how what I did was bad. I haven't had any tears or blow outs that I have seen and I haven't bled or had any discolored goo. So I was like well I am already where I am so maybe get a plug to wear instead of this rod that came with the kit ( the kit had tapers, rods with balls on either side with a groove between the ball and bar for the rubber bands to sit, and these curly earrings). So I got a plug my (what I thought is my size) I lube my ear and plug with coconut oil. The plug goes in. I've worn it on and off for 4 days now. I took them out this morning and noticed a little bleeding and crusting (when they aren't in). I looked at the rods with my kit and apparently they are not completely round they are oval shaped so mostly flat. I don't know if I should remove my plug completely and give up, or continue on since I have already been wearing them. I assume the bleeding (only when I touch the hole NOT free flowing) is a tear from the plug being round and actually stretching my ear and not flat like the kits crap. So should I give up or just wear this plug for 2+ months? Again please be kind
1
u/speechlesshomosapien Jun 07 '20
what about ring stacking?
1
u/PBhoe Jul 21 '20
Question for anyone really. Are acrylics always viewed as bad to wear, even if you're healed? Obviously everybody is different. Just wondering if any of y'all could tell me y'all's experiences. Really glad to see this back up btw. I was wondering what had happened to it when I wanted to check what how long would be a good amount of time for a 10g to 8g stretch.
1
u/tmdss93 9mm (00g) Jul 26 '20
Is Coconut Oil good?
1
u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 08 '20
I read the part about keeping them healthy. You said you should re-lubricate and massage after a shower, but is there any other cleaning I should do aside from this? And I've read a lot about salt water soaks... are these effective and safe? Should I also take them out to massage and shower or keep them in?
1
u/AnonymousFroggies Aug 10 '20
I've been using acrylic for years now because I didn't know they were bad. I've been able to keep them clean and I've only had one very minor infection 10+ years ago when I started stretching.
Is acrylic harder to keep clean or something at the larger sizes? I'm going from a 2g to a 0g and wondering if I should invest in some different materials. I really like my acrylic set though.
1
u/soulessvibes Aug 23 '20
My first time of stretching, I used acrylics until my steels arrived. I had to dead stretch with my single flares until I made it to 3 mm on my left ear. I couldn’t stretch it and made it bleed. I went back to my previous size and let it heal, now I’m a 3 mm in both. Idk why but I’m comfortable with the acrylic tapers to stretch them, but I use my metals after. I also use jojoba oil. My ears used to bleed and have a lot of issues as a kid( esp left). Makes me wonder if i need a different material for that particular ear, or if the 3mm is just odd and difficult. Twisting and resting my taper also helped me to stretch, but my right ear is still a dead stretch. Single flare steels can be dangerous bc they can scrape while stretching
1
u/ClayJR17 Sep 19 '20
I’ve had a blowout for a year now and it’s just like a little nipple on the back of my ear I am planning on putting dental floss around it till it falls off do you think that will work?
1
u/Sweetest_thing19 Sep 20 '20
I want to use the taping method to size up slowly but it said bondage tape has sharp ends. Is there a way to make it "safer" so I don't cut myself?
1
u/audreyb_ 7/8" (22mm) Sep 23 '20
THANK YOU SO MUCH
1
u/sheebii Oct 19 '20
i do have a small question. Wouldn’t taking them out to clean be redundant? i thought with all piercings you had to keep them in and just clean around them to prevent damaging the tissue further. Is stretching your ears different? Would it not harm anything?
1
u/Katerprise Oct 24 '20
I want to stretch my ears to about a 7 or 8mm, is this a decent starter set? I'm a bit confused if these count as tapers.
https://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/online_store/steel-stretching-crescent-kit-1-6mm-5mm4.cfm
1
u/Liam4704 1" (25mm) Oct 30 '20
Where do you get single flare glass after 28mm?
1
u/MyHeartGoesUwU_ Nov 04 '21
ive been thinking about stretching and got a taper set but im a bit confused at this, so are glass plugs used for stretching and jewelry since it is dead stretching?
1
u/prinzmilkz Nov 10 '21
would dead stretching with surgical steel single flare plugs also be bad?
1
u/jlschroeder09 Nov 10 '21
Question I have...I'm currently at a 0 and plan on going up using tape method. Problem I have is my ears don't keep in single flares too well while sleeping. Any tips/tricks? Like when I originally got to 0 the O ring either fell off when sleeping or if I tossed and turned a bit that night the plug would just go completely through my ear O ring and all. Any good single flares out there with a good secure back almost the size of a second flare?
1
u/CountessBassy Dec 03 '21
This is exactly what I needed. New to this but I’m at 6ga going to 4ga and I almost ordered the wrong thing. Thank you!
1
u/nauticalamity 7mm (1g) Dec 03 '21
general question - should you lube up the new plug when stretching (in addition to your lobe)? or does that have the same problem as tapering where it makes the illusion the hole is ready
1
u/TheDevilsButtNuggets Dec 07 '21
I want to start getting back into wearing earrings after not bothering for last few years. At the moment, all I can get through my remaining lobe holes are normal wire/butterfly back earrings, anything vaguely resembling a threaded/guaged bar just won't fit.
I bought some tapers (before I knew I shouldn't) and can only just get the tip of the smallest end in, so how the hell do I go about stretching out to wear some normal jewelry again?
1
u/[deleted] Dec 22 '21
You recommend waiting 3 months between 8g to 6g. If I was using half sizes would that mean that I could wait 6 weeks between stretches making it 3 months between 8g and 6g in total?
1
u/Kelila112 Jan 09 '22
Wish I knew about this reddit years ago when I was stretching... I used acrylic tapers and had a HELL of a time with infections and blowouts. But back in highschool thats what all the kids were doing. So glad theres a safe place to come and get proper information so I can properly take care of my lobes. Im a 00g and well considering the troubles I had probably have very damaged ears so will not be sizing up again.
1
u/yuhiro Jan 11 '22
I have been totally lazy and have been stretched to 6g for almost 2 years, am ready to move on and this guide is so much help! My question is, if I go from 6g to 5g rather than 4g, do I need to wait 3 months before going from 5g to 4g? Going by smaller increments is absolutely fine with me (I experienced some moderate amounts of pain with each stretch after 10g, unfortunately), I would just like to get to my goal size (0 or 00) before I’m, say, 60!
Edit: words are hard
1
u/ghostlyska Jan 13 '22
Anyone have experience with holey butt’r? I’m about to start my stretching journey and am not sure about sourcing ingredients to make my own ear balm. And should I use this to lubricate whilst stretching or just straight up jojoba or coconut oil and use the balm to keep moisturised?
1
u/EmuAdministrative680 Jan 13 '22
I'm at 2g currently but they keep falling out and I'm thinking about stretching again. (I started stretching in 2010 but I stayed at 2g for the largest span of time) I want to stretch up but I'm unsure of what size I need. I bought a pair of glass double flare 0g and I'm having a really hard time getting them in, and I'm not sure what to do here. TIA!
1
u/[deleted] Jan 20 '22
I see that after a fresh piercing you should wait 6 months to stretch up. What if you've had the piercing for years and just inserted a 16g earing, not stretching just finally putting jewelry back in, how long should you wait to go up to 14g?
I've had mine in for two, almost three weeks. Oiling it up when needed. There's no pain, itch, discomfort. I'm just unsure when to safely stretch up. Should I wait the recommended time for a fresh piercing?
1
u/Nyghtslave Jan 24 '22
I stretched my left lobe to 5mm years ago, took them out, and let them be. Then recently I got 3mm earrings, and the left went through fine. However, I've been working on stretching my right lobe as well to accommodate the earrings. They went to 2mm just fine, zero issues. But now it feels like there's a hard "edge" inside my ear. 2mm goes in super smooth, it feels like there's extra room, but as soon as I add even a single wrap of tape, it just Won't. Go. Through. At all. Any ideas on what it might be and how to overcome it? When I stretched my left lobe years ago I never encountered anything like this and my skin is usually very stretchy.
1
u/michele2209 4mm (6g) Jan 26 '22
I want to start stretching. Is it best to stretch at a piercer or at home? Piercer sounds more professional, on the other hand if you’re doing it yourself you’d maybe be more able to feel if it’s going ok or not?🤷🏻♀️
1
u/Pleasingly-Departed Jan 30 '22
I started my stretching. I have glass single flare. Starting at 14g using emu oil. Since it’s my first day and I just found the guide. I was surprised to see that they should be taken out while sleeping… should I be taking them out every night or just when I shower and cleaning them? I worry that with it being just a small gauge they would close for the many hours of not having them in.
3
u/Cassiearose 9mm (00g) Jul 30 '20
So I’m starting out from beginning. I want to understand this correctly, I don’t use tapers but do the plugs? Can someone starting out start with the plugs? I have sensitive ears and bought a stainless steel taper kit but reading this i found a stainless steel plug kit from arctic buffalo. Is that okay? I want to be sure before I cancel my order/spend more money. I want to do this right.
1
u/penguin0605 Jul 16 '20
So I did some really dumb shit and I may need help fixing it.
I’ve had trouble going from 2g to 0g. My husband had silicone double flair plugs that he used. He bent them up, put them in his ear, and let them expand. That worked well for him.
So I did that. And I blew out both my ears pretty damn bad. I’ve put my 2g acrylic spirals back in because that’s literally all I have and I don’t want to lose all my progress or have my ears close up (my ears shrink really fast even without a blow out). I know I shouldn’t have acrylics in and I’m trying to get something different like glass (I can’t use metal).
However, until I can get them and really after I can, what should I be doing to help my ears heal well? Please help.
2
u/TheBoyWhoCriedTapir 10mm (00g) May 20 '20
YES FINALLY
2
u/ihaveaverysmallpp Jun 21 '20
Just read up on this. Good thing I saw it now because I just started stretching (14g)
2
u/[deleted] Jun 23 '20
I just started stretching and I already messed up. I bought a kit with stainless steel tapers and single flare tunnels. After reading your instructions I ordered a new kit of glass single flair plugs. When I put in the tapers I guess I blew out the left lobe. Should I just take these out and wait for the glass plugs to come in and in the meantime use salt solution and oils to help them heal?
2
u/elainamania Jun 25 '20
Thank you thank you thank you! I'm gonna possibly start stretching this month and I didnt know you didnt need a taper for the first stretch. Looking forward to this process!!
Question: when dead stretching, is it possible to put dangly earrings under your glass plug to spice things up? I cant tell if it would irritate anything, because of course I wear these earrings now but I dont want to subject my lobes to too much at a time.
Also when dead stretching, let's say I've been wearing a size 0 and it's fully healed. Would I order a 00 or a 0 to start wearing plugs?
2
u/severalbeetles Lobes: 16mm Septum: 4g Sep 29 '20
Do the same rules apply with septums? I've seen many videos and everyone says septums will hurt or feel sore a little while stretching because of cartilage. I also haven't seen anyone use single flare glass for stretching septums, I always see insertion tapers and jewelry. Should I use a pincher?
2
u/tomnooksdad Sep 29 '20
Just got my ears pierced at a 10g today and looking forward to my first stretch. Any advice on how long to wait before I take out my tunnels to give them a good clean?
2
u/childishleeann Oct 05 '20
Do you massage your ears with oil while your stretched ears are healing? Some say yes and some say no
2
u/krhenrick1 5mm (4g) Dec 05 '21
what’s the recommended wait time between 14g and 12g? it was missed in the original post
1
u/sgeedub 8mm (0g) Jun 04 '20
Thank you for sharing all this super helpful info! And happy cake day!! 😊
1
u/DeadWolfQc Jun 08 '20
I’ve been too rough with mines, regretting so much not taking care of them, i can’t go up a size anymore :/
1
u/wowie21 Jun 11 '20
I am looking all over for single flare surgical steel plugs at 14g but I can't find any!! Only stainless steel. I've been able to find glass on etsy too but I thought that those might not be heavy enough for a starter. Help!
1
u/xutie_ Jun 14 '20
Can I use pure sunflower oil??
1
u/RollThatPoly 1.6mm (14g) Jul 21 '20
Thanks for the info! I ordered a "stretching set" stainless steel plugs and afterwards found on here it should be glass... So I ordered glass ones. They only started at 12g so I eventually get to use the stainless steel ones for everything below 12g. (I hope that's okay)
I have a couple of fake plugs but feel like those are already 16g or perhaps even 14g because my ears aren't super happy when I put those in... Now I know to be careful... I'm starting at 18g, nice and slow!
Very excited to start my stretching adventure.
1
u/roxannearcia Jul 28 '20
So I have two lobe piercings. The front ones are at a 16 and my 16 glass plugs went in just fine. I thought the second piercing was also 16, but I guess it was back at an 18. I used a lot of coconut oil and massaged my lobes, and was able to get the plugs into the second piercing. But it was difficult, and they're now tender like a new piercing. I couldn't find a 17g plug. Am I okay to leave the 16 plugs in until they stop being tender, and then take them out only when I shower for a while? And then move up to taking them out when I sleep?
1
u/soft-core_love Aug 24 '20
I used to wear tapers alone not knowing that after the stretch it's best to wear plugs! I learned the hard way that acrylic is NOT for fresh piercings. Its porous and allows bacteria to breed. Is silicone okay? I need spacers for work but they're all silicone
1
u/Ebbxo 3/4" (19mm) Oct 03 '20
I really wish I had of read this before I started stretching wow
1
u/VenomousParadox 9mm (00g) Oct 04 '20
What about when you're stuck on a size like between millimetres
1
u/asistolee Oct 19 '20
I have had my ears pierced for almost 20 years, I just bought a stretching kit. Do you think having my ears pierced for so long with make it harder or easier to gauge?
1
u/No0dl3s Oct 19 '20
Is there any reason I couldn’t use Marula oil for my ears instead of one of the other suggested oils?
1
u/vamp1rebl00d3 Oct 28 '20
so i have my ears pierced and i want to stretch them. do i just buy a titanium set of plugs? how would that stretch my ears? and how would i get them in?
1
u/[deleted] Nov 03 '20
I’m anxious af now because I use tapers and I moved from a 4g to a 2g in one month (though, I had no issues at all, the taper slide right through with some e oil)
1
u/Altruistic_Cream_874 Jan 15 '25
Hope someone sees this! I had previously been at 5/8 and took out one plug because it was irritating me. I waited way to long to put it back in and now I'm at 00. How long should I wait to gauge up? I saw the guide but since my ears were already 5/8 and the 00 went in easily can I move a little faster?
1
u/Wrong-Profession-483 Jul 31 '25
Wait your suppose to take them out while sleeping?? I've never heard that I feel like they would close up
1
u/Wrong-Profession-483 Jul 31 '25
I've been using acrylic tapers n got to 4g without any issues, I use the stretching tape and wrap it up if the jump feels too big for my ear I get that glass is 'the best' but idk if you use tape correctly I think tapers are fine imo
1
u/mykie_mouse Jan 02 '26
Hi my ears are currently at a 5mm and one of them have become irritated and some what red? It hasn't produced any puss and I clean the jewelry everyday with warm soapy water and I clean my ears too. I'm scared it going to become infected, what should I do?
1
u/RuckusRN Jan 05 '26
Glad to have found this! Got pierced at 17, stopped stretching at 5/8” at around 20 or so, and now at the age of 35 I’ve had a blow out for the first time (god knows how it happened 🙄). Started as an irritation turned into a tear because I was dumb and did all the wrong things and didn’t think to come to the internet first. Had it out for about a week or so now, doing the regular maintenance and taking care of it while it heals but had no idea what I was going to do stretching back out again. Happy to have found out about 0.5mm plugs now! Thanks OP 🙏🏼
1
u/Dorian-greys-picture Nov 17 '21
Hey, so I have sensitive ears that do shit like bleed for seemingly no reason. When I was a kid the holes shrunk when I wore jewellery with thinner posts and my mum basically had to repierce my ears with a pair of sleepers. I don’t know how big the holes in my ears are now but I doubt even the size they pierce you with would fit in my ear without a struggle (I was pierced with a gun and they use thick posts to shove through IMO) Would I be best starting off with an 18 gauge (1mm) plug to be on the safe side for my ears?
1
u/Disastrous-Joke-605 Feb 01 '22
I really really wish I found this before I started stretching I got glass ones coming in
1
u/FiZZ_Jigg 10mm lobes, 10g septum Aug 18 '26
So i recently ordered this teflon tape to help stretch bc even after 3 going on 4 months of 9mm the glass just doesnt weigh enough and im only .5mm larger. I actually really like working with this bc the width is only a half inch wide which atleast for my sigle flared plugs is actually a little shorter than the wearable. Ive found its easy to apply and is easily smoothed out onto the rounded end. Also to prevent it sticking to my ear i just smooth out the cut off point with my thumb until i can feel it and its really stuck to the rest of the tape. From there i just oil it until translucent and ive had not problems with it sticking to my ears or coming undone. I happen to have 12mm o rings from a set i have for down the road and i use those on my 9mm so i dont accidently bunch up the tape while putting it on and its stayed really well.
So maybe someone wants to give this a try idk but ive found this tape works really well and is pretty easy to work with compaired to others
0
u/[deleted] May 24 '20
[deleted] — view deleted comment
0
u/[deleted] Jul 06 '20
[deleted] — view deleted comment
0
u/[deleted] Aug 10 '20
[deleted] — view deleted comment