I've decided to stretch my right earlobe a bit (up to around 2g I think) and would like some advice please I have 2 piercings in my left lobe and one on the right. Annoyingly the right hole is about 18g whilst the one I got at the same time on the left is more like 16g. Beacuse I don't have any formal tapers and suchlike yet I've done my first stretch using a hoop which has a thicker 'body' on it, which I've measured to be 16g. After this I shall get some tapers and do it properly. So what tips do people have in general for someone completely new to stretching? My lobe is throbbing a bit but nothing major!
i think you should go straight into a ten or so.. then after go to the 2. thats my opinion though. i also found that for me it hurts way less to do it with hot water rather than with ice or something cold. again, thats me.
Use metal......some lubrication.....I agree with gnome about jumping to a ten......but I would then taper it, so you don't rip it......keep it clean
i personally couldn't go from the 16 straight to the 10. in fact, it took me a while. i'd suggest posts rather than the hoops, that worked a lot easier for me. and my tip, that i used to save money, was i'd get the acrylic tapers (they worked fine for me), and once i had them through, i'd cut them off with wire snips or whatever, and just wear them as plugs. i got that idea because the long ends of the tapers kept catching in my dreads and stabbing my head as i slept. let them heal with plenty of time in between sizes. mine are at a 2, and it took a couple months. i usually let them heal at least 3 weeks in between stretches. just curious, how come you're only doing one ear?
I'm only doing one ear because I have a bit of a dangly earring addiction. I currently wear 3 odd earrings and have been known to wear pairs of earrings in one side and a random earring in the other. I have this feeling I'll end up doing the other side though! I don't think i could go straight into a ten, oww!
I suggest not skipping sizes, especially if your ear is sore now. Just do it logically and use tapers or pincher's to gauge, i find pincher's to be perfect because your ear heals with them in a whole hell of a lot faster than gauges, but don't use the o rings on anything right away, it blocks the hole off and doesn't let it get enough air to heal as fast as it can. When your ear is healed enough, then you should use the o rings, but you have to be careful, your gauge will fall out easily if you don't use the o rings.
