Best way to stretch ear holes

[soocool]

So i got my beautiful WF 2ct huggies, but had a hard time getting them in my ears (probably should not have forced them through because ears are a little sore). I need to stretch my holes a little. I think the gauge on these are 20 (not sure) and I have been primarily wearing my BGD huggies for over a year and I think my holes shrunk a little. What is the best way for me to stretch my holes out a little?

 

[Enerchi]

ouch! If you think the posts are too thick, can you send them back for thinner posts to be put on??? I don't think I'd want to stretch my ears, I'd rather have them thin out the metal!

(hey... enough 'stretching' is going to happen as we get older anyway--- I don't want to be speeding up anything ANY faster than what's going to occur naturally!! )

 

[justginger]

I'm with Enerchi - I really dislike the look of saggy ear holes, so I've spent my life avoiding things that might stretch mine. I will only wear studs unless it's a big, fancy night out...and even then, I put dangly earrings in before I get out of the car, and take them out when I get back in the car. I would definitely get those posts thinned out rather than make your holes bigger.

 

[movie zombie]

sigh. i'm an expert.
simply wear earrings that are too heavy for your ear lobes and you will get stretch.
or wear posts that you are allergic to and then wear earrings too heavy for your ear lobes.
guaranteed to work.
i do NOT recommend doing any of those things but i did in my early 20's and now i live with the results.
sigh.

 

[soocool]

I don't worry too much about things stretching out since I am 56 and things are hanging lower than they used to anyway.

I sometimes have trouble wearing my studs as well since I have been wearing really thin huggies in my ears for almost 2 years now (I thought it was only about 1 year originally). I am wearing my other studs to see if that will help stretch them out a bit.

I don't think I want WF to thin the post as these earrings are substantial, but I will call them on Monday and ask their opinion.

If anyone else out there has these huggies please chime in and let me know if you had any problems putting them in as well. Thanks!

 

[yssie]

Having thicker posts will prevent the holes from stretching (not lobes from stretching from overly heavy earrings though) - the thicker posts distribute the weight across a larger interior surface, instead of cutting right through like a knife...

I don't think 19/20guage is thick enough to require any specific stretching though? If you can get them in at all I'd probably just try leaving them in and seeing if it gets better over a couple of days...

 

[PintoBean]

do you have studs? The posts on my studs are generally thicker than my BGD huggies, and, for me, are a more comfortable way of stretching the piercing out gradually.

 

[Alexiszoe]

soocool,

I had the exact same problem with my huggies. Any attempts to "stretch" my lobes by wearing slightly thicker earring posts didn't work too well (and I tried for close to a year).

Eventually I went to a tattoo cum piercing shop for advice - (I also brought my huggies along to show them how thick the gauge was). They recommended I buy a stainless steel "taper" in a similar thickness gauge. As the name suggests it's a very thin steel post that curves and tapers so that you can slide it in gradually without causing much pain or discomfort. I wore it for about 2 days, then slide it off and as I did, positioned the end of the taper with the post of the huggies and pulled the taper out while pushing the huggie in, such that the huggie slides through my lobes while the taper is moving out.

Earlier I had tried taking off the taper entirely and then putting my huggies in - didn't work, only thing that worked was the method above. After wearing my huggies for about 5 days or so my lobes have been sufficiently stretched and since then I don't have much problems wearing the huggies when needed. Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think they are sore because you have scratched the inside of the hole with the part of the post that has the cut-out in it. That is what I did. I had trouble getting that part straight through my ear and it scratched inside there. It really didn't have anything to do with the thickness of the post, I don't think. I think it is getting that jagged part through the ear successfully.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, I just went and experimented so I could tell you how to better put them in! On mine, the jagged part is at the top of the post. So to insert the earring, I pull down the lobe just a bit and insert the post with the bottom of the post against the bottom of the hole in the ear. That way, it slides in without the jagged part hurting the top of the ear hole.

Does that make any sense to you at all?

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Naive-person's post here (so take away what you will). I'd probably put a little vaseline on the posts and see if that does the trick.

 

[diamondringlover]

Oh my gosh I thought I was just me...I just cant wear the thicker wires...they hurt my ears too much!! I am going to take my earrings to a jeweler and have the wires taken off and post put on....I can still wear posts...

 

[texaskj]

Do you still have your piercing studs? Usually, they are a little bigger gauge. Put some Neosporin on each post and wear them for a few days.

 

[Ravenne]

22-18 gauge wire shouldn't be too hard to switch between. Just a little something to help it through. Someone mentioned Vaseline, that should be fine. Or olive oil/vegetable oil. Give them a little massage with said oil or Vaseline to loosen the tissue up a little. Should be fine.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The problem is not the thickness of the posts.

 

[soocool]

I think it is what DS said, because I can get the posts through the front but then it doesn't want to come out the back. It could be that little cutout in the back of the post. The first time I put them in, I struggled. The second day was easier, but I had to somehow push them out through the back. I am wearing my studs for the next week or so until the ear feels a little better (they are not really too sore) and I will try some of the techniques all of you have suggested and my last resort will be to get a taper ( I read up on this online and actually found a chart that measures gauge and it really is not a big leap from my studs to the huggies, but they are larger than my BGD huggies)

 

[soocool]

Okay, I just went and experimented so I could tell you how to better put them in! On mine, the jagged part is at the top of the post. So to insert the earring, I pull down the lobe just a bit and insert the post with the bottom of the post against the bottom of the hole in the ear. That way, it slides in without the jagged part hurting the top of the ear hole.

Does that make any sense to you at all?

Yes mine has the jagged part on top also and DS you may be right that it scratched my ear. The second time I put them in I did exactly what t you did, but I had to push through that hole on the back of the ear. I think once I wear them more often the problem will be solved. If not I will try to get the taper to help me.

 

[ame]

A piercer in a piercing shop can do it. I used ot have mine stretched to 6-8-10 (three holes). It wasn't painless but it was something I liked. I miss them. Anyway...you can get a really thin taper and they can get them in easily.

 

[stargurl78]

Naive-person's post here (so take away what you will). I'd probably put a little vaseline on the posts and see if that does the trick.

Yup this is what I do and they slide right in. I wouldn't want to stretch out my ear holes or have the posts thinned.

 

[soocool]

Naive-person's post here (so take away what you will). I'd probably put a little vaseline on the posts and see if that does the trick.

Yup this is what I do and they slide right in. I wouldn't want to stretch out my ear holes or have the posts thinned.

I may try this tomorrow and see if that works.

 

[Fly Girl]

Naive-person's post here (so take away what you will). I'd probably put a little vaseline on the posts and see if that does the trick.

Yup this is what I do and they slide right in. I wouldn't want to stretch out my ear holes or have the posts thinned.

I may try this tomorrow and see if that works.

Ditto on the petroleum jelly. The guage on my earrings varies, and it is sometimes difficult to put in the thicker ones after wearing thinner ones.

BTW, I'm your age as well, and I'm happy to have not stretched out my ear holes and I don't want to start now.

 

[PintoBean]

If you have time to drop into a drugstore, a water based lubricant is a better option than vasoline. I got CVS brand personal lubricant and it works great. Water-based lubricants wash away more readily than vasoline, in case you get it on your diamonds!

 

[chrono]

Please do not stretch your ear holes or thin the posts down. The holes will naturally stretch over time and cannot be unstretched. The posts are that thickness in order to support the weight of the earrings. My guess is that somehow you must have injured the inside of the ear hole, hence the soreness. I have a pair of antique earrings that are heavy with a thick post which takes me a day or so to acclimate to. Rubbing a touch of oil (even olive oil) on your ear helps slide it in. For now, treat the sore ear with neosporin until it feels better before attempting to wear the huggies again. Once your ears get used to it, you will no longer need to "oil" it.

 

[yssie]

If you have time to drop into a drugstore, a water based lubricant is a better option than vasoline. I got CVS brand personal lubricant and it works great. Water-based lubricants wash away more readily than vasoline, in case you get it on your diamonds!

PS priorities

 

[soocool]

Please do not stretch your ear holes or thin the posts down. The holes will naturally stretch over time and cannot be unstretched. The posts are that thickness in order to support the weight of the earrings. My guess is that somehow you must have injured the inside of the ear hole, hence the soreness. I have a pair of antique earrings that are heavy with a thick post which takes me a day or so to acclimate to. Rubbing a touch of oil (even olive oil) on your ear helps slide it in. For now, treat the sore ear with neosporin until it feels better before attempting to wear the huggies again. Once your ears get used to it, you will no longer need to "oil" it.

The sores are just a teeny tiny bit sore today so I think I will wait until all is fine to try again. I have been using antibacterial soap to clean my ears as everything I have read on the internet says to do that rather than rubbing alcohol or neosporin. I have some Bio Oil that I may try some time this week. In the meantime I found my starter earrings (only about 40 years old) that I have been wearing 24/7 since the weekend.

 

[soocool]

If you have time to drop into a drugstore, a water based lubricant is a better option than vasoline. I got CVS brand personal lubricant and it works great. Water-based lubricants wash away more readily than vasoline, in case you get it on your diamonds!

i got some at home

 

[PintoBean]

If you have time to drop into a drugstore, a water based lubricant is a better option than vasoline. I got CVS brand personal lubricant and it works great. Water-based lubricants wash away more readily than vasoline, in case you get it on your diamonds!

PS priorities

 

[PintoBean]

The sores are just a teeny tiny bit sore today so I think I will wait until all is fine to try again. I have been using antibacterial soap to clean my ears as everything I have read on the internet says to do that rather than rubbing alcohol or neosporin. I have some Bio Oil that I may try some time this week. In the meantime I found my starter earrings (only about 40 years old) that I have been wearing 24/7 since the weekend.

sea salt and warm water is great for healing piercings. I'll bring a mug(s)/cup(s) with me into the shower/bath and hold it up to my ears for a few minutes. Very soothing!

 

[chrono]

Sea salted warm water will not sting a healing?

 

[soocool]

The sores are just a teeny tiny bit sore today so I think I will wait until all is fine to try again. I have been using antibacterial soap to clean my ears as everything I have read on the internet says to do that rather than rubbing alcohol or neosporin. I have some Bio Oil that I may try some time this week. In the meantime I found my starter earrings (only about 40 years old) that I have been wearing 24/7 since the weekend.

sea salt and warm water is great for healing piercings. I'll bring a mug(s)/cup(s) with me into the shower/bath and hold it up to my ears for a few minutes. Very soothing!

I heard as long as it is not ionized salt, but sea salt is best. I only have Kosher salt and used that yesterday