What size gauge can you see through

Like the basic steel tapers, they can be totally autoclaved and sterilized for a safe and clean stretch.

They also are a bit longer in the stretchable area so they aren't as blunt on your piercing when pushing it through. And the best thing about the concave tapers, is that they have a concave back an indention on the end of the taper so that the plugs actually fit inside of the taper. This is what makes them just perfect; you can insert your taper, put the plug into the back of the taper, and follow through for an extremely easy stretch.

You don't have to keep your hand steady or anything, just insert the taper and the plug is ready for an easy follow through. These are usually a little more expensive, but for the extra few dollars it's well worth it. So once you have decided on what style of taper you want to use, the next part is getting the stretch done. The 1st thing you will need will be a lubricant to use on your taper. Lubricant will make the taper super slick so it will slide through really easy.

We recommend using a sterile lubricant like surgilube. Lube up your ears and also the taper. Then just insert the taper all the way up to the base of the bigger side. If it takes you a few minutes to get it through it is ok, you don't have to rush it. Once it is through then just take your plugs and follow through after the taper. Once you get to a larger size generally around 0 gauge then using the tape wrapping method is a good option to use for stretching and it is the method almost everyone uses over 1 inch.

The way that the tape wrapping method works is you take a set of plugs of your current size and do wraps of tape around your plugs to slowly increase the size of your piercing.

It's highly recommended to use a set of single flare tunnels for each size you use this method with since you can wrap the tape around your plugs and tuck the excess into the back of the tunnels. See picture below What's good about the tape wrapping method is that you can really take your time and slowly increase the size of your piercing without the healing issues of tapers.

Just do wraps every week and generally after about months you will be up to the next size. It's a lot slower than using tapers but it is a really efficient and gradual way to stretch with minimal risk.

There are 2 main types of tape that are the best to use. PTFE is a great and inexpensive tape that you can use to stretch. The good things about it is that it is very good in price, non-adhesive so it only sticks to itself, super thin so you can slowly increase your size, and it doesn't irritate your ears like some tapes do such as electric tape. Bondage tape is another great tape to use for the tape wrapping method.

The good things about bondage tape is that it is self-adhesive so it doesn't stick to your skin, hair, clothes, etc , it is 2 inches wide so it fits on any wearable area of plugs even really big wearable areas that are often in larger sizes , and it is smooth and easy on your skin. Though it is more expensive than PTFE tape, it is highly recommended. Stretching your ears too fast and skipping sizes is a common problem that can do some serious damage to your piercings.

When you skip sizes and stretch too fast you really are doing more ripping of your skin than actual stretching. Human skin only has a certain elasticity so going too big and too fast is enough to cause ripping and tearing of your skin. It's highly recommended to wait at least a full month between each stretch and to never skip sizes so your ears will have minimal chances for long term problems. Also the slower you go, the thicker and healthier your ears will be in the long run which is really important if you plan on going to a large size.

Blowouts are another common problem that is generally caused by stretching too fast or skipping sizes. The way this problem occurs is when the fistula inside of your piercing is actually forced out through the back of the piercing.

A blowout is a small flap of skin that will hang over the edge of your plugs. Though it is not generally too noticeable if it occurs on the back of your ears, it can limit the type of plugs you wear and you will generally need to wear plugs with a bigger wearable area to allow room for the blowout.

If you skip sizes or go to fast on a blowout that has already occurred then it will often continue to get bigger and bigger. The best way to help get rid of a blowout is to take your plugs out immediately after you notice it and downsize sizes smaller so your piercing will start to heal itself. If you leave the blowout to heal up without downsizing though, then it will generally heal up for good that way and become permanent.

There are many ways people have tried getting rid of healed blowouts, but the most common way is to downsize and to use oils like jojoba to help moisturize and soften up your skin.

There is also the option of getting it surgically removed which is highly recommended if you have the funds to do so.

Once your ears start to get stretched, a common problem that everyone has is the issue of "ear funk". We want to make it easier for you to figure out what sizes to use, so see our chart for the different ear stretching sizes below:. Here you can see the most popular ear stretching sizes in. Standard ear piercings are usually done at 20g or 18g for traditional earrings and that works out at roughly 1mm.

This is usually where people start stretching from from there you can go into the next size up which is usually either 14g 1. This means that whether you want to stick with smaller gauge sizes or go all out you can always have some awesome jewellery to show it off! If you're just starting out stretching check out our collection of small ear gauges. Most professionals would say that size 0g 8mm to 00g 10mm is the absolute point of no return. But, to be on the safe side most would recommend staying under 2g because at this point most people can shrink their ears back.

Note: Never, ever try to force plugs and tunnel in, or you could tear your earlobes, resulting in scarring, blowouts, and improper healing. Tapers are specialised tools used to stretch ears that most of the time look like very long cones. Slowly insert the pointy side first and then try to slide it through. If there is resistance or pain, you should wait to stretch your ears further.

If there is no resistance and it feels comfortable, simply line up the next gauge of tunnels or plugs and push them through. Your earlobe may feel warm, tingly, or sting slightly but if you have any pain or discomfort, remove the jewelry and wait at least one or two more weeks.

Just as it sounds, taping bondage or PTFE tape specifically is used to increase your stretch size by wrapping tape around your plugs and tunnels a couple of times to help increase the stretch size with your own jewellery. The main rule here is the longer you wait between the stretches, the healthier your lobes will remain and the more viable they will be for the bigger gauges. It will also avoid the build up of scar tissue. Following this process it would take roughly two years to get to 00 gauge this way.

Remember, you can do it faster too, but your earlobes will thank you if you take it nice and slow. Oil massages are the best practice after stretching your earlobes and this is best done after a shower because they need to stay moisturised. Use natural or water-based products to massage your earlobes, for at least five minutes each which helps get rid of any scar tissue, dead cells, and remaining sebum.

If you get any tears or injuries you should treat your newly stretched ears like any new piercing and soak them in sterile saline wound wash, not saltwater for at least 10 minutes a day to speed up healing and avoid infection. We'd recommend using Neilmed sterile saline wound wash in the fine mist.

Try to avoid alcohol, peroxide, and similar chemical products because they are quite harsh on the skin and will dehydrate it or aggravate your stretched ears further. First and foremost, use antibacterial soap to clean your hands and the area, or you risk getting bacteria all over your plugs.

Care instructions vary depending on the material the plugs are made of — i. Plugs and tunnels made of porous materials like organic plugs require substantially different care from those made with non-porous materials. Instead of washing them, only clean them with a damp cloth mixed with antibacterial soap, and pat them dry afterwards. For non-porous materials antibacterial water soaking is the best and easiest option! The terms plugs , tunnels and gauges , are often used interchangeably, which leads to so much confusion when first starting with ear stretching.

The most prominent difference is between plugs and tunnels : Plugs are solid, and tunnels are hollow. When wearing them, plugs will fill the stretched earlobe, and tunnels will only give it shape while enabling anyone to see through the actual piercing.

There are also plugs that are fully see-through, which might cause confusion because it seems like they are tunnels at first glance. Other tunnels , however, have decorative shapes inside the actual hole, making them appear like plugs at first, but since the decoration is still inside a hole, they are still considered tunnels. Gauges are something different altogether and even though many people tend to use it to refer to plugs or tunnels , gauges are actually a type of measurement.

The smaller the gauge size, the larger the tunnel or plug will be. Gauges go from 20G the smallest all the way to 00G, which is the largest gauge size. After that, larger tunnels and plugs are referred to in inches.

The materials of your plugs and tunnels also play a part, with acrylic plugs and silicone plugs being more prone to this issue. They need to be cleaned more often and not be worn over longer periods of time.