Every since I could remember, I always had terrific judgment of what I wanted. What I really wanted and wouldn't ever regret.
At A Glance Author Linzee Contact Litlinlin@aol.com When A year ago Location Baltimore, MD Gauging my ears is what I wanted.
Where I got this idea, I really can't say, maybe it was just a face off the street or off the Discovery Channel, but I was determined to do it. Of course, I was 16 at the time and my small country town wasn't open to any edgy self expression, so getting started was a bumpy ride of me. Not only was I all alone, but I really didn't know how to do it, it was all and all experimental for me.
I started off with belly button rings in my ears, a standard 14 to 12 gauge was all I could find. Then I bought the Hot Topic acrylic rings, but found that to be draining my wallet quickly. And also the variety of rings and plugs where minimal and very generic. But hey, a desperate girl will do just about anything to get her way as fast as she can. I can sadly say I probably spent about $75-$100 dollars following this routine.
But, I finally got fed up with it and got a really good idea. I grabbed a pen, popped out the ink chamber inside, and cut of the end of it (the end with out the ink) and put it in my ear. Of course, don't forget to clean it. I dropped the plastic pieces into a cup of rubbing alcohol. And I also found that Gel pens have even thicker ink chambers. I got to a size 6 or 4 by doing that and probably saved myself a pretty penny too. But I saved even more from a friendly face.
I was at work one summer, a cashier at a local Mexican Restaurant, doing my day-to-day thing when this guy comes up to the counter when I had a break in the lines. I didn't know him at all but he started off by complementing me on my gauges and the fact that I had made them myself. It was weird because I didn't think that anyone had noticed and also this was my first conversation with someone else about gauging my ears. It's always exciting, your first chat about your modifications, and just connecting in that sense. All the pain was worth it just to know I wasn't the only one who was interested in this mod. The young man continued in giving me tips on how to keep on making them myself and deals I could find if I every wanted to buy them myself. Then he gave me the bme web address, dabbled a bit more, then we parted.
The most helpful thing that he advised me to do was to use plumbers tape to wrap around my homemade plugs, making them thicker as I go. This was a fantastic was to gauge my ears because:
1.) You can go in between sizes, giving yourself the least possible pain and also the quickest heal time.
2.) Saves money (LOTS of money).
3.) For me, it was more discreet, giving people time to accept my appearance and not shock them by buying really flashy plugs that would normally be found in stores.
Then I started having fun with making my own stuff. Some times, I would use electrical tape or any tape that was water proof, and get different colors, making a rainbow in my plug. Or making duct tape stars to put on the ends of them. My friend even helped me make some really pretty looking homemade plugs. I also always kept a printed out copy "Size and Gauge Chart" offline so I constantly knew where I was at. You could find them at any web site that sells body jewelry in bulk (usually) or search it up.
I made it all the way to 1/2" before I started buying real jewelry. I am very satisfied the technique I used and constantly tell others about how I did it, but there is one down side that I personally hit. I went way too fast in gauging since I didn't have to wait and save up money for the next size up. I have a growth in back of my ear and it's kind of gross, but I actually got used to it. Also gauging too fast is very painful.
So if you take away just one tip from this story, take your time gauging, what's the rush? Make some awesome home-made plugs out of duct tape and enjoy it. Or just keep your plugs that your bought for a while, you did spend a good amount of money one them. But, if you did make them, when you see kids buying each plug as they go, you'll know you got yours for free.