My ears have been pierced off and on since I was little. The last time I got my lobes pierced was around 3 months ago. I got them pierced at 20g and stretched them to a 14g in 2 days. My experience: 20 to 14g can be found here.
At A Glance Author Becca Seraph Contact Becca Seraph@bme.anon IAM Silhouettes When It just happened Artist Myself Studio At Home Location Lower Indiana I started at a 14g with a regular steel captive bead ring that I just slide in. I had this jewelry in both ears for about 2.5 or 3 weeks. The jewelry kept weighing my ear down and the hole would stretch itself. By the end of the 3 weeks, I could see a big gap between the earring and the top of my ear. I could see through it. I know you are supposed to wait around a month to stretch again, but I thought I could just slide in a 12 gauge with that gap showing.
I ordered my 12 gauges and got them about 3 weeks into my 14 gauges. I decided to try to put them in my ears. They were also regular steel captive bead rings. I got my mirror ready and some Dial and Bactine. I like to clean my jewelry in Bactine before placing it in my ear. I know it is not the best way to sanitize, but I make sure I order mine from a clean place that is brand new. Anyways, I soaked them in Bactine for a few minutes, and then I was ready to change them.
I slid the 14 gauges out and replaced them with the 12 gauges. The 12 gauges slid right in without any force or struggle. The only hard part was getting the balls on. I had ordered regular captives and the balls were hard to pop on. I got my roommate Jake to help me. It took us about a half an hour to get the balls on. He had to take the jewelry out of my ear and use the back of a hammer to stretch it out until the ball fit in just tight enough to stay on and not fall off. It was a weird way to stretch the metal, but it was all we had, and in some strange way it worked.
After putting the balls in, I made sure they were tight and they were. The 12 gauges did not look much bigger than the 14 gauges did, but I liked them anyways. It felt like my first real stretch and I was proud. Soon after stretching, I ordered some 10 gauge steel horseshoes.
I should never have ordered horseshoes, I ordered them because I hated captive balls and wanted a simple way to put on the ball. I did not think about the threads that would have to pass through my ear until after I got them in the mail.
I do not remember exactly how long I waited to stretch again. It was a few weeks, but I stretched as soon as I got my horseshoes in the mail. I cleaned them with Bactine and kept Dial on hand in case I needed lube. They were a little tight to slide in, but they slide in with ease. The only trouble I had been with the threads. On my left ear the thread touched the middle of my ear and got stuck for a second and it scared me. It did not hurt, but I knew it could not be good for my ear. Stretching so soon and with the wrong jewelry could have gone wrong but it did not, which I am glad of.
Well, I got the 10 gauges horseshoes in with ease. They made my ear feel heavier and more full. I loved the look and feel of them. They were steel and put a lot of weight on my ear, which made me happy, knowing it would make it easier to stretch in the future. The balls were extremely easy to get on and off and while I had them in, I took them out twice to check how my holes were looking.
I ordered my 8 gauges from the UK and figured they would not be here for weeks and that would give me time to wait. They came a few weeks later however. Being impatient and sure that I could stretch again, I changed them today. Again, I did not wait long enough. If I had have waited longer, I think it would have been easier to stretch, since horseshoes are so heavy and would have weighed down my ear some.
Anyways, my 8 gauges were Titanium Pinchers. I picked out pinchers because I did not want to have to go to the shop to get them tapered. I soaked them in Bactine and tried to slide the first one in. It got stuck halfway up the side of the pincher and would not go any farther. I took it out and lubed it up with Dial. The first time I had to use Dial, that is when I knew I should have waited, but I had came this far and wanted to get it in. After I lubed it up, I pushed gently, but hard. I heard a small pop and felt a sharp pain as it went all the way through to the top of the pincher and hit the back of the O ring.
I was so happy I had one in. My boyfriend Josh helped me clean off the Dial and put on the other O-ring while the other pincher soaked in Bactine. I lubed up the other pincher with Dial and slide it ring in. I thought the right ear would be tighter like it usually is, but it slide in easier than the left ear had. I felt a little pressure as it went through, but no real pain. Josh helped me get on the O-ring after it was in.
Another bad thing about pincers is getting them straight. Josh and me fiddled around with them for about an hour trying to get them straight. After the initial push through, my ears were fine and did not hurt. I could take the pincers all the way out and back in with no pain and they would go easily. I do not plan on taking them out for a few weeks though. They look gorgeous even though they are still not completely straight.
I cannot wait to get to 6 gauges. Right now 6 gauge is my goal but I might go smaller, but I want to wait at least a month this time to make sure my ears are ok. So far, I am so happy with my progress and I love my 8 gauges. I still have to order my 6 gauges, I am thinking about getting pinchers again. They are easy to put in if you can deal with getting them straight.
Well hope this helped someone and remember you are supposed to wait about a month between stretches, what I did was dangerous and might have hurt my ears. I wish all of you luck and if you have any questions feel free to email me. Here is a picture of my pretty ear looks like now!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/BeccaSeraph/Piercing/100_1606.jpg
Happy Piercing!