We’ve all heard the horror stories about ear piercings gone wrong.
Uneven piercings because you skimped on the cost of the procedure and went to the sketchy place down the street. Post-piercing infection because your new cleaning routine lasted all of five days.
And who hasn't experienced the pain of using the pointy starter earring to basically re-pierce your ears because you took them out too soon?
We spoke to a few jewelers who offer ear piercing services in their stores, and they spilled the expert beans on 6 of the biggest ear piercing care mistakes and tips on how to clean pierced ears.
Common Ear Piercing Care Mistakes
Avoid the tragedy of ear piercing horror stories by steering clear of these 6 ear piercing care mistakes:
1. Dirty Hands
If you touch your new piercing with hands that haven't recently been washed, germs will transfer and could lead to an infection. This may sound obvious, but it happens enough that it’s worth noting.
Always, always, always wash your hands before touching your newly pierced ears.
2. Hair Products
Your hair holds onto anything and everything it encounters throughout the day. It contains the shampoo, conditioner and product from this morning, plus all the bacteria and dirt that happened to be floating around in the air you walked through today.
To prevent bacteria from transferring from your hair to your new piercings, try throwing your hair up at night - at least for the first month. Keeping it pulled back and away from your ears will not only reduce the risk of infection, but will also keep it from getting caught on your earrings while you sleep.
3. Wrong Cleaning Solution
Everyone suggests different ear cleaning solutions to use, so it’s hard to know which is the right choice.
First, use the saline solution your piercer gave you, every day, twice a day.
Apply it to the front and back of the piercing with a clean cotton ball, and then twist the earring a couple times while it is wet.
4. Premature Earring Removal
Don’t take your earrings out too early! They will close rather rapidly.
Leave earrings in for 6-8 weeks, giving your ears time to heal.
5. Leaving Earrings Out Too Long
Yes, you can take your earrings out after 6-8 weeks if they feel ready, but don’t leave them out! They will still close quickly since they’re relatively new.
Leave your earrings in as often as you can for roughly a year before going extended periods without them.
6. Cheap Earrings
You’ve done your time. The long two-month wait is over. Don’t ruin that progress by switching the possibly boring, but high quality, earrings out with those super cute $3 earrings you just scored!
Jewelers suggest wearing 14K yellow gold earrings consistently throughout the first year because yellow gold is more pure than most metals.
They recommend not using white gold because it may be mixed with nickel, which could possibly lead to an infection depending on your skin sensitivity.
During the first year, your ears may be more sensitive, and the last thing you want is an allergic reaction.
Once you get your ears pierced, take care of them! Your beautifully pierced ears will thank you. If you're looking for more insights on how to clean and care for your jewelry, check out our guide!