Stretching guide

i think this might help people a lot

much like dreads, stretching takes a lot of patience care and thought, you cant force your body to do what you want, but instead you must listen to your body, and this is where plenty of stretching (mot gauging, gauging is measurement stretching is the actual act) and a bad start can lead to even worse ears if not taken care of properly and also never ever ever skip sizes!!

first off, initial size

personally im a fan of the jurney, but a lot of people tend to get there lobes scalpled at some point, honestly its better not to, it can create a buildup of scar tissue, which is weaker than normal tissue, and can even inhibit the stretching procss altogether

stretching methods:

tapers: cone like tools used for jewelry insertion, but not to be worn as jewelry, the uneven weight can cause thinning of the lobes, and trying to stretch with them can cause major tearing instead of stretching which consists of microtears that heal up in a shorter amount of time, splitting the collegen cells apart instead of ripping the cells all together. tapers are okay to use but untill a certain ppoint, i usually advise not past 8-6g

weights: stretching with weights causes a lot of pressure on the bottem of the lobe, causing loss of circulation, thinning and usually loss of lobe

tape wrap: the best method when done right, prefered tapes are ptfe and bondage (pvc tape) because they are self adhesive, although those with sensetive skin should stay away from ptfe as it can dry the skin out very fast. most people will suggest electrical tape but that is a big nono as the adhesive contains tcp which is a neurotoxin often found in ruynoff of jet fuel, you dont want that in your ear do you? its toxic and will cause damage to your ears. when tape wraping, you simjply put a wrap of tape on your plugs every few days, using vitamine E or olive oil as a lubricant and just slide it back in, it takes a littl;e getting used to at first but trust me its the best.

waiting: tied with tape wrapping your ears will naturally stretch over time

time for materials

organics: organics are my favorite by far but should not be worn in fresh stretches, they are more porous and will cause your tissue to start growing into the pores and causing a bloody mess when you rip them out, wooden jewelry also helps thicken lobes but be wary of skin allergies, some people can be sensetive to wood

glass: hypoallergenic and great for initial piercing as well

metals: when going for metals the most populer are titanium and steel, but when going for steel make sure its implant grade surgical steel preferably 316lvm, anything else wil have more nickel than your body will like

acrylic: overall acrylic isnt really that great but you can get dental grade acrylic which is safe for your body, low grade can damage tissue

silicone: much like acrylic low grade can damage tissue and should only be used in healed piercings, never stretch with silicone

lobe care:

its pretty simple take it slow, dont rush it your ears are finicky, if it wont go in its not ready, if it hurts, its not ready, if it bleeds then why did you do it? stretching doesnt hurt, most of the time its people tearing there lobes and a lack of info on the correct way, keep your ears happy stay hydrated, massage them often, keep them clean and youl see a huge difference in time, this will also help fix damaged lobes to an extent, if there too far gone you might need to get them fixed