Q:i have a friend who might stretch with plugs instead of tapers, is that a good idea? i tried searching google but nothing really came up. i want to tell her she shouldn't stretch with plugs because that just sounds like a bad idea, but i want to be sure that it's unsafe!

sixteenthcentury

Stretching with just plugs, otherwise known as dead stretching, is perfectly safe. It’s how I’ve been stretching back up from my downsize in early November. Essentially it is waiting until your ears have self-stretched to the next size over time and can accept it easily, without the aid of stretching tools like tape or tapers. I wish I’d known about it before when I stretched the first time around.

Round-backed colorfront plugs are perfect for the job and also come in those awkward “in-between” sizes (like 1g, 11/16”, 13/16”, 15/16”, and such). Round-ended steel plugs are a pretty good alternative, but are more limited in sizes. Both are pretty cheap. (Note: Those particular metal plugs are low quality economy grade plugs and you should use caution if you buy them. If your ears don’t like economy steel because of a nickel allergy, you should definitely go with glass or higher grade steel or titanium. I provided them as an alternative to the glass plugs because they are an option and people like options. The polish on those plugs is also inferior and the glass will be a lot smoother.)

Metal (or even glass) eyelets/tunnels are okay to use, but can be sharp on the edges and often have o-ring grooves, which can both make stretching more difficult or uncomfortable or be the reason your ears react badly to a stretch. Use those at your own risk.

Dead stretching, like any other method, should be very very minimally uncomfortable at the most. Proper lubrication should be used - some sort of oil or lotion that you are not allergic to; this is not the time to try out something new. When I say “uncomfortable” I mean that the new plug (which should be 1mm larger than your current size at most, but glass plugs can vary slightly) might feel a bit tight in your ear or you might feel a very slight stinging sensation or your ear might turn a bit pink and warm-ish (simply just from being squished around like after a massage) for 5-10 minutes. Anything more than that most likely means you’re doing something wrong and should go back down a size and try again in a week or two (providing there was not any blood or ripping involved in which case more time should be given). 

If you’re talking about using silicone eyelets to stretch with, then I highly recommend she try a different method. I suggest you have your friend read this from the Kaos website.

Also please note that some people’s ears just aren’t stretchy enough for this to work and she might have to try another method. :)

Answering this publicly so it can be referred to later because dead stretching does come up somewhat frequently and I don’t want to type all that out again.

-Kat

P.S. If I missed anything or messed up some info, please correct it/add to this ask, other mods. 

The In Depth Stretching Guide.

awfulmodifications:

In depth stretching guide.

What you need: KY Jelly (or another skin safe water based lubricant), correct jewellery, bondage tape, BioOil (or another oil like jojoba, vitamin e or emu oil), a lot of patience and a lot of time.

Let’s start off. Your ears. They should have been pierced for a minimum of 6-9 months before you begin stretching. You should also know what gauge they were pierced at. For the purpose of this guide, I’ll assume they are pierced at 16g (1.2mm).

Starting out: Get some 1.6mm internally threaded jewellery. It can be a labret, barbell, septum keeper. Massage your ear whilst bathing/showering, and cover the jewellery, and the front of your lobe with the lube. Slowly, push the jewellery through. If you meet any resistance, stop, wait a week (whilst massaging daily) and try again. Congratulations, you’ve made your first foray into the world of stretching!

Now, you want to wait a month,  and get some 2mm/12g jewellery. Make sure, it has to be internally threaded/not threaded. Repeat the process again, remember. Any pain, stop, and wait a week whilst massaging your lobes daily. Continue through 2.4mm/10g to 3mm/8g.

Now, we’re up at 3.2mm/8g. It should have taken you three months to get here. Now we want to start taping. You want to get some surgical steel/titanium plugs (or tunnels, your choice!). Lube your ears up, and pop them in. I say pop, but, make sure you do it slowly and carefully. As this is the first stretch up into ‘larger’ territory, you can use a taper. Now, the number one rule of stretching, tapers aren’t jewellery! Get the taper, and hold the larger end against the end of the plug. Make sure they line up. Lube them both up, as well as the piercing, and in one swift motion, push the taper through. As you have the plug lined up on the end of the taper, it’ll slide through into place. Try not to use acrylic tapers, as they have a very bad size gradient and often lead to tearing of the piercing fistula. So.  Now you have a nice 3.2mm stretch.

How do I start taping?! I hear you cry. Well. Here we go. Wait a week. Make sure the stretch is happy, healthy, and not sore in anyway. Carefully cut a strip of the bondage tape, and wrap one layer around the plug. You want to make sure it doesn’t overlap, as you just want one layer on the begin with. Cover the tape and plug in your chosen oil, and put it back in. Now, wait for another week, and do another tape wrap. And then one last time in another week. So, you’ve done three tape wraps in three weeks. Every other day, you want to remove the plug and cover it in oil again to make sure the tape doesn’t dry your lobes out.

Now, because you need to include every mm increment, you may find the most cost effective way of doing this, is using acrylic. As you should be aware, acrylic is terrible for stretched piercings. So, there’s a way around this. Instead of waiting a month before reaching the next g/mm, wait 5 weeks, and do one more tape wrap. This means, when you reach the next mm (ie 3mm to 4mm) you end up with a fraction over 4mm. This means, you can pop a new tape wrap over the new plug, preventing the acrylic from ever touching your ears.

Now, you’ll want to repeat this allll the way up (and I mean ALL THE WAY) up to your goal size. Never skip, never keep going if it hurts, and never use acrylic. Always lube and oil!

So, here it is in a nutshell (from 3mm)

1.       Insert the plug safely, using a taper. Wait a week.

2.       First tape wrap. Oil oil oil!

3.       Wait a week. Second tape wrap. What’s the magic word? OIL!

4.       Wait a week, third wrap. Oil.

5.       Wait a week, fourth and final tape wrap. Oil.

6.       Get the next plug size up (4mm in this case) and do one tape wrap.

7.       Then, insert the plug. Any resistance, stop, wait a week.

So, there we go! The seven step next size tape wrap method!

Any questions, just ask!

(C) Hayflick – Emily Armstrong.

____________________

Bringing this back because some people are still unaware we write guides by the bucket load.

The In Depth Stretching Guide.

awfulmodifications:

In depth stretching guide.

What you need: KY Jelly (or another skin safe water based lubricant), correct jewellery, bondage tape, BioOil (or another oil like jojoba, vitamin e or emu oil), a lot of patience and a lot of time.

Let’s start off. Your ears. They should have been pierced for a minimum of 6-9 months before you begin stretching. You should also know what gauge they were pierced at. For the purpose of this guide, I’ll assume they are pierced at 16g (1.2mm).

Starting out: Get some 1.6mm internally threaded jewellery. It can be a labret, barbell, septum keeper. Massage your ear whilst bathing/showering, and cover the jewellery, and the front of your lobe with the lube. Slowly, push the jewellery through. If you meet any resistance, stop, wait a week (whilst massaging daily) and try again. Congratulations, you’ve made your first foray into the world of stretching!

Now, you want to wait a month,  and get some 2mm/12g jewellery. Make sure, it has to be internally threaded/not threaded. Repeat the process again, remember. Any pain, stop, and wait a week whilst massaging your lobes daily. Continue through 2.4mm/10g to 3mm/8g.

Now, we’re up at 3.2mm/8g. It should have taken you three months to get here. Now we want to start taping. You want to get some surgical steel/titanium plugs (or tunnels, your choice!). Lube your ears up, and pop them in. I say pop, but, make sure you do it slowly and carefully. As this is the first stretch up into ‘larger’ territory, you can use a taper. Now, the number one rule of stretching, tapers aren’t jewellery! Get the taper, and hold the larger end against the end of the plug. Make sure they line up. Lube them both up, as well as the piercing, and in one swift motion, push the taper through. As you have the plug lined up on the end of the taper, it’ll slide through into place. Try not to use acrylic tapers, as they have a very bad size gradient and often lead to tearing of the piercing fistula. So.  Now you have a nice 3.2mm stretch.

How do I start taping?! I hear you cry. Well. Here we go. Wait a week. Make sure the stretch is happy, healthy, and not sore in anyway. Carefully cut a strip of the bondage tape, and wrap one layer around the plug. You want to make sure it doesn’t overlap, as you just want one layer on the begin with. Cover the tape and plug in your chosen oil, and put it back in. Now, wait for another week, and do another tape wrap. And then one last time in another week. So, you’ve done three tape wraps in three weeks. Every other day, you want to remove the plug and cover it in oil again to make sure the tape doesn’t dry your lobes out.

Now, because you need to include every mm increment, you may find the most cost effective way of doing this, is using acrylic. As you should be aware, acrylic is terrible for stretched piercings. So, there’s a way around this. Instead of waiting a month before reaching the next g/mm, wait 5 weeks, and do one more tape wrap. This means, when you reach the next mm (ie 3mm to 4mm) you end up with a fraction over 4mm. This means, you can pop a new tape wrap over the new plug, preventing the acrylic from ever touching your ears.

Now, you’ll want to repeat this allll the way up (and I mean ALL THE WAY) up to your goal size. Never skip, never keep going if it hurts, and never use acrylic. Always lube and oil!

So, here it is in a nutshell (from 3mm)

1.       Insert the plug safely, using a taper. Wait a week.

2.       First tape wrap. Oil oil oil!

3.       Wait a week. Second tape wrap. What’s the magic word? OIL!

4.       Wait a week, third wrap. Oil.

5.       Wait a week, fourth and final tape wrap. Oil.

6.       Get the next plug size up (4mm in this case) and do one tape wrap.

7.       Then, insert the plug. Any resistance, stop, wait a week.

So, there we go! The seven step next size tape wrap method!

Any questions, just ask!

(C) Hayflick – Emily Armstrong.

____________________

Bringing this back because some people are still unaware we write guides by the bucket load.

The In Depth Stretching Guide.

In depth stretching guide.

What you need: KY Jelly (or another skin safe water based lubricant), correct jewellery, bondage tape, BioOil (or another oil like jojoba, vitamin e or emu oil), a lot of patience and a lot of time.

Let’s start off. Your ears. They should have been pierced for a minimum of 6-9 months before you begin stretching. You should also know what gauge they were pierced at. For the purpose of this guide, I’ll assume they are pierced at 16g (1.2mm).

Starting out: Get some 1.6mm internally threaded jewellery. It can be a labret, barbell, septum keeper. Massage your ear whilst bathing/showering, and cover the jewellery, and the front of your lobe with the lube. Slowly, push the jewellery through. If you meet any resistance, stop, wait a week (whilst massaging daily) and try again. Congratulations, you’ve made your first foray into the world of stretching!

Now, you want to wait a month,  and get some 2mm/12g jewellery. Make sure, it has to be internally threaded/not threaded. Repeat the process again, remember. Any pain, stop, and wait a week whilst massaging your lobes daily. Continue through 2.4mm/10g to 3mm/8g.

Now, we’re up at 3.2mm/8g. It should have taken you three months to get here. Now we want to start taping. You want to get some surgical steel/titanium plugs (or tunnels, your choice!). Lube your ears up, and pop them in. I say pop, but, make sure you do it slowly and carefully. As this is the first stretch up into ‘larger’ territory, you can use a taper. Now, the number one rule of stretching, tapers aren’t jewellery! Get the taper, and hold the larger end against the end of the plug. Make sure they line up. Lube them both up, as well as the piercing, and in one swift motion, push the taper through. As you have the plug lined up on the end of the taper, it’ll slide through into place. Try not to use acrylic tapers, as they have a very bad size gradient and often lead to tearing of the piercing fistula. So.  Now you have a nice 3.2mm stretch.

How do I start taping?! I hear you cry. Well. Here we go. Wait a week. Make sure the stretch is happy, healthy, and not sore in anyway. Carefully cut a strip of the bondage tape, and wrap one layer around the plug. You want to make sure it doesn’t overlap, as you just want one layer on the begin with. Cover the tape and plug in your chosen oil, and put it back in. Now, wait for another week, and do another tape wrap. And then one last time in another week. So, you’ve done three tape wraps in three weeks. Every other day, you want to remove the plug and cover it in oil again to make sure the tape doesn’t dry your lobes out.

Now, because you need to include every mm increment, you may find the most cost effective way of doing this, is using acrylic. As you should be aware, acrylic is terrible for stretched piercings. So, there’s a way around this. Instead of waiting a month before reaching the next g/mm, wait 5 weeks, and do one more tape wrap. This means, when you reach the next mm (ie 3mm to 4mm) you end up with a fraction over 4mm. This means, you can pop a new tape wrap over the new plug, preventing the acrylic from ever touching your ears.

Now, you’ll want to repeat this allll the way up (and I mean ALL THE WAY) up to your goal size. Never skip, never keep going if it hurts, and never use acrylic. Always lube and oil!

So, here it is in a nutshell (from 3mm)

1.       Insert the plug safely, using a taper. Wait a week.

2.       First tape wrap. Oil oil oil!

3.       Wait a week. Second tape wrap. What’s the magic word? OIL!

4.       Wait a week, third wrap. Oil.

5.       Wait a week, fourth and final tape wrap. Oil.

6.       Get the next plug size up (4mm in this case) and do one tape wrap.

7.       Then, insert the plug. Any resistance, stop, wait a week.

So, there we go! The seven step next size tape wrap method!

Any questions, just ask!

(C) Hayflick – Emily Armstrong.

____________________

Bringing this back because some people are still unaware we write guides by the bucket load.

The In Depth Stretching Guide.

awfulmodifications:

In depth stretching guide.

What you need: KY Jelly (or another skin safe water based lubricant), correct jewellery, bondage tape, BioOil (or another oil like jojoba, vitamin e or emu oil), a lot of patience and a lot of time.

Let’s start off. Your ears. They should have been pierced for a minimum of 6-9 months before you begin stretching. You should also know what gauge they were pierced at. For the purpose of this guide, I’ll assume they are pierced at 16g (1.2mm).

Starting out: Get some 1.6mm internally threaded jewellery. It can be a labret, barbell, septum keeper. Massage your ear whilst bathing/showering, and cover the jewellery, and the front of your lobe with the lube. Slowly, push the jewellery through. If you meet any resistance, stop, wait a week (whilst massaging daily) and try again. Congratulations, you’ve made your first foray into the world of stretching!

Now, you want to wait a month,  and get some 2mm/12g jewellery. Make sure, it has to be internally threaded/not threaded. Repeat the process again, remember. Any pain, stop, and wait a week whilst massaging your lobes daily. Continue through 2.4mm/10g to 3mm/8g.

Now, we’re up at 3.2mm/8g. It should have taken you three months to get here. Now we want to start taping. You want to get some surgical steel/titanium plugs (or tunnels, your choice!). Lube your ears up, and pop them in. I say pop, but, make sure you do it slowly and carefully. As this is the first stretch up into ‘larger’ territory, you can use a taper. Now, the number one rule of stretching, tapers aren’t jewellery! Get the taper, and hold the larger end against the end of the plug. Make sure they line up. Lube them both up, as well as the piercing, and in one swift motion, push the taper through. As you have the plug lined up on the end of the taper, it’ll slide through into place. Try not to use acrylic tapers, as they have a very bad size gradient and often lead to tearing of the piercing fistula. So.  Now you have a nice 3.2mm stretch.

How do I start taping?! I hear you cry. Well. Here we go. Wait a week. Make sure the stretch is happy, healthy, and not sore in anyway. Carefully cut a strip of the bondage tape, and wrap one layer around the plug. You want to make sure it doesn’t overlap, as you just want one layer on the begin with. Cover the tape and plug in your chosen oil, and put it back in. Now, wait for another week, and do another tape wrap. And then one last time in another week. So, you’ve done three tape wraps in three weeks. Every other day, you want to remove the plug and cover it in oil again to make sure the tape doesn’t dry your lobes out.

Now, because you need to include every mm increment, you may find the most cost effective way of doing this, is using acrylic. As you should be aware, acrylic is terrible for stretched piercings. So, there’s a way around this. Instead of waiting a month before reaching the next g/mm, wait 5 weeks, and do one more tape wrap. This means, when you reach the next mm (ie 3mm to 4mm) you end up with a fraction over 4mm. This means, you can pop a new tape wrap over the new plug, preventing the acrylic from ever touching your ears.

Now, you’ll want to repeat this allll the way up (and I mean ALL THE WAY) up to your goal size. Never skip, never keep going if it hurts, and never use acrylic. Always lube and oil!

So, here it is in a nutshell (from 3mm)

1.       Insert the plug safely, using a taper. Wait a week.

2.       First tape wrap. Oil oil oil!

3.       Wait a week. Second tape wrap. What’s the magic word? OIL!

4.       Wait a week, third wrap. Oil.

5.       Wait a week, fourth and final tape wrap. Oil.

6.       Get the next plug size up (4mm in this case) and do one tape wrap.

7.       Then, insert the plug. Any resistance, stop, wait a week.

So, there we go! The seven step next size tape wrap method!

Any questions, just ask!

(C) Hayflick – Emily Armstrong.

The In Depth Stretching Guide.

In depth stretching guide.

What you need: KY Jelly (or another skin safe water based lubricant), correct jewellery, bondage tape, BioOil (or another oil like jojoba, vitamin e or emu oil), a lot of patience and a lot of time.

Let’s start off. Your ears. They should have been pierced for a minimum of 6-9 months before you begin stretching. You should also know what gauge they were pierced at. For the purpose of this guide, I’ll assume they are pierced at 16g (1.2mm).

Starting out: Get some 1.6mm internally threaded jewellery. It can be a labret, barbell, septum keeper. Massage your ear whilst bathing/showering, and cover the jewellery, and the front of your lobe with the lube. Slowly, push the jewellery through. If you meet any resistance, stop, wait a week (whilst massaging daily) and try again. Congratulations, you’ve made your first foray into the world of stretching!

Now, you want to wait a month,  and get some 2mm/12g jewellery. Make sure, it has to be internally threaded/not threaded. Repeat the process again, remember. Any pain, stop, and wait a week whilst massaging your lobes daily. Continue through 2.4mm/10g to 3mm/8g.

Now, we’re up at 3.2mm/8g. It should have taken you three months to get here. Now we want to start taping. You want to get some surgical steel/titanium plugs (or tunnels, your choice!). Lube your ears up, and pop them in. I say pop, but, make sure you do it slowly and carefully. As this is the first stretch up into ‘larger’ territory, you can use a taper. Now, the number one rule of stretching, tapers aren’t jewellery! Get the taper, and hold the larger end against the end of the plug. Make sure they line up. Lube them both up, as well as the piercing, and in one swift motion, push the taper through. As you have the plug lined up on the end of the taper, it’ll slide through into place. Try not to use acrylic tapers, as they have a very bad size gradient and often lead to tearing of the piercing fistula. So.  Now you have a nice 3.2mm stretch.

How do I start taping?! I hear you cry. Well. Here we go. Wait a week. Make sure the stretch is happy, healthy, and not sore in anyway. Carefully cut a strip of the bondage tape, and wrap one layer around the plug. You want to make sure it doesn’t overlap, as you just want one layer on the begin with. Cover the tape and plug in your chosen oil, and put it back in. Now, wait for another week, and do another tape wrap. And then one last time in another week. So, you’ve done three tape wraps in three weeks. Every other day, you want to remove the plug and cover it in oil again to make sure the tape doesn’t dry your lobes out.

Now, because you need to include every mm increment, you may find the most cost effective way of doing this, is using acrylic. As you should be aware, acrylic is terrible for stretched piercings. So, there’s a way around this. Instead of waiting a month before reaching the next g/mm, wait 5 weeks, and do one more tape wrap. This means, when you reach the next mm (ie 3mm to 4mm) you end up with a fraction over 4mm. This means, you can pop a new tape wrap over the new plug, preventing the acrylic from ever touching your ears.

Now, you’ll want to repeat this allll the way up (and I mean ALL THE WAY) up to your goal size. Never skip, never keep going if it hurts, and never use acrylic. Always lube and oil!

So, here it is in a nutshell (from 3mm)

1.       Insert the plug safely, using a taper. Wait a week.

2.       First tape wrap. Oil oil oil!

3.       Wait a week. Second tape wrap. What’s the magic word? OIL!

4.       Wait a week, third wrap. Oil.

5.       Wait a week, fourth and final tape wrap. Oil.

6.       Get the next plug size up (4mm in this case) and do one tape wrap.

7.       Then, insert the plug. Any resistance, stop, wait a week.

So, there we go! The seven step next size tape wrap method!

Any questions, just ask!

(C) Hayflick – Emily Armstrong.