#30dayglowup - Day 21
How to make sure you get the most beautiful piercings cheaply, safely and without wasting time
If you’ve
read some of my previous posts, you’ll know that I love piercings and jewellery,
as I’ve accumulated 13 of my own now and I’m always excited to get more. Along
the many years I’ve been getting pierced I’ve made a lot of mistakes and ended
up wasting more money than I want to admit. With this post I’m going to be listing
10 things I’d wish I’d known before venturing into the world of getting piercings
which would’ve made my life a lot easier and saved me time and money.
Disclaimer
New piercings
are always very exciting, and I think can add a lot to your appearance and
confidence, however they are a form of body augmentation and need to be taken
care of accordingly. Please go to a professional, qualified, experienced piercer
who works under sterilized conditions and is knowledgeable about piercings.
Take their advice regarding healing and please make sure you take care of your
piercings, especially if they’re new. Remember that it is an injury to your
body and needs to be looked after to prevent infection or any adverse consequences.
Piercings
are also a very personal thing and everyone has their own preferences so if you
disagree with anything I say that’s completely fine, take it all with a pinch of
salt.
1. Plan out your piercings
This would
be the main thing I’d tell myself at the start of my piercing journey because
in the end I wasted a lot of healing time and money trying to get my ears the
way I want them. If you’ve only got your lobes pierced then perfect, you’ve got
a clean slate. I’m not saying you have to know exactly what you want right at
the beginning of your journey, but have an idea of where you want your
piercings placed on each of your ears so you don’t have to take out jewellery and
let piercings heal up.
An as
example of this I had my conch pierced on my right ear very early on in my
piercing journey and very soon after that had my tragus pierced on my left ear.
I realized that I wanted these two piercings on the same ear, and I didn’t want
two of the same type of piercing, so I had to let my left tragus heal over and
get it pierced on my right ear. Obviously, this is all personal preference and
how you want to do your ears is up to you, just make sure to try and avoid the
situation where your taking out piercings you don’t like because you didn’t
plan in advance.
2. Investing in quality jewellery will do you well
I’ve wasted
so much money over the years buying cheap jewellery that eventually tarred and
meant I couldn’t wear it anymore, whereas if I’d have just bought higher
quality pieces in the first place the cost of not having to repurchase would have
probably worked out cheaper overtime.
I’ve also made
a post about how to make your own jewellery, and this way despite them maybe
being not as high quality you it doesn’t work out as expensively as the
materials end up being pretty cheap.
3. Get pierced with a needle not a gun
If you’ve
ever looked into getting more serious piercings you’ve probably already heard
this advice. A piercing gun, like the one used in Clare’s or that you can order
online, uses the back of the earring to push through your ear/nose/ wherever to
create the hole. A needle on the other hand is much better for piercing and has
no chance of shattering cartilage, unlike a gun. Even though needles have the
extra pain of the jewellery having to go in after, they’re so much better for
your piercing in the long run and any professional piercing wouldn’t pierce
anything other than lobes with a gun.
4. Have back up jewellery when you’re away
Not doing this
tip, very unfortunately, lost me a daith piercing and I ended up having to get
it re done. Even if you think your jewellery is on securely there’s always a risk
it will fall out and you don’t want to be left with no choice but to let your piercing
heal. Bring spare, preferably high quality, jewellery wherever you go.
Also, if
you’re going somewhere where you won’t be able to access to piercing shop try
and have a means of getting jewellery back in. If that means bringing plyers or
having a trusted friend or partner who can do it for you, it could save you
having to get something re pierced if you have to leave it out.
5. Get doubles/triples done at the same time
My double
cartilage piercing on my left ear is very messed up – one of them needs 6 mm
jewellery and one needs 10 mm for them to even look the same. You may be able to
get away with doing the piercings separately if you have an experienced
piercer, however when I was younger I repeatably got mine done at Blue Banana
which aren’t the best for piercings, and so when I had my double piercings done
by different people they were done at very different angles so in the end look
very mismatched. I’d recommend getting piercings like these done at the same time
so the piercer can try and get them as similar as possible.
6. Take something sugary when you go for a piercing
Despite my
love for piercings and experience of getting them, I still hate getting
pierced. I get very nervous before-hand having to wait and I can’t stand
listening or seeing anyone else get pierced. I get a massive adrenaline spike
during the procedure, meaning that afterwards my blood sugar drops drastically.
I’ve had instances in the past where I’ve gotten very light-headed after
getting pierced and nearly passed out, especially after seeing blood.
Now I’ve
learned how to get pierced safely so that I don’t feel faint after:
- Make sure I’m full when I go to get pierced
- Have a sugary drink with me like lemonade
- Eat something straight after
- Don’t stand up or walk around too quickly after
When I do
this, I can manage just fine and don’t have any issues walking around after
getting pierced other than the ache. Even if you don’t think you’ll struggle
with this I’d still recommend taking these steps as it really sucks feeling ill
after getting pierced.
7. Get piercings with someone
This tip is
on a similar vein to the previous one but taking someone with you when you go and
get a piercing and making sure they know the risks makes it a lot safer.
Hopefully you’ll find someone who loves piercings as much as you do so you
could get matching ones and go together!
8. Etsy and small jewellery shops are your best friend
I’ve always
found that even though piercings are becoming more and more common, it’s still
difficult to get jewellery that fits perfectly. I know the exact diameters of jewellery
that I prefer for each of my piercings to the mm, so seeing a ‘cartilage ring’
in a standard jewellery shop just doesn’t cut it for me. With Etsy and smaller jewellery
brands (Usually they advertise on Instagram) you can look very precisely for what
you want since it’s their speciality, so they’re definitely the place to go when
looking for piercing jewellery.
9. Piercings are addictive
Now I have
no scientific studies whatsoever to support this hypothesis I’ve come up with
but everyone I know who starts getting piercings finds it hard to stop. I
really enjoy the process of planning piercings and eventually being able to
change the jewellery, it really is a very addictive cycle. Just be aware that once
you start getting them you’ll probably want more, and enjoy the ride of getting
them.
10. If you want a piercing, don’t let anyone stop you
I wanted a
nose ring for so long before I eventually took the plunge. For years I’d look
at them on other people and think I could never pull that off, despite wanting
my own so badly. Eventually, one day, I just said screw it and went and got my
nose done. Despite some complications healing it, I’ve never looked back and I’m
so glad I did it.
What I’m saying
here is, it’s your body and it’s your choice if you want to pierce it. Don’t
let people’s opinions or social stigma stop you because ultimately you’re the
only one who lives in your own body so it’s your choice how you decorate it.
In conclusion
My main piece
of advice is whatever you do, get an experienced piercer at a professional parlour
to do it. Other than that, it’s pretty much all personal preference – go out
there and get whatever piercings you’d like. If you’re new to all of this, I’m
so excited for you! Enjoy the process and do whatever you want to do with your
body. My piercings affect my confidence so much and I genuinely don’t feel like
myself when I have to take out my jewellery.
If you have
any questions about my experience or my piercings feel free to message me or
comment below, and thank you for reading!
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