How to Choose and Care For Body Jewelry

Choosing high quality body jewelry is important for the health of your piercings. There are certain things it helps to know when looking for body jewelry. Caring properly for your jewelry after purchase will keep the jewelry looking its best, and your piercing healthy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A ruler, calipers, or a gauge and measurement chart
• A discriminating eye for quality

1. Be familiar with the measurements you need, and make sure you buy jewelry in the proper size. If you are buying from a questionable source, use calipers or a measurement card to check the size before you buy. If ordering from an online source, measure before inserting jewelry, as most places will not exchange it once it's worn. If you are buying used jewelry, autoclave it before wearing it.

2. Know the proper name for what you are looking for, and choose something appropriate for your body. The basics types of body jewelry are barbells (straight, curved, circular, or surface), plugs, tunnels, and captive rings. There are jewelry for specific parts, like nose screws for nostrils, labrets for lips, and bananabells for navels. These can also be worn in other places, as long as the are comfortable. There are also many ornate styles for earlobes and other places, such as spirals, pinchers, hanging designs, and weights.

3. Choose your materials wisely. Fresh piercings should have only implant grade metals, glass, or PTFE. Other materials can be worn in healed piercings, such as acrylic, silicone, and organics. Some people are sensitive to certain materials. If you have sensitive skin, use titanium, glass, or PTFE. Acrylic should only be worn for short periods of time, and some people cannot wear it at all.

4. Inspect your jewelry for any flaws. Make sure the finish is smooth, with no dents or scratches. Captive balls should fit snugly, but remove easily. Screw on ends should screw down all the way. Internally threaded jewelry is usually of higher quality than externally threaded, and better for your piercings. The wearable area should be large enough to fit your piercing, but small enough so the jewelry doesn't overhang.

5. Caring for metal, glass, silicone, acrylic, and PTFE jewelry is easy, just wash it with soap and water. If necessary, use lube to insert (silicone especially should be lubed first.) Metals, glass, PTFE, silicone, and sometimes dental acrylic can be autoclaved. Organics need specials care. For stone and amber, wash with soap and water and dry with a soft cloth. For horn and bone, wash quickly with a small amount of soap and water, and dry immediately. Oil with a natural plant oil, like jojoba, hempseed, or coconut to prevent cracking. For wood, keep washing minimal and quick. Oil them often, immediately after washing, and in between washings. Using a small amount of beeswax after oiling will help keep the oil in, and prevent cracking and swelling. If bone, wood, or horn jewelry becomes rough, use a fine grit sand paper to smooth, and buff with the finest grit paper. Never store any jewelry in direct sunlight, or a warm or damp area. Before storing jewelry, wash it and oil if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Online retailers and body jewelry stores will usually have much better prices than mall stores or tattoo and piercing parlors.
• The oils you use on your jewelry are the same oils you should do massages with to keep your piercings healthy.
• Organics are good when you have problems with "cheesy" piercings, a build up of sebum, oil, and skin cells. Try using wood or other organics to lessen the problem, and wash your piercings daily.
• Surface piercings should have surface bars.
• Acrylic can release toxins when worn in the mouth. Dental acrylic should be used in oral piercings.
• Metals should not be mixed in the mouth, such as steel and titanium. If wearing metal in an oral piercing, make sure the entire piece is one type of metal.
• Heavier jewelry will often stretch your piercing. If you want this, choose glass, niobium, steel, or heavy stone. If not, use titanium, horn or bone, or light stone. Niobium is almost twice as heavy as steel, and titanium is almost half as heavy.

[WERISE]

on 6/13/2007 HI, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF ANYBODY KNOWS HO TO MAKE IKON PLUGS? THANKS.

[Badbunny]

on 5/4/2007 Some people scar more than others, and your skin color may make it more or less noticeable. When it closes, I would do oil massages, with something like vitamin E oil. You could also try a product called ScarFade, or another scar treatment. It probably will not be too obvious after a year or two.

[Shama]

on 5/1/2007 I've had a monroe in for about 7 years now and think it's time for it to go. It's really small but I'm still worried about a scar when I take it out and it finally heals. Any tips on how to prevent scarring when removing a piercing?