Looking for some gauged earrings? Or are you just wondering what on earth are gauged earring? In any case, read on to know more.
We humans have been obsessed with enhancing our appearance. This is not a recent trend, and has been there since the times of early man. These body modifications at first were a tradition that bound a tribe together, and signified passage into adult life.
A tribe in the forests of Burma is known for their women’s long stretched necks, the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia is known for the disc that they place in their lips, which is a sign of beauty for a woman. The bigger the disc the prettier she is considered.
The latest gauged earring fad is influenced from such tribal traditions. Of all the types of body piercings, personally I feel, this is one of the most radical styles of self expression.
For Women
Gauged earrings are used with the intention of stretching the earlobe. There are many types available, like straight rod, or spiral gauged earrings. You can choose any one out of these, but women generally prefer spiral ones, as they don’t stretch the ear too much. Moreover, there are many artistic and fashionable spiral gauges available in the market.
The first step is to decide how wide you want your gauge to be. Buy the earring accordingly. Massage the ear with some olive oil or any other oil, and insert the tapered jewelry into the ear piercing. Tapered jewelry helps you to increase the piercing to the size that you want. It is best to gauge your ears when you are taking a warm shower as steam makes the skin more flexible.
For Men
Gauge earring style is more popular among men. It is generally preferred by men who want to break away from the stereotypes. Gauging ears takes time, so one needs a lot of patience.
The best type of earrings to gauge ears are cylindrical earrings. These are tube-like earrings which resemble the traditional earrings worn by Hawaiian men. You must be wondering why a person can’t get a big piercing to fit in their gauge jewelry. Well the reason is, most piercers refuse to remove a large piece of flesh from the earlobe, as it is difficult to get the earlobe back to normal size.
The standard size that most piercers use is 18 to 20 gauge needles. It is best to consult a professional before you attempt to gauge your ears yourself.
Basic Types of Gauges
Cylindrical gauges
Ear tapers
The two most popular types of gauges are cylindrical gauges and tapers. Tapers are also called spiral gauges. There are many sizes and shapes available. You can start with smaller ones, and go on increasing the size slowly.
Pictures
Medium gauges for a chic look
Bold and stylish look
Yeah, that’s the way to flaunt them!
Don’t they look cool?
Big and trendy ear plugs
General Tips
Tips for gauged earrings:
Get your ears pierced by the traditional method, that is with a needle. Ears pierced through this method heal faster so you can begin your gauging much sooner.
Wear a normal but slightly thick earring initially, till the ear heals completely.
Get your hand on tapers and increase the size gradually every month till you get to the desired width.
Once you have the right size for your piercing, you can insert the gauge earrings.
So this was everything that I know about gauged earrings. I almost forgot, the tapers have to go in, at one go. So, if you are planning to do it yourself be prepared for the pain. Till then, take care!
