Ready to stretch your piercing? Good, we're ready to help! Only stretch piercings that are fully healed. The healing period guideline is the usual amount of time needed for your piercing to heal + 3 months to toughen up the tissue. If your piercing is showing signs of irritation, redness or crustiness, don't stretch and wait till your piercing is completely healed. Next step: jewelry choice. Pick a material that is suitable for freshly stretched piercings, such as glass, surgical steel or titanium. Jewelry made of these materials is easy to clean and are perfect for wear during the stretching process. Okay, got everything you need? Ready, set, GO!

What do you need?

• Stretch tools: instruments needed to stretch your piercings, such as a taper or insertion pin.
• Lubricant: could be from the bottle of your night stand, but you can also use jojoba oil or True Jelly stretch gel.
• Fitting jewelry: a nice plug or tunnel made of glass, titanium or steel is perfect! Preferable single flared or with a detachable flare, for easy and painless insertion. Stretch in small steps with a maximum increment of 1 mm per time. Smaller = better!er.

In 5 simple steps… and go!

• Step 1:
  Take a hot shower or bath! Makes you nice and clean, but also softens up your skin. While you're at it, clean your jewelry and stretch tools as well.
• Step 2:
  Apply a bit of lube to your stretch tool and your earlobe (unless your stretching a different kind of piercing, of course...)
• Step 3:
  Place the stretch tool against your piercing (by piercing we mean the to-be-stretched skin) and gently push the tool through your piercing. Don't force it! Pain is not part of a healthy stretching process.
• Step 4:
  Place the jewelry agains the end of your stretch tool and push through completely so that the jewelry is inserted in your piercing. Remove the stretch tool, and there you go.
• Step 5: 
  Be awesome!

Stretch bonus points:

• Use oil or a stretch balm to keep your ears soft and hydrated. They like that stuff!
• Cold weather? Wear jewelry made of wood, horn or bone.
• Wait at least a month or more between each stretch attempt.
• Try wearing no jewelry at all from time to time. This promotes a better blood flow for your skin and will help to keep your stretched piercings happy.
• Don't use the force! As in, don't force it. Stretch tools are not crowbars, there's no need to break anything. If the stretch tool won't go through with a minimum amount of force, wait another couple of weeks and try again.

Go back to START if:

• You are experiencing too much pain after stretching your piercing. Too much pain = not part of a healthy stretching process, your piercing is most likely damaged/torn and has swollen to an uncomfortable extens. Remove the jewelry and let the wound heal completely. Try again after a couple of months.
• Blood = not good. Wound fluid isn't good either. Your piercings is torn and needs to heal. Exchange the current piece of jewelry for a piece that is much smaller in size and will fit your piercing withouth putting any stress on the skin. Try again after a couple of months.
• You see a small flap of skin sticking out underneath the jewelry. Also known as a 'blow out'. Remove the jewelry and let the skin heal completely. Try again after a couple of months.