Dead Stretching versus Ear Tapering
July 15, 2022 / by Alex Peace
There are many ways to stretch your ears. Always remember the best way when starting to stretch your ears is to go to an experienced professional. They will be able to look at your ears and give you the best advice to get you to your goal gauge size for your ears.
We have found that two of the safest ways to stretch your ears are by either using the tapering method or dead stretching your ears. The key with both of these methods is to TAKE IT SLOW. If either of these methods is rushed or forced you can cause a negative experience in your stretched ear journey. Always remember not to rush your stretched ear experience. Your ears need time to heal so you do not form scar tissue or cause a blowout in your stretched ears.
What is Dead Stretching?
Dead stretching is the method of stretching your healed ears with a glass or stone plug. Over time your ears will naturally stretch due to the weight of the plugs. The increments should be 1mm at a time. Dead stretching is a waiting game. We recommend waiting around 6 to 8 weeks between stretching from one gauge to the next at the smaller gauges. When you get into the larger gauges (over 0 gauge) it is recommended to wait even longer (12-14 weeks). This will vary from person to person.
You will know that it is time to move up in size when you have room in your ear. Most of the time you will be able to see space on the top of your stretched ears. It is important not to skip a gauge size or to force a plug into your stretched ears.
The problem with dead stretching?
The biggest issue with dead stretching is that people are not patient. There are so many stories of our customers that do not wait patiently and try to force a larger gauge plug into their stretched ears and cause a blowout. People want to get their gauges as large as possible as quickly as possible. If this is the case dead stretching will probably be a bad idea for you. You have to be patient.
A lot of customers also tell us that they have a stubborn ear. They might be waiting for a year or more and the ear just is not stretching. There could be a lot of possibilities on why this is happening. Sometimes our ears just do not want to stretch. Maybe you need to try to use heavier plugs in your stretched ears or maybe you need to try a different method to help with your dead stretching.
What is Ear Tapering?
An Ear Taper is a tool that is used to stretch your ears. We always suggest going to a professional to help you use these ear tapers. Tapers are long cone-shaped tools that will gently go into your stretched ears and help you get to the next ear gauge size. Once the taper goes through the hole it is immediately replaced with a tunnel. We suggest using a stainless steel taper to help stretch the ear.
There should be no pain when stretching with a taper. If there is pain your ear is not ready to stretch and the taper should be removed immediately. The ear taper should not be worn as jewelry. For more information click Ear Tapers
The problem with ear tapers
The biggest issue we see with ear tapers is that customers tend to wear the ear taper as jewelry. When you wear ear tapers for a long period of time they will start to cause an uneven stretch on your ears. This uneven stretch can lead to an injury or a blowout. It is always best to wear a round plug while stretching your ears. You should only use the ear taper as a tool to guide the next-size gauged tunnels into your stretched ears.
Single Flare Jasper Heart Plugs (Pair)
Single Flare Unicorn Poop Plugs (Pair)
Single Flare Hematite Plugs (Pair)
Which way is better? Dead Stretching or Ear Tapering?
The answer to the question really depends on the person, and a lot of people do a little of both. It will vary on your ears and also your level of patience. The key is to STRETCH SLOWLY. If you stretch slowly either method should work for you.
The majority of our customers use ear tapers during the smaller ear stretching (up to 8mm / 0gauge). After that typically the weight of the plugs will help dead stretch your ears. Especially if you use stone or glass plugs. Remember not to skip sizes. A lot of issues start from the stretch from 6mm - 8mm (2G - 0G). For some reason, this is a thing. Instead stretch from 6mm - 7mm (2G - 1G)
You will find a lot of people will pick either dead stretching or ear tapering. Some people are totally against Ear Tapers. While others are against dead stretching. This is typical because of the experience that person had while going on their ear stretching journey. Both methods are safe if done properly and slowly.