Rossi - Current Size = 16mm (5/8")

I hope my story influences the right people to make the right choices with their practices in ear stretching.

So, to begin - we must go back to 2009.  I was a senior in high school and didn't even have my ears pierced yet.  A good amount of my friends pretty much all rocked zero or double zero gauges, usually something like ear skins/soft silicone. As dope as I thought it was, I knew my parents were not ok with me having any kind of anything that wasn't traditional. So I did what every other 18-year-old kid does.  Rebel. 

I got my left ear pierced first, then a few months later got my right. I had normal studs at about 18g?  For about a year while I prepped to go up to the next size, I did what every other misinformed teen did - purchased acrylic tapers from my "alternative" mall store.  It was painful as I was impatient. I did this up until I reached a 2g, where I learned it's much easier to stretch using a heavier material such as stone or weighted pieces to hang on the lobe. I'm currently at 5/8ths and pretty proud of how it looks. 

My worst stretch was getting to 7/16ths.  I won't lie, I was pretty impatient. I ordered the pieces off of an "alternative" jewelry website which I sadly overpaid for.  It happens. 

The pieces were double flared, and the ends were HUGE. I also did something pretty stupid, which was using sex lube thinking it'll make it easier. *SPOILER* it can get pretty gunky when you do that so I recommend against it. My earlobes were swollen for about 3 days. DO NOT DO THIS. 

After reaching 1/2 inch (properly) everything after was super easy. I realized patience will really save you from having some funky calamari looking lobes and possibly tearing.

My original goal was actually 2 inches.  Now, why did I stop at 5/8ths?

As much as I love the look of those really dope custom pieces that are that big, I realized my taste had changed. Not necessarily to get rid of them, but to have them just large enough to show the earlobe shape change. Plus, I'd be lying if I said I want to continue this process anymore. I'm pretty happy with how it looks. 

One last thing.  There was a point where I had let them shrink back to about a 16g from 00 due to my job at the time, but stretching back after that wasn't any harder. Maybe it was all mental, but it felt easier the 2nd time around.  Like I stated before,  just be patient, and stretch responsibly. There's way too much information available to stretch the right way to still be doing it the wrong way. 

For the record, I'm a service advisor at a local car dealership's service center. I also have quite a few visible tattoos. They are apparently okay with the look, as long as you do your job (for anyone looking for work with plugs).

Toni - Current Size 5/8 inch (16mm)

Three years ago I started my journey of transforming my little lobes into larger frames to hold beautiful stonework, glass, and other natural materials. I was nervous at first. Was it going to hurt? Would my job be okay with it? How do I even do it? I had so many questions before I made my decision. 

I finally took the plunge once I realized which method of stretching I was going to go with. I dry stretched. I found single flare glass plugs (which aren’t porous and won’t hold gross bacteria) and stretched every 8 weeks. The single flare made it easy to put in, and I also used lots of jojoba oil, cleaned my ears every night, and would tug and rotate on my earrings with freshly washed hands throughout the day. This method worked like a dream! I only ever had a few stretches that gave me trouble. Going from 2g to 0g was a little rough. This stretch is a 2mm increase as opposed to the typical 1mm. It took a little longer, and I think this was the first time it was truly “stretching” and distending my lobe. The jump from 00g to 1⁄2” was again a difficult stretch. I rushed it and ended up having to downsize and take an additional few months before I could go back to 1⁄2” again. Every time I would get to my “goal size” I was ready to size up again. I’m currently at 5⁄8” and plan to stay here for a while before I stretch up again. I don’t have a particular goal anymore; I just love to see all the beautiful detail in each stone. The bigger the stone, the more detail. 

With all of that being said. Go at your own pace. There are lots of methods that people use and prefer. I just so happened to find that dry stretching let my body do its own thing in its own time. Don’t rush any stretches and be sure to keep your ears clean. It’s a personal decision. Everyone’s body is different. Just make sure it’s something you want to do. Don’t be afraid! It can be really exciting and a new way to express your own individual style. There are so many options of cool and gorgeous earrings out there. Go be you!

Crystal - Current Size 25mm (1 inch)

The topic of gauges is easy for me, I’ve had my ears stretched for close to nine years now. Thinking back I can recall the exact moment I knew I wanted to start and exactly how big I wanted to go. The start of my body modification started at a young age of twelve, walking around Spencer’s and Hot Topic just in awe of the difference there was and soon sent me into my “emo” phase.
            My quest of stretching my ears had begun and every penny I saved went straight to buying a starter kit. I quickly realized my biggest fear of stretching my ears was going to be the pain, but soon after I realized it wasn’t too bad at all. Being a silly child I didn’t quite put thought into how I was going to get to my goal, so I began the trial and error of my process which involved skipping sizes, stretching in the shower, dry, and with lubricants. Of course I’d never suggest to anyone to skip sizes with the knowledge I have now. Unfortunately along the road, I’ve had a blow out and infection in my ears due to carelessly jumping sizes and having friends pushing my plug in when I couldn’t do it myself. Having others force my own gauges in without making sure they took steps to sanitize their hands was the mistake I made causing my blow out and infection, but as I grew in size my knowledge grew as well. One thing no one prepared me for was the difference between tapers and flared plugs, the thing that ultimately caused tearing in my ear at only half an inch.
       The moment I swapped to plugs was a game-changer for me, expanding my world to new designs and shapes. Growing in size also had me discovering that not as many people were keen on body modifications, many jobs turned me away due to my gauges. Finally came the day of my first job and it was "lose the gauges or go home", and at that time I’d already stretched my ears to half an inch. Working without any jewelry in was extremely embarrassing for me, I received lots of looks and comments about my ears, the most famous one was “your ears look like butt holes, you need to cover it up.” Thankfully I know my worth and know what’s not the right way to treat employees and moved to a company that allows me to be myself.

       Looking back if I could give myself or anyone advice on going through the process it would probably be to be easy with yourself, if you have questions ask them. Don’t worry about what people will say to you, you know who you are and what you like. Knowing your goal is key, but it’s also okay to pass or even stop before your goal. For me my end was at an inch where I’ve happily been for six years.

Courtney - Current Size 13mm (1/2 inch)

I have always had an interest in stretched ear lobes ever since I was a quirky preteen, but growing up I was always told horror stories about lobes being pushed too far and ripping in half,  jerk friends putting padlocks through someone’s tunnels and throwing the key away. The biggest issue I heard about was the smell. I was always told that, no matter what a person did, they would always have an intense odor that would never go away.

It was not until I was older and moved out on my own that I would contemplate actually starting my stretching journey to awesomeness.  I started doing some research in my early 20’s and got comfortable enough to buy an acrylic tapper set from amazon. There was no turning back after that. As I stretched, the first time, it started out incredibly well. Each couple of weeks I would go up a size and it went through like butter, that is until I got to the stretch between 8g and 6g. This stretch is a difficult one to fight with because it is a big jump. No matter how long I would wait in between attempts I could never get it all the way through. The only person I had to ask my questions to was a guy my husband worked with and he would never give me any advice other than, “just don’t do it!” Being stuck at an 8g really frustrated me because- 1) this was the first blow out I ever experienced and 2) I only wanted to go up to a 00g, I was getting so close to my goal.

My (goal size) decision was based on research I read that said if I stayed at a small size like that, then one day my lobes could go back to normal if I ever decided to take them out when I was a “real adult”. Finally, I found my answer and used the taping method. Wrapping layer by layer of tape on my plugs until the next size taper would again slide in like butter. This method did make the experience take longer than I had originally thought it would, but eventually after a year and a half of trying I hit my goal and was just so relieved, proud, excited, just happy I had FINALLY done it! Since then I have gone up to ½ inch and love where I am size-wise (for now).

After I got to my 00g goal I used silicone tunnels to make that last stretch to ½ inch and honestly loved how it felt to do it that way. It did not hurt me at all, and I would just leave them in until I felt it would be safe to change the jewelry. Currently, I am stretching my second holes and finding similarities from my first time and differences as well. The second holes in my lobes feel a little more resistant to the stretches as I get closer and closer to my goal of 2g. Once again, I got stuck on the 8g to 6g stretch but this time I got a suggestion to use a pulling/tugging method. Every day I would gently tug on my lobe until there was enough elasticity to get the tapper through. In my experience, it did not help at all, I got yet another blowout, a small infection this time on both ears, and decided to go back to my tape. Now let me clarify, we are not talking about the regular old tape, the tape that worked for me the best was the PTFE Sealant tape on amazon. It sticks to itself very well without sticking to everything else.

Body modification such as ear stretching is my way of relaxing, I can not speak for others, but once I get that new stretch out of the way I have this calming relief that just washes over me. No matter how crappy of a day I had, I know I accomplished at least one thing that day. I cannot tell you what the future holds for me in my journey to ear awesomeness but what I can say is I will always enjoy and love the memories I have experienced throughout this journey.

The thing that I am most thankful for this go-around is the support system I have found in the Facebook group, Ear Stretchers by Two Feathers Plugs. The members of this group are willing and ready to help answer questions and give advice! I can safely say it is my favorite group to be a part of because of those wonderful folks.

My recommendations for new stretchers are always, always, always keep your ears clean, ask for advice if you can, do your research beforehand, TAKE YOUR TIME it’s not a race, and above all else enjoy the experience.