How to stretch using ear tapers
Ear tapers are a common tool/type of body jewelry used for stretching ear piercings. Tapers are widely used for stretching but also being worn as a long-term jewelry, which is not recommended. The material can be too heavy or may not be suitable for long term wear, and may put pressure on and irritate a freshly stretched piercing. Tapers should only be used for stretching and immediately replaced with the proper size jewelry. Like many types of body jewelry, tapers/expanders are also available in lots of different materials from 316L stainless steel, titanium, acrylic, organic materials, or even glass. If you’re using a taper for stretching, the safest material to use is a metal such as surgical-grade stainless steel or titanium, since they can be completely sterilized by autoclaving.
The long cylindrical type of taper is the most commonly used for stretching. These tapers can come with different features, such as concave backs that transition more easily to your new jewelry, or threaded tapers that can screw into internally threaded barbells.
There are other types of tapers available to wear as normal jewelry in stretched piercings, like circular tapers (often called pinchers or crescents) or spiral tapers (sometimes just called twists or spirals). These are great to wear as normal jewelry in healed piercings, but aren’t recommended for stretching with for some of the reasons listed above. It can also be easy to stretch too quickly with this type of jewelry.
Be sure to check out Hollywood Body Jewelry for a wide selection of Tapers
