Ear Stretching 101: The Taper Method

Hello Lovelies!

It’s that time again! Welcome back to Ear Stretching 101!!!

But FIRST: I am not a licensed piercer and cannot give you the same professional advice that a licensed piercer can. Everything that I share about my piercings and advice relating to piercings that I share are things I have either learned from my own experiences, researched, or been told by a piercer.

Now that’s over we can get to it! This week is about the Taper Method.

First off, you can go to a professional piercer to help you stretch your ears. If you want to be sure you’re doing it correctly and safely and are nervous about doing it yourself, go to a professional. I however, never did that and opted to stretch my ears at home. The following in this post (and pretty much every post from here on this topic) is all information that I have gathered from my own experiences or from someone telling me how to do it. There has been a lot of trial and error and just simply dumb things done on my part while stretching my ears… so hopefully I can lend my experiences to you so you don’t make the same mistakes.

Ok. Things you will need to stretch your ears:

• Taper Kit - I got mine on Amazon (Link) ONLY GET STAINLESS STEEL TAPERS, PLUGS, EYELETS/TUNNELS ETC. Especially on a freshly stretched ear -yes that includes the first stretch- cheap materials like acrylic can cause infection, irritation, and other problems. It is too porous for a newly stretched ear and can trap bacteria in there as well as omit toxins into your ear as it heats up with your body. Just do not use acrylic. EVER.
• Lobe Lubricant - The best $2 I ever spent was on Lobe Lube (Link) At the beginning I had a pretty painful couple times stretching my ears. There was a lot of friction and some blood and it was all because I didn’t research enough to know that you need to lubricate your taper and jewelry before you put it through your ear. It helps it go in without creating friction and tears, which result in scars. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM JELLY/CHAPSTICK/JOJOBA OIL/ETC AS A LUBRICANT.
• Unscented antibacterial soap - You can find it at Wal-Mart or places like that.
• Non-Iodized sea salt - H2Ocean is good for this. You can find it at Hot Topic, Spencers, and even your local piercing shop.
• I have to make special mention to never, EVER use alcohol based products to clean your ears. EVER. Period. This dries them out and causes a lot of problems. Just look it up on Google.

You really don’t need anything else. If you want fancy plugs/eyelets by all means use them. Just remember, NO ACRYLIC.

Also, NEVER EVER EVER wear your tapers as jewelry! EVER. They are not pieces of jewelry. They are a stretching device. If you wear them as jewelry, your ears can become torn or deformed. DO NOT DO IT.

Now… What you’ve been waiting for: How to stretch your ears with the taper method step-by-step!!!!

1. Wash your hands then wash your taper(s) and jewelry with hot water and antibacterial soap.
2. Take out whatever jewelry you have and clean the piercing in your earlobe with the antibacterial soap and sea salt spray.
3. Lubricate the taper and your ear and gently put it through your lobe. If you have to push hard or feel pain that’s more than a slight pinch, stop. If it’s your first stretch and it’s really painful then you may need to start at a smaller gauge than what you have from the stretching kit. If it’s not your first stretch, wait another week or 2 and try again.
4. Flush the end of the jewelry with the end of the taper and push through gently.
5. Put the o-ring on the front and back of your jewelry as needed.
6. Spray some H2Ocean on a clean q-tip and gently clean around the jewelry to get rid of excess lubricant.
7. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EARS FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. That includes to clean them. They will be red and swollen most likely and will need to be left alone. The most you should go without cleaning them is 2 days. Then clean them 2x a day with a H2Ocean q-tip and no more than that. I would clean with the soap 1x a week for the first week. After that you can do it daily if you really think you need to. When you clean them, only clean around the piercing/jewelry. DO NOT TAKE OUT THE JEWELRY TO CLEAN until at least 3 weeks later or your ears will shrink.
8. Wait at LEAST 3 weeks (this is if you’re impatient and being irresponsible but still don’t want to completely ruin your ears) before your next stretch. Ideally you should wait 1 to 2 months between stretches.
9. DO NOT SKIP SIZES. This is the most irresponsible thing you could do. It can make your ears tear and bleed and just simply hurt you and your ears. Don’t do it. Ever.
10. If you have any concerns or difficulty and need some help, go to your local piercer.

I hope that this helps! Tune in next week for the next part in the series: General Questions and Concerns such as: Why are my ears red, swollen, and sore? I waited 3 weeks between stretches, why isn’t the taper going through? Are my ears infected? How to go from 8g to 6g? Why is my jewelry falling out at night/in general? Why are my ears bleeding/what to do if your ears start bleeding? And potentially more!

XOXO!!! Sarah

PHOTOS ARE NOT MINE. THEY ARE FROM eartapers.com

Tea Talks: Wednesday 9/21/2016

Hello Lovelies!

Today, I actually have something worth updating you all on.

I got a call yesterday from the hiring manager at Safeway and she said she was looking at my application and that I should finish applying so she can do a formal interview. I hope that means that she is interested in me.

That's about it. I don't really have time to talk because I'm really busy today. I still wanted to make a post, though.

XOXO - Sarah

Tea Talks: Sunday 9/18/2016

Hello Lovelies!

Today, I actually have tea to drink while typing this up! It's called Mint Majesty and it's by Teavana. I picked it up when I went to Starbucks this morning. Normally, I don't like Starbucks, but I was in my pj pants and didn't want to go somewhere nice looking like that. Yeah, Starbucks can be nice, but in this town... it's eh.

Random funny story. Ready? My hubby is starting college this next week. That's not the funny part. He is starting college next week and it hadn't even occurred to him that he might need notebooks, pencils and a calculator. *sigh* How would he survive without me?

Things I want/need to do this week:

• Actually finish cleaning my room
• Continue job searching
• Actually schedule at least 2 non-tea talks posts

Things I hope for this week:

• We get the rest of our check
• I get called for an interview anywhere I applied

So... yeah. There's not much on my mind right now. I'm a bit sick so I'm trying to relax so I don't get sicker. Which will happen if I don't just CHILL. 

Oh, and the tea? SO GOOD! OH MY GOD IT IS SOOOO GOOD. I love mint teas. I have currently 3 containers of different mint teas with one coming in the mail. I'm OBSESSED.

Also, the website for Paypal isn't responding. I think that may be a sign. 

Anyways, much love to you guys! I've already scheduled the next Ear Stretching 101 post for this Thursday (I CANNOT believe that I forgot it last week!!!) so you have that to look forward to! :)

XOXO!!! Sarah

I'm a Hipster BUT...

Hello Lovelies!

I just wanted to make a post that tells you more about the person behind this blog!

I have been called a “hipster” on many more than one occasion by more than one person. Though, I do have to mention that the person who calls me that the most is my husband. No competition. Douche. Just kidding. Kind of. Anyway!

I may just be a hipster because of how I look and the things that I find an interest in… but I really don’t conform to other things that hipsters are known to do/be.

I’m a hipster but…

1. I don’t care what music you like. I personally like Folk-Indie etc music, but that doesn’t mean I think I’m better than you for it. If you like the top 40, then that’s what you like! It’s not me listening to it so why should I care? (On a side note, my guilty pleasures are Britney Spears and N’Sync etc… so who am I to judge?)
2. If you dress like a “prep” or in the current fashion trends, that’s your business. I personally don’t like those styles, but that’s why I don’t wear them. If you like them, then you should dress that way. It’s your body after all!
3. If you haven’t heard of an obscure band or movie that I love, then I won’t give you crap. At some point I didn’t know about that band or movie either so… yeah. However, that is one pet peeve of mine. I HATE IT when people mention a popular movie and when I tell them I haven’t seen it they get all obnoxious. I was a VERY sheltered child so fuck off. :P
4. I’m not your Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I am not ditching the trope, as I identify strongly with it, but I am not YOUR mpdg. I’m my own person and I’m married so I’m not here to be YOUR mpdg. I believe in a healthy relationship (that I already am in) and don’t think that anyone should project that on me anymore.

Anyways, I hope that this was interesting at least and that you got a bit of a taste of what I think of other people’s choices. :P

Are any of you “hipsters” too? If so, let me know what your “but…”s are if you have any!

XOXO!!! Sarah

Books I Want to Read This Fall/Winter

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you’re having a good September so far! At this point I’m sure most of you are about to start classes (or already have. I don’t know who reads my blog yet) and thus are preparing to read. A lot.

I am not attending any classes this year but still want to keep up with my reading. So… I wanted to share what I plan on reading this fall/winter! I’d love, love, LOVE it if you would share your thoughts on the following books if you’ve read them/are planning on reading them too!

P.s….. Don’t make fun of me for the first thing on this list. I wasn’t allowed to read this series while I was living at home so it’s my first time.

• Harry Potter series
• Lord of the Rings series
• Eragon series
• Sherlock Holmes series

I want to read the first and last series listed the most. I already own the collective Sherlock series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle so I won’t have to buy those. I will however have to buy all the Harry Potter books as I’ve never owned (or read) them. I’ve read all but one book for the other two series.

I know that this is a super short post, but I figured that it was a pretty straightforward thing.

Like I said earlier, I’d LOVE to hear what you’re planning on reading this cold season and if you’ve read anything I’ve listed before. Also, if you recommend a book or series for me to read, I’d definitely check it out.

XOXO!!! Sarah

My Wardrobe Goals

Hello Lovelies!

I have been so obsessed with my wardrobe as of late because I just moved back to Oregon from having lived in Texas for 2 years and I am simply NOT prepared for a northern winter.

I am also trying to minimize my wardrobe from the massive amount of clothes that I have that don’t fit or I just never wear. Seriously girl, I could super easily stock a boutique with all the clothes I have and have gotten rid of. It’s kind of embarrassing.

Today I am going to talk about (ok I’m going to list) the things that I want to adorn my wardrobe with. I want to say ahead of time that I’m not wanting to be all out, super strict minimalist with my wardrobe forever. I’m just doing that for now because, to be honest with you, I am freaking broke and can only afford the basics at this moment. Plus, if I have a strong foundation of basics in my wardrobe, I will have an easier time building on those basics later.

Oh, and all I’m going to be listing below is fall/winter/spring (basically not hot weather) clothes. I just hate hot weather (thank you Texas for ruining what used to be my favorite season) and don’t like to even think about shopping for that weather. Ok, moving on from my weird issues. ;)

I will be separating what I want in my wardrobe into categories: TOPS, BOTTOMS, OUTERWEAR, SHOES, ACCESSORIES, and a subcategory of CLUB/FORMAL WEAR. I will mark what I already have with an asterisk (*).

TOPS

• Black Tee
• White Tee *
• Black and White Striped Tee (x2) */
• Graphic Tees *
• Black Tank
• White Tank
• Graphic Tanks *
• Black Sweater (Crew Neck)
• Gray Sweater (Crew Neck)
• Mustard Sweater (Crew Neck)
• Maroon Sweater (Crew Neck)
• Black Sweater (Turtle Neck)
• Black and White Striped Long Sleeve Top
• Black Cardigan *
• Ravenclaw Cardigan
• Maroon Cardigan
• Mustard Cardigan
• Red Flannel
• Rust Flannel

BOTTOMS

• Black Skinny Jeans
• Light Wash Skinny Jeans
• Black Skinny Jeans (Torn)
• Light Wash Skinny Jeans (Torn)
• Mustard Skinny Jeans
• Black Skirt (A-Line)

OUTERWEAR

• Black Faux Leather Jacket *
• Green Anorak Jacket *
• Jean Jacket *
• Oregon Hoodie
• Black Trench Coat
• The North Face Jacket (Any color)

SHOES

• Black Doc Martens Boots
• Cherry Doc Martens Boots
• Black Fancy Flat Boots *
• Black Heeled Boots *
• Black Ballet Flats
• Black Hi-Top Converse *
• White Lo-Top Converse *
• Black Lo-Top Converse
• White Hi-Top Converse
• Yellow Hi-Top Converse
• Patterned Converse *
• Colorful Converse *

ACCESSORIES

• Black Beanie
• Mustard Beanie
• Maroon Beanie
• Black Rimmed Hat
• Thick Scarves (Any Colors)
• Black Leg Warmers *

CLUB/FORMAL WEAR

• Little Black Dress
• Formal Shirt *
• Formal Pants *

Yep. I suppose you notice that the shortest categories are the accessories and club/formal wear. I don’t wear accessories except for in the winter. No, really. I don’t like jewelry or other accessories. I just recently started actually carrying a purse. A PURSE. That is like crazy for me and makes me feel like I’m finally a grown up!

I still haven’t gone shopping yet (we get paid on Wednesday maybe). When I have finished shopping, I’ll probably make a post about what I got! I hope that’s interesting. XD

Please, let me know down in the comment section what you want your future wardrobe to be like or if you already have your dream wardrobe! XOXO!!! Sarah

Tea Talks: Sunday 9/11/2016

Hello Lovelies!

Man, this week has been the busiest week I've had in what feels like ages! Mind you, it hasn't been THAT busy, but considering I'm used to sleeping for nearly 16 hours a day every day for 2.5 years, it's been a lot. I've been getting around 8 hours of sleep every night/early morning (I can't help that I'm a night owl) and I've been running errands around town as well as completely re-doing my bedroom!

Ok lets jump in!

This week I want/need to:

• Finish re-arranging the bedroom 
• Apply to Wal-Mart (I know. I just keep putting it off)
• Apply to Papa Murphy's 
• Check on my application to the 79 gas station (Tuesday)
• Fill out the Student Loan Repayment Plan/Debt Assistance thing

This week I hope to:

• Go see my best friend in Portland
• Get a call back from either gas station or the coffee shop
• Get all my clothes shopping done

I also have devised a posting plan that is even better than before! I have lots of topics that I'm wanting to talk about, but some aren't going to occur every week. The only posts I PROMISE to never miss are Tea Talks on Sunday and Wednesday as well as whatever series posts I'm doing on Thursday. Otherwise, these certain topics will be posted on these certain days!

Sunday: Tea Talks

Monday: Makeup

Tuesday: Fashion

Wednesday: Tea Talks

Thursday: Series Posts

Friday: Media Topic (Books/Movies/T.V. Shows, Music etc)

Saturday: Personal Topics

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to say hello!

XOXO!!! Sarah

Ear Stretching 101: So You Want to Stretch Your Ears?

Hello Lovelies!

Welcome to the first post in my Ear Stretching 101 series that I’m doing for the next few weeks on my blog!

But FIRST: I am not a licensed piercer and cannot give you the same professional advice that a licensed piercer can. Everything that I share about my piercings and advice relating to piercings that I share are things I have either learned from my own experiences, researched, or been told by a piercer.

SECOND: Some terminology.

• Stretched Ears are not called gauges.
• Plugs are jewelry that are solid.
• Eyelets are not called tunnels. Eyelets are jewelry that have a hollow center.

• O-rings are the small and sometimes black or clear little rings that go on the ends of your jewelry to keep it from falling out of your ear.

Now that we have that over with, let’s get to the good stuff, ok? Ok!

So, you want to stretch your ears? There are many reasons to stretch your ears and the most popular is because it looks awesome! If that’s the only reason you want to get it, then cool! Just like tattoos, you don’t need a reason to stretch your ears aside from you wanting them. There are just a couple things you need to know before you decide to take the plunge. At least these are some of the things I wish I knew before I stretched mine.

1. Your ears are going to smell HORRIBLE. Yes. They will smell. The better you keep your ears clean the less they will stink, but they will still stink at some point and for some they’ll stink more than others.

2. People will judge you/question you for your stretched ears. For some reason, even though body modifications are becoming more widely accepted, people still think that they have a right to make rude comments about what they think of your stretched ears. This can be family, friends, and even complete and total strangers. Just be prepared to hear “ewww, gauges are so gross!”

3. THEY’RE NOT CALLED GAUGES. I don’t really mind when older people or people without stretched ears call them “gauges” because… well… they just don’t know. However, if you are stretching your ears/have stretched ears, and call them “gauges” you will sound like a total moron. That and it will show you have done ZERO research about what you are doing to your body and says that maybe you shouldn’t be stretching your ears until you do.

4. It may affect your getting a job. Touching again on the second point: there will be people that don’t like stretched ears. There are some employers/companies that simply won’t hire you if you have stretched ears. Period. There are also some that just don’t care. It’s really just a crap-shoot. Do your research.

5. If you stretch them too big, they will not shrink back. If you go past 00 gauge there is a HUGE chance that your ears won’t shrink back to normal and if you decide you don’t want them anymore you’ll have to get surgery to get them to "look normal again”. The way you stretch your ears also has an impact on if they’ll shrink back or not. The more scar tissue you have, the harder it will be to shrink them back.

As of this moment, these are 5 things that I wish someone told me before I stretched my ears. Next week I will tell you what you need to start stretching your ears at home using the method that I used to stretch my own ears (Taper Method). You can go to your local LICENSED piercer to help you stretch your ears if you want to, but I haven’t done that so I can only tell you the proper way to do it at home.

I hope that this was helpful to you in getting a better idea about if you want stretched ears or not. Let me know if there is anything else you would add to this list in the comments below or on my Instagram or Twitter! (Links to my Insta and Twitter are in the Follow Me page)

XOXO!!! Sarah

Tea Talks: Wednesday 9/7/2016

Hello Lovelies!

Today is officially the middle of the week and that means that an update on the week is in order.

Things I got done so far this week:

• Finish going through things and organizing my bedroom (almost done)
• Apply to Wal-Mart and Safeway (I'm currently looking for a job)(not done)
• Get a drink with Jay (my husband) (on Friday)
• Get together with Kelsey (one of my best friends) (yep!)
• Memorize drink recipes in case I'm called for an interview (all memorized)

Things I am hoping for this week:

• Get a call back from the coffee shop I love so much that I applied to (They're hiring! I had to jump on that. More about that and the place later.) (Haven't gotten called yet)
• Get a call back from Center Market (corner store I applied to) (Haven't gotten called yet)
• Find my favorite coat and favorite interview worthy heels (Still nowhere to be found)

Now I figured out that I am missing my social security card as well. Holy crap, right? So I have to go to the social security office asap and report it and try to get a new one... Not looking forward to that one because the closest office is in Salem and that office is always SO BUSY. I mean they all are but still. 

I have a couple things for y'all to look forward to in the next few weeks, starting tomorrow, because I'm starting a series! It will be on body modifications. Specifically ear stretching. I'll post once a week on Thursdays until the series is over and all questions I may get are answered. :) So let me know if you have any specific questions!

XOXO!!! Sarah

Weekly Topics

Hello Lovelies!

I had a great idea today.

Weekly topics!

Basically, I'm thinking about dedicating one day a week for however many weeks it takes to do a series on a topic. I have some topics that I am super excited to share in the form in a series and just want to do that in the best way possible!

This week, I'll be introducing Ear Stretching 101.

I have a YouTube channel (if you didn't know about it, now you do and you should go find it! There's a link in my Follow Me page on this blog) and I have done a few videos on ear stretching and things associated to it. My most popular video was How to Heal Infected Stretched Ears. On that video I got a LOT of questions regarding ear stretching problems. I do plan on doing more videos addressing those concerns in the future, but I thought I'd take it a step further and do a series about it here too!

If you have any questions about stretching your ears/problems you're having with your stretched ears that you want me to answer, tell me in the comments or contact me through Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. The links are in my Follow Me page on this blog!

Topics I plan to cover:
So you want to stretch your ears?

Going to a piercer vs. doing it at home/what to buy

The Taper Method-Do’s and Don't's

How to clean your ears and help sore ears

How to heal an infected stretched ear

The Taping Method-Do’s and Don’t’s

How to shrink your ears back to normal

Feel free to let me know what you think and any ideas that you may have! XOXO!! Sarah