Fresh piercings and washing your hair?

[Mannaz]

Hey everyone :)


I was at a tattoo convention on saturday and took an inner conch to my right ear. This is something I dreamt of for a long time, and then just forgot the whole thing, but now that I saw an old pal of mine who is a piercer at the convention I didn't hesitate one bit...

This is my first "real" piercing, I think I have nine wholes on my ears, two of which in the helix (or however you say it...), and they've all been made with a gun... Stupid, I know, but luckily they've all healed well and I've never had a problem with them.

That said I was kind of surprised, maybe even a tad dissapointed at how little it hurt...I did love the *!crunch!* sound though :D
At this point it seems to be healing well and I just love it, it sort of balances my left-side-dominate body ;)

My question is, tomorrow I'll have to wash my hair, and I'm wondering would it be better to do it upside down so that it won't get all caught on the piercing?
What's your experience in general with washing your hair and a new piercing, ever had any problems? Any tips and tricks?

And what about the shampoo, I'm using a shampoo bar and usually do an ACV rinse, do you think it's okay to use them now?

[annieangel149]

wash your hair like normal!

then after your wash get a bowl of warm salty water and pulling your hair out the way dip your ear in the water for 3-5 mins! I did that for 3 weeks when i got my fresh conch piercing and all was fine! my shampoo and conditioner did not irritate my new piercing! However i was not using vinegar rinse so im not sure about that one! congrats on your new piercing by the way :D

[Mannaz]

Thanks for the advice annieangel! And for the congratulation :)

I'll think I'll get some salty water from the pharmacy, cause I've heard that you can do more damage than good with your own concotion... Did you do you it yourself? I heard the correct amount would be 9 grams of sea salt in 1 liter of water, not sure how to measure 9 nine grams...

And yea, I think I'll just wash my hair like always do, just be very careful with it not getting caught, I can imagine that wouldn't be nice...

[Tefnut]

Yeah aslong as you clean it with salt water after just wash your hair as normal

[BabyRay33]

This is great. I just decided to put a stud in my cartiliage piercing and it was hurting from washing my hair yesterday. The salt water seems like it would help alot! Thanks!

[Fencai]

I'll third wash as normal and follow up with a salt soak.
Did it with mine and its fine 7 years later.

[Mannaz]

Thanks everyone :)

I might do the salt water myself and see what happens... Found a "recipe" that says 1 tea spoonful in 2-3 dl of water, then boil the salt water. If anyone knows a recipe that has worked for them please share!

Oh also one good thing with fresh piercings and hair care: I'll be wearing my hair up for a few weeks, I know it will do good for my hair and my bunning skills :D

[MafiaPrincess]

I have salt beside my sink, and a shot glass I keep for piercings. Toss some salt in, add warm water and taste it. Should taste like tears. I either turn the glass upsidown on the piercing if I can, or soak a makeup remover pad in it if the shot glass won't work, like my pair of nape microdermals.

I washed my hair like normal even with my microdermals being fresh.

[McFearless]

Everyone gave really good advice. If you're afraid of getting hair stuck and tangled in your piercing(that used to happen to me a lot, ouch) a little plastic wrap secured with an elastic can protect it.

[Firefox7275]

Just boil some water to sterilise it then chuck in a teaspoon of salt, stir until some dissolves then allow to cool. Basically the water will be saturated with salt; you will find dissolving a lot easier in hot water than trying to boil afterwards, plus every time you transfer from one container to another you are risking contamination. Store the rest in the fridge, it can be used more than once but obviously don't dip dirty cotton buds in or keep it for days on end. You only really need normal saline for stuff like eyewash or contact lenses because too salty will hurt and draw water from it's surroundings. If you want something anti-bacterial you can use diluted chlorhexidine mouthwash as you would with a tongue piercing.

[MandyBeth]

The standard isotonic dilution is

Sea salt soak

4 teaspoons NON-iodized sea salt to

1 gallon distilled water (¼ teaspoon salt / 1 cup water)

Here's from DH - licensed piercer

Ear Piercings

Do the following:
Always wash hands before touching or cleaning piercing.
Keep clothing and bedding clean.
Take showers instead of baths (or wash the tub before each bath).
Wash piercing after using make-up, hair products, lotions, perfumes, and face cleaners.
Rinse piercing after showers.

Avoid the following:
Alcohol, peroxide, anti-biotic ointments, iodine, antibacterial soaps, etc.
Pools, rivers, oceans, lakes, and hot tubs.
Getting make-up, lotions, and perfumes on the piercing.

Sea salt spray
H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray - Hot Topic does carry it for a store a lot of people have.

Wash 4 to 6 times daily (every 3 or 4 hours). For genital piercings, only use 2 or 3 times daily.

Wash hands for 30 seconds.
Spray piercing with small amount of sea salt spray to moisten skin.
Spray cotton swab with sea salt spray. Clean away crusties with cotton swab or clean fingers.
Spray piercing with small amount of sea salt spray and allow to soak into piercing.

If you do the sea salt soak

Wash 2 or 3 times daily.

Wash hands for 30 seconds.
Fill clean cup, bowl, or shot glass with WARM salt water.
Invert cup over piercing to soak or submerge piercing for 5 to 10 minutes.
Hard to reach area can be soaked by using clean cotton balls, gauze, or paper towels soaked in sea salt soak.
Clean away “crusties” with clean cotton swab or fingers.
Rinse Piercing with clean water.

Things to remember:
Never force jewelry through a piercing.
Check threaded parts every day or two (righty – tighty / lefty – loosy).
Never touch piercing with dirty hands.
Stay out of bodies of water (showers and clean tubs are fine).
Piercings will typically benefit from being left in longer prior to changing for the first time.
Purchase only quality jewelry (ask your piercer what to look for).
Pleas follow the advice of a piercer, and not your friends.
All advice is based on experience and research, but should not be substituted for that of a doctor.
If you have question or concerns, check with a trusted and qualified piercer.

What might happen with your healing piercing:
“Crusties” are normal and are usually white to dark yellow in color.
There may be some blood in the “crusties” the first couple of days.
Some swelling
Some discoloration.
Some tenderness.
Some bruising.

[TheBluffs]

Congradulation on the gorgoues pierings! :D
Wash your hair on the left side instead.

[MafiaPrincess]

You only really need normal saline for stuff like eyewash or contact lenses because too salty will hurt and draw water from it's surroundings. If you want something anti-bacterial you can use diluted chlorhexidine mouthwash as you would with a tongue piercing.

Most contact lens solutions and eyewashes contain preservatives and sometimes other things, it's not just saline. Not something to use on a piercing.

[lacefrost]

oy. . . I remember when I first got my industrial. I didn't think to wash and set my hair before getting it. Biggest mistake ever! I was practically crying in the shower every 5 seconds cause my curls would wrap themselves around the bar. Ouchies. But after I'd done my hair, I just rinsed it really well with warm water and then did a good salt water soak.

Goodluck!

[newbeginning]

I've had a few ear piercings. As for cleaning them I was told clean them once every day with antibacterial soap. As they were healing I would shampoo/condition my hair then wash around my ears/piercings with the soap. They healed great.

[WaterMusic]

I was going to type up a long post, as there is a lot of bad info out there about piercing care. But MandyBeth beat me to it! I've had as many as 10 piercings before (took some out since then), and a combination of salt water soaks 2x/day and the LITHA method (Leave It The Hell Alone!) worked best for me.

[MandyBeth]

I'm a cheater and copied DH's pre typed info :D But, general idea is soak carefully after a shower, any other icky time, before bed, and don't mess around with any antibacterial stuff, too harsh, and leave it alone.

[Firefox7275]

Most contact lens solutions and eyewashes contain preservatives and sometimes other things, it's not just saline. Not something to use on a piercing.

Thank you I am aware of that, I worked in pharmacy for years! :) I wasn't suggesting that those products can be used on a piercing, merely that it's more important to use the correct concentration for eye stuff.

[Mannaz]

Thank you so much for all the great advice! I'm feeling MUCH more confident in taking care of the piercing now.

MandyBeth: That is some great info, thank you :)

Lacefrost: wow, I can imagine an industrial being pretty problematic especially with your lovely curls... Wish you'd known about MCFearlessess tip about making a plastic wrap!The conch is kind of "safe" inside the ear which makes it easier to handle.

So, I washed my hair on the left side like TheBluffs suggested, and it worked just fine, as a bonus my parting shifted to the left with a kind of zig-zag thing going on :D

I followed with an ACV rinse and don't even think i got any ACV on the piercing, I rinsed the ear carefully though.

After showering I boiled some water and poured it on a coffee mug, then added a few pinches of sea salt, it did taste like tears after tasting it, thanks for the tip MafiaPrincess!

I think it's easier to go by taste than trying to measure grams, especially with the sea salt being in "irregular" forms and me not owning a digital scale...

After the salt water had cooled down a bit I dipped my ear in the mug, which felt kind of funny :D
Lastly I rinsed the ear with warm water. Just a bit of crunch and maybe a drop of dried blood I saw coming out, not bad, eh?

Now I'll have to come up with a nice. up style since I'm going out tonight :) Maybe a vertical dutchbraid made in to a bun... Hmmm...

[Jomo]

it's really more dependent on the jewellery than the piercing in my experience :) I have a circular barbell in one of my inner conch piercings and THAT gets caught like nobody's business. Straight barbells with round balls are usually no problem, but with the little cone/'spike' ends hair catches awfully - I have spikes on my industrial, and I have to be really careful every morning when I brush my hair to unwind the hair in front of my ear from around the damn end of the barbell. I just love the look of spiked ends, or I'd wear balls on it instead :(

I hate CBRs because I find them so difficult to switch out, so I can't speak for whether they're difficult - but I'd think it would be quite difficult to actually get long hair caught on a sealed, roung ring like that.

[MandyBeth]

Yeah, I know some people who can soak their ear in a cup. I'm too much of a klutz and just soak the gauze, then use that to soak my piercing. Also once it's soaked, I just wipe it away more than ripping it off, and that gets any crusties that have started. Wipe with a swab with the solution, then rinse with clean water and you should be good to go.

Here's my schedule...

AM - shower which gets it clean, so I just wipe with the isotonic solution and call it good.
After work - I'm often on the phone a lot, so I like to soak then to reduce the risk of infection getting started. Because after the first 2 or 3 days, I forget the piercing is there and use that ear as much to yap on the phone.
After work out - again, shower, so repeat of AM.
PM - Soak and rinse, it's good.

[MandyBeth]

You only really need normal saline for stuff like eyewash or contact lenses because too salty will hurt and draw water from it's surroundings. If you want something anti-bacterial you can use diluted chlorhexidine mouthwash as you would with a tongue piercing.
Absolutely DO NOT DO EITHER. Ever. Bad, bad, bad idea.

Anything for the eyes has way too much other stuff in it than straight saline. Do not put it near the new piercing.

Chlorhexidine is way too strong, not meant for puncture wounds, and will do more damage to the newly healing tissue than good.

Here is directly from APP -



WHAT TO DO

• Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; leave it alone except when cleaning. During healing, it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.
• Stay healthy; the healthier your lifestyle, the easier it will be for your piercing to heal. Get enough sleep and eat a nutritious diet. Exercise during healing is fine; listen to your body.
• Make sure your bedding is washed and changed regularly. Wear clean, comfortable, breathable clothing that protects your piercing while you are sleeping.
• Showers tend to be safer than taking baths, as bathtubs can harbor bacteria. If you bathe in a tub, clean it well before each use and rinse off your piercing when you get out.
WHAT TO AVOID

• Avoid cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other harsh soaps, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.
• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long term wound care.
• Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.
• Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.
• Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
• Avoid stress and recreational drug use, including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
• Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygenic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage (such as 3M™ Nexcare™ Clean Seals). These are available at most drugstores.
• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.
• Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.

[Mannaz]

Absolutely DO NOT DO EITHER. Ever. Bad, bad, bad idea

Yea, wouldn't do that. I really don't know how those gunned cartiliages (I think that's the right term, not helix...) healed so well cause I remember constantly cleaning them with antiseptic stuff... PLUS the jewellery was too tight PLUS I ripped the jewellry off too early to putt on a ring :rolleyes:

I really think less is more with a new piercing.

[MafiaPrincess]

Yea, wouldn't do that. I really don't know how those gunned cartiliages (I think that's the right term, not helix...) healed so well cause I remember constantly cleaning them with antiseptic stuff... PLUS the jewellery was too tight PLUS I ripped the jewellry off too early to putt on a ring :rolleyes:

I really think less is more with a new piercing.

Same. How many of us used the branded bottles of rubbing alcohol they gave with gunned holes..

I worried my nape microdermals too much the first time. Was constantly worried about them. Endless bandaids for protection.. This time.. Some salt soaks, mainly leaving them be, they are far happier...

[MafiaPrincess]

Thank you I am aware of that, I worked in pharmacy for years! :) I wasn't suggesting that those products can be used on a piercing, merely that it's more important to use the correct concentration for eye stuff.

The way it was written it looked like a suggestion as to how to get saline without having to mix your own. People suggest contact solution all the time here as a lazy alternative for piercings. Glad to know it wasn't, but if I read it that way, someone might take it as a suggestion.

[MandyBeth]

The majority of gunned piercings likely do heal just fine. I got left hand bling from my piercer, so I tend to see/hear of/know horror stories about when the gun goes wrong. Never mind the fact in my state now, you can't use the gun except for the lowest two lobe piercings. Doesn't keep anyone from selling the kits to any person on the street.

[Venefica]

I have six holes in each ear lobe and one up on the ridge of one of my ears, I never had any problem when it came to washing my hair. I had short hair when I took the ear lobe piercings but my hair was long when I took the one on the ridge.

I made sure to use a mild shampoo and balsam and I made sure to shower for the first weeks instead of bathing as when you bathe all the dirt and bacteria end up in the water you are sitting in. When showering I gently washed the piercing with mild soap and it healed nicely. I did however wait until it was fully healed before I dyed my hair again, but washing went okey. Just use mild shampoo and shower rather than bathe. Wash the piercing gently and be a bit careful with it and you should be fine.

Oh and picture please of your new piercing I would love to see it.

[WaterMusic]

I just wanted to emphasize this point, because I think it might have gotten lost in the large amounts of useful info thus far. Do NOT use table salt. You can not use salt that is iodized, ie has iodine in it. You need to pick up some kosher salt, or sea salt.

[Mannaz]

Doesn't keep anyone from selling the kits to any person on the street.

Yuck, never thought that you could really do that as a "hobby", jeez. I don't know how it is here in Finland, but I have a feeling gunning is still very much in practice in jewelly shops etc.

Venefica: Yea I realize now that I was worrying for nothing... But, better safe than sorry :) I'll try to upload a picture at some point :)

MafiaPrincess: Navel microdermals sound so cool... I'd love to get a microdermal on my chest at some point!

WaterMusic: I kind of took it as a given that we're talking about sea salt, but that's propably because I never use table salt, cooking- or otherwise :)

[Mannaz]

Here is a picture of my piercing as requested :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7967

[JadeTigress]

When I got mine done, I just washed it like normal, but was just really careful so I didn't bump my piercing.

And saltwater. Yes. My piercer recommends sea salt, rather than regular salt, and always gives a little baggy of it to whoever he just pierced. If I remember right (it's been awhile since I've gotten a piercing), it was 1/4 teaspoon mixed into 1 cup of warm water, and then let it soak for however long. I forgot how long that actually is. :p

[JadeTigress]

Also, just ignore me because I'm still asleep and didn't realize this thread had 4 pages. :p

[Mannaz]

That's fine, Jadetigress, good morning :D
I just came back to the thread to add a picture. I've been lazy with the salt soaks but the piercing is doing fine...

[WaitingSoLong]

Ok so I had to look up conch piercing because I was clueless and all I can say is I will never have to worry about my hair and this type piecing. LOL. And I found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCv1GKXHsWQ&feature=related)video that is sure to deter me forever (not for the faint of heart).

[Mannaz]

Waiting so long that video gives me the creeps too! I mean BIG creeps.

BUT the one made in the video is a lot bigger in circumference than mine is and I believe the technique is also differerent, as in that one is made by punching the skin off, not just piercing the skin. Mine hurt very moderately and there was only a couple drops of blood, so not all conches are that severe :) As for a conch like that, wouldn't do it!

Oh and mods, feel free to move this thread if you feel like it, it has gotten a bit off-hair :)

[terpentyna]

Should taste like tears.

^I like that :p

And also agree. I used to actually buy some isotonic salt solution when I would get the chance. I have my conch and tragus on both ears, just do what you would usually do, I really don't believe that washing it upside down would be any better... I'm sure the piercer gave you standard advice and such, like not moving it around and letting it be...