Piercing Guides

Hoops, Huggies, Climbers and Dangles: Which Ear Jewellery Style Goes Where
What each ear jewellery style actually is, which placements carry it, and which ones survive a night's sleep. Read more...
Septum Jewellery Explained: Clicker, Horseshoe, Captive Bead β€” and How to Hide It
The four septum jewellery types, which ones can actually be flipped up and hidden, and how a septum compares to a nostril. Read more...
Every Ear Piercing Placement, Named β€” and What Each One Takes
Where every ear placement sits, what it is called, which jewellery shape fits it, and what to get next. Read more...
Navel Jewellery: Curved Barbells, Floating, Reverse and Maternity Bars
Why the navel takes a curved barbell, what floating and reverse styles are, and what changes during pregnancy. Read more...
Nose Jewellery Types and Nostril Placements Explained
The five nose jewellery types, what actually holds each one in, and how the nostril placements differ. Read more...
Cheap vs Quality Piercing Jewellery: What the Price Actually Buys
What separates a Β£3 multipack from a Β£15 titanium stud, what implant-grade actually costs in the UK, and when cheap is genuinely fine. Read more...
Hypoallergenic Earrings for Sensitive Ears: What Works and Where to Buy It
"Hypoallergenic" is not a regulated term. Here are the three materials that actually work, and how to tell a real seller from a listing that just says the word. Read more...
What to Buy for a Brand-New Piercing (and What to Save for Later)
A fresh piercing and a healed one want completely different things. Here is what to buy for each, and what the price difference actually buys. Read more...
Anodised Titanium Colours: How They Work and Whether They Fade
The colour is not a coating. Here is what it actually is, and why that matters for a piercing. Read more...
How to Change Your Own Piercing Jewellery
Flat backs, push pins and clickers each open differently. Here is how each one works. Read more...
Lobe Piercings: Sizing, Second and Third Holes, and Stacking
The most forgiving placement, and the most commonly mis-sized. Gauge, length, and how to space multiple holes. Read more...
Materials to Avoid in a Piercing That Hasn't Healed
Plated, filled, sterling silver, acrylic and unspecified steel β€” what each actually does in a healing channel. Read more...
Buying Piercing Jewellery Online in the UK Without Getting Caught Out
What to check before ordering, the warning signs, and the UK rules that actually apply to sellers. Read more...
Swimming, Sleeping and Exercise With a New Piercing
What pools, the sea, the gym and sleeping on your side actually do to a healing piercing. Read more...
Solid Gold, Gold Filled and Gold Plated: What's Safe for a Piercing
Only solid 14k+ is accepted for healing piercings. Here is what the other two actually are. Read more...
Downsizing: When and Why to Change to a Shorter Bar
The bar you were pierced with is deliberately too long. Here is why, and roughly when each placement is ready to change. Read more...
Stud or Hoop? How to Choose for Each Ear Placement
Which placements suit a stud, which carry a hoop, and the healing rule that overrides both. Read more...
Does Jewellery Choice Affect Whether a Piercing Rejects?
Material, fit and style change the load on a piercing. Here is the jewellery side of migration β€” and where the topic stops being about jewellery. Read more...
Belly Bar Sizing: 14G, Bar Length and When to Downsize
14G and 10mm is the standard. Here is how to measure yours, and why length matters more on a navel than anywhere else. Read more...
Nose Stud Sizing: Gauge, Length and Why Yours Keeps Falling Out
Nostril piercings are finer than ear cartilage. Here is the gauge, the length, and the fix for studs that fall out. Read more...
Internally Threaded, Externally Threaded and Threadless Explained
Externally threaded jewellery drags a screw thread through the channel. Here is how to tell the difference. Read more...
Hoop Diameter by Placement: What Size Actually Fits
Inner diameter, not outer. Here is the size that actually fits each placement. Read more...
Does Titanium Turn Your Skin Green?
No. Here is the chemistry of why some metals stain skin, and why titanium is not one of them. Read more...
Titanium vs Surgical Steel: What You Actually Pay For
316L surgical steel contains 10–14% nickel. That single fact explains the price difference. Read more...
Flat Back Post Length: How to Choose, and How to Tell It's Wrong
6mm or 8mm? How to choose a flat back length, and the visual signs that yours is wrong. Read more...
How to Check Jewellery Is Really Implant-Grade Titanium
"Implant grade" is not a regulated term. Here is what to ask for, and what a real answer looks like. Read more...
Can You Sleep in Your Earrings? Flat Back Studs Explained
Yes, if they are flat back studs. Flat backs are designed to be slept in; butterfly backs and hoops are not. Plus showering, swimming and how to avoid irritation bumps. Read more...
How to Build an Ear Stack: A Styling Guide
A good ear stack uses an odd number of pieces, one focal point and a single metal tone. Three stack combinations, spacing rules and how to build one while piercings heal. Read more...
How Long Do Piercings Take to Heal? A Complete Timeline
Earlobes heal in 6-8 weeks; cartilage piercings take 6-12 months. Full healing time chart for helix, tragus, conch, daith, septum, nostril and navel piercings. Read more...
The Best Metal for Sensitive Skin and New Piercings
Implant-grade titanium is the safest metal for sensitive skin because it contains no nickel. Surgical steel contains 10-14% nickel. Full comparison of titanium, steel, gold, niobium and silver. Read more...
16G or 14G? A Complete Piercing Gauge Size Guide
16G is 1.2mm and 14G is 1.6mm. Most cartilage piercings use 16G; most navel piercings use 14G. Full gauge chart, bar lengths and ring diameters for every piercing. Read more...