You can also use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol to sterilize your ear.
If you have other piercings and are doing your second or third piercing, make sure that you leave enough space in between piercings so that you can wear studs in both holes without the earrings overlapping. Likewise, don’t make your holes too far apart or they may look odd.
Make sure to use a needle that is one gauge bigger than the earring that you plan to wear. 16 gauge barbell studs combined with 15 gauge needles work well. You can also choose to buy a piercing package, which comes with two sterilized piercing earrings that have been loaded into a spring puncher. You can purchase these at beauty supply stores. Make sure to follow the directions on the package exactly as they are written.
Some jewelry stores sell piercing earrings–these are earrings with a very sharp tip similar to a needle. These are good to use because they will re-pierce your ear as you slide it into the hole made by your needle. If you can, purchase earrings of a higher quality metal such as silver or titanium. Metals of higher quality are less likely to infect your ear or cause an allergic reaction. Be aware that some people are allergic to lower quality metals like gold-plated metal.
You could also sterilize the needle by boiling water. Once the water is boiling, place the needle in the boiling water and let it stay there for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove it with tongs and only hold it with sterile latex gloves. Wipe the needle down with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol.
If possible, have a friend (or friends) help you with the piercing. Either have them hold the cork against the back of your ear or, if you trust them immensely, have them do the actual piercing. This whole process is much easier to do when you have someone there to help you.
Be aware that the hole you have made could close up in minutes if left without an earring in it. If your earring falls out, resterilize it as quickly as possible and try to fit it back through the hole. If it does not go through, you may have to pierce your ear again.
An easy way to clean your ear is to find a small cup about the same size as your ear and put the salt water solution into that. Put a towel under the cup (to catch any overflow) and then lay on the couch and lower you ear slowly into the warm, salty water. 5 minutes of that and your ear will be feeling as good as new! “1 cup/250ml” measuring cups work well for this. You can also dip a cotton swab in the warm salt water solution and rub it around and against the piercing. There are also antiseptic solutions specifically made for newly pierced ears. You can buy them at beauty supply stores. Again, dip a cotton swab in the solution and then rub it in and around the piercing once a day.
It is best if your earrings are made of 100% surgical steel, titanium, or niobium, as these materials are not as prone to causing infection as cheaper materials.
