All about plugs! (well a lil)

Will

So here we go again, another informational post about stuff I have a vague idea about. No clue how this will go as per usual but let's give it a whirl :pac:

Suitable material for body jewellery - Some hardwoods, some types of glass, titanium, stainless steel, stone, amber, horn, bone, silver, gold, ptfe, silicone, bioplast. This list isn't exhausted but covers most things on offer at the moment. However beware, some people have reactions to things like silver or wood. If in doubt go with titanium or ptfe possibly.

Unsuitable material for body jewellery - I would put acrylic in here but up to you. There is a lot of lovely wooden plugs out there on offer, and while they may look awesome they are not suitable for wear as they can contain nasty substances within, most people even those who make the plugs are oblivious to the harm they can cause to people. Stick to reputable people who know their stuff. I see a lot of cocobolo on offer lately and while some people don't react to it a lot do and man do you get nasty infections from it. Polymer clay seems to be popular on etsy for some reason, again why stick clay and crap in your lobes? If in doubt check here, but again some people react to the safe woods too but are few and far between. I can't wear the kaos eyelets for too long, something about silicone doesn't sit well with my body.

What to look for in a pair of plugs? - A good smooth finish on the plugs regardless of the material. You don't want sharp edges on your plugs as they could tear your lobes, or coarse surfaces. Good pair of plugs should be perfectly smooth, if you are buying them in person rub your finger along the pieces and check for imperfections. Make sure they're the same size! Check the flares are equal and a reasonable size so they don't fall out of your lobes.

If you've a stretched labret make sure the back is concaved or wave good bye to your gums

Material is very important as I outlined above, if you are vegan this may or may not influence your choice of plugs, as obviously you will not wanna wear bone or tusk etc.

Price is always a factor, money is hard enough to come by but if a pair of plugs is €10 you would have to wonder why they are that price? Maybe they're perfect, maybe they're a huge batch or maybe they were bought in china for half nothing. Who knows, personally I'm always dubious of ridiculously cheap plugs. €30 and up for handmade plugs is standard practice depending on material.

Wearing surface is also important is if it's too short it won't sit in your ear right, if you're buying plugs off the shelf i believe standard size is about 12mm or so and increases as you go up in size. If you are getting custom plugs made you can specify as not everyone's ears are the same

I'm sure i've missed a lot but just sort of throwing this together to let people know. Any questions just shout.