Heyo. I'm new on the forums, although Bodyartforms has pretty much been my favourite site ever for awhile now :)

 So I've got one ear at 8g and the other at 12g (it used to be at 8g too, but I downsized after it started to swell up and hurt, I think I may have stretched too fast that time, but now they're happy). I do regular sea salt soaks and massage them in the shower, but as for massaging them out of the shower, I have a question: 

Tea tree oil, is it okay to use? A piercer friend of mine told me it's a great natural antiseptic, but it might be a bit harsh for some people's healing lobes. I've been massaging with it for about a week now, some scar tissue I had in my 12g from getting them gunned as a baby has already started to go away. 

Tea tree oil is way too harsh to be using undilited on it's own. Get some jojoba or emu oil for the massages. It has helped me with hyperytrophic scarring in the past, but for lobe massages it's not needed. Also it can break down some kinds of acrylic jewelry and is also poisonous to pets, so if you have any please keep it away from them. It does do wonders for killing zits though. :) 

Haha don't worry, I don't wear acrylic plugs and I do dilute my tea tree oil, it's usually around half and half.

But yeah, I probably will be ordering some jojoba oil off BAF very soon :) Correct me if I'm wrong, but jojoba oil is the best for fresh stretches, and emu oil/vitamin E oil is better for healed stretches?

Cosmic Surgery:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but jojoba oil is the best for fresh stretches, and emu oil/vitamin E oil is better for healed stretches?

Strike that, reverse it (jojoba & emu).

Personally though, I use jojoba on healing tissue. 

jojoba is better to stretch with, imo, but not everyone feels the same way. emu oil is safe for healing tissues, but i've never had an issue using jojoba instead. i use jojoba for everything, though.