I've had my ears pierced since I was a few months old and I'm 17 now. 

I'm having a hard time finding a taper kit starting out with 18G I was told that I could easily go a head an do a 14G without much stretching, but I'm not sure if I want to skip 18G and 16G, I'm not sure what would happen. There's this giant piercing place near me call Body Jewel and I'm going to go talk to the people up there and see what they think and if they have a taper kit with those sizes. 

But for now I want to know what you guys think I should do. 

It's not a good idea to skip sizes, but your lobes may have already loosened to 16g over the years. You can purchase a taper right off of BAF:

http://www.bodyartforms.com/productdetails.asp?ProductID=949

 Wouldn't it be more affordable to purchase a set instead of individuals?

Money isn't much an issue but I don't want to spend more than I need to. Does BAF offer whole kits?

I don't believe they carry sets any longer. Perhaps you could give taping a try once you make it to around 3mm.

http://www.bodyartforms.com/productdetails.asp?ProductID=3131 theres this kit, but it starts at 14g so you'd still have to buy the smaller sizes...

Edit, nevermind, those are tapers and plugs at each size...

However, I was never so into tapers for my lobes, I would just let them stretch and stick the next size in...

I'm going to go ahead and say that the most affordable place i've ever found to buy plugs was BAF.  All you need is one taper and a pair of plugs, and you're good to go.  Since you've been at the same size for so long, you may not even need a taper.  Just make sure to use some oil.  And, just to reiterate what Axon said, taping is a very cost-effective and gentler way to stretch once you hit a size where it's not too fiddly to tape your plugs.

 

 That sucks. I guess I'll see what the prices are at a few piercing places around the city before I buy online. Maybe they might have taper kits.

Since I'm completely new to this (and didn't know what a gauge was until about 7 hours ago) I'm going to just go with the tapers, I guess I'd feel more sure of what I'm doing if I go by tapers. 

What is the best kind of taper to buy? I've read that steel is the best and to avoid acrylic

I've read of people have reactions to O rings are there different materials that is used for O rings (plastic,rubber, etc)

What is the best kind of taper to buy? I've read that steel is the best and to avoid acrylic

Steel is probably your best bet, as all the acrylic tapers i've seen haven't been as gradual as steel tapers.  Since tapers aren't worn as jewelry, I don't see anything wrong with using an acrylic taper as long as it's followed by a plugs made of a suitable material (steel, titanium, glass, etc).  But I would recommend steel over acrylic any day.

I've read of people have reactions to O rings are there different materials that is used for O rings (plastic,rubber, etc)

People usually have reactions to the black o-rings made of nitrile, but some people may have a reaction to the clear silicone ones.  Most black o-rings are made of nitrile, and most clear are made of silicone.  I've never had a reaction to either, but that's me.  If you know you have an allergy to a certain material, stay away from it!  if you don't want to take the chance, i'd sugest using the clear o-rings.  They look better in my opinion, anyway.

 Ok, Thanks ^^

First of all, congratulations on your decision. Exciting, right? :)

Secondly, BAF is definitely cheaper than any piercing shop or most physical retailers. Please keep in mind that stretching correctly with quality tools and jewelry is not cheap. It doesn't have to be bank-breakingly expensive, either, but it does cost money to do this safely. Good quality tapers and jewelry in stretch-friendly materials are essential, and this site is one of the best resources for those things.

 If you wore a lot of heavy dangly earrings, there is a good chance you can start with 16g or even 14g, but be very sure you don't force anything. The stretching guide here and the memories in the livejournal stretched community are very valuable resources. Keep us updated! 

 I know I can't wait to start the process but I'm not in a hurry I want to take things slow to make sure there aren't any mess ups. 

That's understandable but it's please my mom if we consulted some professionals, but I think people with personal experience are just as knowledgable as pros. 

No I haven't wore a lot of dangly earrings, I'm a small earring girl, mostly studs and stuff. So I think I'm going to start out with the 18G and work my way up to a 4 or 6. 

I have another question, if I go up to a 4G and later in life I decide that I no longer want the plugs will it be a problem for my ears to go bck down to size with a 4G?

Also, how would I go about cleaning them?

Congratulations on taking things smart and slow!  Your ears will definitely thank you in the long run.

tikichan:

I have another question, if I go up to a 4G and later in life I decide that I no longer want the plugs will it be a problem for my ears to go bck down to size with a 4G?

Also, how would I go about cleaning them?

You should consider every stretch permanent.  There is a chance you could shrink back down to a 10g or 12g, but it all depends on your body and how long you've had the piercings.

You should clean your jewelry with SSSs, mild antibacterial soaps, or professional piercing soaps.  Satin is my favorite.

Your icon rocks, BTW.  Aoi FTW!!! :D

I just started stretching a few months ago. My ears were pierced over a decade ago with a gun, and I had enough scar tissue that I didn't think I'd be able to stretch (I may not be able to go too big, but I'm only planning on going to 12g or so). Because of the amount of scar tissue, my ears burned a little when I put 18g earrings in so I'm really glad I didn't try to go straight to 16g or (-shudder-) 14g right away. I got a pair of titanium CBRs (which I later found out aren't necessarily the best for stretching as the curved surface can warp the stretch a little -- thankfully they didn't mess up my ears), took a hot shower, put the 18g earrings in. After about a month I was able to slide 16g CBRs in (they still burned for a day or so, but they went in smoothly). I'm currently at 14g (I used the cheapest SS taper on BAF to stretch) but I'll be moving up to 12g once the BAF taper I bought a few days ago gets here. It's really hard to be patient, but I want to do things slowly and safely; I too want to one day be able to downsize, and not having blowouts or huge scars from stretching will really help how far your ears will shrink. The biggest problem I have so far is deciding what size I want to end at -- since I knew I wasn't going to be staying at 14g forever, I didn't buy many 14g earrings. So I've been living the last month-ish with only two pairs which makes me cranky. I'm gonna be staying at 12g for a while, just because I've bought more earrings so I don't get as bored. : ) Good luck!

 Ok because I would like to be a psychologist or something in that area and I don't think my first boss-to-be would like plugs in my ears, then again maybe I'll change my profession and be a free lance writer or art teacher or something and it won't matter. I just always like to leave a margin of error better safe than sorry, you know. 

 Oki thanks they have SSS on That have pretty good ratings so I'll check those out ^^

Aoi? The guy in my avatar is Kanon from An Cafe (Japanese VK band) 

sapphiredonna:

I just started stretching a few months ago. My ears were pierced over a decade ago with a gun, and I had enough scar tissue that I didn't think I'd be able to stretch (I may not be able to go too big, but I'm only planning on going to 12g or so). Because of the amount of scar tissue, my ears burned a little when I put 18g earrings in so I'm really glad I didn't try to go straight to 16g or (-shudder-) 14g right away. I got a pair of titanium CBRs (which I later found out aren't necessarily the best for stretching as the curved surface can warp the stretch a little -- thankfully they didn't mess up my ears), took a hot shower, put the 18g earrings in. After about a month I was able to slide 16g CBRs in (they still burned for a day or so, but they went in smoothly). I'm currently at 14g (I used the cheapest SS taper on BAF to stretch) but I'll be moving up to 12g once the BAF taper I bought a few days ago gets here. It's really hard to be patient, but I want to do things slowly and safely; I too want to one day be able to downsize, and not having blowouts or huge scars from stretching will really help how far your ears will shrink. The biggest problem I have so far is deciding what size I want to end at -- since I knew I wasn't going to be staying at 14g forever, I didn't buy many 14g earrings. So I've been living the last month-ish with only two pairs which makes me cranky. I'm gonna be staying at 12g for a while, just because I've bought more earrings so I don't get as bored. : ) Good luck!

 

I also got my ears pierced with a gun and I'm not sure if I have much scar tissue (but i can see the holes(and the skin leading in) is darker than the rest of me). Thats aweshum, I'm going to be starting next tuesday I'm going to buy my taper and plugs from off of here. I'm going to buy each of the apers individually instead of all together so I don't feel the urge to move faster than I should. My goal gauge is either a 6 or a 4. I really want to do a 4 but I'll see when I get to there. 

Good luck to you as well!!