hey, i got my ears pierced at 10g a few years ago and just 2 months ago i stretched them to 8g. i used a cheap acrylic taper and it was no problem since my ears were well healed. my ears feel healed now at 8g, i keep them oiled and massage them often, but i know they arent ready to stretch again yet. im going to wait another couple of months. im sort of concerned about the next stretch from 8g to 6g and onward since its a bigger jump than it was from 10g to 8g. im not so partial to taping, im aware some people are. however, i was just wondering if i should be using the expensive more gradual style taper for my next stretch like the IS tapers on this site? will using them make my lobes more healthy looking as an end result? will it make the stretch go more easily? i only plan on going to 2g and i know something like that cheap short steel taper would get it done, but im not sure my lobes would look as healthy if i used those. thanks!

 I dont usually use a taper, but when I do, I prefer the long ones. They feel better going in, they dont have that jump that the shorter, cheaper ones do, and they also discourage stretching more than one size at at a time, since they tend to start, in your case 8g and end at 6g. You can also just wait until you can slip the next size in with no resistance, thats how I tend to stretch. 

 i see what youre saying, im sure that is the best way, to let time and healing loosen them up. not sure i want to wait quite that long though. they're already kind of loose at 8g so when i stretch in a few months it should go pretty smoothly. i think i mine as well spring for the IS tapers for my next stretches because of the lesser jump.

 also i want to get some glass plugs for after i stretch but im not sure which would be better:

these

or these

or perhaps something else? any recommendations? my lobes are kind of fat, but the regular steel plugs i have in at the moment have a little room to spare.

 I find that colorfronts are easier to follow throuh with a taper due to the round backs. Get a nice long IS taper and the colorfronts, the stretch will be a breeze in a few months :)

absolution:

 also i want to get some glass plugs for after i stretch but im not sure which would be better:

these

or these

 

or perhaps something else? any recommendations? my lobes are kind of fat, but the regular steel plugs i have in at the moment have a little room to spare.

I tend to prefer the colorfronts for initial stretches.  The rounded ends make them slip right in.

Edit:  kwaniesiam beat me to it :)

indubitably! to both of you. makes sense, about them being rounded. now i just have to decide what colours to get. thanks

I couldn't decide what colors to get, so I settled on the clear pyrex no-flare plugs ^_^  They have rounded ends, too.  I like the pyrex single-flare eyelets, because you can watch the inside of your lobe through the glass as it heals.  Those don't have the rounded end, though.

I highly reccommend getting the best taper you can find.  Acrylic tapers did me just fine until 4g.  I just couldn't get it past the jump.  I did a much better job just popping the plugs in without the taper, so by all means, get a good taper!