I seem to be one of those people with thick, super-stretchy lobes. This is a great thing when I'm actively stretching (it doesn't take long!) but now that I'm at my goal size (1/2" 12.5mm) it's actually more of a pain in the butt than anything. I recently ordered the new set of blue goldstone plugs that BAF got in and much to my disappointment, they literally fall out of my ears. If I tilt my head to the side, they just slowly slide out. If I talk on the phone, they pop right out. I think I'm in the minority -- I even wake up in the morning and sometimes have half of a silicone eyelet on its way out of my ear!

 

So what are us super-stretchy ear people left to do? Would O rings work? What are some of BAF's stone plugs that have some good big flares on them?

 Sleep without jewelry... and go periods of tiem during the day while just sitting around without jewelry... it will help keep the holes tight

One of my ears is like this... the other one has scar tissue that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise for staying at 1/2". A few ideas for you:

- Sleep naked. Leaving jewelry out overnight gives your lobes a rest and doesn't actively hold the hole at 1/2" - but if you're stable at 1/2", you also shouldn't have a problem getting jewelry back in each morning.

- Pick plugs with more dramatic shape. Most of my BAF stone has very gentle flares. But I have some glass - like Gorilla Glass power plugs - with ridiculous hourglass shape. And ask about plugs you like to find out about their flares. Sometimes plugs with screw-on flares have very large flares, too.

- Avoid materials that are squishy (like silicone) or slippery. Many people find wood to be more "grabby" and that will help them stay in place. If you want to wear stone/glass/steel, aim for big flares.

That's what I started doing. They soften back up halfway through the day and the plugs start falling out again. Argh! It works well if I've got plugs that have some decent flares on them -- those stop popping out -- but anything like the gentle stone flares and I'm still hearing "clink!" every time it hits the floor or the bathtub. It's going to shatter them, one of these days.

 

BAF had in some blue goldstone before (I <3 goldstone) that had some pretty solid flares on it but I guess they went with a new supplier? I have a pair here in 2ga that worked well when I was back at that size. Sigh.

 I disagree with avoiding silicone... Silicone is rather tacky and light weight... its one thing Ive found doesnt stretch my ears out during a downsize... 

bluebananaeater:

I disagree with avoiding silicone... Silicone is rather tacky and light weight... its one thing Ive found doesnt stretch my ears out during a downsize... 

For me, it depends on the specific silicone style - the solid-fronted plugs have a tendency to fall out of my ears, especially if I put any pressure on them. The earskins have better flares. I don't find it that tacky unless my skin is dry.

GekkoGeck0:

I seem to be one of those people with thick, super-stretchy lobes. This is a great thing when I'm actively stretching (it doesn't take long!) but now that I'm at my goal size (1/2" 12.5mm) it's actually more of a pain in the butt than anything. I recently ordered the new set of blue goldstone plugs that BAF got in and much to my disappointment, they literally fall out of my ears. If I tilt my head to the side, they just slowly slide out. If I talk on the phone, they pop right out. I think I'm in the minority -- I even wake up in the morning and sometimes have half of a silicone eyelet on its way out of my ear!

 

So what are us super-stretchy ear people left to do? Would O rings work? What are some of BAF's stone plugs that have some good big flares on them?

 

I have to say also that though the blue goldstone is oh so gorgeous I think they run a little small.  Or maybe just the flares are extra specially gentle because I am at 7/16 and mine fall out really easily too (I don't have Stretch Armstrong ears).

Anyway I would advise you to go naked overnight or on weekends to "tighten up".

for whatever reason, small-gauge DF plugs seem to have ridiculously large flares. I think it's partially because, if you're at 8g (3 mm) then having a 4 mm (6g) flare is a huge a jump, whereas if you're at a small 00g (9 mm) having a large 00g flare (10 mm) doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I wouldn't be surprised that, as you get into bigger sizes, the flares on most stone pieces start seeming more mild. I've heard that GG power plugs and trichro (and lifesavers, I think) have very large flares. I know a few people who use o-rings, even on DF plugs to keep them in (or wear a smaller size plug through a clearskin). and stone is rather heavy, so it's going to encourage your ears to stretch, so maybe wear lighter things during the day and only wear stone plugs for a few hours for fancy occasions? or you could look into SF plugs -- from what I've seen (though I've only seen smaller-gauge plugs) the front flare is usually pretty big and you can stack on as many o-rings as you need to keep it in place.

 Were your ears ever scalpelled? We're at the same size, and my ears were cut from 4g-9mm. They self stretched like melted cheese soon as they healed, and I had a hard time not going past my goal size. Almost a year post healed scalpelling, they've gotten better because I frequently wear between 12-14mm plugs and sleep without any jewelry in. Also what you massage them with can be a factor, I've noticed jojoba oil makes my ears really stretchy, while emu oil is moisturizing but helps tighten them up a bit. Good luck! Theres always earskins and lightweight options, or wood which tends to be a bit grabbier and isn't too heavy in 1/2" to try. 

My ears are super stretchy as well. I'm at my goal size so I can see what your issue is as well.

Like the others said, sleep without plugs. It makes a world of difference.

I love stone in my ears. I just love the way it feels. If I go all night without plugs in while I sleep, the next day I can generally wear my stoned df without issues. I would suggest specifically looking for pieces with larger flares. As for o-rings, I'm not sure. Of course, I can't even wear single flare plugs often because o-rings slip right through if I'm not careful.

ETA: You may want to think about varying your plug size up or down by 1mm randomly as well.

kwaniesiam:

 Were your ears ever scalpelled? We're at the same size, and my ears were cut from 4g-9mm. They self stretched like melted cheese soon as they healed, and I had a hard time not going past my goal size. Almost a year post healed scalpelling, they've gotten better because I frequently wear between 12-14mm plugs and sleep without any jewelry in. Also what you massage them with can be a factor, I've noticed jojoba oil makes my ears really stretchy, while emu oil is moisturizing but helps tighten them up a bit. Good luck! Theres always earskins and lightweight options, or wood which tends to be a bit grabbier and isn't too heavy in 1/2" to try. 

 

 

No. They were old gunned holes from when I was little. I stretched them about 12 years ago up to 7/16" and blew out one of the holes in the process (I was 14 and was determined and impatient despite lack of funds and proper tapers). I let them go and they went back to 4ga and now I've taken them up to 1/2". They've always been bouncy!

 

It's funny, I tried sleeping without plugs in for a few days, but I can't find the happy medium. They get super-tight pretty quickly but once I have jewelry back in them, they just bounce back within half a day. Frustrating! I think O rings might have to start coming into play.

Have you ever tried wearing your jewelry through a silicone earskin?  I've had to cut a couple pairs of metal plugs in half because they are all way too long for me, so now they have no flare on the back to keep them in, so I just stick them through a pair of clear earskins.  It keeps them in very well...silicone is definitely a little grabby.

 Good luck finding a solution. 

hootietoot:

Have you ever tried wearing your jewelry through a silicone earskin?  I've had to cut a couple pairs of metal plugs in half because they are all way too long for me, so now they have no flare on the back to keep them in, so I just stick them through a pair of clear earskins.  It keeps them in very well...silicone is definitely a little grabby.

 

 

 Yeah, that's definitely an idea. :) Time to add some clear earskins to my wishlist...

 

Thanks everyone!

well - i notice that youd kinda said 'bye' to this thread - but i had some thoughts so i hope you dont mind...  :-)

try for consistency...  i have found that if i am NOT-consistent, then my body reacts inconsistently - whereas if i maintain a consistent regimen, then my body adjusts to it...  in particular, every night i now take out my earrings and every morning i (usually) rub in some oil and insert my jewelry...  this makes my ears tighten at night and allows easier-insertion in the morning...  once you have found the 'routine' that works pretty-good for your body, then you can 'adjust' it as needed until you get it 'perfect'...

also, i know it might seem backwards - but maybe downsize?  since you like to wear stone - and stone is heavy - and your ears seem to stretch too-much over the course of a single-days-use...  im guessing that there might not be any better answer than to either switch to a lighter material (say stone at a smaller gauge) or only wear your preferred earrings for shorter timelengths (a few hours instead of all day)...

i think i have fairly stretchy ears as well - and i thought i would like stone, but i have found that the material that feels best for me is horn...  it has enough weight to be noticeable, but not so much that it stretches my earlobes.  i have not yet enjoyed wood cuz it is too dry...  stone feels good, but i dont like how it seems to cause my holes to stretch (as youve described) over the day...  btw - the earskins-idea with smaller-gauge jewelry inserted thru it really works well too...  gl, h.

I just ordered a pair of earskins and tried out my most troublesome pair of stone plugs with them. Works like a charm, no more falling out. I pretty much seem to covet stone or glass over any other material. I usually don't like wearing silicone and don't find it as visually appealing. The earskins are definitely a better compromise over downsizing. I went up to 1/2" specifically so I could wear a broader range of jewelry than my original goal of 7/16" allowed for (I didn't think it mattered but when I was looking through BAF for jewelry in that goal size I found myself consistently thwarted from wearing what I liked by that teensy tiny bit). Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!