Materials

Taper (a size bigger than your current hole size, a normal piercing is 18 ga therefore you would go to a 16ga, the lower the number the bigger the hole)

Water Based Lubricant

Unscented Antibacterial Soap

Jewelry the size

Let's see where we stand

Exactly where you stand and where you start off depends on where you are right now. If your ears aren't pierced you should get them pierced by a licensed professional at a tattoo shop not in a mall. Professionals in a tattoo shop can help you determine what your next steps are if you tell them you plan on stretching or gauging your ears. If your ears are already pierced and healed (a ear piercing takes 2 to 3 months to heal) then you can continue on with the instructions.

Before you start stretching it is important that you know the risks, and if you are underage it is important that you have your parents permission. Stretching your ears is a permanent modification to your body if they are stretched to their limit. A 2 or 4 gauge is considered the point of no return, this means your ear piercing will never shrink back to its normal size. This process can be harmful and cause permanent damage to your ears if not done correctly, that is why it is important to wait between each stretch. Stretching to fast can cause thinning in parts of your lobes, this could lead to your lobe tearing through or a blowout (your skin folds over on the back of your ear and heals into a large ball of tissue or a ring of skin that will get thicker and thicker over time. Do your research before you stretch, it is better to be safe then sorry. Never skip sizes while stretching the results can be ugly.

Getting Started

1. Take out the stud or jewelry you have in your ear currently.
   
2. Wash your ear with the antibacterial soap with warm water and rub your ear in a circular motion to massage it a bit. This will increase your ears elasticity and make the stretch much easier on you and your body.
   
3. Clean the taper with antibacterial soap, dry it and put your water based lubricant on your ear and the taper itself. (Lubrication is not always necessary if the jump isn't to big but, if it makes it much easier on your body so i recommend it.)
   
4. Now you can slowly push the taper through your ear. Do not force it, this isn't one of those "just like a band-aid" type of things. Slow and steady is the only way to do this in a healthy way.
   
5. Once the taper is in you can place the O-rings or little bands on the jewelry. Place one in front and one in back not to close to the ear, you have to be careful and make sure you don't pinch your skin.
   
6. Clean of all the lubricant and make sure that the O-rings are in place.