How To Take Out Starter Earrings And Piercing Jewelry At Home 2022

IMHO, the worst part about getting an ear piercing isn’t the pain (that shit is temporary) or the regular cleaning (twice a day? I can handle that)—it’s waiting for that bb to be fully healed so I can take out the jewelry. I don’t have a problem with piercing jewelry, per se, but basic-ass studs and rings can feel a little meh when there’s a whole world of cute jewelry waiting to elevate the hell out of your ear.

But as anyone who’s attempted to swap out their starter earrings at home knows well, piercing jewelry is kinda a bitch to remove—it’s not always intuitive (there usually isn’t a visible back or latch to unhook), and the process can leave you highkey panicked (see: me reaching for a pair of pliers).

That doesn’t mean you need to wait to see a professional piercer though. All it takes is a little patience and a few easy-to-follow tricks—all of which I’ve rounded up for you, below. Keep reading for the ultimate guide to removing every type of starter earring, including seam rings, screw-in studs, and more.

But first: how to tell if your piercing is *actually* healed

PSA: You should never, ever swap out your jewelry before your piercing has healed—doing so can lead to infection, scarring, permanent swelling, and rejection of the earring (aka when your ear literally pushes the jewelry out), says Ava Lorusso, professional piercer at Studs in NYC. “Your ear could also ‘swallow’ the new jewelry, which requires a surgical procedure to reverse,” she warns. TL;DR: Your piercing needs to be 100 percent healed before you take out your jewelry, okay?

So what exactly does that look like? Glad you asked. “Healed piercings should have no signs of redness, swelling, pain, or discharge of any kind—and it shouldn’t hurt if you touch it,” says Lorusso. Piercings heal differently from ear to ear, so there isn’t an exact timeline you should be following—just make sure you’re cleaning it with salt water or super-mild soap (no alcohol or fragrance) two to three times per day. BTW: Yellow or clear crusties are totally normal (even on healed piercings) and not a sign of infection, says Lorusso.

4 super-gentle ways to clean your piercing

Dr. Bronner's Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Bar Soap

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Tattoo Goo Blue Wave Saline Cleansing Solution

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H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray

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Steri-Wash Aftercare Piercing Spray

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How to Remove Seam Rings

Don’t worry, even though seam rings give you the illusion of a closed, infinite hoop, they actually have two breaks. “With clean hands, find both breaks in the ring—in between the breaks, there should be a big section and a smaller, shorter section,” says Lorusso. “Grip each section as best as you can, pull the smaller section open like a hinge, and remove the jewelry from the flush end of the ring.”

How to Remove Push-Pin Studs

“With a good grip on each side of the jewelry, pull the front and back straight apart,” says Lorusso. “If the jewelry is tight, add a slight twisting motion while pulling out the removable end,” she says, adding that the process will definitely require a little force.

How to Remove Screw-In Studs

Screw-in studs don’t require force—it’s more about twisting. “Tightly grip the back of the jewelry and start twisting the removable end until it’s completely out from the back,” says Lorusso. “Remember: The ‘righty tighty’ rule is reversed while working on yourself, so you’ll want to twist the removable end to your right.”

How to Remove Fixed Bead Rings

If your ring has a bead, start by gently torquing each side of the bead away from each other, says Lorusso, then push one side up and the other side down. “If the ring doesn’t have a bead, gently find the break in the jewelry and follow the same steps, removing the jewelry from the flush end of the ring,” she says.

Piercing still not coming out? Don’t freak:

DW, we’ve all been there. But if you’re experiencing any pain or swelling while swapping out your jewelry, you should pause, clean the area with saline solution, and wait at least three hours before you try again. Remember though: All jewelry is removable. “It’s okay if it takes a while, and it’s okay to add pressure to the jewelry—it’s more durable than it looks,” says Lorusso.

Don’t panic if your jewelry isn’t coming out right away, because “it’s normal for your ear’s natural buildup to harden the jewelry, which can make it more difficult to remove,” says Lorusso, adding that professional piercers have a variety of tools that can help remove jewelry. So if you can’t get it on your own, just wait until you can see a professional, k? You ears are better safe than sorry.

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Ruby Buddemeyer

Ruby was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered beauty across print and digital. Her work has appeared on The Zoe Report, Fashionista, and StyleCaster. Follow her on Instagram.