Piercing Advice

--I get asked a lot of things by a lot of people about my piercings, like; where I got them, did they hurt, how much was it, why'd you get it...etc. I'm hoping that this entry helps a little for anyone out there interested in knowing anything about piercings.--

Cleaning products & Techniques:

A lot of people who don't know a lot about piercings don't really know how to take care of them good enough, if at all. So here are some products and do's/don'ts of cleaning piercings.

H2Ocean: Skin care products that are for piercings, tattoos and every day use. H2Ocean has multiple products to help take care of your body the way it should be. You can find them in the majority of tattoo/piercing shops you visit.

Mouthwash: For oral piercings and day to day use. 

H2Ocean Salt Spray: For oral and every other piercing.

All these products are natural and used with salt. For more information and a list of other products here's a link to there site -----> www.h2ocean.com

Other Cleaning Products: sea salt water, tea tree oil(for healing, not cleaning), saline solution. You can get them at most grocery stores.

Do Not Use: Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, glyoxide, ear care solutions, and ointments. **They are not meant to heal open wounds. There for they normally make it harder for your piercing to heal and dry them out, which irritates it.

When you get a piercings try not to touch it for the first few weeks. You carry all kinds of germs and bacteria on your hands, which then carries to your piercings. When cleaning it's better to use a Q-tip or cotton swab that way you can fully clean your piercing without missing anything.

If your piercing gets infected, don't make taking it out right away the first thing you do. There are products and solutions to help heal it. (You can spread the infection if you take it out). I'd Suggest calling the piercer who pierced it for you for any advice on what you should do.



My Recommended Piercing Shops in Calgary:

#1 The Arthouse Inc.
This is my number one choice because I have been going here for quite a few years. There are two different piercers name Laura and Sondra. They are the best of the best if you ask me and they know what they are doing. If you have ever gone to a tattoo festival here in Calgary, AB you would have seen them there. They have won awards for there business which includes; tattooing, piercings, laser tattoo removal and  selling jewelry&merchandise.
Link ----> www.thearthouseinc.ca

#2 Strange World Tattoo
This is my number two choice because I have gone here with a bunch of my friends who have nothing but good things to say about this place. They have gotten numerous amount of piercings and three of them have gotten numerous amounts of tattoos. They only have one person who does piercings and her name is George. She is full of information so if you have any questions she's the best person to ask. She also helps run the shop keeping the business going. Strangeworld has also been apart of tattoo conventions and has won awards for there business.
Link----> www.strangeworldtattoo.com

**All the places I have mentioned above are clean, sterile places.**

Word of Advice:

I believe getting a piercing is something that should take a lot of thought. It should be a decision you are willing to make, not forced by friends or family. I also believe that if it is something you want, you shouldn't let what others say keep you from.
On that note I also believe that you should wait until you're older (old enough to sign the consent sheet without a parent), all because it's not "permanent", it does leave scars. It shouldn't be something you get because a friend told you to get, or because someone thinks it would look "cool" on you. Your body=your decision.
**I highly recommend that you do your research before you sit down on that chair, and get a needle jabbed through your skin. What you do, and where you choose has consequences. Different diseases, bad piercings, un-sanitized jewelry/needles/piercing equipment and unprofessional piercers. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you do it to your body.
***I highly recommend not getting piercings done by friends with things like; safety pins, sewing needles, and earring's. Even if they say they know what they're doing, don't always trust them.