Hey Guys!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Life is still as on-going as ever, and I have a few less mods than I used to. I am engaged to a wonderful girl, who I have been with for a while now, and I am really happy. I've had a few more tattoos since last time, and I am working on a few new projects to make me focus a bit more. So, what's new with me? I'll share some pictures, probably easier.

So, basically my life in a few years, in pictures. I've got more tattoos, I've got giant boobs, and I have the love of my life, and she's awesome. Mods wise, I don't have a lot any more, I still have my lip, and it bounces between 3/4", and 1/2", sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't. My septum has recently gone up to 4mm, and it's sitting there quite comfortable.

I will continue to write some more articles again soon, if people would like some, I've been a bit lax, and I've only just been able to get back in to this account again!

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

Downsizing.. And what not..

I always get emails regarding downsizing, and ways and means of avoiding, why you should do it, how long you should do it for, etc.

Basically, the simple answer is, there isn't a sure fire method. Believe it or not, everyones body is different. For me, I had to downsize for a long time, due to my body being a slow healer, some people may only have to do it for a few days, a week, or whatever. But I shall try to explain in this blog, when, where, and how it should be done, maybe then, it'll help, and I can be lazy and forward this page on to people.

So you've got a cut, you've stretched, your ear has swollen, your ears are looking thin. Well, now is the time to consider downsizing. That's right, all that hard work you've taken to get to a size you like, you have to go backwards. Unfathomable. I know. But, if people realised that stretching isn't a race, it isn't something you rush to beat your friends at, it isn't when you buy a 2" plug, and you're at 1 1/2" and decide to force it in because you're impatient, it's about time, these holes you're putting in your body, they're permanent. Anyway. Lecture over.

If you've got a cut, your ear looks swollen, then take out the jewellery and drop it, by a size, maybe two depending on how bad it is. Make sure you do salt water soaks (if your ears are big enough to hang in a shot glass with salt water), or using cotton buds (q-tips to americans) clean the wounded area twice a day, pref in the morning, and then at night. Keep doing this, and eventually it'll go away. Do not use anything else, like neosporin, germoline, savlon, or other antiseptic creams, as believe it or not, in a stretched ear, these keep the bacteria rife in the ear, rather than killing them.

Once, you've done your salt water soaks, I personally would avoid using oils for the time being if you've got a cut, as I find that they can be irritating to the ear. Generally, downsizing by a few sizes will cure 99% of all problems, and if you've got cuts, it can take a while for the cut to disappear, and you have to be certain it's gone, even if your ear is gapping, putting in the bigger jewellery again can cause the rip to re-open.

So you've got thin ears, and you want to thicken them up. Pretty much follow the same advice as above, but without the salt soaks. Use plenty of oils, vitamin e, emu, jojoba, bio oil, cover them from night, morning and day, and downsize by at least 2/3/4 sizes if you can. Your ears will feel loose, and they'll feel warm, but by not down sizing huge amounts, you should find, in theory your ear closes up around the jewellery. Then, I'd leave it for about 2 - 4 weeks, then I'd gradually start stretching up slowly, for me personally, I downsized maybe every 3/4 months just to keep that consistancy in my ears. But that was me.

Hope this helps!

Peace

Facebook Page..

Stretching Labret

Have you ever wondered how to stretch your labret? Well, in this little tutorial, I will let you know how.

Stretching your labret, is similar to stretching your ears, but it takes a little bit longer, and it pinches a little bit more, due to the lip being a bit thicker, and in constant use.

Beginning, you can do this similar to your ears, you can star with just a basic piercing, dermal punch, or pierce and stretch. If you get it pierced at 1.6mm, it's a little bit more difficult to start, but it's still do-able. I myself, personally got it pierced at 4mm, and stretched straight to 6. It cut out all the difficult small sizes, and started me off with a hole :).

So, you get it pierced at 1.6 (14g), you've waited upwards of 4 months for it to fully heal, and you want to go to 2mm (12g). I used septum bullets, when I stretched my snakebites.

These little items, go up to 8mm, and are perfect for stretching labrets. I myself dead stretched, because it was easier, if not a little bit more expensive as I got to the bigger sizes. Dead stretching is a method of where you size up when you feel the current jewellery is loose. You will need custom jewellery when you stretch your labret, as you need stuff with a flat back so it doesn't rub against your teeth.

Interviews..

I will be having a series of interviews with people who are famous within the modification scene, and asking them questions I feel people will want to know. The first in the series is the one, and only Bear "Big Ears" Belmares.

I hope you enjoy, as soon as the interview is done, I will post it up for you to read!

Peace.

Where to buy jewellery?

One of the most common questions I ever get asked, is where do you buy jewellery, and to be honest, it changes, there are so many places you can go, but you just have to do a little bit of looking around, so I will be building up a series of links of where you can buy jewellery from. I have bought jewellery from most, if not all of these people.

So, here we go.My list of websites which contain hand made, large ear'd stretchers, and bespoke body modification jewellery!

Heart on Sleeve - His name is Mark, the guy is a genius. He made my 3" oak plugs, he is affordable, and quick.
Black Heart Organic - I haven't bought any jewellery, but the collection is amazing, some of the nicest woods and customs I've seen.
Wood Plugs - Again I haven't ordered, but seems to have a very good portfolio of work, and doesn't just do ears.
Aesthetic Body Mod - I have bought a lot of labret, and ear jewellery. I love their PMA stuff, and it's all custom
Kings Body Jewellery - Good for your basics, 2" eyelets, labrets, BCRs too.
Body Jewellery Shop - Probably one of the best and most known UK sites. Cheap tapers, cheap plugs, free P&P, great selection.
Bodyartforms - Again, another amazing website, bought lots of jewellery from this.

This is the best list, and if you can't find it between these guys then it doesn't exist.

Hope this list of body jewellery suppliers helps.

Getting my ears stitched shut...

Welcome! What a way to start, with a picture of my old ears. As you can see, they weren't exactly the nicest of looking things, and due to a lot of trauma, the ears themselves were dead, and un-stretchable, and causing me a lot of self confidence issues, with children, parents and generally anyone thinking they're allowed to make comments. 

So, on Saturday the 5th February, me and my beautiful girlfriend headed down to our appointments, and sat and waited. My girlfriend got branded, and it looked amazing, I am intrigued to get it done myself. Anyway, the procedure took just over an hour, and I can't really say how he did it, but I have included a gallery of pictures. Enjoy.