How to Select the Right Jewelry for Your Helix Piercing

Your helix is your ear’s curved outer rim of cartilage. One of the reasons helix piercings have become so popular is that they offer so much variety. You can choose the placement (mid, lower, upper, or even a forward helix piercing). The placement will also dictate the piercing angle so you can display your jewelry.

In this article, we’ll cover how to select the right jewelry for your helix piercing through all stages of the piercing process, from getting pierced, to healing the piercing, to the fun after it heals.

What Type of Jewelry Should You Start With?

You’ll want jewelry that’s long enough to accommodate any swelling when you first get pierced. You’re also going to want jewelry that doesn’t move a lot.

When you wear a ring, it can twist and turn a lot while you’re sleeping. Additionally, it can rotate and pull crusties through your healing fistula. This prolongs the healing process because it irritates your piercing, which is essentially a fresh wound.

This brings your options down to only these two: a stud or a straight barbell. However, this doesn’t mean you’re stuck with boring jewelry. There are a ton of cool tops and ends that can match anyone’s style. The options are nearly limitless, from gem clusters to glow-in-the-dark ends and shapes like stars and hearts.

What Size Jewelry Do You Need for a Fresh Helix Piercing?

Typically, helix piercings are performed at either a 16 or 14 gauge. However, depending on your anatomy, they’re sometimes performed at a 12 or 10 gauge. Very rarely are helix piercings done with 18 gauge needles.

When you first get pierced, the jewelry will be longer to accommodate for any initial swelling. Once your piercing heals, you’ll be able to return to your piercer and have them help you downsize the piercing.

It’s important that you go in and downsize your jewelry. Leaving in too long jewerly can lead to piercing complications, such as irritation, migration, or a change in the piercing’s angle.

What Type of Jewelry Material Is Best for a New Helix Piercing?

When you’re pierced, you’re essentially inserting jewelry into a fresh wound. Because this wound exposes the jewelry to internal tissue, you’re going to want to select jewelry made from quality materials.

According to the Association of Professional Piercers, the jewelry should:

• Be able to go through an autoclave without any issues
• Be compatible with the body, so it doesn’t cause infection, allergy, or irritation

Based on these guidelines, the materials suitable for a fresh helix piercing are surgical stainless steel, implant-grade titanium, 14k gold, niobium, platinum, and glass.

Once your piercing is fully healed, there are more materials you can choose from.

Types of Jewelry for Healed Helix Piercings

After the healing period (an average of 6 to 9 months), you’re free to change your jewelry however you see fit.

Once your helix piercing has healed, many more jewelry options are available. In addition to the stud and straight barbell, you can now choose from:

• seamless rings
• captive bead rings
• segment rings
• circular barbells

How Do You Know Which Size Helix Piercing Jewelry to Get?

When you’re first pierced and select your jewelry, your piercer will pick out the best gauge and length of the stud or straight barbell you’re pierced with.

Gauge refers to the thickness of the jewelry. As stated above, this is typically a 16 or 14 gauge. However, it could be as thick as a 12 or 10 gauge or as thin as an 18 gauge on rare occasions.

The length refers to the length of the stud or barbell between ends. When you’re first pierced, this will be longer than you need to accommodate for inflammation and swelling. However, when you go in to get your jewelry downsized, be sure to have the piercer note the length of the jewelry for you so you can shop online for other jewelry options.

What If I Want to Wear a Ring in My Helix Piercing?

If you want to wear a ring in your helix piercing, you will still need to know what size gauge to get.

However, you’ll also need to know what diameter to get. Much like the definition you learned in geometry, diameter is the distance from one side of the ring to the other. It’s how wide you want the ring to be.

If you’re unsure what a suitable diameter would be, definitely go to a local piercer who can help you determine the best diameter depending on whether you want a snug or loose fit to your jewelry.

The Main Point

When it comes to helix piercing jewelry, Urban Body Jewelry has a wide selection you can choose from. Whether you want a specific color, an internally threaded stud, an opalite frontal hinged segment ring, or something else that suits your personal style, you’re bound to find something you love.

When shopping for jewelry online, make sure you know what gauge and diameter or length you need. The rest is entirely up to you, and it’s what makes shopping for body jewelry so fun!