I am so happy with my new piercing. It was almost a surprise to me when I had it done – I’m not usually one for making rash decisions, especially ones that are semi-permanent. However, I’ve been wanting a helix piercing (top of the ear) for so long, and if you’ve seen my Pinterest, you’ll see all the helix earring jewellery I’m coveting at the moment too.
So, first thing’s first; I did my research before getting pierced. The night before, I decided it was high time to get it sorted, and although I wasn’t sure that I could waltz straight into a salon and have it sorted, I wanted to visit the piercing studio on the Saturday to at least book it in.
After combing through reviews, I decided Cold Steel in Camden was the best place to go. While their website seems pretty hardcore, their 90+ reviews rating them close to 5 stars was the biggest convincer. Piercing since my birth year, I couldn’t argue with that amount of experience either!
On the Saturday, I headed to Camden to get my ear done. I was a little anxious, nerves rolling around my stomach, but knew this was it. I went along with a friend, who also wanted the same done, and we entered the dark entrance a little scared but also excited!
Inside was a simple reception area, the desk being a jewellery counter full of different studs and rings. The receptionist was thorough with us, asking us if we had eaten recently (you should eat up to 4 hours before a piercing to avoid feeling whammy), consumed alcohol in the last 24 hours (alcohol thins the blood, making it unsafe to pierce someone under the influence) or got any medical history they may need to know about. Once we’d gone through that, we were told we’d have to wait 20 minutes before getting it done (an eeek! moment), so we filled out long forms about our current health, signed these, and learnt how to clean our piercings, which I’ll go into in a minute.
Before being pierced, we were told that it would be done by hand (the only safe way to have a helix piercing; guns are for lobes only), without anaesthetic or ice. My first reaction was a long grimace – I hate pain. But when asked why, I was told it was the most natural way to have it done, and that these elements can interfere with the accuracy and also enjoyment of having a piercing done.
We both headed into the piercer’s room together – holding hands with each other while each of us got them done. It’s probably one of my girlier moments, getting rosy cheeks and breathing quickly, but after selecting the height of the piercing, I laid back without nerves and had what can only be described as a long-lasting bee-sting sensation go through my ear. I didn’t even bleed!
Two weeks on, and my piercing is in pretty good shape. It’s taken a few knocks so far, bled once, and for my first week left me feeling run down (which is common with piercings), but there has been no bad reaction to the industry standard titanium ball closure earring, and I will be able to replace it with whatever jewellery I choose in just under four months!
For maintenance, I clean my piercing every night in a solution of 1/2 pure sea salt (no anti-caking agent) to 1 pint of warm water. I apply a soaked cotton ball to the area, or leave my ear to rest in a small cup of the solution until it goes cold.
Right now, this is the only piercing I have, although I’m planning having my lobes redone after they closed up from years of not bothering with earrings. And then perhaps an orbital piercing too… we’ll see…
