How To Wear Heavy Earrings Without Pain And Stretching

The idea that “beauty is pain” is a long-held, somewhat-confusing adage that certainly doesn't foster much excitement. In fact, I’d like to retire the phrase altogether, with the exception of plucking rogue brow hairs. Sometimes, it has to be done. When it comes to long-term pain, such as sleeping in rollers, I’m generally uninterested. Until recently, the same went for wearing unpleasant items for the sake of aesthetics—like heavy earrings. Thankfully, we've found how to wear heavy earrings without pain or stretching your earlobes. Read on for the trick to beauty and comfort.

Why Do Earrings Make Your Earlobes Hurt?

While there is nothing quite as cute as a pair of dangly statement earrings, the discomfort they can cause to your earlobes from being too heavy and pulling too hard on your earlobes can be a deterrent from wearing some of our favorite jewelry. After a long while, earrings can even cause permanent stretching to your earlobes from weighing down your ears, which is impossible to naturally reverse. They can even stretch the holes your earrings go into. While I was under the impression that most people were just suffering in silence—and some are—there happens to also be a helpful tip for wearing heavy earrings that helps alleviate the weight that our earlobes are burdened with for beauty.

How To Wear Earrings Without Pain Or Stretching

This old-school secret has long been shared at the beauty counters of department stores as a way to keep earlobes from becoming permanently stretched after years of wearing beautiful earrings, and all you need is a basic Band-Aid from your bathroom drawer. (Even my grandmother who only wears clip-on earrings swears by it.) This is how it works.

1. Take a regular-sized adhesive bandage, and cut it so that you’re left with around one inch of the adhesive section.
2. Place the inch-long sticky bandage piece on the backside of your earlobe (where you’ll be placing the back of the earring later). The goal is to place it in a position where it is not noticeable from the front.
3. Next, put on your earring, piercing through the bandage before securing the back of the earring. At this point, the snippet of bandage is basically layered between the backside of your earlobe and the earring back. 

Instantly, you’ll notice not only the lack of pressure, pain, and physical heaviness, but also a visible difference in how the earring looks more supported from the front, rather than dragged down. If you put on one earring the standard way and the other with this method, it’s easy to see the drastic contrast between how much each earlobe is supported. 

Does This Work For All Earrings?

Now, this trick is primarily helpful for earrings that are dangly or heavy. If you’re wearing studs, it won’t make quite as noticeable of a difference. However, for frequent earring wearers who are concerned about long-term stretching and sagging, it can be a beneficial habit.

What Else Helps When Wearing Heavy Earrings?

Besides using a bandage from your medicine cabinet, there are some other things you can do to wear heavy earrings successfully.

• There are products you can buy that offer support when wearing heavy earrings. Oblong earring backs and adhesive patches made specifically for this use can help. But the bandage trick works just as well.
• Give your earlobes a break and don't wear the heavy baubles every day. Let your ears rest with days of small post earrings or no earrings.
• Save those heavy dramatic earrings for a special outing when you know you won't be wearing them long.
• Shop for earrings that are made out of lightweight materials or that are hollow, but are still large and make a dramatic statement. Look for materials like acrylic, silver, wood, and titanium. Earrings with lots of gemstones or intricate designs may weigh your lobes down.
• Look for earring backs with a wider diameter than the standard size. This will help keep drooping earrings upright and help distribute the weight more evenly.

What Is A Good Weight For Earrings?

When shopping, it can be hard to determine whether earrings are too heavy. Look at the packaging, or if shopping online read the item description, for specifications like size and weight. Earrings that are lightweight enough for everyday wear weigh about 2 to 4 grams. Statement or special occasion earrings like large hoops are mid-weight at 5 to 7 grams. Earrings that are 8 grams and above are considered heavy and not good for everyday wear. These earrings should be worn with support, like the adhesive bandage backing hack.

If you’re someone who wishes to wear more statement earrings but refrains due to the discomfort, get ready to expand your jewelry box.