How to stretch my ears
How I did it: To start, I've had two sets of holes in each ear for a while. And I've had both sets pierced and re-pierced many times, so they never fully close. I started in January 2008. I bought a set of 10g pinchers (or crescents). I wouldn't necessarily recommend jumping in like that, but I didn't want to start at an 18 or 16g. The 10 worked like a charm and didn't hurt at all. That's probably due to the aforementioned non-closure. I got the other earrings from my roommate and her friend. I believe within 2 months I could get a 2g in both ears. The only time that I had I problem was when I got more overzealous than I already was, and put a 2g in after only a few days of a 4. There was no problem when I put them in, but after a couple of days when I went to clean them, they were pretty bad off. So I just cleaned them really thoroughly and went back to the previous size.
Lessons & tips: Tapers, pinchers, crescents. They'll be your best friend. It actually seems to be pretty common sense, but I learned from desperation and trying to force them.
Resources: Lots of antibacterial hand soap and some saline solution that you can get from any piercing shop.
