Tattoo & Piercing

Allergies and Piercings Spring is upon us! We are free of the cold, dreary months of winter, and it is time for the world to be reborn anew. Grass growing, trees becoming fully and green again, and flowers blossoming. For many, especially those who don’t enjoy the cold of winter, it’s a great time of year. But spring also brings with it delightful seasonal allergies. Millions of folks every year struggle with seasonal allergies, and spring is one of the worst seasons for it. Seasonal allergies can be uncomfortable, but worse than that they can cause irritations and issues for […]

Are Q-tips safe? Q-tips! Those are those little cotton bits we are very familiar with for cleaning out our ears. And, a hotly debated topic in the piercing industry. You might think Lynn, q-tips? Cotton swabs? A debated topic?? Well, it really is! Piercers can not seem to agree on using these as part of piercing aftercare. There are strong arguments on either side of the debate, which often leaves clients in a weird middle ground. One piercer told me to use q-tips, but another told me they aren’t safe. What do I do? Well, today we are going to […]

Alcohol, and Why it NEVER Belongs on Your Piercing If you’ve been following some of my articles then you may have already read my article about hydrogen peroxide and why it isn’t awesome for your piercings. Since writing that, I’ve gotten heaps of messages and emails about using alcohol for piercings and if its okay to do. Much like hydrogen peroxide, alcohol is something most of us are familiar with for old-school wound care. We’ve put it on every childhood scratch or scrape; it’s was a school nurses best friend. Some of our parents, and grandparents may even clean their […]

Asprin Paste on Piercings? A Look at this Dangerous Internet Trend Irritation bumps can be one of the most frustrating things when healing a body piercing. All piercings run the risk of these minor set backs and they can sometimes be difficult to deal with. The bumps can be caused by a range of issues which we address in a previous article about them. From material, angle, improper care, it is not uncommon to end up with one of these irritations at some point in your piercing journey. There is unfortunately a lot of misinformation out there online about these […]

Areola Nipple Piercings I love a good Urban Legend. Mothman, the jersey devil, Nessie. Bring it on. But in body piercing, urban legends are often more harm then good. Let’s address a big one today- piercing nipples into the areola. Yes, you heard me right, and yes you did just shudder down your spine. Scarier then el chupacabra and big foot combined, this urban legend is still in practice in studios around the country and around the world. This practice is most often done to nipples on chests, but occasionally on smaller nipples on breasts as well. There was a […]

Aftercare Part 4- Surface Piercings In this aftercare series so far we have reviews how piercings heal, and what role aftercare plays in healing. We’ve also looked a how to correctly do aftercare in general, and specifically what aftercare for oral piercings is like. Today, I want to look at what aftercare is best for surface piercings! Before reading this blog please check out aftercare basics, and general care, as both will be referenced here! And if you’ve ever wondered about caring for surface piercings, this is for you! Set Apart First in understanding how to care for surface piercings […]

A Letter to Mentors Are you a piercer considering taking on an apprentice? That’s awesome! We absolutely need more skilled, well trained piercers in the industry, and more piercers willing to put in the work and be good mentors. Strong mentors create strong piercers, and will shape the next generation of our industry. Teaching us a huge commitment, and a labor of love for anyone who decides to do it. Mentors sacrifice a lot, from time and money to studio space and personal lives, in order to become good mentors. But the key here is being a good mentor. There […]

A Letter to New and Aspiring Apprentices No industry is perfect, and that includes piercing and tattoos. As much as we wish the industry was, we must face the reality that elements of it are flawed. A large one is apprenticeships. While some awesome studios mare changing the face of what an apprenticeship looks like, many studios are stuck in the dark ages. As an apprentice, it can be difficult if not impossible to know if you are getting the proper training and education you deserve, and if things you are experiencing are normal. So this article goes out to […]

Aftercare Part 5- Genital Aftercare We are rounding out our aftercare series today talking about aftercare for genital piercings! This article is 18+ as we will be frankly discussing some concerns with healing genital work. Before reading this I strongly suggest reading this blog about how aftercare and piercing healing works, and this blog going over general aftercare concepts. I’ll be referencing both in this blog post. So without further ado, let’s chat! General Care In general, genital piercing care is largely the same as other piercings. No harsh chemicals, no alcohol or peroxide. Just saline wound wash to clean […]

Accessibility Vs Entitlement: Client Interactions during Covid It’s time for another in our unpopular opinions series. I’m always a little nervous publishing these cause I’m never excited to cause a stir, but its something I feel needs to be discussed. Todays opinion centers on client entitlement. If you follow me at all online or know me, you know I feel strongly about accessibility, education and making piercing accessible for more clients. I publish blogs and content online to make information and education possible for clients. My studio has an online store that helps make quality jewelry accessible world wide. This […]