Organic Jewellery Care
Organic body jewellery covers a wide range of materials, from stone to wood to bone, but there are some general care tips that apply to all organic body jewellery. Organic jewellery should never be left to soak in any liquid or autoclave, as this can crack, warp or split the jewellery.
Orangic jewellery in general is considerd to be worn at your own risk, as some people have much more sensitive bodies than others and may require inert metals such as stainless steel, niobium or titanium indefinitely. Most people are absolutely fine and have no reaction at all to organic jewellery. Many people actually find organic jewellery to fare better in their skin than metals. It all depends on your body, and you know it best. Just use common sense and listen to what it says, if you have any iritation, infections or other adverse reaction then stop using that item for a few days to see if it heals up and that was the problem. Please, do not use organic body jewellery in fresh piercings as this can cause all sorts of problems and slow down the healing process.
All organic items can just be cleaned with a small amount of your choosen oil such as jojoba or cold pressed coconut oil, if you don’t any of these they are very easy to come across but there are also different types of oils that are suitable and some are even specially made for stretched lobes.
Buffalo Horn & Bone
Buffalo horn has grain, just like wood, and with the exception of some styles, horn jewellery is fully buffed to smooth out the ends of the grain and provide it with some measure of protection from moisture. It is especially important to protect horn jewellery with inlays or exposed areas (tri-blade plugs) from moisture, as this may cause swelling and could eventually result in the grain of the jewellery raising or cracking.
Buffalo bone is much more resilient than horn simply due to the nature of the material. It is not as easily effected by moisture as horn, but nonetheless should not be constantly exposed to it. Both of these materials can be lightly washed with a mild antibacterial soap and sparse water if needed, otherwise we recommend just a few drops of something like jojoba oil or coconut oil and a polishing with a soft cloth.
Wood Body Jewellery
Wood is a wonderfully comfortable jewellery material for stretched lobes, and is one of the only materials that significantly cuts down on smell by allowing the piercing to breathe. One should be rather careful about getting wood body jewelry wet, as its grain will swell when it absorbs moisture. The nice thing about wood is that this expansion is curable.
When the wearable surface of your jewellery becomes rough, simply sand the jewellery lightly with a very high grit sandpaper (300+, the higher the better) and then polish to a shine with a soft cloth and a few drops of jojoba oil. Wood body jewellery is best cleaned with a damp cloth and then dried and polished, or cleaned with a bit of jojoba oil (tea tree oil) or coconut oil - refrain from actually getting the jewellery wet.
Bamboo Jewellery
Bamboo is actually a grass, not wood, but is cared for in much the same way as wood when used for body jewellery. The outer layer of bamboo is a tough water resistant skin, so no sanding will ever be needed because there is no grain to raise up. Just wipe clean with a slightly damp cloth, and then polish to a shine with a soft cloth and a few drops of jojoba oil or coconut oil.
Stone, Obsidian, and Fossil Jewellery
Stone body jewellery definitely has the easiest care going for it. Simply clean your jewellery with mild antibaterial soap and a bit of water, and then polish dry. Be careful about using extremely hot or very cold water, and refrain from submerging your pieces in water, oils, or anything else.
