Advice needed before buying my kit

[GraveOrchid]

Hey guys. I'm obviously a total newb to this entire stretching ordeal. I've done my research, though. I have aftercare pages bookmarked on my phone and web browser, I know which material not to use and what to do and not to do and all that metal, but I have hit a roadblock. Okay, thing is, when I initially got my ears pierced four-five years ago, I got them pierced at a general retail store with a piercing gun. I read that typically they use 20 to 18G needles for the piercings. I have a stainless steel taper kit I am prepared to order to help me reach all the way up to a 00G size in the distant future, but the smallest pair of tapers is 14G. I'm pretty sure my current size if 18G. I need 16G for the next step. So, basically, my question is -even though I know it's taboo to skip sizes- would jumping from an 18G to 14G, to put it bluntly, fuck me over? Or would this be an okay thing to do? I can't find a tapering kit with 16G tapers at all.

[SAmTiNN21]

u could always try the 14 and if it hurts at all then go buy a 16 taper

[ViolentJayne]

you could just buy a 16 ga cbr or horseshoe bar and dead stretch with some lube . since you have had them pierced so long Im betting the 16 will dead stretch just fine .. Id recommend that before skipping

[SusiMarie]

my ears were pierced for about 5 years before i sarted, but i wear heavy earrings in standard size, but i went to 14g cbrs {i lost the balls to them} but i was fine. idk i might ot listen to me though my ears have had some issues.

[illusionaria]

I would recommend going to Walmart, and just buying a nice little pair of 16g jewelry. It will stretch just fine! Definitely do that before stretching to a 14g!

[ast.riske]

I agree with dead stretching over skipping sizes. 18g to 16g is a pretty small jump and, since your ears have been pierced for a few years now, they should have loosened up enough for a 16g ring to go in without trouble. Definitely get cbrs though. All of the threaded stuff at 16g is externally threaded from what I've seen. A captive bead ring won't have any sharp bits to scratch you.

Best of luck!

[GraveOrchid]

All right, I'll go buy some 16g earrings, then. Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it. I appreciate the art of stretching as a whole and want to do it correctly.