Earstretching.net

Okay so I've done my research online and I've got the gist of things and how to stretch my ears but I have a few more questions.

Sorry this is kind of long, any answer to any of these q's is SUPERDUPER appreciated!!!

1. I just got 16g Captive Bead Rings, but I'd like to know how to insert them. I'm at an 18g, so should it be after a hot shower with some sort of lube like Holey Butt'r?

2. What products would I need for aftercare? I don't mind spending a bit of money and I'd like to invest in different products, but I want to know whats like essential out of these/ how good they really are/ when to use them [ie: healed stretch, tapering, fresh stretch]:
a.) Holey Butt'r
b.) Jojoba Oil
c.) Provon Cleanser
d.) Emu Oil
What's your opinion on them? Or which one is better than the other (like Holey Butt'r v. jojoba oil).

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION!!
3. I'm sort of confused about what to actually do with the fresh stretch and cleaning it. After inserting the CBR, how long should I keep it in there?
Should I ever take it out, even to clean?
How often should I clean it, how, and with what?
How often should I rotate them?

4.) What is the (one of the) expected reaction(s) to the new, fresh stretch? What did your ears do when you first stretched them? Should they swell and be red?
How long?
What is a warning sign that you should take them out?

Sorry for all the questions again haha thank you all! <3

1. Exactly. If your piercings are old and naturally loose, likely you won't need a taper, just gently slide them in exactly as you're planning. If there's resistance or any pain or tenderness, stop and go buy a 16g taper to insert the CBR.

2. A. and B. are good choices, but you can choose just one, you won't need both. C. is a great soap, but I personally will only use medical or antibacterial soaps for healing or injured piercings, and even then not always. Stretches shouldn't be traumatic, so any gentle soap should be fine. D. is amazing, emu oil is safe for broken or irritated skin, so it's great to have on hand, and possibly the best for your daily massages. It's expensive though, so healthy and happy piercings might just need A or B, and save the emu for when you need extra care. If cost isn't a factor and you're not vegan, feel free to use only emu oil for daily massaging and moisturizing, and use it anytime.

3. Cleaning should be saline soaks and soap and water, nothing else is really needed. Saline soaks often aren't necessary in a perfect stretch, but they're a good precaution. They're a must when anything goes wrong.
-Leave the new jewelry in at all times for 4 weeks, then you can change it and take it out to wash. Don't worry about massages for this time, but you can dab oil or Holey Butt'r on them if you like. The older a stretch is, the longer you can leave the jewelry out without it shrinking, but it varies for everyone, so try shorter times at first.
-You can stop saline soaks after 1-4 weeks, or whenever you feel you don't need them, and just use soap and water daily. Use pure salt, look for sea or kosher but make sure it's pure, and use 1/8 - 1/4 tsp. to 8oz very warm water, and soak for 5-10 minutes.
-Never. Not when they're healing, not when they're happy, just basically never. Keep your hands off your piercings as much as possible.

4. In a perfect stretch that you're more than ready for, nothing. It should go in easily and that's all. In a stretch that you're just ready for, a temporary warmth or sting is common. It should quickly fade, and any tingle or other sensation shouldn't last more than several minutes. If you really feel anything after a few hours, that's a warning sign something might be wrong.
A stretch should never cause swelling, blood, actual pain or severe discomfort, or redness. A pinkness is common, but it should be gone within a day. It's common for the piercing to feel tight and the jewelry to not move, just leave it alone to adjust to its new size. Any lingering tenderness when pressed against should be gone in days, and you should see little or no lymph fluid from stretching.
If you feel severe pain, see blood, or your piercing swells, make a lot of lymph crust or in general feels like there's something wrong, it's a sign you should downsize. Treat it like a new piercing, use saline soaks at least once a day, and baby it until you're sure it's healed.

Sorry for this long ass answer