Earring backs - is this normal

[OhThePain77]

When I wear stud earrings (for pierced ears) after a while the backs get a bit gunky and disgusting. Is this normal or am I a disgusting slob?

I have googled cleaning earrings but it just comes up about when they are tarnished, which is what makes me think this may not be a common thing.

If it is normal, how do you clean them? If it's not normal, I promise I am clean generally - shower daily and all that.

As soon as I started buying earrings from a tattoo and piercing parlour, this stopped. It must be what the earring is made of. Let me have a quick look to see what the difference is

I’d use a toothbrush. One kept for that purpose. Or the post of the other earring.

Are they flat back or butterfly? If the latter switch to the former , much more hygienic.

Thank you all - that is helpful. I was a bit worried I was going to be absolutely slaughtered for asking about this!

I have tried a toothbrush in the past, it didn't work so well. But yesterday I found some of those interdental brushes where I bought the wrong size by accident - they did a decent job.

I'll look at switching to flat back as well.

Its normal, the skin behind your ears produces sebum and it collects on your earrings. I usually wash my earrings with whatever body wash I'm currently using. I get on better with silicon earring backs, they are cheap and can be replaced regularly.

You may be allergic. I have to make sure my earrings and backs are sterling silver or platinum.

I clean mine once a week, always keep the same 18ct gold pearl earrings in except on special
occasions. Once a week is about right for me.

You’d know if it was a skin sensitivity (or “allergy”) I have this and it causes mad itchiness and skin breakdown. Quite unmissable!

This usually only happens when they're not silver or gold or some kind of hypoallergenic.

Do you wear them when you’re shampooing your hair or washing your face? A lot of it could be soap.

I don’t get this anywhere near as much now that I always remove earrings at night, and don’t put them back in until after my bath.

Yeah. The most hypo allergenic is titanium, then stainless steel. (If you don’t want gold.)

Even silver can be tricky if it has any nickel in it.
My daughter has a selection stud pack from Amazon in titanium which has been good - she was finding many earrings slightly irritate her. This sort of thing is what she has.

https://amzn.to/3SM1Pmi

And I agree that flat back ones don’t get gunky either. Like these https://amzn.to/49FJpcO