How to prepare and do a sea salt piercing soak

Did you finally get that new piercing you’ve been wanting, but are unsure how to soothe and clean it? Aftercare is one of the most important parts of any piercing journey, and proper care and cleanliness is a must for a happy, healthy piercing. A sea salt soak is one very popular and effective way of cleaning and staving off infections in fresh piercings.

To prepare your soak, you will need warm water, some sea salt, a container to mix it in, and if needed some clean paper towels.

1. First, make sure to wash your hands, as well as your work space and the container that will be holding the water and salt mixture, so that everything that may come in contact with your piercing is as clean as it can be.
   
   
2. Next, mix approximately one cup (8oz) of water with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. If you need more, you can double this. You can either start with pre-warmed water, or you can put this mix into the microwave. Just make sure it’s warm, and not hot. We don’t want to burn ourselves or cause any extra harm to our piercings.
   
   
3. If the container you have is large enough and the body part allows, you can dip your whole piercing into the sea salt mixture, making sure it’s entirely submerged. If not, then saturate a paper towel with the mixture, and gently lay it over the entire piercing. If using paper towels, do not rub or scrub at the piercing! Simply press and hold. For this step, don’t use any kind of cotton balls or swabs, or anything with small, loose stringy fibers, as they could become wrapped around or stuck in the jewelry.
   
   
4. Let your piercing soak for a few minutes, though we recommend no more than 5. Afterwards, you may gently rinse the piercing, if you wish to remove some of the salt residue. Then, simply let it air dry.

This process helps to wash away any dirt or debris that could irritate or lead to infection, while the warm saltwater can also be soothing and provide relief to a new, tender piercing.

Another option is to use a saline spray. These are pre-mixed saltwater solutions in spray bottles that can provide easy, pin-point application for when you can’t do a full salt water soak. Simply spray the solution onto the font - and if possible, back - of the piercing until saturated. Just be careful not to get this in your eyes if spraying any facial piercings.

If you’re wanting to use a premade saline solution spray, make sure to get one specifically for piercings or wound care. Saline solutions like those used for contact lenses can have added ingredients that your piercing might not like. As a side note, the ocean is also not a proper saltwater bath because it contains a lot of bacteria.

A saline bath roughly once a day should be enough, but every body and piercing is different, so make sure to listen to what your body is telling you. If you find your piercing drying out and becoming irritated, lessen the amount of saline baths you do. And as with any new piercing, keep an eye out for any excessive redness or discoloration, swelling, or discharge as these could be signs of infection. If you notice these, please speak with your doctor before continuing use of any aftercare products.

We hope this has been helpful, and we wish you all the best in your piercing journeys. Please remember to follow us on our social @Bodyartforms!