The Standard Routine
✨ Sterile Saline Spray — Twice Daily
Use a sterile 0.9% sodium chloride saline wound wash spray (like NeilMed Wound Wash). Spray directly onto the piercing, or spray onto a clean non-woven gauze and gently dab. Do not use cotton balls — fibers snag.
Morning and evening is sufficient. Rinse with clean water in the shower to remove any crust that has softened. Do not pick or force crust off — let it loosen naturally.
Pat dry gently with a clean tissue or let air-dry. Do not use cloth towels on a healing piercing — they harbor bacteria and snag jewelry.
🚿 Shower Aftercare
Let warm clean water run over the piercing for 30–60 seconds at the end of your shower. This is one of the best things you can do — it softens crust and rinses away bacteria without irritation.
Do not aim a direct high-pressure shower stream at a fresh piercing. Gentle flow only.
What "sterile saline" means
The saline must be sterile (sealed, pharmaceutical grade) and 0.9% sodium chloride with no additives. DIY salt water is not sterile, often has the wrong concentration, and can cause irritation. Always use a commercial wound wash spray.
Do's and Don'ts of Cleaning
✓ Do This
- Use sterile saline wound wash (0.9% NaCl)
- Clean twice daily — morning and evening
- Rinse with clean water in the shower
- Pat dry with a clean tissue
- Wash hands thoroughly before touching
- Leave it alone between cleanings
- Sleep on a clean travel pillowcase
✕ Avoid This
- Hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol
- Antibacterial soap or body wash on fresh piercings
- Bactine, Neosporin, or antibiotic ointments
- Homemade salt water (wrong concentration)
- Over-cleaning (more than twice daily)
- Rotating or turning the jewelry
- Touching without washing hands first
- Submerging in pools, hot tubs, or open water
Why Jewelry Material Affects Cleaning
Implant-Grade Materials Don't Need Special Care
Titanium, niobium, and solid gold are inert — they don't react with saline or interact with the healing tissue. This is why material choice matters so much during healing. A reactive metal (even one cleaned perfectly) will cause ongoing irritation that no aftercare routine can fully overcome.
If you're doing everything right with aftercare but still having problems, the jewelry material is the first thing to evaluate. ORNA's material signals exist precisely to help with this — knowing what's in a piece before you buy it is far better than troubleshooting afterward.