You are that means you may experience bad smells like cheese, fishy, or other foul smells from your earring backs. But you don’t know why do earring backs smell and how to stop smelling. Don’t worry here we will tell you the reasons why earrings back the smell and how you can prevent bad smell from earring backs.
Earring backs can smell for body sweet or oils, bacterial growth, earring materials, and the gathering of dirt on the earring backs. Additionally, your earring backs can stink if you don’t maintain proper hygiene and don’t clean your earrings for a long time.
So, if your earring back smells like cheese, poops, fishy, and other foul smells then this article is for you. Here we will tell the cause and solutions of earring backs. And here you will get every solution about earring backs and bad smelling.
Why Do Earring Backs Smell So Bad
There are several reasons why earrings stinks or smell, and because of the same reasons, earring backs smell. If your body sweat, oils, dirt, and bacteria gather on your earring backs, and if you don’t clean them for a long time, or if you touch them with dirty hands then your earring backs can smell so bad. So here are the details of why earring back stink:
Body Sweat and Body Oils
One of the main reasons why your earring backs or earlobe backs can smell is because of your body’s sweat and body oils. Yes, as well as sweat our body produces natural oils which can cause stink and smell on your earrings, piercing, and earring backs.
The backside of the earlobe can sweat due to its proximity to hair follicles and oil glands. And when sweat mixes with natural oils that are produced by the skin, the mixture can create an environment for bacterial growth. And as a result, you experience cheese and other foul smells on earring backs.
Bacterial Growth
As we mentioned if the environment of your ear back stays positive for bacterial growth then you can experience a bad smell. Even, if your earlobe back is not neat and clean and if it always stays warm and moist environment then it can be an ideal place for bacteria breeding.
Yes, the smell become very bad when your dead skin is mixed with sweat and natural body oil.
Residue And Dirt
You may work in a polluted environment, or suppose you regularly travel or go to school, works, or play. During these activities, residue, dirt, and other particles can accumulate on your earring backs.
And if that happens and if you don’t clean your earrings for a long time then you can experience a foul smell from your earring backs. Dirt doesn’t mean only dust, here we are including everything like hair products, oils, and cosmetics as dirt.
Unhygienic Lifestyle
An unhygienic lifestyle is the main factor why your earrings can bleed and smell. Yes, if your ear piercing is bleeding that means you are maintaining an unhygienic lifestyle.
Unhygienic means you are touching your earring without washing your hands, and your hands introduce bacteria to your ear backs. Also, you may don’t clean your earrings regularly which is also unhygienic.
Earring Materials
Earring materials play important when it comes to infection, bad smell, and allergic reactions to piercing or earlobes. Some individual metals like nickel can react with sweat and oils which can cause allergic reactions, stink, and infection in your ear piercing.
Depending on the material, your earring and earring backs can smell different. Yes, sometimes your earrings can smell like cheese, but why? One reason is low-quality materials. On the other hand, sometimes your earrings can smell fishy, because of the same reasons.
Sleeping With Earrings
There are several types of earrings designs available, such as traditional earrings, stud earrings, hoop earrings, huggie earrings, and more. But not all types of earrings are suitable for sleeping in.
Yes, certain earrings like stud earrings are suitable for sleeping. And in our previous article, we told you how you can sleep with stud earrings. Anyway, sleeping with other uncomfortable or bulky earrings can be a reason why your earring back smell.
Because during sleeping, friction between the earring back and the pillowcase can cause sweat and oils to accumulate, which can contribute bad smell.
Skin Sensitivities/Infections/ Reaction
If your skin is sensitive then earrings that are made of harsh materials can cause infection which can lead to bleeding and a bad smell on your earring backs. Skin infection, allergic reaction, and irritation can allow bacteria to thrive, leading to odor formation.
So these are the main and most common reasons why do earring backs smell. But for some individuals, the reason can vary depending on their body condition, lifestyle, and the place where they live.
How Can I Prevent/Stop My Earring Backs From Smelling Bad
So you already knew the reasons why earring backs smell so bad. And now here in this part of this article, we will tell you how you can prevent or stop your earring backs from smelling bad. By following this process you can also prevent bad smell from your ear piercings and rings.
Clean Your Earrings Regularly
Cleaning earrings and ear piercing is mandatory to avoid all types of bad smells, reactions, and infections from your earrings, earring backs, and piercing. Remove your earrings and clean them regularly.
Regularly cleaning earrings don’t prevent bacterial growth and don’t allow dead skin, sweat, and oils to gather on the earring backs. So how to clean earring backs?
Here we are saying briefly, take a mild soap or jewelry cleaning solution and a bowl of warm water. Gently scrub the whole earring including the earring backs with a soft brush or cloth. And then rinse the whole earring carefully using warm water.
Clean The Back Side Of Your Earlobes
As well as cleaning your earrings, you should clean your earlobes also. Since the earlobe is a back part of our head hair oils, hair products, and other makeup items can gather there and create an ideal environment for bacterial growth.
So clean your earlobe on both sides, especially in the back using a gentle cleanser and warm water. Regular baths using soap can be a good choice for you, which can keep you healthy also. Remember during cleaning or bathing you should put off your earrings.
Dry Your Earrings And Earlobes
After cleaning, dry your earrings and earlobes naturally. To dry your earrings you can use a clean towel or tissue, you can also let them naturally air dry. Don’t wear them when they are wet because moisture can promote bacterial growth, leading to odor formation.
Remove Your Earrings Before Showering Or Swimming
A common mistake that all of us do during swimming or showering that is we forget to take off our earrings. While it’s necessary to take off earrings before showering, bathing, or swimming.
Or if we do swimming, bathing, and showering with our earrings then after bathing we should remove them instantly. Because exposure to excessive water and moisture can contribute to a bad smell on earrings.
Don’t Sleep With Your Earrings
We always recommend, before going to bed, remove your earrings. Because sleeping with earrings can lead to increased sweat and oil buildup.
As well as sweating it can create friction between the earring backs and pillowcases. So remove your earrings and give your earlobes a chance to breathe and rest.
Choose Earrings Which Are Made Of Hypoallergenic Materials
It’s an important factor that most of us don’t notice. Most of the time we notice the design of our earrings, but we forget to focus on the metals.
While metal plays an important role in earrings, and it can cause smell, bleeding, and infection. To avoid the earring backs smell choose earrings that are made of hypoallergenic materials like gold, white gold, silver, platinum, titanium, and more.
By the way, are some of you still in a confusion that is white gold good for earrings? Yes, white gold is also considered a hypoallergenic material. But earrings which are made from nickel or other metals are not so good for sensitive skin.
Maintain Personal Hygiene
You should maintain proper hygiene, not only for avoiding bad smells on the earrings’ backs but also for a healthy life and to avoid piercing infections. So before touching your piercing, earrings, and earlobes make sure that your hands are clean.
So these are the steps that you should follow to prevent or stop earrings’ bad smell. If you follow these steps regularly, you won’t experience any bad smell from your earrings and earring backs.
How Often Should I Clean My Earring Backs To Prevent Odor
So, we have already told you why do earring backs smell and how to stop smelling. And now in this part of this article, we will tell you how often you should clean your earring backs to prevent odor. We also tell you about some moments when you should clean your earring’s backs instantly.
Sometimes, you may notice foul smells like poops, cheese, and fishy smells from your earrings and earring backs. But why do earrings smell fishy? The main would be if you don’t clean your earrings properly.
So, to prevent odors, infections, and other reactions you should clean your earring backs regularly. Regular cleaning will keep bacteria, dead skin, dirt, sweat, and body oils away from your earring backs, which reduces the foul odors from your earring backs.
You should clean your earrings twice a week, if it feels hard for you then clean your earrings at least once a week. But sometimes, you should clean your earrings more frequently, and let’s see when you should clean your earrings frequently.
- You should clean your earrings after excessive sweating
- Do exercise by removing the earrings, or if you wear them during exercise, then clean the earrings
- If you take a bath, swim, or shower with your earrings then clean them
- If you notice any dirt and dust then instantly clean your earrings
- Clean your earrings while changing
So these are the 5 particular times when you should clean your earrings frequently. If you don’t face these conditions then you don’t need to clean your earrings often, just clean them twice, at least once a day.
Is It Normal For Earring Backs To Have A Foul Smell
No, it’s not normal for earring backs to have a foul smell, especially if the smell is so strong. Sometimes your earring’s backs can smell if you don’t clean your earrings properly or if there is any dirt, makeup, body oil, sweat, and dead skin gathering, and if the bacteria grow and infect there.
So, smelling earrings’ backs is not normal, even if you experience a strong foul smell continuously then there is a possibility that your ear piercings or rings got infected. If you want to avoid these types of bad smells maintain proper hygiene and clean your earrings regularly.
Can Skin Sensitivities Or Allergies Contribute To Earring Back Odor
Yes, allergic reactions or skin sensitivity can contribute to foul smell. Because earring metals like nickel and other metals which are not hypoallergenic can cause allergic reactions and irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin.
And when you are suffering from allergic reactions and irritations that affected area can produce more sweat and oils as a part of the body’s defense mechanism.
You already know that if sweat, body oil, and dirt gather together they can create a perfect environment for bacterial growth, which can contribute foul smell.
That’s why we always recommend using a good pair of earrings for sensitive skin. So, it’s clear that allergic reactions or irritation can contribute foul smell to earring backs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can sweat and body oils contribute to the earring back odor?
A: Yes, sweat ad body oils can create an environment for bacterial growth, which can cause a bad smell on the earring back.
Q: Are there any hygiene practices I should follow to avoid earring back odor?
A: You should follow some hygiene practices to avoid earring back smell:
- Clean your earring and earring backs regularly
- Wash your hands perfectly before touching your earrings
- Clean your earlobe backs regularly
- Remove your earrings before going to swim, bath, or shower
- If you sweat excessively, clean your earrings instantly
- Remove your earrings before sleeping
Q: Do certain earring materials cause more odor than others?
A: Yes, there are certain types of earring materials like nickel, copper, brass, or bronze that can cause more odor compared to other hypoallergenic metals like gold, platinum, or titanium.
Q: Can bacteria be responsible for the unpleasant smell in earring backs?
A: Yes, bacteria can be responsible for the foul smell in the earrings and earring backs. Not only for foul smell, bacteria can be responsible for ear-piercing infections and reactions also.
Q: What should I do if my earring’s backs continue to smell despite cleaning them?
A: If you are cleaning your earring’s backs continuously but the smell is still there, then you should maintain proper hygiene. Also, keep your earlobe backs clean, and don’t touch earrings without washing your hands.
So hope it’s clear to you why do earring backs smell and how to stop smelling. Here we shared every reason why earrings and earrings back smell and we have shown all ways to prevent earring back smell. We also told you how often you should clean your earrings to prevent smelling. So if you find this article helpful then share it with your friends.
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