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Ring Me In, Won’t You?

There has always been some debate over whether one body jewelry type, such as the captive bead ring is “better” for initial piercings than other body jewelry, such as the barbell. There are many people who choose piercing jewelry purely based on looks but we want to discover with you the “why” behind the captive bead rings popularity among piercers and why you might want to reconsider the captive bead ring for your next new piercing.

In this article, we’ll run a SWOT analysis on the both types to see is there really is one better than the other. If you are a piercing addict like us, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter for the latest updates on everything piercings, as well as chances to win awesome body jewelry giveaways every single week. Our huge Guess, Share, Win contest that is held once a month on our Facebook page is just around the corner- all you have to do is guess how many pieces of jewelry is in the photo and the correct number get everything on the picture, it’s that simple!  (We’ll spill the beans on the exact date below so keep reading!)

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Ringing in the Facts

Getting right down to the gritty, why is it that body piercers often prefer (or insist) that captive bead rings are the “better” choice for most initial piercings? By the way, we are absolutely not at all including piercings that are bound by physical anatomy, such as the industrial piercing, which would simply not be feasible for a captive bead ring, so please do take that into consideration before jumping on the CBR (captive bead ring) bandwagon. Not all piercings can be done with any one type of piercing jewelry, however, if you are considering thenipple piercings, eyebrow piercings, most genital piercings, navel piercings, certain lip piercings or most ear piercings, this information will apply to you.

Reasons Why We Shy from the CBR (Captive Bead Ring)

There is a bit of myth when it comes to captive bead rings that they are prone to getting caught on everything. It is easy to assume this at first glance, since the ring is completed closed or rather it is a complete sealed circle when the ball is in place. Contrary to initial assumptions, the CBR has less of a chance of causing pulling from getting caught on miscellaneous items. The truth is, the barbell is more likely to get caught on one end and pull that the CBR. The myth busting fact is that the smooth, closed ended circular nature of the CBR actually works hard not to get caught of things. The CBR tends to “lay” to one side of the body and usually is small enough that unless you are fishing to catch it, it rarely interferes with daily activity.

 

We’re Swell with CBR’s

Another huge benefit that isn’t necessarily super obvious is that the CBR is actually beneficial (in most cases) in accommodating the healing part of the piercing process known as swelling. Again, at first glance the captive bead ring may appear to be too small and constricting to allow for the body’s natural process of swelling at the wound site. And yes, a body piercing is deliberately orchestrated wound but nonetheless, to the body it’s no different from any other wound. The CBR allows for swelling room to the degree of the rings circumference without restricting the process unlike a barbell. A barbell is limited to the length that it is, so when you the body begins to swell, the ball on the ends of the barbell is the limit that it can swell to. Since everyone’s body reacts differently, the degree of swelling one will experience and duration is highly individual. Allowing the body enough room to swell as it needs to will help prevent myriads of other problems during the initial healing and beyond.

Additionally to the swelling is the healing fluids that the body releases from the piercing during the healing phase. The CBR does tend to show benefits in this department as well in it’s smooth, circular shape, which allows for fluids to move out of the wound site as it needs to without resistance; versus the barbell, curved or straight, where one of the ball ends will be “sitting” on top (think navel piercing) and compressing the fluids with the weight of the ball plus gravity.

 

Balls to the Walls

Now the ball situation for both barbells and CBRs have pro’s and con’s, no doubt, but there is a way to choose the lesser of the two evils. For starters, the captive bead ring, as the name implies, can be quite tricky to get the divots on the ball perfectly aligned to the ring with just enough pressure to slide it in but not push it through. This may just be the reason why piercing newbies and aficionados alike may steer away from the CBR. The barbell, which has two ball ends is a bit easier to maneuver; a simple “lefty loose-y, righty tighty” will do the trick in most cases, so long as the ball was not tightened on by the incredible hulk himself. So, what’s the verdict on this?

So long as the piercing is new, we still say go with the captive bead ring. Why? Well, you shouldn’t be switching out jewelry anyways during the initial healing period so you really do not have to worry about pulling defcon 10 operation to get the bead back on. Once you pass the initial healing period, we would say that the barbell lends itself for easier jewelry exchange and would be the better choice.

CBR as the LBD of Piercings

Now that you know some of the basic and possibly most pressing concerns of the body piercer, you may better understand why your piercer pushes for the CBD for piercing jewelry. If you thought it was because due to the piercer’s profit margin or personal preference, now you know the real why behind the what.
With all of the handy benefits of the captive bead ring and the numerous health benefits during the initial healing phase of the piercing, we would definitely have to agree that the CBR is as universal as the LBD (Little Black Dress); everyone should have one and it’s never out of style. 

 

P.S. We have quite a few CBRs in our next Guess, Share & Win bundle this FRIDAY on our Facebook page – be sure to take your guess for a chance to win some really cool body jewelry, including one of the gnarliest CBRs ever made![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Check out our favorite CBRs” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-heart” color=”blue” add_icon=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”5548″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2F10ga-cbr-horse-10pk.html||target:%20_blank”][vc_single_image image=”5551″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2Fsusttedrcabe.html||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”5549″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2Fgdwr-18.html||target:%20_blank”][vc_single_image image=”5553″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2Fbojecabe14kg.html||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”5550″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2Ft16-jewel-captive.html||target:%20_blank”][vc_single_image image=”5554″ img_size=”” alignment=”center”][vc_btn title=”SHOP NOW” shape=”square” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodyjewelry.com%2Fsustcaberiwi1.html||target:%20_blank”][/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/dgF04-O8fS4″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_separator color=”blue”][vc_custom_heading text=”Follow us for Piercing Inspiration” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:center|color:%231e73be”][vc_column_text][instagram-feed][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]