How to Pierce Your Navel at Home

The trend of navel piercings is becoming increasingly popular. For various reasons, some people choose to pierce their navel themselves at home. If you're considering doing this, keep reading. However, it’s important to note that getting a piercing at a professional studio is always safer.

Gather the necessary tools. Having the right tools is crucial when piercing your navel; otherwise, the piercing may not heal properly or could become severely infected. For the safest piercing experience, you will need:

• A sterile 14G piercing needle, a 14G navel piercing made of stainless steel, titanium, or bioplast, alcohol wipes or alcohol-soaked gauze, a body-safe marker, a piercing clamp, and several cotton balls.
• Avoid using sewing needles, safety pins, or piercing guns for navel piercings, as these tools are unsafe and may not produce the best results.

Prepare a clean environment. Before you begin your navel piercing, take the necessary precautions to minimize the risk of infection. Disinfect the surface of your table (use a disinfectant spray, not antiseptic).

Wash your hands. Don’t forget to thoroughly wash your hands (and forearms) with warm water! Everything must be completely sterile. For added safety, wear latex gloves (if they are sterile and haven't been taken out of their packaging). Dry your hands with paper towels – avoid using cloth towels as they may harbor bacteria.

Sterilize the clamp, needle, and navel jewelry. New tools (which you should purchase) are usually in sterile packaging. However, if the tools are unwrapped or have been previously used, you will need to sterilize them before piercing.

• You can sterilize the tools by soaking them in alcohol for 1-2 minutes.
• After soaking, remove the tools (wear latex gloves if possible) and place them on a clean paper towel to dry.

Clean the skin around the navel. Before piercing, thoroughly clean the area around your navel to remove any bacteria from the skin’s surface. Ideally, use a specialized piercing skin antiseptic gel (like Bactine) or rubbing alcohol.

• Saturate a cotton ball with alcohol or antiseptic and carefully wipe the area where the piercing will go. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
• If using alcohol, ensure it has an isopropanol concentration of over 70% for effective sterilization.
• If necessary, use a cotton swab or similar tool to clean inside your navel as well. Be sure to clean both the top and bottom of the area where you plan to pierce.

Mark the piercing location. Before piercing, you should identify the entry and exit points for the needle, which is why using a marker to outline the entry and exit spots is a good idea. The piercing hole should be about 1 cm above the navel.

• Most people choose to pierce above the navel rather than below, but feel free to choose the location that suits your preference.
• Use a handheld mirror to ensure the two marked points are aligned either vertically or horizontally. Only do this while standing, as your stomach may fold when sitting, making it harder to ensure proper alignment.

Consider whether or not to numb the area around the piercing site. Some people who are afraid of pain might want to numb the skin around the belly button with an ice pack wrapped in a cloth before piercing. However, be aware that the skin will become stiff and tough when numbed with ice, which can make it harder for the needle to pass through. Alternatively, you can use a cotton swab to apply a small amount of numbing gel (like the kind used to numb gums before injections) to the area.

At this point, you can twist the "head" of the belly button ring to remove it (leaving the tail part of the ring in place). This will prevent you from struggling with keeping both the clamp and the needle steady at the same time.

Clamp the cleaned area. Now you can begin the piercing process! Use the piercing clamp to grab the skin around your belly button and pull it slightly away from the body. The point where the needle enters should be marked in the middle of the lower half of the clamp, and the exit point for the needle should be marked in the upper middle part of the clamp. Make sure to hold the clamp with your non-dominant hand, as you need a stronger, steadier hand to hold the needle.

Prepare the needle. You will need a sterile 14G piercing needle. This type of needle is hollow in the center, making it easier to insert the belly button ring as you push the needle through.

Insert the needle from below. Align the sharp tip of the needle with the marked spot at the bottom of the clamp. Take a deep breath and smoothly push the needle through the skin, ensuring the needle's exit point aligns with the mark at the top of the clamp.

• Never insert the needle from above. You need to see where the needle exits, which isn’t possible if you go from top to bottom.
• Standing is the best position when piercing as it allows you to move and see what you're doing more easily. However, if you're afraid of fainting, lie down (but not sitting!) while piercing.
• Don’t worry if a little blood comes out of the piercing hole – this is completely normal. Just use a clean cotton swab dipped in saline solution to gently wipe the blood away.

Insert the belly button ring. Place the tail of the jewelry into the hollow needle (the jewelry should be roughly the same size or slightly smaller than the needle) and push the needle out with the jewelry. DO NOT pull the needle out. Keep the contact between the needle and the jewelry intact to ensure a smooth transition. The needle will fall out of the jewelry's tail as it exits the skin, so be ready to catch it.

• Try not to pull the needle out too soon before the jewelry has fully passed through!
• Twist the head of the jewelry, which you removed earlier, back into the tail of the jewelry. Excellent! Now your belly button is pierced!

Wash your hands and clean the piercing site. Immediately after finishing, wash your hands with antibacterial soap, then use a cotton ball dipped in saline solution or wound cleaning solution to gently wipe around the piercing hole.

• This is the cleaning routine for the first day and, of course, it is the most important. Take a few minutes to thoroughly clean the area.
• Do not pull on the piercing hole. Simply clean the area and leave the piercing to heal. You may risk infection if you touch or play with the jewelry.

Take care of the piercing site. Your job isn’t finished yet! Remember that the new piercing is an open wound, so it’s extremely important to maintain strict hygiene for several months afterward. You will need to continue doing this until the hole is fully healed to prevent infection and itching.

• Clean the piercing hole with antibacterial soap once a day. Avoid using rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or ointments, as these can dry out and irritate the skin if used daily.

Clean with saline solution. One effective way to keep the piercing clean and avoid infection is by using saline solution. You can buy it at a pharmacy or piercing studio, or make your own by mixing non-iodized sea salt with a cup of warm water.

• Dip a cotton swab into the solution and gently clean around both sides of the piercing hole.
• Gently push the jewelry from one end to the other to clean the jewelry as well.

Avoid swimming in any body of water. Whether it’s a river, lake, or hot tub, it’s important to stay out of the water for the first few months. Water can harbor bacteria, which can easily lead to an infection in your piercing.

Wait for the piercing to heal. If you notice clear or white discharge, that’s a normal part of the healing process. However, any colored or foul-smelling discharge is a sign of infection and should be checked by a doctor.

• Some experts recommend strict aftercare for 4-6 months following the belly button piercing. After two months, evaluate the condition of your piercing.
• Do not play with the jewelry! You should leave the piercing alone until it is fully healed. You may change the jewelry’s top, but don’t touch the tail end. Not only will this cause pain, but it will also slow down the healing process.

Watch for signs of infection. Even if it seems healed, a piercing can still get infected. If you suspect an infection (symptoms include swelling, pain, bleeding, or discharge), apply warm compresses every 3-4 hours, then clean the wound with disinfectant solution and apply an antibiotic ointment.

• If you don’t see improvement within 24 hours, contact your doctor.
• If you don’t want to visit a doctor, you can go to the piercer. They can help adjust your aftercare routine and provide specialized products.
• Never remove the belly button ring while treating an infection—doing so could cause the infection to become trapped inside the hole.