Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Girl blowing snowflakes
Girl blowing snowflakes
Photo by freestock.org from Pexels
TCNJ | Style > Fashion

Piercing Aftercare: Winter Edition

Anagabriel Deleon Soto Student Contributor, The College of New Jersey
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCNJ chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.

Getting a piercing right before the cold weather hits can be rough—trust me, I know. I got my piercings in late September, right as the temperature started to drop, meaning I’ve been navigating the chill with basically fresh piercings. Between the wind, dry air, and layers of scarves or sweaters brushing against them, it’s definitely been a learning experience. In this article, I’ll share what’s actually worked for me, what to expect, and how to keep your piercings happy and healing all winter long—from someone who did the research and lived through both an eyebrow and septum piercing this season. 

From my eyebrow to my septum, I have learned what to avoid and what to do everyday as a routine. With these tips, you will be able to get the piercing of your dreams without worrying about the freezing weather affecting it. 

Piercing aftercare can be simple, however you have to be very careful to not bump your piercings onto anything or it will hurt and have an increased chance of getting infected. On the other hand, piercing bumps can be normal. Do not stress yourself out because they do not mean your piercing is infected. To be realistic, for an eyebrow piercing it can take up to nearly a year for it to heal. Do not take a chance that it is healed in 6 months just because there is nothing wrong with it. These piercings can manipulate you into thinking they are healed when in reality they aren’t. I have a total of three piercings, my first piercing was my left nostril at 15 years old and I have learned so much from the first one.  

Make sure that everyday you clean your piercings two times a day!! Never use a regular q-tip; the fuzz can get caught on the piercings. I use one pointed q-tips because one side I use it mainly for my eyebrow piercing around it when dead skin is around it, make sure to clean it softly not roughly and definitely do not let it sit on your piercing that can lead to infection. Before cleaning with a q-tip let a warm saline solution compress on the piercings only once when needed such as when it is a little bit red. Another thing that is good is letting warm water in the shower run on your piercings before cleaning your piercings because it softens any gunk. The best saline spray I use is NeilMed piercing aftercare spray because it has a mist being more gentle on your piercings and has no bad smell. 

Piercing aftercare can be tricky as well because you have to be cautious on what you do such as putting on a hoodie, rubbing your nose, and not being able to do makeup on your eyebrows. Be very gentle if you do your eyebrows. I use a tiny eyebrow razor from T.J.MAXX which can be your way of doing them for now.  Overall, make sure your piercing stays away from anything that can pull it, do NOT touch the piercing and leave it alone. Best of luck to anyone who is getting pierced. I hope this helped you and was informative. 

Anagabriel Deleon Soto

TCNJ '28

Hi! My name is Anagabriel Deleon Soto, and I'm a psychology major at The College of New Jersey. I was born into a proud Guatemalan family and raised in New Jersey, which shaped me into a bilingual individual who values culture, diversity, and connection. This unique perspective is something I carry with me in both my academic and creative work.
For the past three years, I have created content online, developing a passion for sharing ideas and building community through creativity. I’ve also had the opportunity to work in fashion and retail, where I learned the importance of understanding brand identity and balancing professionalism with personal style.
Outside of school and work, I enjoy simple joys like going on walks and discovering new places to recharge and stay inspired. Fitness is also a big part of my life because it keeps me motivated and balanced. More recently, I have been teaching myself how to do nails at home, which has become a relaxing hobby and another outlet for creativity.
Ultimately, I hope to combine my background in psychology with my passion for content creation to connect with people, uplift voices, and continue growing as both a student and creator.