My Mom recently had her ears re-pierced. She wants to wear the same
studs 24 hours a day 7 days a week for as long as possible in order to
eventually be able to leave them out while she sleeps without worrying
about the holes closing.  However, although she is willing to pay some
cost in the short term in order to "train" her holes not to close at
night, simply turning her head one way or the other on the pillow
often leads to a "prick" that hurts enough to wake her up. Is there
anything on the market that can serve as a more gentle "clasp"? Or
something that completely envelopes the post in order to keep it from
"pricking" ones ear?

Hello Brian22,

 How kind of you to be concerned for your mother's comfort! I have
gathered several online sites where comfortable earring backs can be
purchased, along with some brick and mortar stores.


This site carries a variety of safety clutches, and can be ordered online:
http://www.axelrodco.com/detail.asp?pk=125


Baby Backs are one solution:
http://www.jewelrybyrhonda.com/Baby_Backs1.JPG

http://www.jewelrybyrhonda.com/Baby_backs.jpg

Order here:
http://www.jewelrybyrhonda.com/ear_solutions.htm




Scroll down to items # 631-033  , # 3512  ,  and # 631-018
http://www.jansjewells.com/supplies/earringparts.htm



Bargains on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/White-Rubber-Earring-Backs-Clutches-Allergy-Safe_W0QQitemZ8923800078QQcategoryZ67716QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Other rubber backs
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWEAREARNUTSRUBBER

http://www.blackwatersiren.com/images/rbrbks.htm



If the earring stud is shorter than this back, this ought to work well:
http://www.fusionbeads.com/shop/product/1357/

http://store.expressorize.com/disearbac1.html

http://www.amerimark.com/cgi-bin/amerimark/cat_item.html?prod=12724&media=G00788&days=XVQ




Very poor picture, but I have used these myself:
http://tshirtny.logomall.com/ProductDetail/ProductDetail.aspx?id=874720&SCAT_Id=12100&Pg=1&DPSV_Id=93474&CATY_Id=312&ASI=78150&WS=&LN=DiMaggio%c2%ae&pF=&pT=&pSRVC_ID=34



Piercing Pagoda carries a product called a Safety Clutch, and offers these tips:

Care of newly pierced ears:
? Cleanse the piercing twice a day. Be sure to cleanse especially after 
  shampooing, swimming or exercising. 
? Use our specially formulated Ear Care Antiseptic when cleansing. 
  You may use isopropyl alcohol as an alternative temporary substitution 
  for Ear Care Antiseptic. 
? Always cleanse hands prior to touching your ears. 
? Use a clean cotton swab to apply the Ear Care Antiseptic. Push the earring 
  gently forward and backward, swabbing between your ear and the earring. 
? Rotate the earring twice daily to prevent it from adhering to the ear. 
? Avoid touching your ears except when cleaning. 
? Cover your ears when using hair spray or perfume. 
? Do NOT remove earrings before the specified time:
  Earlobe Piercing: Keep earrings in for 4 to 6 weeks.
  Cartilage Piercing: Keep earrings in for 8 to 12 weeks. 
? Return for a free follow up visit in 4 weeks or sooner if you have any 
  questions or concerns. 
? Be careful that earrings don't get caught when brushing your hair or pulling 
  clothes over your head.Take extra care when exercising or playing sports.

You can also find a store near you, on this page. Look on the upper
right of the page for a zip code text box!
http://www.pagoda.com/Piercing.aspx?pid=121


Maybe your mother would like to try children?s earrings! Notice the
smooth back, which keeps the post from poking the skin?
http://www.billbarnes.com/product.asp?product=5135

or

http://www.bestpricejewelers.com/shoppingcart/opencatfromstat.asp?type=Baby


If none of the above suit your mom, visit a local shopping mall. Visit
any of the smaller stores that sell earrings, hair adornments, popular
teen accessories, and do piercings, such as Claire?s or the Piercing
Pagoda.

Here is a store locator for Claire?s
http://www.claires.com/mapsearchadvantage.asp


 These stores will often have soft earring backs. Another type of
back, that I could not find online, but you may in better jewelry
stores, are metal backs with a ball on them. When my girls were small,
they wore earrings from South America. All the backs contained a small
gold ball, to prevent the posts from sticking them in the neck when
sleeping.

I would also suggest a memory foam pillow if your mother is really
bothered by sleeping in earrings.


  Finally, I remember from my high school days that some girls would
sterilize a needle, and run threads through the holes, then tie in a
knot. This was comfortable for sleeping. They would clean the threads
with peroxide, and re-position them each morning and evening. I?ve
even heard of women using dental floss while waiting for the holes to
heal.

I hope this has been useful to your mother and  you! Please request an
Answer Clarification, and allow me to respond if anything is unclear.
I will be happy to assist you further, before you rate this answer.

Sincerely, Crabcakes


Search Terms
==============
Earring backs + baby
Children?s earrings
Ear clutches soft
Earring backs rubber

This is an excellent answer! Thank you so much for your help!

The answer is Basil.  It is a plant which is a holy one for Indian. 
In the country side after piercing a small branch stem of basil plant
is cut, long enough to cover the thickness of ear lobe and is
inserted.  It is done for ages and since the plant is medicinal one
need not worry.

Generally, the earrings used to pierce ears that are left in for
several weeks have a larger post and a sharp tip.  The stores that
pierce ears and sell costume earrings sell a foam or rubber sleeve
that will fit over the end of the post making them more comfortable to
sleep in. They do not have to be removed until the earrings are
removed.  They are quite inexpensive and also work well in a pinch if
you've lost the back to an earring.

I have no experience with the basil suggestion, but I'm pretty sure it
will stain her pillowcases.