If you keep your new piercing clean, it’ll heal faster and you won’t have to deal with an infection. Since the piercing is technically a wound, there is a right way and a wrong way to clean it.
Don’t use hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, or other kinds of disinfectant because they will slow down the healing process. Instead, you need the best saline solution for piercing.
What about a homemade saline solution for piercings? While you can mix your own, we highly recommend pharmaceutical-grade saline solution. It’s the same stuff used by professional piercers for piercing aftercare as well as nurses and doctors for wound care.
Check out our top picks below:
| The best saline solutions for piercing | Why we love them |
|---|---|
| NeilMed NeilCleanse Piercing Aftercare Spray |
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| Urban ReLeaf Piercing Solution |
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| Tattoo Goo Blue Wave Saline Cleansing Solution |
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| Recovery Piercing Aftercare Purified Saline Spray |
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| WACAN Fast-Healing Broad Application Saline Solution |
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| H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray |
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| After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray |
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| BRIOTECH Topical Skin Spray |
|
Which saline solution is best for piercings?
The best piercing aftercare spray is sterile water with a 0.9% concentration of sodium chloride, also known as salt. It’s a simple formula proven to prevent and clear up bacterial infection without damaging the skin (1).
Some manufacturers add extra ingredients like vitamins, zinc, and even tea tree oil to a saline solution. You don’t need the extras, but there’s nothing wrong with exploring your options.
How to care for a new piercing
If you have saline solution handy, then it’s easy to clean your piercing morning and night. If you have a sweaty workout, it’s not a bad idea to clean the piercing then, too.
As you already know, piercings discharge blood, plasma, and lymph liquid. Although this is the skin’s way of protecting itself while it’s healing, it attracts dirt and bacteria, so all of it has got to go. Irrigate piercing with saline solution and not only will it clean the wound, but it also keeps it from getting red, itchy, and inflamed.
Some professionals recommend soaking a new piercing with warm saline solution. That helps stimulate blood circulation and may provide a better cleanse than squirting the piercing with solution. But if you’re too busy or on the go, there’s nothing wrong with using a sterile saline spray.
Whatever else you do, please don’t use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments on a new piercing. The first two will dry out and destroy healthy skin while the third makes it hard to flush out dried blood, etc. from a piercing.
Furthermore, avoid your piercing solution with benzalkonium or benzethonium chloride because they might irritate your skin and slow down healing.
Lastly, it’s better to spray and soak a piercing instead of using a cotton ball or Q-tip. Those little white fibers can get trapped in the piercing and cause trouble.
On the bright side, you can treat every kind of piercing with saline solution, from your eyebrow, septum, lip, and tongue to your conch, earlobe, and so on.
Here are the best piercing solutions now:
Best Saline Solutions for Piercing in 2024
NeilMed NeilCleanse Piercing Aftercare
NeilMed is the most-recommended piercing aftercare spray for several reasons. Number one, it’s available in two versions, one emits a fine mist, and the other outputs a stream of saline. The fine mist bottle seems to last longer than the same-sized products from the competition. Plus, the mist is very gentle on tender skin.
Then, the full stream bottle comes in handy because it flushes out debris without feeling as harsh as you might expect.
In both cases, the formula is pure and simple. It consists of pharmaceutical-grade purified water with sodium chloride. The salt is also pharmaceutical-grade, so the whole formula is sterile and free of preservatives and additives. The 0.9% concentration (9 mg/mL) hits the sweet spot for wound care.
Last of all, both bottles spray in any direction, even upside down. They are very convenient for treating all types of piercings and all sorts of places.
Pros:
- The most popular saline solution available as a fine mist or full stream
- Sprays in any direction, even upside down
- Consists of pharmaceutical-grade sodium chloride and purified pharmaceutical-grade water
- No additives or preservatives
Cons:
- No complaints on this one
Urban ReLeaf Piercing Solution
The squeeze bottle with the flip-top looks just like the piercing solution we bought when we got our first piercings as teens. But this modern formula is much more skin-friendly. It’s purified water, salt from the Mediterranean and Dead Seas, tea tree oil, aloe, and vitamin E. There are no fragrances, dyes, alcohol, or preservatives.
The solution is excellent for fixing infected piercings. It calms the redness, soothes the pain and itching, and gets rid of the pus. It’s Nature’s medicine with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antimicrobial ingredients.
Soak the piercing for five minutes twice a day and watch as this solution gets rid of bumps, too. By the way, make sure you’re using titanium or hypoallergenic stainless steel jewelry that’s nickel-free to keep your piercing happy.
Pros:
- Nature’s medicine for inflamed, sore, reddened piercings and bumps
- Sea salt solution with tea tree oil, aloe, and vitamin E
- Naturally antimicrobial and rich in vitamins and minerals for healing
Cons:
- Persons with sensitive skin may prefer a pharmaceutical-grade saline solution
Tattoo Goo Blue Wave Saline Cleansing Solution
As Tattoo Goo points out, not any old salt will do when you’re cleaning a wound. This brand’s saline solution does not contain sea salt because of the concern that it might be contaminated with heavy metals and untested minerals. No one wants to put that junk into an open wound.
If you’re prone to keloids – scars – it’s better to use a pure saline solution like this with pharmaceutical-grade sodium chloride. It’s the same stuff that doctors use in the hospital. No wonder that the Association of Professional Piercers recommends it.
It’s a compact non-aerosol spray that’s easy to bring along. You can’t get a continuous stream like you can with an aerosol, but that just helps it last longer.
Pros:
- Pharmaceutical-grade sodium chloride solution
- Meets standards set by the Association of Professional Piercers
- No heavy metals or unproven minerals
Cons:
- Pump action spray bottle with no continuous stream
Recovery Piercing Aftercare Purified Saline Spray
It’s a small can, but you can spray it sideways and upside down. The solution comes out in a strong stream to thoroughly irrigate the piercing.
The solution is safe to use on mouth, nose, and ear piercings – basically anything inside or on the surface of the body. Just don’t get it in your eyes.
It’s going to taste salty on a tongue piercing because it’s purified water with 0.7% salt. Even if it doesn’t taste fantastic, at least there are no artificial flavors, alcohol, or chemicals inside. If you spill it, it’s safe for you and the environment.
Furthermore, the can it comes in is recyclable aluminum. The airtight container keeps the spray safe from contamination.
Pros:
- Purified water with 0.7% sodium chloride
- Packaged in recyclable aluminum
- Can spray sideways and upside down
Cons:
- Small can with a strong stream means it gets used up fast
WACAN Fast-Healing Broad Application Saline Solution
Unfortunately, some saline solutions like DermaKlenz contain parabens and formaldehyde releasers to prevent spoilage. Since we know that those preservatives are linked to cancer and can mess with hormones, we couldn’t in good conscience recommend them for piercing care. Instead, we selected a paraben-free saline solution like this one.
It contains purified water, sea salt, vitamins, and clove. It’s that final ingredient that intrigued us. It turns out that clove has been used since ancient times to treat wounds, toothaches, and other health problems. It’s a natural antiseptic that stimulates the healing process and clears up infection. Plus, the clove is in good company alongside vitamins A, C, and E that also promote skin rejuvenation.
The manufacturer says the solution is suitable for all types of piercings, but not as pleasant for oral piercings because it tastes bitter.
Pros:
- Naturally antiseptic clove in a solution of pure water, sea salt, and vitamins
- Ancient remedy for wound healing accelerates recovery and prevents infection
- No parabens or formaldehyde releasers
Cons:
- Not suitable for oral piercings
H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray
In contrast to Tattoo Goo’s saline solution, H2Ocean prefers sea salt with all of its trace minerals. The brand has developed this aftercare spray to be pH-balanced and enriched with enzymes, too.
Don’t worry, it’s not actual seawater. Instead, the salt is dissolved in reverse osmosis purified water with a dash of lysozyme and sodium citrate. It’s a sterile solution packaged inside a bag inside the bottle, making it extra secure against contamination.
You can use the solution on all sorts of piercings and body modifications. It’s much gentler than scrubbing with antibacterial soap or using commercial products with chemicals.
Spray the piercing up to six times per day and let it air dry. There’s no need for swabs or cotton balls.
Pros:
- Mineral-rich sea salt in a pH-balanced solution of purified water and enzymes
- Suitable for cleaning all sorts of piercings and body modifications
- Packaging prevents contamination
Cons:
- Not pharmaceutical-grade
After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray
Put down the table salt and promise us that you will never use iodized salt to treat your piercing. The iodine in “iodized” sodium chloride will not only irritate the skin, but also open it up to infection. Instead, use a non-iodized saline solution like this one. It’s even been sterilized with radiation before it’s shipped.
You might recognize the brand name. After Inked is one of the most trusted manufacturers of tattoo aftercare products.
Pros:
- Sterilized saline solution with non-iodized salt
- Free of preservatives and additives
- Recommended by professional piercers
Cons:
- Emits a strong spray and seems to go through the product quickly
BRIOTECH Topical Skin Spray
Reviewers find that this unique piercing solution seems to work better and faster than regular saline aftercare sprays. It has electrolyzed saltwater with HOCl. That’s hypochlorous chloride, a weak acid that the human body makes to defend against inflammation and infection. BRIOTECH calls HOCl the “secret sauce” in their saline solution.
The formula relieves painful, inflamed piercings and gets rid of keloid bumps. What’s more, even after your piercing heals, you can use it as a toner for your face. The liquid calms the skin, reduces blemishes, and refines pores.
Pros:
- Features hypochlorous chloride in an electrolyzed salt water solution
- Excellent for treating inflammation and preventing infection
- Takes care of piercings, pimples, and keloid bumps
- Can also be used as a facial toner
Cons:
- None
Conclusion
Heal your piercing quickly with saline solution. Use it to clean the skin twice a day and get rid of redness and soreness in record time.
We hope our reviews helped you find the best piercing aftercare spray for your needs today. If so, feel free to tell us about your experience with it in the comments below.
Source:
1. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/tissue-viability/fact-file-wound-cleansing-sterile-water-or-saline-27-02-2007/ Fact file: Wound cleansing: sterile water or saline? published February 27, 2007, accessed December 23, 2021