When we hear mentions of clip-on earrings, we imagine the big and heavy, retro-style clip-on earrings that our grandparents and great-grandparents wore.
But in the modern fashion world where everything retro and so-yesterday is coming back to life, with an undeniable force, it makes sense that we take time to talk about the clip-on earrings.
After all, many of us love to accessorize, but not everyone wishes to go through the pain that comes with piercings, or they do not wish to get piercings.
The good news is that in as much as the modern clip-on earrings look a lot like the older ones, most of the modern clip-on earrings are now designed for some comfort.
Unfortunately, despite the great strides made by man, a number of the clip-on earrings still feel uncomfortable. This is expected because of the clip-on design of the earrings – the two ends have to snap or clip on the earlobe or other parts of the ear, which would mean some pain or discomfort, even with the fine jewelry options.
The other challenge, especially when the clip-ons are not too tight-fitting, is that the earrings don’t always stay on.
So, we’ll break this article into two parts – keeping the clip-on earrings on and how to prevent the earrings from hurting.
How to make clip-on earrings stay on
1. Use soft silicone pads for the clip-on earrings
The first thing you could do to keep your clip-on earrings from falling off would be adding soft silicone pads on the clip-on earrings.
For the clip-on earrings, the pads are designed with relatively small holes at the backside of the clips, and they hold the earrings in place while also cushioning you and preventing too much pain.
Unfortunately, they aren’t always perfect, and they can be rather fiddly when it comes to attaching them easily. The silicone pads are tiny, requiring a lot of wiggle room to attach the pads and keep them on the clips.
To prevent the pads from falling off, you may want to try pushing the nib off your silicone pad to the back of the bole on the clip, and once it pushes through, use your nail to position it correctly.
Since the idea is to keep the clip-on earrings on without causing any more hurt, the silicone pads are often ideal.
2. Self-adhesive anti-slip nose pads for your glasses
The other remedy for keeping your clip-on earrings in place safely and comfortably would be by using self-adhesive nose pads. These pads are pretty impressive, thanks to their self-adhesive design that is anti-slip.
While designed for use with your eyeglasses, these pads are also quite effective when it comes to keeping your clip-on earrings in place.
The pads go to the back of the clip-on earrings, and the best part is that they stick very well to the ear and keep the earrings on for quite a long time.
These pads are also made of silicone, meaning that you do not have to worry about bacteria breeding in and around the pads.
So, if you have these pads for your eyeglasses, use them on your ears, too, for a tighter and more comfortable fit for the clip-on earrings. You only need to trim the pads for an excellent fit at the back of the earlobe.
3. Tighten the paddle clip
This is the other thing you could do to tighten the clip-on earrings if they have been feeling a tad too loose. But first, you should remove the paddle clips from their holders.
And then, using a pair of pliers, gently squeeze out the two outer prongs until the prongs pop off from the holders.
Next, push down on the nib with your thumb or even pliers such that the middle prongs lie flat along with the two side prongs. Now that you have tightened the paddle clips reattach them to the earrings holder.
And then tighten the outer prongs of the paddle clips using the pliers, with the front of the earrings facing away and out from you. The lugs should line up with the holder’s holes on the back of the earrings.
And when this is done, you’d have to release the clips’ sides for the lugs to pop back to the holder’s holes. Next, try out the earrings.
If they fit too tightly, you could use the flat screwdriver to raise the nib, slightly loosening its paddle. Keep trying this -loosening the paddles until the earrings offer a more comfortable but snug fit.
And once the earrings have the right tension on your ears, you’d have to very gently pinch the holder on both sides, then push the holes onto the prongs to keep the clips secure.
4. Tighten the mini-clip
Use your thumb and the forefinger or even pliers to gently squeeze the outer side of the earring’s bottom U and then move it toward the earring for a tighter grip.
Keep making minor adjustments on this until your earring is sitting comfortably and snugly on the earlobe.
How to make clip-on earrings not hurt
Now that you know how to comfortably ensure that the clip-on earrings stay on your ears for as long as you need them to, here are some of the things you can do to prevent the earrings from hurting you.
1. Earring cushions
You may want to use the adhesive-backed cushioning made of foam to ensure a comfortable fit for the earrings. As mentioned above, you could either use the silicone pads made for the clip-on earrings or the ones meant for use with your eyeglasses – you’d have to cut the latter into smaller sizes for an excellent fit on the back of your ears or earlobes.
The flesh-toned foam pads designed to keep your eyeglasses from fitting too tightly or being too heavy on your nose will also do an excellent job for your clip-on earrings.
These pads are designed with a peel-off adhesive backing that, once removed, ensures a very strong and comfortable adhesive side that adheres to the back of the ears and cushions the ear from the force of the clip.
If you don’t have the adhesive pads meant for the eyeglasses, you could also use adhesive tape or foam pads. You can find these in the crafts store or even a hardware store. Once you have the foam pads, you’d need to cut the adhesive-backed pads to the correct size that would perfectly fit the earring clips.
To cut the foam to the proper fit or size, you should make a plan to cut a small piece of foam on each of the clips that come in contact with the back of the earlobe.
And for extra cushioning, you may have to put a piece of foam on the back of the earring’s display portion for cushioning of the back and the front of the back, hence the best level of cushioning. You’d need a small pair of scissors to cut through the foam pads and create more petite pads.
After cutting the pads in the right sizes, you should peel off the backing from the sticky side of your foam pads cut to fit. Next, position the pads where you want them on the clip-on earrings, then press down the pads.
And for an added layer of security, you may want to add some dabs of the heavy-duty glue to each pad’s back before you press the pads to the earrings – doing this ensures a more permanent mounting, which makes it harder for you to remove the pads if you ever need to. We doubt you’ll need to remove it, though, because of the extra layer of comfort enjoyed.
If you don’t choose the more permanent solution, it might be ideal for you to reapply the adhesive as needed and for as long the adhesive holds. You’d want to apply the adhesive on the clip-on earrings before adding a new foam padding for an extra level of comfort and cushioning.
2. Loosening the clips
Loosen the clip-on earrings’ spring action for a more comfortable fit of the clip-on earrings, without any compromise on the earrings’ grip or comfort levels.
3. Buying the custom-made clip-on earring cushions
These are sold in jewelry and craft stores, and they come with adhesives that stick to the clips easily.
Conclusion
If you are looking for clip-on earrings and wish to enjoy maximum comfort from the clip-on earrings, the recommendations above would be ideal.
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Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.