Last Updated: April 2026
TL;DR:
- Use a waterproof plastic bandage, not a regular cloth bandaid — regular adhesive traps sweat and bacteria against the piercing.
- Cover about 0.5 cm of skin on either side of the earring without letting adhesive touch the piercing itself.
- Most leagues that follow NFHS rules ban taping over jewelry for competitive games — taping is a practice-only workaround, not a game-day one.
I’ve fitted earrings on thousands of customers over 20 years, and the question I get from soccer moms and gymnastics dads is always the same: how do you tape earrings for sports without ripping out the piercing? The short answer is a waterproof plastic bandage, cut to size, folded so the sticky part never touches the piercing hole. If you’re wondering how to clean earrings properly before and after taping, that matters here too — sweat under tape breeds bacteria fast. Below is exactly how I’d tell my own kid to do it.
What Do You Need To Tape Earrings For Sports?
You need a waterproof plastic bandage (not fabric), small scissors, and rubbing alcohol or an alcohol prep pad. Fabric bandaids soak up sweat and hold it against the piercing, which raises infection risk. A plastic bandage sheds water and stays stuck through a full practice.
Plastic bandages cost about $4–$6 for a box of 30 at any pharmacy, and one box lasts a full season if you’re only taping for practice. Skip cloth bandaids entirely — they’re designed to absorb moisture, which is the opposite of what a sweaty ear needs. If the earring is in a fresh piercing, also grab Almost Famous Piercing’s aftercare notes before you start — new piercings need gentler handling than healed ones.
Step 1: Cut The Bandage To The Right Size
Cut the plastic bandage so it covers roughly 0.5 cm of skin on each side of the earring — no more. You’ll never find a tape made specifically for ears, so you’re always trimming a standard bandage down. The goal is coverage of the front and back of the earring, not the whole ear. Oversized tape just means more surface area to snag on a jersey or a teammate’s elbow.
Step 2: Apply The Tape Without Touching The Piercing
Fold the bandage over the earring so the adhesive grips the skin around the piercing by a few millimeters, but never lands directly on the piercing hole itself. Adhesive on the piercing makes removal painful and can pull the earring or crust out with the tape.
This is the step most people rush and regret. Press the sticky edges against the surrounding skin first, then let the middle section float over the earring without pressing down. If you press adhesive straight onto the piercing, you’re essentially gluing the jewelry to the tape — and that’s how earlobes get torn during a rushed halftime removal.
Step 3: Remove The Tape Gently After The Game
Peel the bandage off slowly, in the direction of hair growth, right after activity ends. Sweat usually loosens the adhesive on its own, so aggressive pulling is rarely necessary — and it’s the single most common way athletes injure a healing lobe.
The earlobe is thin cartilage-free tissue, and a fast yank can tear the piercing channel wider than it should be, sometimes causing a permanent stretch or a scar. If the tape resists, dab a little water on it first — the adhesive releases faster wet than dry.
Step 4: Clean The Earrings And Piercing With Alcohol
After every practice, wipe the earring and the skin around the piercing with rubbing alcohol or an alcohol prep pad. If you’re using spray alcohol, apply it to a cotton swab first rather than spraying directly on the ear. New and recently healed piercings are a breeding ground for bacteria once they’ve been sealed under tape and sweat for two hours — skipping this step is how a clean piercing turns into a swollen, infected one by the following week.
How Long Should A Piercing Heal Before You Tape It?
Wait a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks before taping over an earlobe piercing, and closer to 3 to 6 months for cartilage. Taping over an unhealed piercing traps moisture and bacteria against an open wound, which is the fastest route to infection.
Cleveland Clinic puts standard earlobe healing at 6 to 8 weeks for most people, though it can run longer for kids with more active immune responses to inflammation. If your athlete’s piercing is under 6 weeks old, talk to whoever did the piercing before you even consider tape — or swap to sleeper earrings made for newly pierced ears, which sit flatter and snag less than studs.
Are Earrings Allowed In Competitive Soccer Or Volleyball?
No — most competitive leagues following NFHS or FIFA-aligned rules ban all jewelry below the chin, and taping over it doesn’t make it legal. One 2023-24 exception: NFHS volleyball now permits small stud or post earrings worn above the chin without any tape at all.
That volleyball carve-out is new and sport-specific — it doesn’t extend to soccer, basketball, or track. For every other competitive sport, the safest and by-the-rules move is still to remove the earrings and lock them in a locker or a small zip pouch during games, then re-tape for the next practice. Referees who spot taped-over jewelry in a non-exempt sport can flag it as illegal equipment, per GTHIC’s piercing-care guidance for athletes.
Choosing The Right Earring Cover Material
Beyond a basic plastic bandage, silicone earring covers and flexible retainers work well for kids who tape multiple times a week. Avoid anything marketed as “extra hold” or “waterproof for 7 days” — that adhesive strength is built for skin that isn’t sitting next to an open piercing channel, and it will hurt coming off. If your athlete has sensitive skin on top of a healing piercing, stick with metals that don’t react with sweat, since salt and moisture accelerate any nickel reaction a cheap earring might trigger.
What If The Coach Won’t Allow Taping At All?
Some coaches ban taping outright, especially for piercings under 3 months old, because a caught earring during contact can tear the lobe far worse than a swapped-out stud ever would. If that’s the rule, remove the earrings before practice and put in a flat retainer between sessions instead.
A flat, low-profile retainer keeps the channel open without giving an opponent’s hand, ball, or helmet anything to catch on. For toddlers and younger kids just starting organized sports, hypoallergenic surgical steel studs are a safer starting point than hoops or dangles regardless of what the coach decides about tape.
The Bottom Line
Taping earrings for sports comes down to three things: waterproof plastic bandage, 0.5 cm of coverage without touching the piercing, and gentle removal right after activity. It works fine for practice and casual play. For competitive games under NFHS-style rules, plan on pulling the earrings out and stashing them somewhere safe instead of relying on tape to make jewelry legal. If the piercing is under 6 to 8 weeks old, skip taping altogether and ask about safer alternatives like plastic starter earrings for newly pierced ears until it’s fully healed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a regular bandaid to tape my earrings for sports?
You can, but it’s not ideal. Fabric bandaids absorb sweat instead of shedding it, which keeps moisture pressed against the piercing for the entire practice. A waterproof plastic bandage stays dry on the surface and comes off cleaner afterward.
How often should I re-tape my earrings during a sports season?
Re-tape before every practice or contact session — don’t reuse the same piece across multiple days. Used adhesive loses grip and picks up bacteria, so a fresh piece each time keeps the piercing cleaner and the tape more secure.
Can taped earrings still get caught on equipment or another player?
Yes, though the risk drops significantly with studs versus hoops or dangles. Flat-backed studs sit closest to the ear and have the least surface area to catch, which is why most coaches who allow taping still require stud-style earrings only.
Is it safe to swim with taped earrings?
Waterproof plastic bandages hold up in a pool better than fabric ones, but chlorine and prolonged water exposure still aren’t ideal for a healing piercing. Check our guide on swimming with newly pierced ears before your athlete jumps in the water with tape on.
What’s the difference between an earring cover and tape?
An earring cover is a purpose-made silicone or flexible shield that snaps or sticks over the earring, while tape is a cut-to-size adhesive bandage. Covers are reusable and often gentler on skin, but tape is cheaper and more widely available at any drugstore.
Do all youth sports leagues allow taping over earrings?
No. Rules vary by league and sport, and some ban jewelry entirely regardless of tape. Always check with the coach or league rulebook before game day — don’t assume taping makes earrings automatically legal to wear.
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.