Are you wearing true hypoallergenic earrings?

One of the best forms of self-expression and fashion are accessories—and one of the biggest accessories for women and men are earrings. Earrings have the capacity to turn an outfit into a fashion statement. It can add a fun “pop!” to the simplest clothing. It can also be minimal and timeless, adding just a bit of flair to an ensemble. Earrings are meant to be worn and to enhance our style and personality. They are not meant to irritate and cause allergic reactions. However, sometimes that happens. Let’s explore some of the reasons why this happens, and how to avoid itchy, swollen, sore ears.

Most of us have either had an allergic reaction due to jewelry, or know someone who has sensitivities to certain metals in jewelry. This is why it is so important to know exactly what we are putting on our bodies, and in our ears! While any metal in jewelry has the potential of causing an allergic reaction, it is typically due to the inexpensive metal called nickel.

Why do jewelers use nickel if it is the main culprit of skin irritations? Nickel is a highly versatile metal that will easily combine with most metals. It is inexpensive, highly durable, and has a pretty sparkle when polished. Plus, not everyone is allergic to nickel. But, once a metal allergy appears, it is typically with you for life.  This is why it is so important to play it safe and purchase jewelry that is labeled “hypoallergenic.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the term hypoallergenic means “having little likelihood of causing an allergic response.” Hypoallergenic jewelry indicates there is minimal risk of causing an allergic reaction, like contact dermatitis. 24K gold, platinum, titanium, and niobium are great examples of hypoallergenic metals.   

This brings us to our first big reason to purchase hypoallergenic jewelry: It reduces the risk of an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic earrings contain more of a pure metal and less of the inexpensive alloys, such as nickel. The metals mentioned above produce gorgeous jewelry that does not cause allergic reactions. 

Our second big reason to purchase hypoallergenic earrings is to keep your ears looking pretty, and pain-free! Contact dermatitis causes painful, itchy ears, and in some cases, blisters can form that take days to go away. No one has the time to deal with ugly ears!

Our third and final reason to purchase hypoallergenic earrings is because there are so many fantastic and fashionable hypoallergenic options. There is no shortage of earring designers who create striking hypoallergenic earrings to choose from.

At ColorUpLife we are big fans of hypoallergenic jewelry, because we ourselves have metal allergies. It's because of this that we use pure titanium ear wire on our earrings. We also use aluminum, a super-light weight, hypoallergenic metal, to make the decorative part of our earrings. You get the WOW without the weight from our earrings!

We hope you found this article helpful when shopping for your fashion statement accessories. Our hope is to spread good information to avoid uncomfortable and itchy ears!