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Diamonds are a girl’s best friend… but we can’t all wear diamonds 24/7 (we wish!). Everyone has their own go-to places where they can get costume jewelry, but what do you do when fake jewelry just doesn’t work for you?! Sensitive skin can often lead to itchiness, rashes, and irritated skin when you wear fake jewelry – and no one wants that. You might have a metal allergy, or you just might be highly sensitive to metals, but that doesn’t answer the questions of how to wear fake jewelry?! Just because you have an aversion to fake jewelry doesn’t mean you can only wear more expensive stuff. We got the answer here – check out these tips for safe ways to wear fake jewelry!
Avoid nickel. Nickel is in a lot of costume jewelry because it’s cheap to make, durable, and has a high polish. But if you’ve ever found crusty residue on your skin after wearing a piece of jewelry, then you might have a nickel allergy. When nickel dissolves in water, it creates salt. So, in areas that collect a lot of sweat (think: rings), nickel will erode faster, leaving you with irritation. Try looking for palladium alloys – mixtures of metal that contain palladium rather than nickel or copper. Palladium is hypo-allergenic and as pure as platinum – and still affordable!
Be careful of body jewelry. Any jewelry that comes in contact with the inner surfaces of your skin is something to be weary of! Look for earrings and other body jewelry that says “nickel-free” or “surgical” to avoid infection! And check this out to find out more tips how to avoid infections from your earrings.
Be careful of leather jewelry. Although leather isn’t a metal, don’t think you’re 100% safe. Metal is involved in the leather tanning process, which means there might be metal hiding in the jewelry! When it hits your skin, you might be surprised to find irritation and itchiness. If you’re finding that these things are happening to you from bracelets or bags, maybe it’s time to opt for pleather.
Use a metal testing kit. These kits come with a set of solutions that you rub onto jewelry and if the solution changes color, you know there are certain unwanted metals in your jewelry. Kits like these are an easy way to know what is in your pieces and keep you safe from infection.
Invest in fine- jewelry. This might be a last-ditch effort, but when it comes to the point of safety and health, it might be worth it to invest in a few key pieces of jewelry that will work for many events – rather than buying something new every time you need something! It might save you more money in the long-run and definitely save you the trouble of infected skin!
To learn more about these tips, check this out!
Make sure you check out How To Fix Fake Jewelry and 9 Things You Should Not Do When Wearing Costume Jewelry
[Photo: EsteelaLonde]