How to stop your piercings from smelling

5.0 out of 5 stars No more smelly
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2019

It’s a tiny container, as you can see in comparison to a regular size chapstick, but it works well. I use it on my nose piercing and my daughter uses it on her stretched earlobes.

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Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2020

When I mentioned to my bff that I was considering a septum piercing, the first thing she said was “they smell”. I didn’t care because I was sure someone had to have already invented a remedy for this inconvenience. I mean, septum piercings have been incorporated into western pop culture for decades now. Whatever the magic product could be, at the very least, I could use it until I eventually go nose blind to the funky odor. So, I picked up my little phone and googled “How to get rid of septum smell?” And the very first hit to show up was an Amazon link for Smelly Jelly. I clicked. I read the description and a couple of generous reviews.
“Okay”, I thought to myself, “problem solved”
One month later, I was about done with the twice daily, 30 day salt water nasal soak. (Sounds uncomfortable but they were oddly satisfying) It was near time to order the Smelly Jelly. For the next 14 days, I switched to a twice a day salt water spray, (H2ocean Spray. Highly recommend this but that is another review) but the piercing was still too new for regular Smelly Jelly applications as balms in general tend to attract germs and particles and the septum is a piercing that takes months to heal. So, I’d use it once every couple of days. At seven weeks, I got super impatient. I hated the horseshoe barbell the piercer used and couldn’t wait to get something more attractive in there. I bought a blingy titanium clicker and used the Smelly Jelly to slide it in. Didn’t feel like anything except for the subtle yet soothing cool sensation of the mint ingredient. Nice!
By the end of the following week, my piercing started to get dried out and chapped. It was super painful but thankfully not infected. I concluded that the hinge of the clicker was rubbing on one side of the piercing and the twice daily salt water sprays were exacerbating the problem. With great humility, I put the horseshoe back in for another two weeks to let the chap heal. This is where the Smelly Jelly really came in handy. I cut the salt water sprays back to every other day and then moisturized my septum every morning. The chap and the pain were gone in three days. So, Smelly Jelly is great for a piercing like a septum because it’s in a mucous membrane and therefore can dry out easily. Smelly Jelly is like chapstick for your piercings, basically.
However! A giant BUT is coming. Here it is;
BUT, and maybe this is just me and my personal body chemistry, so I’m not saying everyone will have this problem, BUT if I use this daily to get rid of the smell, the smell comes backs in a few hours. And the more I use it, the more it smells and the longer the smell lingers. I’ve found that if I don’t use Smelly Jelly more than three times a week, and sparingly at that, there’s no smell at all. So I feel like, in large and frequent doses, it’s a temporary fix that ultimately contributes to the smell problem. Probably because the balm has picked all the those smelly goodies that accumulate inside your nose and the Smelly Jelly just takes on the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude.
Bottom line: Great rescue product. Feels nice and has a slight, pleasant scent. I would say use it sparingly but do what’s right for you and PLEASE talk to your piercer before you use any products on a fresh piercing. I’m not a piercer but I learned a lot when I was a receptionist at a tattoo and piercing shop years ago so I can typically handle my own aftercare and even stretching. I’m also an esthetician and massage therapist. But I am no substitute for a professional piercer, so if you want the best advice on what products to use, don’t be afraid to ask questions to your piercer, even if you feel like it’s a stupid question. The more educated you are, the easier it will be to know what is right for you. Too all newly pierced, I wish you a safe and speedy healing time.
*** Oh and one more thing, for the love of all that is holy, please don’t use peroxide on your piercings!!!! Peroxide will actually BURN open wounds and when you use it that way, you are asking for a very unpleasant and dangerous infection.

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022

The problem is that it's really hard to get any product out of the jar. It's also extremely small, probably slightly larger than a 1$ coin. It smells nice and when I can get enough out it seems to do as it should but I'll probably just give up on using it if I ever get through this first jar.

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017

I took a look at the reviews and decided to address a few things:
1. yes, it looks like it's just vasaline/petroleum jelly.
The ingredients are listed on the container and just smelling it can help you know that it isn't. The ingredients list is as follows (I'm using basic names, not latin where I can): Castor seed oil, cera microcristallina wax, Hemp seed oil, olive fruit oil, cera alba beeswax, ozokerite, meadowform seed oil, eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, lemon peel oil, tea tree leaf oil, clove bud oil
2. It smells bad.
The tea tree and clove are the strongest scents, but if you have a sensitive nose you might be able to pick up others. I personally like the scent, but you might not. If you don't know what TTO smells like, find a place that sells essential oils (herbalist stores generally have samples you can smell)
3. Broke out using it.
The above-listed ingredients aren't high on the allergen list, but that doesn't mean you won't react. always spot test.
4. small container.
The size is listed. But for those who (like me) suck at visualizing: picture a tea light filled about halfway.

Now, all that said. It works great for me. It might not for you depending on *why* your piercings are smelling. The main key is to keep your holes clean and dry. if you sweat a lot, this won't really help for long. I use it for all my piercings as well as the spoon ring I have. It's excellent for me and hopefully, it works for you too.

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2014

I cannot express how amazing this stuff is! It was my last ditch effort after trying rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and salt water. Nothing would keep the smell away for more than a day. Then I saw this stuff and was a little skeptical, but desperate. I was super self conscious that everyone could smell my nose ring. I needed a solution, and fast. When the container arrived in the mail, I hoped for the best and put a little on my nose ring. It's been over two weeks and there is no smell whatsoever. This stuff is magical, I have never been able to wear my nose ring and not have it smell for that long. I found myself taking my nose ring out to smell it several times, but still no smell. I recommend smelly jelly to anyone who has a piercing, it is the perfect solution and not very expensive. You just reapply it every so often. I need to have a lifetime supply of this because I plan on having my nose ring until it's no longer socially acceptable for someone my age. Thank you to the geniuses that solved my problem, I highly recommend this to everyone! Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020

This stuff works! My septum jewelry gets stinky. The container is very small but you only need a tiny bit of the product. It is thick like wax but more malleable. I just wish it smelled better; the only thing I smell in this is the castor seed oil. Its not a bad scent but not nice smelling either. However it still beats septum-funk.

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2020

I’ve never had a problem with my plugs smelling until I stretched up this last time. Now I have 5/8” size gauges and even tho I washed them in the shower every day, I noticed they started to smell a bit. I have a really good nose and could totally tell even tho my bf didn’t notice. Tried this and omg does it work!!! I applied a layer to my ear and some on my plugs and it lasted for almost a week. I actually didn’t HAVE to apply again but did anyways because why not.
Definitely buying it again.

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020

I got my septum a few months ago and it had this HORRID smell and I was so desperate. I’ll admit, it was hard to get a good amount with just your fingers because it takes a minute to warm and get soft but it works great with a q-tip. At first, I used it once or twice a day, but after a week of regular use, the smell went away and I only apply weekly now. Seriously, this stuff is awesome.

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