Belly Bars Guide: Best Styles, Metals & Types for Every Belly Button

Been bouncing between terms like belly bars, navel bar, or belly button bars? The good news is they all point to the same thing - belly button bars designed specifically for navel piercings.

The classic style is a piercing through the top “lip” of your belly button. But you can also have a bottom navel piercing (less common, but very cool).

Most belly bars suit both, although dangly belly bars and reverse styles depend on the direction of your piercing.

At the end of the day, you're still getting a sparkly centrepiece for your midriff, whether you're calling it a belly bar, a navel jewel or any other phrase you’ve come across.

Belly Bar Breakdown

Navel jewellery isn’t a one-bar-fits-all situation. So, let’s have a run through the most popular belly bar styles:

Standard belly bars - These are your curved barbells, the banana-shaped bars with a ball on each end. Often one is flat or bejewelled. These ride or die staples are perfect for everyday wear and especially comfy during healing.

Double jewelled bars - Bling up both ends of your barbell. These look especially cool when peeking through crop tops, bikinis, or low-rise pants.

Dangly belly bars - Think sparkle, chains, stars, butterflies, moons. A dangle belly button piercing adds tons of movement and flair. But wait until you're fully healed in 6 – 12 months before showing off with these babies.

Reverse belly bars - These twists on the classic have a charm hanging from the top instead of the bottom, which peeks over your waistband in a devil may care “I woke up like this” kinda way.

Maternity belly bar - These flexible, bump-safe belly button bars are made from a comfy, lightweight material that stretches with your belly as your pregnancy progresses. (More on these soon.)

That’s what they look like? But, what about the materials they’re made of?

Quality is everything when you’re rocking metal in your body. For this purpose, here’s your cheat sheet for choosing the right belly bar material:

Titanium Belly Bars

Great for: First-timers, sensitive skin, safe healing

Surgical grade ASTM F-136 titanium is hypoallergenic, corrosion-resistant, and perfect for healing belly button piercings or sensitive skin. In turn, titanium belly bars are super lightweight, and they don’t contain nickel. So, you won’t have any nasty reactions. Most piercers worth their salt use titanium for starter jewellery. It’s a solid choice and a mark of a reputable piercer who knows their stuff.

Gold Belly Bars

Great for: Healed piercings, jewellery lovers, special occasions

Dreaming of the luxe life? Gold belly bars deliver on sparkle and status when you want something special. But make sure it’s solid gold, not plated. Pure gold last longer and doesn’t flake, which can cause issues your skin won’t thank you for.Pro tip: 9 carat gold is more durable and budget-friendly than 14 carat. But 14 carat is the undisputed champion of putting safety first.

Sterling Silver Belly Bar

Great for: Fashion-forward folks with healed piercings

A silver navel bar looks stunning. But it tarnishes easily and isn’t ideal for a fresh piercing. This is why a silver belly bar is best saved for healed navels only.

Surgical Steel Belly Bars

Surgical steel belly bars are affordable and widely used. But they can still contain trace nickel. This is why titanium is always your safest bet if your skin can be a bit fussy.

Flexible Plastic Bars

This flexible, comfy belly button jewellery is unlikely to cause reactions and especially useful for:

• Pregnancy (more on that below)
• High-intensity workouts or sports
• MRI-safe jewellery (for medical body scans)
  
  

Choosing the right size is essential for your piercing’s health. For this reason, it’s best to check you’ve got the industry standard size (unless you’ve been advised otherwise for medical reasons). This is usually:

• Gauge (thickness) - 14g (1.6mm)
• Length - 10mm (3/8 inch) or sometimes 8mm (5/16 inch)

Your piercer might recommend a slightly shorter bar if your piercing is healing well and the initial swelling’s gone down. This reduces movement and improves comfort. Plus, wearing too long belly bars can cause snagging on your clothes and bedding.

Conversely, too short belly bars can cause pressure, irritation, and migration. Neither is sexy. And this is why size matters.

So, the stork’s on its way and you’ve got a piercing in your belly. Should you remove it? Not necessarily.

But you must understand the maternity belly bar breakdown, because you need specific bars that are:

• Made of flexible plastic
• Lightweight and agile
• Designed to move with your growing belly
• Often longer than standard bars
• Can be cut and re-threaded for a better fit

It might come as a surprise if you need to switch to a new spot after the baby’s here. This is because navels can change shape during pregnancy. But, wait at least three months before re-piercing if you experience this.

If you don’t have a pre-pregnancy piercing? Hang fire till you’ve had your baby. It’s a hard no to getting your belly button pierced while your immune system’s all over the place, and infections can be riskier.

What if you didn’t know you were pregnant when you got your piercing? Mention it to your GP or the hospital staff and get their best medical advice.

Let’s get superficial for a sec, because belly bars are fun. And if you’ve got it, flaunt it! So, how are you going to show off your navel jewellery in style? Subtle? Or full sparkle unicorn?

We get it. It’s tempting to twist, touch, and change it up ASAP once your shiny new belly bar’s in. But, patience! The last thing you want is to ruin it before you’ve even had chance to show it off.

So, what’s the lowdown for healthy healing?

Healing time:

• Average 6 - 12 months
• The navel area moves a lot, so healing takes longer than some other more static parts of your body, like your lobes, for example

And what should you refrain from doing to keep your belly bar happy?

• Don’t twist or play with your jewellery
• Don’t change it before it’s fully healed
• Don’t wear dangly belly bars too soon
• Avoid pools, hot tubs, and lakes, which can invite bacteria in
• No soaps, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide

But that’s not to say cleanliness isn’t godliness.

Rinse your new belly piercing once a day with a shop-bought sterile saline solution only, not DIY sea salt soaks. That’s literally rubbing salt into the wound. Enough said about why it’s a no-no!

We recommend LobeLove™ Professional Saline Piercing Spray for your aftercare routine. It’s a professional grade, preservative and alcohol-free 0.9% saline solution, expertly designed to give fresh belly bar piercings exactly what they need.

You can expect no fuss, no sting, and no weird ingredients. Just a quick, soothing spritz to flush out grime, sweat, or whatever else your waistband’s been rubbing into it.

Besides everyday hygiene, it’s also the perfect antidote when belly bars are:

• New and cranky
• Feeling a bit irritated
• Prone to getting rubbed, bumped, or sweaty

Why you’ll love it:

• Pocket-sized 30ml bottle for on-the-go spritzing
• Non-aerosol and eco-friendly
• Chock-full of good stuff to hit the sweet spot for wound healing
• A clean piercing is a happy piercing. And you didn’t go through all that effort for a crusty belly bar. (Even though crust is normal, you don’t want it building up.)

Then, simply dab dry with a clean paper towel. Why paper towels? Because regular fabric towels are prone to snagging on belly bars. And tissues disintegrate. And cottonwool sheds fluffy threads. You really want to discourage any of these easily avoidable scenarios.

Belly bars can sometimes have a strop even when you do everything right. You’ll know something’s off if you experience any of the following signs of trouble:

• Redness or swelling that gets worse
• Yellow or green pus
• Itching, burning, or a rash
• Fever or chills

Keep cleaning with saline solution and don’t remove your jewellery unless your piercer or GP advises you to.

Plus, some people are prone to thick raised keloid scars. You might find this if you’ve got darker skin or a family history.

Q. Can I change my belly button bar after two weeks?

A. There’s no such thing as can’t. But you absolutely shouldn’t, due to the heightened risk of infection, scarring, or rejection. Wait at least six months (ideally 12) and get the green light from your piercer first.

Q. Can I wear a gold belly bar while healing?

A. 14-carat gold belly bars are fine. But not gold plated, which can flake or cause allergic reactions.

Q. What if I’m allergic to nickel?

A. Go for titanium belly bars for ultimate peace of mind. And always avoid cheap mystery metals.

Q. Can I sleep in dangly belly bars?

A. Technically, yes. But we don’t recommend it. Dangly bits can catch and tug. So, it’s best to switch to a non-dangly style at bedtime.

Q. Do you need a flat stomach for a belly piercing?

A. Hell no! All bodies are belly bar beautiful.

At the end of the day, navel jewellery is a personal vibe, from gorgeous gold belly bars to flexible maternity options.

And ultimately, your belly bar should be a comfy, cute, and confidence-boosting body mod with the right material, fit, and aftercare.

At Stretch It Body Jewellery, we’ve got a killer collection of belly jewellery to match your mood, whether you’re rocking your first navel bar or changing styles like outfits.

Our titanium belly bars are made from ASTM F-136 implant grade titanium, ultra smooth and kind to even the most temperamental navels. No redness. No drama. Just good clean sparkle.

Feeling fancy? Our gem set belly bars are fully loaded with clear Grade AAA cubic zirconias for a next level sparkle. And because we actually care about your piercing, every belly bar is internally threaded, so nothing snags, scratches, or ruins your vibe.

Browse the full collection and let your navel do the talking.

Got questions about fit, healing, or style? Chat with our piercing pros. We love it when you talk bling.