Make a Fake Lip Ring

The lip ring is one of the most popular kinds of body decoration, along with tattoos, earrings, and other body piercings. They look cool, but what if you want the look without the hole in your face?

Steps

Wire lip ring

1. Get the wire. Try your local craft store first (think beading stores), as they will likely have the best selection in terms of size and color. Large retail stores such as Walmart will also carry a selection of craft wire.
   • Use wire in the 14-18 gauge range for fake lips rings. 18 gauge wire is thinner than 14 gauge and is easier to work with. It may be too thin for the look you are after, but the thicker the wire the more difficult it is to work with.
   • Packets of craft wire usually include 12 wires or so each about a foot in length.
2. Boil the wire in a kitchen pan. This will make sure you are working with sterile material at the start.
3. Snip off a short length of wire. About two inches should do it. Snip off several pieces of slightly different lengths with the wire cutter. You probably will have to experiment with the length to find the right fit for your mouth. If the length is too short, the ring will be too tight; if it is too long, the ring will be too lose.
4. Smooth out the sharp edges of the wire. The snipped ends will be sharp, and you don’t want them to scratch either the inside or the outside of your mouth. With a piece of 60 grit sandpaper, or coarser, sand away the sharp edges.
5. Bend the snippet of wire into a circle. If the wire is thin and malleable enough, you can bend it around your finger. But for a perfect, continuous curvature, bend it around something harder such as a plastic or metal rod that has the thickness of a finger.
6. Adjust the overall shape. The circular shape can be changed into an oval or some other variation on a circle with standard pliers (or channel locks). Simply place the circular ring in the jaws of the pliers and gently apply pressure.
7. Create the “gap” and the “flat.” After you have bent the wire into a circle, you can work on the two other design features of your fake lip ring, the gap and the flat. The gap is the open area of the ring that allows you to slip it over your lip, and the flat is the area that nobody sees inside your mouth that can come into contact with your lower jaw and/or gum line. If you don’t create the flat, the lip ring will have a bulge that could irritate your gums.
   • To create the gap gently pry open the ring with your finger or the needle-nosed pliers.
   • To create the flat, straighten the wire at one of the ends by flattening it with the needle-nosed pliers. The flat area should be about 1/3 the length of the entire ring.
8. Try on your fake lip ring. After sliding the ring over your lip and into place, squeeze it only enough to keep it from sliding off on its own. You probably will need to make small adjustments to achieve the desired feel and look.
   • Make sure the gap is just big enough. If it is too small, the fit will be too tight and you could end up with a hole on either the front or the inside of your mouth. If the gap is too big, the fit will be too lose.
   • Depending on the fullness of your lips, you might have to adjust the overall shape of the ring. Some people like a tight fit that depresses the flesh of the lip. Other people prefer a looser feel and look.
9. Creatively customize your new lip ring. Although many people will be satisfied with the wire ring only, there are number of creative things you can do to make your ring more interesting and attractive.
   • Use the tiny metal ringlets from broken or obsolete jewelry to spice up your lip ring. Place the ringlets on the wire so they are visible only on the outside part of the ring. They will create a more complicated look, however, you don’t want these tiny bits of metal to end up on the inside of your mouth.
   • Create three or more rings and join them together with craft wire to form a lip ring cluster.
   • Use your lip rings in concert with snake bites or other body decoration around the mouth.
10. Finished.

Earring lip ring

1. Purchase some cheap hanging earrings. Or, use some old ones you have stopped wearing.
2. Remove the little hooks from the earrings. Discard of them. Cut or bend off the pieces you don't need. You can either do this with your hands or using strong scissors or tin snips.
3. Adjust the size. You'll be left with a tiny ring, you can adjust the size if necessary.
4. Try the ring on for size. Adjust while fitted, as needed (look in the mirror to assist you). Also, if you consider that the edges are too sharp you can bend them for a more comfortable fit.
5. Done. This very simple and fast method for creating a lip ring will allow you to wear the lip ring in just a few minutes.

Pipe cleaner lip ring (or earring)

1. Cut a pipe cleaner to whatever length, depending on your lip. Use your best judgement on length.
2. Strip the fur off the pipecleaner.
3. Wrap the fur-cleaned pipe cleaner around your finger (any finger). Don't do it all the way to the edges though––leave a gap.
4. Bend the unbent piece of the wire into a V shape. Then press hard on the V shape until it's flat.
5. Shape the little pipe cleaner so that it fits your lip perfectly and won't fall off. Don't worry if it's too tight. You can still adjust it.
6. All done! Now you can use that for your lip or nose/mouth/eyebrow/etc.

Warnings

• Wear your fake lip ring for two hours maximum the first time you put it on. After this time, carefully examine the areas inside and outside your mouth. If you notice excessive redness or worse, a small abrasion, do not put the ring back on until the blemish clears up.
• If redness or inflammation continues more than one day, make an appointment to see a doctor. You could be allergic to the metal, or the ring could be causing irritation for some other reason. You don’t want to get an infection.
• Don't let any fake lip ring end up in your mouth when you are eating and then choke you when you swallow it or damage your internal organs if it gets down your throat.

Things You'll Need

Method 1:

• Heavy scissors (or wire cutter)
• Standard pliers (or channel locks)
• Needle-nosed pliers
• 60 grit sandpaper or coarser
• Plastic or metal rod for shaping

Method 2:

• Earring (metallic hoop/hanging)
• Strong scissors or tin snips

Related Articles

• Make Fake Lip Piercings
• Make a Fake Lip Ring

Sources and Citations

• Videos provided by Miomio CosWorld

See also

• Make a Fake Belly Button Piercing
• Make a Fake Nose Piercing
• Make a Fake Septum Piercing
• Make a Paperclip Lip Ring
• Fake a Facial Piercing
• Make Fake Lip Piercings
• Make a Fake Lip Ring That Looks Real

What links here

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• Make Your Own Fake Grill
• Make a Fake Septum Piercing