Circular Barbells | Body Jewellery | Circular Barbell Piercing UK

The circular barbell is sometimes known as horseshoe piercing due to the shape. This barbell is round like a piece of ring jewellery but is not a complete circle, hence the horseshoe name. Each end of the bar has a threaded ball attached to it, in exactly the same way as a straight or curved barbell.

Used for a range of piercings around the body, if you are one of those people who just loves to get new piercings, you’re bound to need a circular barbell for some of your piercings. The circular barbell can be worn in various ear, lip, nose, and surface piercings.

Generally, circular barbell earrings can be worn in any ear piercing that fits a ring or curved barbell. This gives you plenty of opportunities to customise your ear piercing on the rim of your ear, inner ear piercings such as rook and daith, or even your lobe. Make sure to check which size you need so that the circular barbell fits snugly around your ear without being too tight. This is very important because a tragus circular barbell will need to be much smaller than a conch circular barbell, for example. If you are unsure about circular barbell sizes then you can always consult one of our piercers for advice.

When it comes to lip piercings most of the ‘Bites’ piercings can be worn with horseshoe body jewellery. These types of lip piercings are generally placed under or above the lips, in a variety of locations and combinations. If you have something like canine bites you may even want to mix and match by wearing circular barbells in the bottom lip and labrets in the top lip.

Circular barbells are very popular for septum piercings. They are different from septum rings or septum clickers and are one of the most commonly used forms of jewellery for this piercing. The benefit of wearing septum horseshoe rings in your septum piercing is that if you want to instantly hide your piercing you can simply flip the barbell so it curves upwards into the nose. Make sure to only do this once your piercing is fully healed. This bonus feature is a great way to preserve your piercing while covering it up, without needing to use retainer jewellery. It means your septum piercing can fit in with your lifestyle with considerations such as workplace regulations.

The smiley piercing is a perfect piercing for a circular barbell. The idea of the smiley piercing is that the piercing is only revealed when you smile. While other factors come into play such as the size of your lips, choosing the right circular barbell for you can help you to fully appreciate this fun body mod.

Circular barbells are suitable for a range of intimate piercings including nipple, female genital, and male genital. An important factor in choosing jewellery for these kinds of piercings is comfort so make sure you consider size and material as well as enjoying picking out a design.

While belly bars are the most popular form of piercing jewellery for navel piercings, you can wear a circular barbell. The circular barbell piercing will sit differently to a curved barbell or navel bar but can be visually stunning, especially if you aim to show off your navel piercing. The circular barbell may stick out further than a curved barbell so take care when choosing your clothing as it is more likely to catch. The circular barbell should definitely only be worn in healed belly button piercings but can be the perfect way to add some individuality to this fairly common piercing.

Circular Barbell Jewellery

Once your piercing has healed you can switch your piercing jewellery to a different colour or design. At Blue Banana, we stock a range of colours and materials so you can find the perfect match:

Rainbow Circular Barbell
Gold Circular Barbell
Silver Circular Barbell
Titanium Circular Barbell: Available in a range of colours

The great thing about circular barbells is that you can replace the balls on each end with an add on of your choice, letting you personalise your piercings. This means that if you don’t want to keep changing the bar but love to regularly switch up your look you can simply unscrew the balls on the end and add on your new accessory.

Make sure you know which way your circular barbell is threaded. For example, an internally threaded circular barbell means that the threaded hole is on the bar and the ball screws into it whereas an externally threaded barbell is the other way around. The most common type for circular barbells is externally threaded but make sure to check your piercing bar before purchasing an add on so you can be sure to choose the correct threading.

Whether you want to wear your circular barbell as a septum horseshoe or to customise your circular barbell helix piercing, this handy piercing jewellery can certainly give a quirky and alternative look to your piercings. The bar can be customised with add ons such as cone shapes, dice, or jewelled balls so there are plenty of ways to express your individuality through your piercings.

Picking Out Circular Barbells

It is important to choose the right size and material for your piercing jewellery as your body may react differently to different materials. Getting the right size of circular barbell is important for the health of your piercing.

Size: Circular Barbells are measured by the internal diameter of the circle (in the same way as other ring jewellery such as BCRs is measured) and gauge. The first number is the gauge (displayed in mm) and the second is the diameter e.g. 1.2 x 10mm.
Material: Choosing a high quality material such as titanium will provide you with a hypoallergenic material that is perfect for everyday use. Surgical steel is also a good choice for healed piercings as it is durable.

Inserting/Removing Circular Barbells

Before handling your piercing, always make sure to wash your hands with antibacterial soap.

Changing a circular barbell is a simple process that can be done at home but if you would like help, especially the first time, then it is best to visit a piercer.

It is important to be patient and not attempt to change your piercing jewellery before the wound is fully healed as this can cause complications. However, once it has healed you can start exploring your options. Some piercings will initially use other types of jewellery but can be changed to a circular barbell once healed.

To remove your circular barbell, simply unscrew the ball on the end of the bar. You will then be able to remove the bar from your piercing and replace it with a new one. Gently move the ring through your piercing until you reach the end of the bar. If you find it hard to remove the ball then jewellery pliers can help.

When inserting your new circular barbell make sure to push the bar gently through the piercing hole and keep going until it is in a suitable position. Always make sure to screw the ball tightly on the end.

Where can you use circular barbells?

Circular barbells are an incredibly versatile type of piercing jewellery that can be used in many different types of piercing. They are similar to ring jewellery such as a BCR but the hoop is not complete. This is why circular barbells are sometimes called horseshoe piercings. You can wear a circular barbell in:

Anti Tragus
Auricle
Conch
Daith
Lobe
Helix
Orbital
Pinna
Rook
Snug
Triple Helix
Tragus
Eyebrow
Canine Bites
Cyber Bites
Labret
Medusa
Shark Bites
Snake Bites
Spider Bites
Viper Bites
Smiley
Nostril
Septum
Navel
Nipple
Female Genital
Male Genital

Other Guides & Ranges

Please Note: Blue Banana piercing information is based on knowledge from our experiences as one of the UK's top piercing studios. All details provided should be read alongside professional advice. Please see our full Piercing Articles Disclaimer, here.