How can I get rid of a cartilage piercing infection?

I also got my cartilage pierced with a gun. Only I went to Claires. So Im not even going to judge or make any comments about that. Cartilage is just reallly difficult to heal no matter how you get it pierced. It took mine about a year to fully heal up, and even now it still occasionally hurts me. During this time of healing you can get infections super easy, or just irritated. I dont think yours is a full blown infection yet since it isnt oozing. However, Im proud that you are trying to take care of it. What worked with mine was to use the cleaner that they gave me. When mine ran out I just purchased a small container of non iodized sea salt from the grocery store. It was like 4 bucks much cheaper than the piercing places's solution. I put a teaspoon of the salt in a shot gl of hot water. and I dipped a cotton ball into the mixture and held it on my ear. The salt reduced swelling and redness and helped dry up the infection. Dont take it out. Taking it out will just irritate it more, and its unnessacary. Just avoid bumping it around and sleeping on it. And clean it 3 times a day. and youlll be fine. Good luck