Tattoo Aftercare

Everything you need to know from leaving the shop, to having a beautifully healed tattoo.

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Tattoos are the responsibility of both the artist & the client. It’s a team-effort! After you leave the salon, it’s very important that you keep up with your artist-given aftercare to ensure that your tattoo heals looking its best.

What you’ll need:

Antibacterial, Non-Scented Liquid Soap

Non-Scented Balm/Lotion

Product Recommendations:

Soap: Antibacterial Tattoo Wash

• Soap must be both antibacterial & non-scented to avoid irritation and combat bacteria.

• Liquid soap is preferred as it remains more sanitary throughout continued use.

Moisturizer: Tattoo Balm & Tattoo Cream

• Moisturizers (both balm & cream) should be non-scented to avoid irritation.

• Moisturizers used for tattoo healing should not contain a large amount of petroleum as it isn’t breathable and can trap bacteria.

• It is recommended to use clean hands or clean, disposable popsicle sticks to get the moisturizer out of the container if not using a pump/squeeze bottle as it remains more sanitary throughout continued use.

Please consult your artist before using non-recommended products.

Leaving the Shop

Depending on certain factors, you’ll leave the shop with your tattoo covered. It will be covered with either normal cling wrap or a version of “second skin”, which is a medical-grade adhesive breathable bandage.

Your artist should tell you how long to keep your covering on for. When that time is up, you can remove it & discard of it. Do not re-wrap or re-cover your tattoo unless specifically told to do so. Let it breathe!

Wash.

First things first, wash your hands ya filthy animal!

When you remove the wrap, with clean hands, you’ll now wash your tattoo with non-scented, antibacterial soap. Lightly wash the area with your clean hands; don’t use a washcloth, sponge, or anything similar.

Then, rinse your tattoo under running water (never submerge a healing tattoo under standing/still water; this means no baths - but please still shower!)

Dry.

Now, you have two options for drying your tattoo. Air drying (which is my personal favorite), or with a clean, disposable paper towel (please note that a regular towel is not one of these options).

If you decide to dry your new tattoo with a paper towel, don’t rub it! Lightly pat dry & discard of the paper towel.

Moisturize.

Here comes moisturizer; non-scented lotion will be your friend, especially during the itchy-stage. Never scratch your tattoo. Lightly patting it (with clean hands), or applying (just a little bit) of lotion should help.

The amount of lotion will depend on the size of your tattoo, but you don’t want to go overboard; just enough to cover the tattoo itself.

My rule of thumb is, if it sits on top of the skin, it’s too much; you want it to absorb into the skin. It’s better to use not enough moisturizer than it is to overuse it.

Dry-healing is also an option, to which you’ll continue to cleanse and dry the tattoo, but skip the step of moisturizing. This will be extra itchy and extra tempting to scratch/pick at it, so if you prefer to go this route, be mindful of this.

Repeat.

Wash, rinse & repeat all of these steps about twice a day for at least two weeks & you’ll be golden! Don’t forget to drink your water.

It may sound like a lot and can be overwhelming at first, but trust me when I say that you’ll thank me later. Personally, I prefer to keep aftercare routines basic (cleanser + moisturizer) as your body knows what it’s doing and will do most of the work for you (you don’t need all of that extra fancy stuff), but it just needs a helping hand to keep it clean.

If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding your tattoo, please contact your artist. We’re here to help you!