How to Care

For Your Tattoo

Firstly, Which Method Are You Healing With?

  • 1: Leave bandage on for 2-4 hours
    2: wash hands, remove bandage
    3: use mild soap, lukewarm water and finger tipsonly to wash tattoo
    4: pat tattoo dry with clean paper towel
    5:air dry for 10-15 minutes
    6: apply small amount of moisturizer
    7: repeat all steps at least 2-3 times a day for two weeks

  • Second Skin;
    1:     initial bandage stays on for at most 24 hours
    2: wash hands, take bandage off in shower, pulling in direction of hair growth
    3: wash tattoo with mild mannered soap, lukewarm water, finger tips only. Rinse well
    4: pat dry with clean paper towel and air dry for 10-15 minutes
    5: apply second piece of second skin
    6: leave bandage on for 6 days
    7: repeat steps 2-4
    8: apply a small amount of moisturizer to tattoo
    9: wash hands, wash tattoo, and apply moisturizer at least once a day for the next week.

    Note;
    •second skin does not like soap residue, make sure to rinse your tattoo really well!

Now Onto What You Need;

  • It is important that you use a mild, gentle, unscented soap. Nothing that has perfumes, exfoliants, or abrasives. These ingredients will cause your tattoo to become very irritated, or have an increased risk of causing a histamine reaction.

    Here are a few we recommend;
    -clear, unscented soft soap
    -dial gold
    -blue dawn

    note; we do not recommend dove soap for healing tattoos. people have reported having an adverse reaction.

  • It is important to have a product that you can use to moisturize your fresh tattoo. Keep in mind, you want a product that has little to no fragrance, as well as no petroleum (A.K.A. Petrolatum).

    Here are our recommendations;
    -Hustle Butter ; vegan, all-natural, smells like mangos
    -Gentle Lotions ; Cetaphil, CeraVe, Lubriderm, Unscented Aveeno
    -Inkeeze (Black, Pink, Vegan, Hi-Definition Balm + Lotion) ; natural, vegan, little-to-no-fragrance (does smell good though)

    Note; Avoid products outside of this list. We cannot attest to their quality

  • Your Favorite Moisturizer
    -Once your tattoo is fully healed, you will want to make sure that you are taking proper care of your skin! Happy skin = happy tattoo.

    Most Importantly; Sunscreen
    -The sun can heavily damage tattoos. Especially when they are healing, but even after they are fully healed the sun can cause damage. Over time, the sun breaks down the ink molecules in your tattoo, causing that well-known fading. Sometimes it can even shift colors into completely different ones. Yikes! We all want to show our tattoos off, so having clothing over it all the time is a bummer (although still recommended.)
    The best way to protect your art is to put sunscreen on your tattoo anytime you will be spending a lot of time outside. Lots, and lots of it!

    We recommend a high SPF, reef safe sunscreen.

    ONLY USE SUNSCREEN ON A FULLY HEALED TATTOO

    Pro Tip; get a couple travel sized bottles of sunscreen and put them in things you take with you everywhere (bag/purse/car), and place some in places you frequent (work, friends/family houses, home)

  • •Your tattoo will peel during your healing process. This is normal. The top layer of skin gets damaged during the tattoo process, and this is your bodies way of healing. Unfortunately, it’s also so very, very, itchy. DO NOT pick, peel, or scratch at your tattoo.

    •Scabbing is a normal occurrence and can be caused by a few things. 1) an excess of plasma building on the surface of your tattoo 2) the area got overworked 3) the tattoo is tooooo dry. Fear not! It is not the end of the world. Simply wash 1-2 times more often throughout your day until the scabs fall off of their own. DO NOT pick at the scabs. If a touch-up is needed, feel free to contact us.

    •If you pick, peel, or scratch at your tattoo it will lead to pigment loss and scarring.

    Pro Tip; if your tattoo is super itchy, try giving it some taps with your fingers. make sure to wash your hands first!

    Second Skin Note; the use of second skin can surpass the peeling, itchy, scabby stage!

  • A fresh tattoo is delicate, and exposing it to sunlight for prolonged periods of time can cause some damage. You put yourself at risk of sunburns, sun blisters, infection, poor healing, or an infection of your tattoo. Make sure to keep a piece of light, loose fitting clothing over your tattoo while you will be outside!

    This means no tanning, sunbathing, and no spray tans.

  • Water. Is. Nasty. It can harbor all kinds of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that would love an opportunity to get into a wound and start chaos (aka infection.) Your fresh tattoo is an open wound, and it needs to be treated as such.
    Do not soak or swim in any kind of water, or participate in water based activities. This includes, but is not limited too; pools, lakes, oceans, rivers, streams, hot tubs, bathtubs, saunas, steam rooms. Pretty much anything outside of showering, or washing your tattoo. Don’t do it. Sadly, you cannot sit in the hot tub and hold your tattoo out either. That is a no go. Still at risk of infection!

  • Our furry friends are wonderful companions, but keep in mind that they are creatures… with habits… that can be…… gross. They are lucky they are cute. Make sure that you keep your furry friends off of your fresh tattoo. Don’t let them lick, lay on, cuddle with, scratch at, or interact with your tattoo. It is recommended to change your sheets out for clean ones as well. Pet hair, dander, and saliva can cause irritations, and worst case infections, in tattoos.

  • We all want to get those gains, but I bet you have noticed how the wipe down policies at gyms can be pretty laid back. Gym equipment can harbor microorganisms that cause infections. Wait until your tattoo is healed before repping your next set.

    Intensive exercise can also cause damage to tattoos. Not saying you have to be a couch potato for 2-3 weeks, but it is in best practices to lay off extreme exercises to avoid severely irritating your fresh tattoo.

    Lastly, activities that cause heavy sweating can introduce infection causing microorganisms into your new tattoo.

    Wait until your tattoo is healed until working out!

  • If you shave over a fresh tattoo you will injure it, causing unnecessary trauma, and poor healing.
    Laser and chemical hair removal treatments need to be avoided in the tattoo area until it is fully healed to ensure no further damage is done to your skin.

Things to Know & What to Avoid

FAQs

  • On average it can take a tattoo 2-3 weeks to fully heal. If you have aging/thin skin, or a medical condition, the timeline for healing will be longer. Sometimes 2-3x longer.

  • It depends. If you have sensitive skin, or allergies to adhesives/medical tapes, it is not a good option. Second skin bandages can cause allergy flair ups.

  • Nope! Waterproof bandages will not protect your tattoo from infection. You still cannot soak or swim.

  • The sad reality of second skin bandages is that they aren’t for everything, or everyone. Our artists have no way of knowing if your skin will, or won’t, like using the second skin bandages. When you see these symptoms, is it because your skin does not like the bandage, at all. Remove your second skin and follow traditional healing instructions.

  • Apples to Oranges! One method works for some, while the other works for the rest. We offer both so we are able to accommodate client preferences on healing. Feel free to ask your artist what you think would work better for you.

  • Traditional healing is basically air drying. You are allowing your body to go through its natural stages of recovery, and assisting it by cleaning and moisturizing.

    Using second skin traps your body’s natural healing fluids under the bandage to promote faster healing, while also protecting your tattoo from outside elements.

    Both are valid forms of healing! <3