“OLD SCHOOL”/NON LATEX AFTERCARE
REMOVE SARAN WRAP after 1 hour or when you get home to a safe and clean environment. Please DO NOT clean your tattoo in a gas station or restaurant bathroom! We suggest cleaning your tattoo in the shower or over a clean sink because your Saran Wrap will be filled with blood, ink and plasma.
WASH YOUR TATTOO immediately after removing your Saran Wrap. To wash the tattoo use a fragrance free, antibacterial soap and warm water gently lather your tattoo using clean hands only. You will continue to wash your tattoo 2x’s/day, morning and night, until the tattoo in completely healed. Tattoos can take also long as 2-3weeks to heal depending on how detailed your tattoo is.
DO NOT use a wash cloth or loofah as they will exfoliate your tattoo that will be very sensitive tattoo for 24-48 hours. These can also damage the tattoo by remove scab during the later stages of the healing process. It’s IMPORTANT any time you’re washing your tattoo in the shower make sure it is washed last in your shower routine. This is to ensure your tattoo will be completely clean of any facial, body or hair products that have come into contact with it during your shower.
AFTER WASHING THE TATTOO with a clean and dry paper towel pat the tattoo completely dry. Then you will apply a very thin layer of healing ointment, to act as a protective barrier from bacteria. You will continue to apply the healing ointment 3-5x’s/day, through out the day, for the first 4 days of the healing process.
DO NOT glob on the ointment on your tatt! Less is more, as you can suffocate and damage your tattoo by applying too much healing ointment. An IMPORTANT tip is if your can the ointment sticks to your clothes or you can see the shine or gloss of the ointment then you have applied too much. Please grab a clean and dry paper towel and whip the excess ointment off the tattoo.
ON 5TH DAY of the healing process you will STOP applying the healing ointment and switch to any white, unscented hand lotion. You will continue to apply the healing ointment 3-5x’s/day, through out the day, until, for the rest of the healing process. At this time you will start the scabbing process.
THE SCABBING PROCESS will happen around day 5-6 of the healing process and new skin will start to form over your tattoo. This is complete normal and happens with every tattoo. You will see dry, light, flaky skin form similar to a sun burn. Please DO NOT pick or scratch at the tattoo during this time! This can damage your tattoo by removing ink from your skin, which is painful, and will cause your to need a touch up. If the tattoo feels itchy or dry we suggest applying more lotion.
WHILE HEALING YOUR TATTOO
Doing any of the following while healing will damage your tattoo can lead to infections!
DO NOT sumbmerge your tattoo. This included swimming in pool or, sitting in hot tubs or baths, washing dishes etc. Showering is just fine because you are not soaking the tattoo.
DO NOT do any form of suntanning. This includes natural sun tanning, bed tanning. Bronzing or mit tanning. Sun tan lotion is not an exception to this rule! It’s IMPORTANT not to use sun tan lotion until your tattoo is completely healed as it’s full of chemicals.
AFTER CARE PRODUCT SUGGESTIONS
All after care products must be unscented because the fragrances may cause irration to the tattoo, especially if you have sensitive skin. And most of these product you can pick up at your local grocery store or pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid etc.)
ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS
Please use liquid soap only. Bars of soap can very easily breed and pick up bacteria.
- Dial Gold Antibacterial Soap
- Dove Antibacterial Soap
HEALING OINTMENTS
- Aquaphor
- Hustle Butter Tattoo Aftercare Balm
- Miss Pilsbury’s Tattoo Aftercare Balm
WHITE UNSCENTED LOTIONS
DO NOT use Vaseline/petroleum based lotions as they don’t allow your tattoo to breathe.
- Lubriderm: Daily Moisture Lotion Fragrance-Free
- Cetaphil: Mosturizing Lotion
- Cerave: Daily Mosturizing Lotion
- Hustle Butter Tattoo Aftercare Balm
- Miss Pilsbury’s Tattoo Aftercare Balm