TATTOO ARMOUR AFTERCARE

REMOVE 1ST APPLICATION OF NON ADHESIVE BANDAGE after 6-8 hours when you get home to a safe and clean environment. **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 bandage will be filled with blood, ink and plasma. It is totally normal to expel these liquids as we did just cut you open and put ink into your skin. You may even have a cool print of your tattoo inside the padding.

WASH YOUR TATTOO immediately after removing the 1st application of the non adhesive bandage. Please wash the tattoo using a fragrance free, antibacterial soap (Visit suggest aftercare products page) and warm water. Gently lather your tattoo using clean hands only. **DO NOT use a wash cloth or loofah as they will exfoliate your tattoo which will be very sensitive for next 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 during your regular shower routine to make sure it is washed last. 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.

PAT DRY YOUR TATTOO completely by using some clean and dry paper towels. **DO NOT use your bath towel or any fabric towel to dry your tattoo!**(Pieces of the fabric or thread from the towels can stick to your tattoo and get trapped under the next application of the bandage.)

APPLYING TATTOO BALM (Visit suggest aftercare products page) By using a thin layer and making sure to spread the tattoo balm over the entire tattoo, to act as a protective barrier from harmful bacteria. This will also keep your tattoo from sticking to the non adhesive bandage while your blood starts to coagulate. **DO NOT glob on the tattoo balm on your tattoo!** (Less is more when applying tattoo balm, as you can suffocate and damage your tattoo by applying too much.) It’s IMPORTANT that if the amount of tattoo balm you applied sticks to your clothes or if the tattoo balm is shiny and tacky; then you have applied too much! Please grab a piece of clean and dry paper towel and whip the excess balm off your tattoo.

APPLY 2ND APPLICATION OF NON ADHESIVE BANDAGE by carefully placing the non adhesive bandage on top of your tattoo and tattoo balm. It’s IMPORTANT to cover a 1-2 inch boarder around the tattoo to ensure optimal protection. Secure the non adhesive bandage to the tattooed body part using a surgical/medical tape or self adhesive athletic tape. (Visit suggest aftercare products page) You will wear the 2nd application of the non adhesive bandage for another 6-8 hours or over night.

REMOVE 2ND APPLICATION OF NON ADHESIVE BANDAGE after another 6-8 hours, if that end up being in the middle of the night, please just take the non adhesive bandage off when you wake up the next morning. At this point your tattoo should be done expelling any excess blood, ink and plasma. But it’s best to wear clothes you don’t mind getting messing up for the next day or so just incase.

After removing 2nd application of the non adhesive bandage you never cover it again! At this point the best thing for tour tattoo is air.

WASH YOUR TATTOO immediately after removing the 2nd application of the non adhesive bandage. Please wash the tattoo using a fragrance free, antibacterial soap (Visit suggest aftercare products page) and warm water. Gently lather your tattoo using clean hands only. **DO NOT use a wash cloth or loofah as they will exfoliate your tattoo!** (These can also damage the tattoo by remove scab during the next step in the healing process.) It’s IMPORTANT any time you’re washing your tattoo in the shower during your regular shower routine to make sure it is washed last. 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.

WASHING YOUR TATTOO FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE HEALING PROCESS

You will continue to wash your tattoo 2x’s/day, morning and night, until the tattoo is completely healed. It’s IMPORTANT to also wash your tattoo after any time use work out, sweat or bush up against any non sterile objects, as your tattoo will be cross contaminated. Tattoos can take as long as 2-3weeks to heal depending on how detailed your tattoo is. The more detail/larger your tattoo is the more damage is done to your tattoo and the longer it will take to heal. So please make sure to wash your tattoo until the tattoo is completely healed, all scabs/dry skin is flaked off and feel like regular skin again.

APPLYING TATTOO BALM

You will apply thin layers, making sure to spread the tattoo balm over the entire tattoo, 3-5x’s/day until the tattoo is completely healed. (2-3weeks depending on how detailed your tattoo is)  This will act as a protective barrier from harmful bacteria while your tattoo is still in the open wound phase of the healing process. **DO NOT glob on the tattoo balm on your tattoo!**(Less is more when applying the tattoo balm, as you can suffocate and damage your tattoo by applying too much.) It’s IMPORTANT that if the amount of tattoo balm you applied sticks to your clothes or if its tattoo balm is shiny and tacky; then you have applied too much! Please grab a piece of clean and dry paper towel and whip the excess balm off your tattoo.

THE SCABBING PROCESS will happen around day 5 or 6 of the healing process and new skin will start to form over your tattoo. This is completely normal and happens with every tattoo. It is your body’s way of locking the tattoo into your skin while it’s recreating the layer of skin we tore through during your tattoo session. You will know the scabbing process has started when you see dry, light, flaky skin form-very similar to a sun burn. **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 you to need a touch up.) It’s IMPORTANT that if the tattoo feels itchy or dry please apply another thin layer of the tattoo balm.

WHILE HEALING YOUR TATTOO

Doing any of the following while during the healing process of your tattoo will damage your tattoo and most importantly can lead to infection!

**DO NOT submerge your tattoo!**

This included swimming in bodies of water (pools, oceans, lakes, bathtubs, hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas etc), manicures/pedicures, or washing dishes, pets or children. Showering regularly is just fine because the water runs down your body and  you are not soaking the tattoo. Many of these bodies of water contain harsh chemicals and some have heavy amounts of pollution in them which you do not want in a fresh open wound, that is your tattoo.

**DO NOT do any form of suntanning!**

This includes all forms of sun tanning (natural sunlight exposure, artificial UV tanning beds, bronzing lotions, spray tans, tanning drops or mitt tanning) Sun tan lotion is not an exception to this rule! They contain harsh chemicals which you do not want in a fresh open wound, that is your tattoo. It’s IMPORTANT you do not to use sun tan lotion until your tattoo is completely healed.