Tattoo Aftercare
Tattoo Aftercare Tips from Trip Ink Tattoo Company
Aftercare for your tattoo is the first step to keeping your tattoo beautiful, because after all… you went through all of that pain to get tattooed, your tattoo deserves to be taken care of right. So here’s some aftercare tips from us to help you out during your tattoo’s healing progression:
- After you leave our tattoo shop, be sure to stop at a store (Walgreens, Walmart, etc…) and pick up these products:
- Unscented soap (Dove unscented is a good one.)
- Ointment (Aquaphour is the best.)
- Unscented moisturizing lotion (Lubriderm or Curel are good picks.)
- These three products should sustain you throughout the three to four weeks of healing your tattoo. Your tattoo artist should have wrapped your tattoo with some kind of a bandage or a clear wrapping of some kind to keep your tattoo from being exposed to air or dirt. You’re gonna wanna keep that bandage on for at least 4 to 5 hours before removing it, but when you do remove it this is what you do first:
- Clean the slime and plasma off of your tattoo under clean warm water, then use the unscented soap and wash your tattoo twice with the soap to clear off all of the sliminess. After you wash it let your tattoo air dry for up to 10 minutes.
- After your tattoo has dried apply an ever so thin layer of the ointment. The reason why it needs to be so thin is because ointments usually contain mineral oil and too much will clog your pores and create “break outs” around or on your tattoo.
- Now those were the first steps. You’re gonna wanna continue those steps every day 2-3 times a day for the first week or two. Always keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight and never submerge your tattoo in any kind of water. Also be careful of friction from your clothes rubbing on your tattoo and always keep your tattoo clean, so keep your soap and your ointment on you just in case.
- During your first week or two you should also be experiencing a sort of “peeling” throughout your tattoo. This is good, because you don’t want your tattoo to scab, but if it does scab don’t worry, just be sure to keep it clean and keep using the ointment until the scab falls off. Now if your tattoo is “peeling” wash your tattoo and keep it clean while its in this healing stage. After your tattoo has stopped “peeling” you go to the last stage of healing your tattoo.
- When you’ve reached the third (sometimes as early as the second) week of healing your tattoo you won’t usually be needing the ointment anymore, but you’ll still be needing to wash your tattoo, but instead of 2-3 times a day you can wash it 1-2 times a day, but always be mindful in keeping it clean no matter what. This will also be when you start using the unscented lotion. The lotion will keep your tattoo smooth and bright throughout the last week or so of healing. Your tattoo may itch like crazy either before or during this period of healing, but that’s normal, just don’t be tempted to itch it! Instead use a cold compress to dumb it if it gets too uncomfortable.
Now after a week or two of using the lotion and keeping it clean your tattoo should be completely healed! In order to always keep your tattoos beautiful keep lotion handy in case if they get dry and crackly, and do not get your tattoos sunburnt! That’s the absolute worst! The sun will destroy your tattoos if you’re not careful. So take care of yourself and your tattoos!
