Green soap is the go-to for most tattoo artists out there as it's a medical-level soap that's fragrance-free and environmentally friendly. This should be applied via a spray bottle and diluted before use. Using a spray bottle will remove the need to directly touch your skin, keeping things more hygienic.
Most tattoo artists use disposable wipes that are specifically designed for use during the tattooing process. These wipes are typically made from soft, absorbent materials like cotton or paper and are pre-moistened with a sterile solution like alcohol or saline.
We use 70% isopropyl alcohol to sterilise the skin before and after your tattoo; the same as that used in hospitals. We use gentle green soap for cleaning the skin before, during and after your tattoo. We do not use vaseline during the tattoo procedure.
You can try using a thin layer of vaseline on the area & using diluted green soap and a paper towel to wipe of excess ink, the vaseline should help avoid the ink pooling on the skin and make wiping excess ink off easier!
Some tattoo artists press too hard with their tools or angle them wrong, and the tattoo ink accidentally goes into the deeper layers of your skin. Because there is more fat in this part of the skin, the ink spreads out too much and looks more smudged. As a result, the ink lines of a tattoo will look blurry.
Paper towels are better than regular towels because there's a smaller risk of infection. Plus, if any of the colored scuds is still on your skin, it won't stain your regular towels. If necessary, you may use clean towels to lightly dab the tattoo dry. Don't wipe or scrub your tattoo—simply pat it.
It is best to wash the tattoo with clean fingers only and not a cloth or towel, which may irritate the skin and prematurely remove any scabs that may have formed. Scabs will often form in the first few days, and ink may still come up through the skin and need to be washed away.
Carefully clean away any blood, plasma, and any added moisture or tattoo ink. The area should remain moist, yet you don't want it overly saturated. Most wipes are more than saturated and will leave the skin moist. You can use the soap and water routine to avoid that.
Use lukewarm water, not hot, and get your tattoo wet using your hands. Gentle rubbing with your fingers is all the abrasion your new ink needs. Pat dry with a paper towel or let air dry to keep things clean.
Gently wash the tattoo with antimicrobial soap and water and be sure to pat dry. Apply a layer of antibacterial/Vaseline ointment twice a day, but don't put on another bandage. Gently wash your tattoo area twice a day with soap and water and gently pat dry before reapplying the antibacterial/Vaseline ointment.
During the Tattooing Process
Tattoo artists use Vaseline when tattooing because the needle and ink are creating a wound. The wound needs something to help heal, and Vaseline can act as a protector for your skin. While it may not prevent scarring and other changes, it can help keep your skin healthy.
It's important to clean off your tattoo and Dr. Bronner's Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Liquid Soap is just the soap for this job! Most tattoo professionals recommend the Unscented variety so that you are not putting any potentially irritating essential oils on your sensitive skin.
Use supplements that help to break down heavy metals to promote expulsion from the body. This includes chlorella, milk thistle, vitamin C and probiotics. Introduce detoxifying treatments, like chelation therapy, activated charcoal treatments and bentonite clay.
Why Vaseline and petroleum-based jelly aren't great for a new tattoo. Petroleum-based products can cause ink to fade and may trap moisture and bacteria on top of the tattoo, increasing your risk of developing an infection. Use water-based moisturizers on new tattoos instead.
Until the surface of the tattoo is healed (at a minimum of two to three weeks), wash the area gently 2-3 times per day. After cleaning the tattoo during this two to three week period, gently apply a thin coat of a lotion-based care product. We recommend After Inked tattoo moisturizer and aftercare lotion.
Alcohol thins your blood, which can make the tattooing process trickier for your artist, and can worsen your healing too. Excess blood while you are being tattooed could mean more ink gets pushed out of your skin, leaving you with a lackluster tattoo.
Be sure to wash off any blood/plasma residue that has surfaced, until the tattoo appears clean and feels smooth, not slimy. We prefer to let it air dry, but if you're in a hurry, you can use a fresh/clean paper towel and gently dab the moisture. Don't use a bath/kitchen towel - they're havens for bacteria.
So what product should you use? You may have heard some rumours that Bepanthen shouldn't be used on new tattoos, but this absolutely isn't the case. Bepanthen is by far one of the most highly recommended tattoo aftercare products and is the go-to ointment for most tattoo artists and studios.
Among all the questions we get about the washing process of a new tattoo, there's one that stands out from the rest: How often should you wash your new tattoo? Generally, it is recommended that you wash your tattoo around 2-3 times a day until it is completely healed, which can take several months.
If you've recently gotten a tattoo, but it appears blurry and smudged during and after the healing process, you may be experiencing tattoo blowout. “A blowout is when a tattoo expands below the skin layer when it hits fat [and] veins or when scarring occurs,” says Crys.
Protecting from infection: During the first few days after getting a tattoo, the skin is more susceptible to infection. Sleeping on freshly tattooed skin can introduce bacteria and other contaminants to the wound, increasing the risk of infection.
If the needle is going too deep into the skin, it can cause more trauma and damage to the skin than necessary, which can lead to more pain and bleeding. Another sign that a tattoo is too deep is excessive scabbing and peeling during the healing process.
A tattoo is an open wound (we've said it before, and we'll say it again!) That means all the cool biological accompaniments to regular wounds will also make an appearance as your sweet new tat heals up—swelling, scabbing, flaking, etc.
Signs of an Overworked Tattoo
A Change in Appearance - If the tattoo looks faded, pale, cloudy, blurry, or heavily distorted, this could be a sign of overworked skin. This may also appear as ink distortion and blurring. During a tattoo, ink needs to be deposited in your dermis so the pigment stays put.