Healing Time

The aftercare and healing process should last about two weeks. Healing time may vary depending on the tattoo style and location. Fine line tends to heal quicker while highly saturated tattoos can take longer.

Cleaning

Always start by washing your hands before moving on to cleaning your tattoo.

Use unscented antibacterial bar or liquid soap. Do not apply the soap directly to the tattoo. Lather the soap in your hands, then using your finger tips wash gently for about a minute. Do not scrub with loofas or anything abrasive. Rinse the tattoo in warm to hot water (find a comfortable temperature) and allow it to air dry. Do not dry the area with a towel or washcloth as they can harbor bacteria in the fibers. Repeat cleaning every day, two to three times a day for the remainder of the healing process (typically two to four weeks). If your tattoo comes in contact with bacteria or any other debris simply wash again.

Moisturizing

Your body heals the tattoo not the product.

The lotion/ointment is for keeping your skin from drying out and makes the healing process more comfortable. Apply an unscented lotion/ointment after cleaning. A very thin layer is all you need, your skin shouldn't be shiny. Less is more. Do not over-saturate. If your tattoo stays too moist it can pull the ink out of the skin and prolong the healing process.

Recommended lotions are Cetaphil, Lubriderm and Cerave. If you would like to invest in aftercare products specifically for tattoos, I recommend Hustle Butter or Vitalitree. Both of these are all natural, have vegan options and work great.

You may also use Aquaphor or other petroleum based products such as A&D ointment. This is a more traditional aftercare method. I find A&D and Aquaphor are a bit too thick and is easy to overapply.

DO NOT use anything medicated such a Neosporin, this can cause your skin to reject some of the ink.

Things To Avoid

Submerging your tattoo in water. Swimming, baths, hot tubs, saunas, etc. These WILL make your tattoo fade fast, heal poorly and greatly raises the risk of infection. Showers are fine, try to limit exposure to 10 minutes or less.

The sun. A sunburn will make your tattoo heal poorly. Do not put sunscreen on during the healing process and keep the tattoo out of direct sunlight. After it's healed use sunscreen as the sun will age the tattoo faster because it ages your skin faster. Source - Science.

Unless I tell you otherwise, do not rebandage your tattoo. It doesn't need it and if you don't clean it properly, you run the risk of getting an infection.

Scented Products. These often contain ingredients that may cause skin irritation or aid in developing an allergy.

Infection. If you get an infection seek professional medical help and follow their instruction.

Pet dander/hair. We all love our fur babies, but keep them away from your fresh tattoo. If you share your bedroom with your pets wash/change your bedding to help prevent skin irritation or infection.

DO NOT SCRATCH. Let your scabs do their thing. If your tattoo itches you can gently slap it or scratch around the area.

Tight clothing. Tight clothes add extra friction and can rub off scabs, irritate the skin and in extreme cases cause pressure blowouts.