TATTOO AFTERCARE

 

When I have finished tattooing you I will wrap your tattoo in clingfilm. You should keep this on for 3-4 hours before taking it off with clean hands in a clean environment. Then using warm water, give your tattoo a wash, gently wiping and cleaning off any sweat/excess ink/blood etc. that might be there. You can do this either in the sink or in the shower. You can also use a fragrance free soap if you have some but please don’t use any scented soaps or body washes! 

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Once your tattoo has been cleaned let it air dry or use a clean paper towel to pat it dry. Don’t use a dirty towel or anything like that! Once it’s dry, you can let it breathe till before you go to bed, making sure you're not wearing anything over it or letting it touch stuff. If you're not going to be staying at home though I would wrap it up again to avoid it coming into contact with anything.

 

Before you go to bed wash your tattoo again, let it dry, and wrap it up for overnight. (Do this again as well if you re-wrapped it earlier so it's fresh for bed). For the first night I would recommend wearing clingfilm overnight as your tattoo may still be a bit seeping blood/ink and it protects it from rubbing/getting ink on your bed sheets. In the morning you can remove this clingfilm, wash your tattoo again and start applying your aftercare. You do not need to wrap it up again after this, just make sure if you are wearing clothes over it they are clean and loose fitting.

 

Apply aftercare to your tattoo in the morning and evening for the next 2 weeks/until it's healed. Make sure you are only applying a thin layer of ointment over it, it should not be thick! Whilst it’s important to moisturise/wash your tattoo, it’s also important not to over moisturise/wash. I find doing this twice a day is a good amount. Also when you are showering make sure you give your tattoo a little wash then to!

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For aftercare, I recommend coconut oil, Palmer's cocoa butter, or Hustle butter. Do not use Vaseline/random moisturisers on it.

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​ Generally, I find hand-poke tattoos don’t scab up too much, but you might find a little bit of scabbing over and dryness. Once this has gone that means it is healed. After this it will take a couple of months for it to fully settle into the skin.

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I'd recommend for the first few days not exercising so you can avoid the tattoo getting sweaty/dirty but if you must then wash it straight after.  

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Things not to do whilst your tattoo is healing: 

• Do not submerge your tattoo in water, e.g. having a bath or going swimming (showers are okay)

• Do not pick and scratch it 

• Do not have it out in the sun 

• No fragranced soaps, moisturisers etc. 

• Do not rub your tattoo really hard when you are cleaning and applying aftercare 

• Do not apply your aftercare or wash your tattoo with dirty hands 

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If you have any issues with your tattoo please give me a message on Instagram. If it needs a touch up at all these are free, unless I can tell that you have not followed the aftercare advice I have given! 

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Enjoy your new tattoo and feel free to message me with any questions if they are not answered here!