Congratulations on your new tattoo. The actual procedure may be over, but there are still steps that must be taken to ensure that it heals well and looks the best that it can. For aftercare products, we recommend Hustle Butter Luxury Aftercare, available for sale at our shop. As an alternative to Hustle Butter, we recommend using Aquaphor healing ointment, which can be found at many local stores such as CVS, Walgreens, etc.

1) When the tattoo is complete, your artist will bandage it. Leave the bandage on for approximately 2 hours, but definitely no longer than 5 hours. It is important to leave the fresh tattoo covered as it is a rather large open wound at this point and needs to be protected from the sun and dirty environments.

2) When you remove your bandage you will want to wash your tattoo. Use a mild antibacterial, liquid hand soap. If possible, try to find something fragrance free, as heavy scents can sometimes irritate the skin. Squirt soap into the palm of your hand and gently wash the tattoo with your hand and fingers. Do not use loofahs, washcloths, or anything other than your hands to wash the tattoo. Do not scrub the tattoo, just gently wash off the blood, plasma and ink that may be on the surface of the skin. When the tattoo is clean, gently rinse with warm water. After the tattoo has been cleaned and rinsed, GENTLY pat dry with a clean paper towel. Do not use bath towels or anything other than a clean paper towel to dry the tattoo.

3) After the tattoo is completely dry, gently massage your after care product (Hustle Butter or Aquaphor) over the surface of the tattoo. After the tattoo is lightly coated, take a fresh paper towel and blot off the excess ointment by gently pressing the paper towel onto the tattoo and holding it for a few seconds. The desired result should be that the ointment is no longer visible on the surface of the skin and the tattoo should appear smooth, shiny and hydrated. Leaving the excess ointment on the surface of the skin can smother and irritate the tattoo. It is also important to make sure the tattoo is completely dry before applying the ointment as any water that is trapped under the ointment can result in the tattoo becoming water logged, causing further complications.

4) You do not need to wash your tattoo before every time you moisturize it, but you do however need to wash your hands! You do not ever want to touch a tattoo that is not healed with dirty hands as it is an open wound which is susceptible to infection and bacteria like any other cut or scrape. If you are using Hustle Butter, apply it to your tattoo at least twice a day until your tattoo is healed. If you are using Aquaphor apply it twice a day for 3-5 days or more if the skin feels tight, dry or itchy. After the first 3-5 days your tattoo will start to peel. At that point you can start using an unscented lotion to moisturize any remaining dryness. You can continue using Hustle Butter for the entire healing process; you only need to switch over to lotion if you started with Aquaphor.

5) For the first 2-3 nights before going to bed, after washing and moisturizing your tattoo, you may want to wrap plastic wrap over it and tape it so that it will stay while you sleep. When you wake up, remove the wrap and thoroughly wash it and moisturize it as instructed above.

6) For the first few days you will want to wash the tattoo a little more as you will notice it will be oozing fluid and you will want to keep it clean and free of any ooze that will dry and form crust. Again, do not scrub at this gunk, but gently wash and pat dry with a clean paper towel. After those first few days, you will want to back off to only washing it 1-2 times a day (or depending on your lifestyle, whenever the tattoo might be in contact with dirt, sweat or bacteria). You will notice this is important after a few days when your tattoo begins to dry out. Excessive washing will only dry it out further and can be detrimental to the healing process.

7) Showering with your new tattoo is fine, although you will probably not want the shower head pounding on your fresh tattoo. You do not, however, want to submerge or soak your tattoo in any water at any time during the healing process. This means no swimming, taking a bath, or using a hot tub.

8) Do not tan or expose your new tattoo to direct sunlight while it is healing. Anytime your tattoo is exposed to sunlight, after healing is complete, make sure to use a high SPF sunblock to minimize fading. Sun and tanning bed exposure will fade the tattoo ink regardless of how long it has been healed!

9) Be hygienic! As mentioned before, your tattoo is an open wound, so keep it clean. Your dog licks its butt, so you do not want it licking your tattoo!

10) Do not pick or scratch at your healing tattoo. Moisturize and wash your tattoo as normal and let any flakes or scabs come off on their own. Flaking and peeling is what tattoos do when they heal. Let this process happen. If you pick or peel scabs prematurely you will take color our with them.

11) Make sure not to wear any clothing that will be too tight or too abrasive on your healing tattoo. Use your best judgement when it comes to activities and clothing while your tattoo is healing. We wish to strongly reiterate your new tattoo is an open wound, and needs to be treated as one! Engaging in actions such as swimming, tanning, removing the bandage early and general disregard for it, is just asking for trouble. If you are careless, you may be surprised how easily it can get infected or scab up and lose color. Give your tattoo the time and attention it needs to properly heal. It’s going to be on you for the rest of your life, and it only takes a week or two of your attention to ensure it looks good forever.

12) If you experience excessive redness, pain, rash, puss, or oozing, contact your artist immediately. You may be instructed to call a physician for further instructions.