Did you just get a new tattoo? If yes, congrats! Or maybe you are considering commiting to a lifelong artpiece on your body. I got my first tattoo in January of 2018. Now, months later I have five tattoos and more ideas to add to my collection. After taken care of- and healed five tattoos, I thought I could share some of my tips on making the healing process a bit more fun- everything will, of course, be 100% natural.

Note: I am in no way an expert on tattoos, the healing process, or in any way a tattoo artist. I will only be giving you the tips that I have picked up, and used when healing my own tattoos. As with anything, I always recommend that you try out various methods to find out what works best for you and your tattoos.

Pre-tattoo planing

Vegan ink

Before you get your new tattoo, make sure that the tattoo parlour offers vegan ink. There are various non-vegan ingredients that are often used in the production of the ink itself: Glycerin from animals are often used as a stabilizer and gelatine and bone char can also be found in the ink to increase the pigment of the color.

If the tattoo parlour is uncertain whether their ink is vegan, either try to find another place that knows for certain, or ask them if they use some of these brands: Eternal, StarBrite, SkinCandy, and Stable Color (PETA) which are all vegan and cruelty- free. I got three of my tattoos at a parlour in Stavanger, Norway called Royal Tattoo and have been very pleased with the results. Head over to this website if you do not live in Stavanger to find a vegan tattoo artist near you!

Are you ready for the commitment?

No matter how long you've been thinking about it, or if you have multiple tattoos already. Be honest with yourself and firgure out if you have time the next few weeks to be extra careful, consistent with cleaning and moisturizing.

Stick and poke or machine?

I have personally have three tattoos done with machine, and two that were done stick and poke (proffesionally). All in all I would say that there are pro's and con's to both methods.

Machine: 1. Takes longer to heal as you are creating an open wound. 2. May come off with a stronger pigment, and will for sure last longer. 3. They are significantly more expensive than stick and poke tattoos.

Stick and poke: 1. Heals fairly quickly as you are inserting the ink, instead of creating a wound. 3. The color may fade away quicker. 3. Cheap.

Post-tattoo care

Cleansing

The main thing the tattoo artist will tell you once you have your tattoo, is to cleanse it at least three times a day with a natural, non-perfume soap. When cleansing my tattoos I usually used the vegan and natural bar soaps I already had at home.

Drying the tattoo

Try to stay away from toilet paper and towels for the first three days. This is done to prevent fabric particles from entering the open wound. Instead opt to using kitchen paper towels.

Tattoo ointment

Moisturizing your tattoo is one of the most important things you do to prevent bacteria from entering your wound and to decrease the itchiness of your skin. Cause whatever you do, do NOT pick on the scabs that start to form over the tattoo. If you start picking off the scabs, the pigment of the colour might start of come off. In other words, your tattoo might end up having "bald" spots. Instead of purchasing the expensive and un-natural ointment from the shop (...like I did the first time...), try applying a thin layer of organic coconut oil to moisturize the tattoo! If you don't want to use any oils, try searching for vegan tattoo ointments. After doing some research, these are some of the ones with best reviews online:Merry Hempsters Vegan Hemp Tattoo Balm and Ohana Organics tattoo butter.

Note: Everytime you go swimming or take a shower I would strongly reccomend that you keep giving the tattoo moisture. Regardless whether you’ve had your tattoo for a week or years.

Clothing choices

Wherever you may have placed your new tattoo, make sure that you wear loose fitted clothing whenever possible to keep the fabric from touching your healing tattoo.

All in all, tattoos are great, but they do require some work and cleaning the first few weeks. However, do not let this stop you from adding to- or starting your collection.

Do you have any other tattoo tips or something related you want to share? Be sure to comment, send us a dm or email!

Vegan tattoos and aftercare