What you will need to help your tattoo heal:

-  Hustle Butter or an unscented lotion to use after day 3 of getting your tattoo. (Pursan Soap and Hustle Butter are both vegan products and are available at Liquid Amber). We also sell Bepanthen for people with super dry skin who have sensitivity to Hustle Butter. (Bepanthen is not vegan and is only sold by recommendation of the artist)

- PurSan: Unscented soap to wash your tattoo for the first 1-3 days (depending on piece).

- Paper Towel: You will need a clean roll of paper towel to dry off your tattoo. Make sure you have a roll at home. (Not available at Liquid Amber)

- REST: Don’t plan to go out right after your tattoo. You have an open wound. Treat it as such. Go home and rest!

When you leave Liquid Amber you will have a bandage on your tattoo. Please note, once bandage is removed after 3-5 hrs of leaving our shop, you MUST NOT re-bandage your tattoo for the duration of the healing process!

Follow these instructions step-by-step if you have a black or blue bandage on:

#1. Remove bandage after 3-5 hours. (Check with artist. Times may vary depending on tattoo.) If it sticks to your skin, wet bandage with warm water to aid in removal.

#2. Wash hands with warm water and soap.

#3. Pump soap in clean hands. Lather. Under warm water, gently clean the tattoo until surface no longer feels slimy.

#4. Dab dry with clean paper towel. (Do not use a towel as they carry bacteria!)

#5. For the first 3 days of healing, remove any moisture/weeping that appears on your tattoo by washing the tattoo as instructed above.  Listen to your body. When unable to wash tattoo, wash hands and dab a piece of clean wet paper towel to remove visible moisture.  Always allow tattoo to dry after washing and before applying unscented moisturizer.

#6. After the 3rd day, your tattoo will most likely start to look flakey and may begin the itching stage.  This is normal and you should continue to moisturize with recommended moisturizer as needed. (2-3 times / day)

-       Avoid getting your new tattoo wet!  Washing it slightly with clean fingertips for the last few seconds of your daily shower is OK if you think the tattoo may be dirty.

-       If scabs form, do your best to keep them on the tattoo as long as possible. Any scabs that fall off prematurely can take part of the ink out. 

 #7. To relieve some of the itching, you can pat lightly or simply apply a small amount of lotion to the tattoo with clean hands.

 

IF YOUR ARTIST HAS USED SANIDERM BANDAGE ON YOU (CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGE):

- Saniderm is a medical grade bandage used in hospitals and is used to help heal wounds.
- Saniderm is a waterproof breathable bandage that you will wear for 2 - 5 days.
- Your tattoo is an open wound for the first 2 - 3 days so the longer you keep the bandage on the better, as it allows your tattoo to breathe and heal under the bandage, and it is easier to take off.
- If your tattoo looks like it is “smearing or melting” or feels “wet” underneath the bandage while wearing the bandage, this is just the ink, plasma, and blood collecting under the bandage and is completely normal.
- This means that you will sleep, shower, and continue your day to day with this bandage on.
- While wearing this bandage, avoid sweating excessively, do not go in hot tubs, saunas, baths, swimming pools, or have any sun exposure to the area.

While wearing this bandage, here is a 5 point check system of things for you to watch out for:

  1. NO OUTS: this means that you need to watch out for any ink, plasma, or blood leaking outside the edges of the bandage. If you notice any of the above, you need to take the bandage off immediately as bacteria will be able to get inside since the bandage adhesive is compromised.

  2. NO INS: this means that you need to watch out for any water getting inside the bandage while in the shower. While showering, do not allow the water pressure directly onto the bandage (or tattoo while healing). If you notice any of the above, you need to take the bandage off immediately as bacteria will be able to get inside since the bandage adhesive is compromised.

  3. NO SUN: this bandage acts like a magnifying glass in the sun and if sun directly contacts the bandage for more than a few seconds, you may experience a sunburn on your healing tattoo. OUCH.

  4. NO ITCHY: this means that you need to watch out for any redness, itchiness, or blisters forming around the edges of the bandage. This just means that your skin is sensitive to the adhesive so you need to remove the bandage immediately. This will be itchy but will not affect your tattoo.

  5. NO LIFTING: this means you need to watch out for the bandage lifting on any of the corners to the point where your tattoo is directly exposed to oxygen while wearing this bandage. If your bandage is lifting and your tattoo is exposed, this means that bacteria can get inside the rest of the bandage and the part of the tattoo that is exposed to direct oxygen will start to heal differently than the part of the tattoo that is under the bandage. If this happens, you need to take the bandage off immediately.

    When taking the bandage off, you must have clean hands and may do so in the shower or in a clean environment. The bandage will be difficult to take off but will not affect your tattoo. You can pull the bandage off slowly or fast, whichever you prefer.

    Once the bandage is off, you must follow our Aftercare instructions as per our Liquid Amber Tattoo Aftercare Video or Aftercare instructions above.

THE QUICK NO-NO's:

No direct sunlight on your tattoo, no swimming, no water activities of any sort, no scratching, no picking, no sun bathing, no re-bandaging (unless directed to do so with Saniderm), no vigorous activity that can rub scabs off or make you sweat heavily, no rolling in sand, dirt or mud! Nothing that could hinder the healing of your new tattoo for a full 2 weeks!

ADDITIONAL HEALING TIPS:

Do not soak/submerge your tattoo in water for the first 2 week! Only allow water on the tattoo for as long as it's needed to wash.

  • Avoid letting your tattoo be in the sun for at least 2 weeks. New tattoos can burn easily. Also, please note, some inks can cause a histamine reaction due to a foreign substance in your skin and you may experience slight irritation on your tattoo months after it's healed. ONCE THE TATTOO IS HEALED: make sure you're wearing sunscreen while in the sun to protect your tattoo from fading!

  • Don’t let any one (including yourself) touch your tattoo with dirty hands for the first 2 weeks.

  • Wear loose clothing to avoid rubbing and irritation of the tattoo until it's healed. (This includes bras in some cases)

  • Small amounts of colour may leak onto clothing or sheets for the first few days. This is normal...but it will stain! We recommend black cotton. 

  • Do not re-bandage!  Air needs to get to your tattoo to heal properly.  If you are working in a dusty environment please wear long sleeves or clothing that loosely covers you new tattoo.  

  • If you are doing any sports regularly, it's best to wait until they are over to get tattooed.  

  • We do not recommend going to bars, gyms or hospitals for the initial stages of healing as these places carry many strains of bacteria.

  • Elevation, nutrition and fluids are essential after a tattoo, so be good to your body. 

  • Be careful not to cross contaminate your lotions and creams! Clean fingers, and never touch ends of the pump on containers.

  • When you are in shower avoid getting soap, hair shampoo, conditioner, hair dye or any other cleaning products on the tattoo other than the Simple Cleanse soap recommended.

DO NOT use any antibiotic ointments, petroleum based products (Vaseline), aloe vera, preparation-h, bees wax, lanolin, citric acid, tea tree oil, canuba or candilla wax, oleic acid, coconut oil, alcohol, lemon grass or old bottles of lotion hanging around your house.  All of these products can hinder in the healing of tattoos for the following reasons: 

  • Petroleum products do not allow the skin to breath properly clogging pores and setting up an environment for bacteria to thrive in.  

  • A lot of these ingredients are stringent and can cause irritation to the skin and overly dry out a tattoo.  Some can cause burning and allergic reactions.  Antibiotic ointments such as bacitracin, Neosporin, and polysporin will heal your tattoo too quickly and can push ink out. If you believe your tattoo may be infected, contact us immediately!

  • Preparation-H has shark liver oil which forms a physical barrier on the skin and provides no benefits such as decreasing swelling or itching of tattoos.

 If an infection does occur: stop all aftercare, call us, and consult a physician.