While most tattoo artists will agree that for the first three days after getting new ink, you should use A&D Ointment to protect your new tattoo, there is much less agreement on which healing product to use for the next three weeks. . We know you should gently cleanse inked skin with a mild, fragrance-free soap and warm water. But what should you apply to clean skin to protect your new ink and promote the healing process? With so many tattoo lotions on the market, it can be difficult to decide or even differentiate between them. However, there are ingredients contained in many common lotions that can damage your tattoo, while other ingredients should be considered necessary components of any good lotion. We will first go through the ingredients that shouldn’t be in your lotion and then the ingredients that should definitely be in your lotion.

The risk of damaging a new tattoo is great: it can become infected or the ink can be scratched or faded. You spent time, care and a lot of money developing your body art, don’t you want to protect it? However, many tattoo lotions contain ingredients such as petroleum jelly, a waxy substance that coats the skin so thickly that it prevents it from breathing, and it is oxygen that the skin needs to heal. Some lotions contain parabens, which are associated with skin cancer. Lastly, others contain alcohol, which irritates your skin and dries it exactly when you need to keep it moist. These are ingredients that you need to make sure are not in any lotions that you apply to tattooed skin.

On the contrary, there are many ingredients that are excellent for a healing tattoo and should be included in any effective tattoo lotion. One is tea tree oil, which promotes healing and will help inked skin heal faster. Another is witch hazel, which reduces inflammation and itching. Witch hazel will provide immense relief during the most itchy periods of your tattoo healing process. Another essential ingredient is zinc oxide, a healthy sunscreen that protects against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays that can be particularly damaging to a tattoo’s healing. Vitamins A and E are also important in such a lotion, as they hydrate and nourish the skin, and the vegetable glycerin also helps the skin retain moisture. All of these ingredients are crucial in helping to heal a tattoo and should be present in any lotion you buy.

The potentially negative effects on a bad tattoo lotion ink are too many to risk. The last thing you want after investing your time, heart, and wallet in a new tattoo is to have it remade, covered, or removed because it was improperly healed. It is worth investing in a good lotion that contains healthy ingredients that promote healing and contains no potentially dangerous ingredients. These lotions don’t have to be expensive; in fact, some are even less expensive than the most harmful! Don’t settle, make sure you and your ink get only the best.