OINTMENT AFTERCARE

I chose not to wrap your tattoo with the adhesive wrap (not to be confused with the plastic wrap your tattoo will be covered in) for one of several reasons, be it your skin sensitivity or the size of the tattoo you received. Regardless, don’t worry, your tattoo can heal just as perfect as one that received the bandage.  Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, as your tattoo is more exposed and therefore more susceptible to damage.

  • Once home, remove the plastic wrap from your arm carefully. 

    • There may be some blood and/or fluid built up along your tattoo and on the wrap.  Don’t worry, this is completely normal.

  • Wash your tattoo with warm water.

    • DO NOT DO THIS IN THE SHOWER. We’ll get to how to wash your tattoo in the shower but it has been too soon from your tattoo appointment to wash it in the shower just yet

    • DO NOT SOAK YOUR TATTOO

    • Set up some towels on the edge of your sink to avoid getting water everywhere.  Gather water with your hands and let it run onto the tattoo lightly. Once you get the tattoo wet, feel free to use a little more pressure to get any excess fluid and blood off of your tattoo.  

    • Lather your soap (H2Ocean tattoo soap is recommended) in your hands and gently apply it to the tattoo and then remove it with water.

    • Let your tattoo air dry for 20 minutes.

  • Put a small amount of Hustle Butter on your tattoo

    • Use pea-sized amounts until your tattoo is covered.

    • DO NOT LEAVE EXCESS OINTMENT ON YOUR TATTOO

    • Rub the Hustle Butter in until your entire tattoo has a slight gloss to it.  Your arm should not feel thick with ointment. To make sure you didn’t use to much, use one clean finger and apply pressure on the bottom of the tattoo and slide it all the way up the tattoo.  If there is excess ointment on your finger, discard it (Don’t put it back into the container!) and continue to do the same for the entire surface of your tattoo.

    • If small debris gets stuck in the ointment, lightly rub it out but if you can’t get it the first 3 tries, leave it alone and wait to wash it off during your routine.

  • Continue the Hustlr Butter application every 6-8 hours (3x per day) for the next 10-14 Days.

    • The best routine that I’ve used is the following

-Wake up and immediately clean your tattoo with the cleaning instructions listed above.

-Air dry and apply Hustle Butter during your morning routine.

-Shortly after lunch time, wash off your arm again, air dry, and apply Hustle Butter

-An hour before bed, wash off your arm, air dry, and apply Hustle Butter

    • Showering:

-DO NOT SOAK YOUR ARM OR LET WATER HIT IT FOR EXTENDED LENGTHS OF TIME

-It is okay if your tattoo gets wet

-Make sure your bring your designated soap and wash it in the same manner you would outside of the shower.

-Do not use your towel to dry off your tattoo.  Slightly pat drying it is acceptable but do not be rough.

  • Your tattoo will scab around the 3-5 day mark, this is normal

    • Do not pick at your scabs. They will fall off by themselves.  Be sure to moisturize with ointment to prevent it from getting really dry, but do not use so much that the scabs become soft and soggy.

    • Your tattoo may become itchy, sometimes REALLY itchy.  DO NOT SCRATCH YOUR TATTOO. If the itching becomes unbearable, feel free to lightly slap the part that is itchy.  This may relieve some of the uncomfortableness of the tattoo healing.

  • If you plan on going out into the sun, wear clothing that conceals the tattoo for the duration of your tattoo’s healing process.

  • If you have work or other engagements in which your tattoo may be exposed to damage, wear clothing that conceals the tattoo.

  • your tattoo may look shiny or faded for a few days after the healing process is complete. This is normal. Give it a Little while to settle in and it’ll look great!

Things to avoid

Your body is trying to heal the tattoo, however some things can interfere with this process. Because of this, there are some things that I ask you refrain from doing during the tattoo healing process, such as;

  • Swimming (Do not soak your tattoo)

  • Going to the gym (no excess sweat; a light gym day will be okay, but don’t work out arms if you just got an arm tattoo; avoid the sauna/steam room)

  • Going to the beach (same as swimming; excess sun is damaging to tattoos)

  • MMA (or any sort of physical activity that can be rough on the tattooed area)

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • DO NOT PICK AT YOUR TATTOO

  • DO NOT USE PRODUCTS OTHER THAN THE ONES I’VE LISTED

    • I understand that different artists have different instructions for taking care of their tattoo.  Likewise, I have my own instructions that I’ve tested and decided was best for the tattoos that I have done.  In the most sincere way possible, I don’t care if your other artist, friend, or relative that has tattoos has their own method of healing, please use my instructions for my tattoos and I guarantee your art will stay looking like it did when it left the studio. If you have any questions about a product you’d like to use instead of the ones I listed, feel free to message me so I can let you know if It’s okay to use.

  • ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR TATTOOS DUE TO NEGLECT OF MY INSTRUCTIONS IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY

    • Seriously.  I can tell if a tattoo has been damaged because of neglect, or because of something else.  Any tattoo that has been damaged due to neglect will be able to be touched up, however it will not be at half rate, but rather at full rate.  This includes things like taking off the wrap early without messaging me first. We both want you to have a great looking tattoo, however the tattoo is the clients responsibility once it leaves the shop and I expect you to take care of your art.

  • TOUCH UPS NOT CAUSED BY NEGLECT ARE HALF OF CURRENT HOURLY RATE

    • Sometimes during the healing process, ink can fall out.  It’s not a big deal, but I want your tattoo to look just as perfect as the day you left the shop, so feel free to message me so we can set up a date to get your tattoo looking brand new again.  I will only do touch-ups on tattoos that are older than 1 month.

  • KEEP IN TOUCH

    • Everything about tattooing is second nature to me, however I understand that’s not the case for everyone.  Whether it’s because this was your first tattoo, or just because you have questions, feel free to message me about any of it and I will do my best to get back to you within a few hours.  You can message me about things such as tattoo aftercare product suggestion, whether or not you can do certain things (Going swimming, going to the beach, etc), to ask if everything looks right during your tattoo’s healing process, or even to just send me a pic of your healed tattoo!