Getting Inked? Natural Tattoo Aftercare for a Better Result!

Understanding the tattoo process and how to care for a fresh tattoo is essential to make sure that the ink on your skin heals quickly and well, the way your artist created and intended it.  Every reputable tattoo studio knows that.  After all, your tattoo needs to look good and stay crisp and sharp - forever.  Tattoo studio not selling or supplying a natural, licensed tattoo after-care product?  Please pause & ask them why not.

The first thing to grasp is that a tattoo is officially a wound and, as such, it's best LEFT COMPLETELY ALONE for the first 24-48 hours, protected by the skin the tattoo studio will cover it with. 

The Tattoo After-Care need starts AFTER that first 48 hour window. 

No one wants to talk about scabbing, crazy itching, infections or keloid scarring, but they ARE something that can happen to a small percentage of people.  And can be triggered by the environmental chemicals you expose your fresh tattoo to: soaps, shampoo, additives to your domestic water supply like chlorine, toxins from your own sweat, detergents and fabric softener residue in laundry, perfumes and lotions through physical contact with others.  It's real.

The chemicals in some tattoo aftercare products may actually be damaging your ink!  And it's why the "natural" part of the tattoo after-care equation matters.

Parabens, synthetic coloring agents, fragrance agents, lanolin, petroleum products - they're commonly added to even some of the biggest brands.  And in a percentage of people they are SKIN IRRITANTS which can trigger excessive scabbing, more itching than is normal and unsightly keloid scarring.  Products which contain petroleum in one of its many forms may protect the fresh tattoo but block pores, reduce the skin's ability to breathe and may actually slow down healing.   Products packaged in plastic?  Oil soluble plastics can be detected IN THE PRODUCT after as little as 3 weeks, meaning you are unknowingly applying petrochemical irritants to your fresh tattoo.

Pure Thai Natural Co Ltd started our tattoo after-care journey at the insistent prodding of a friend and customer we lovingly call Uncle Fatts.  Adam Shea.


At his request, we created the very first Tattoo After-Care samples, which he tested in his then Chiang Mai tattoo studio, Best Tattoo Chiang Mai.  In collaboration with his friends and our customer, Celebrity Ink, we refined our product to where it is today.  And we've since had it approved and registered by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, enabled full customization of the eco-packaging and gone global. 

Our product is the result of best practice in tattoos working closely with the best of natural ingredients and our professional know-how.

SO WHAT MAKES OUR PRODUCT SO EFFECTIVE? 

1. Our natural Thai beeswax.  A study published in Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2012, evaluating the use of beeswax-based ointments in the treatment of burn wounds found that the beeswax was effective in reducing inflammation and promoting wound healing. But unlike the commercial beeswax found in most other products, our beeswax is fair trade and sustainable and doesn't come from the commercial bee industry.  Why does that matter?  The crops and fruit trees (eg almonds in the US and Australia) that are commercially pollinated by bees, are also heavily sprayed with industrial pesticides, many of which are fat soluble and end up in trace amounts in the beeswax.  Our beeswax is sourced in the mountains of northern Thailand and you can actually smell the difference!  Ensuring our beeswax base is free from chemical residue is number 1 to reducing possible irritants to newly tattooed skin.  Beeswax contains natural proteins and enzymes for natural healing, is a superb emoilent and forms a unique, natural, breathable barrier that protects the new tattoo, whilst promoting natural healing.  And yes, that's why our product is legally and officially called Skin Shield.  You can read all about the beeswax here.

2. No coloring agents.  Sadly even many of the so-called market leaders use synthetic dyes.  The potential for chemical reactions with the tattoo inks used is real, as is the possible irritation to sensitive skin.  We prefer to leave our product the natural color of pure beeswax, which varies slightly with the seasons.

3. Not packed in plastic.  Ensuring no chemical contamination in the oil-wax based product matters, since all plastics leech into oil-based products over time.  We use only recyclable aluminum tins - again, no nickel based metals which can be a skin irritant for many people.

4. Vetiver - one of our magic ingredients.  Highly prized in the global boutique perfume industry, the natural essential oil of the Vetiver plant smells a little like sandalwood.  Clinical studies have shown that Vetiver oil has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-scarring properties.  You can read more about that here.

5. Moringa Seed Oil seed oil contains high levels of antioxidants, which help to protect the skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation and oxidative stress, and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Protecting a new tattoo from UV is what helps prevent tattoo fade, whilst naturally minimizing inflammation and oxidative stress prevent scarring.  Moringa seed oil also has antimicrobial properties.  You can read more about the how and why of moringa seed oil here.

6. Pure Vitamin E.  Protecting against UV related skin damage is one of the key reasons we fortify our product with it, but also to promote skin healing, to help keep the new skin moisturized and prevent scabbing.  Excessive scabbing can actually draw traces of the tattoo ink OUT, which is what no one getting a tattoo wants!!  

Limiting itch and keeping the tattoo protected and moisturized by using first class natural ingredients is what helps keep your hands OFF it - which means faster healing and no infection.  A moisturized, carefully protected fresh tattoo will rarely scab, meaning the color remains at its sharpest, the way your artist intended.  

We custom pack our tattoo aftercare product for studios who care about not just the tattoo process, but the longevity of their art and the health of their clients.  Yes, we can barcode and make the package work as a marketing tool. We can (and do) label in multiple languages and the way the box LOOKS is up to the studio.

Making better decisions about tattoo after-care means better results and happier customers.  Seeing through the marketing hype, understanding the various ingredients and reading the product labels helps us all to understand how best to (a) protect a fresh tattoo and (b) to simply encourage and support the body's natural healing processes.

After-care SHOULD be part of every peak tattoo experience.  As a studio, please choose wisely.  As a customer, ask about their after-care when you're talking designs and booking your appointment.  It matters.