ONe. Leave your bandage on until you’re about to go to bed. Clean your tattoo in the shower with mild soap and warm water lathering with your palm/fingertips and rinsing 3-5 times until the tattoo doesn’t feel slippery anymore. Pat your tattoo with A FRESH PAPER TOWEL ONLY and air dry the new tattoo for an additional 10 minutes making sure it’s completely dry. *Throw the paper towel in the garbage can- you won’t be reusing it.

Two. Wrap up the tattoo with clean plastic wrap. (Don’t use “Press’n’Seal” but any brand of simplistic plastic wrap.) Do not use any moisturizer, ointment or lotion- it only tends to make people skin break out and doesn’t accelerate the process.

Three. Wash your new tattoo every morning in the shower as you did in Step 1. After washing, pat dry with a fresh paper towel, then rewrap with fresh plastic wrap. That’s the drill for three contiguous nights of wrapping. Also, sweat is your enemy so avoid exercise during this time and DO NOT GO SWIMMING OR EXPOSE YOUR TATTOO TO THE SUN unnecessarily. On the morning following your third night of wrapping, wash it in the shower like you have been and pat it with a paper towel like you have been but do not rewrap it.

Four. Your new tattoo will start to peel typically around this time (Day 4 or Day 5) flaking like a sunburn. Soothe the dry and itchy skin with a no-additive moisturizer or coconut oil (less is more) and NO SCRATCHING! Your skin texture will return to normal as your tattoo heals. If the tattoo is completely peeled and there are no longer any scabs you can go back to swimming and exercising. (Sunscreen, however, is always a good idea!) Lastly, particularly with color tattoos, your tattoo may look quite shiny for about a month after peeling. This is normal and this will dissipate over time. 

PLEASE NOTE: Moisture rashes happen when there is too much moisture left on skin that’s wrapped. Ingrown hairs can also be uncomfortable during healing. The most important things with this healing method is to keep it clean, be consistent, and don’t be shy about contacting Jordan at Starfolk Tattoo at (615) 283-0246 with any questions. It’s a guarantee that however weird your question seems to you, someone has asked something weirder.