How to care for a cosmetic tattoo with natural cosmetics
Tattoo :
1. Etch drawings on human skin by introducing coloring matters under the epidermis by previously arranged punctures or stings (RAE)
2. Mark, leave a mark on someone or something (RAE)
Piercing the skin with ink has been a custom carried out since ancient times for different civilizations and reasons. There are as many reasons for marking the epidermis as there are individuals who want to do so. A cosmetic tattoo Perth always begins as a wound on the skin to become – later – a voluntary and very personal scar.
Our goal today is not to ramble about the initiation process and / or ritual but rather to delve into the healing process; the most important part of the tattoo if we want it to heal very well.
Basic care of a tattoo:
HI speakI speak from experience sharing everything I heard, read, learned and discovered with my own tattoos:
1. Protect the tattoo : possibly your tattoo artist has covered your new print with plastic wrap (transparent and very thin plastic or with a bandage), respect the time that he has recommended. If it’s 4 hours it’s 4 hours, don’t remove the film ahead of time even if you really want to see how it turned out. The reason is obvious: you need to keep your fresh tattoo protected from bacteria sticking to it and the blood from clotting. Avoid any contact with dirty surfaces and once the paper is removed, do not cover it again with the same film, you run the risk of being infected. In fact, it is best to let it air out, it will heal much faster if you do it correctly.
2. Cleaning :
the first wash has arrived, don’t panic. Too easy. Surely your tattoo artist has recommended that you wash the tattooed area 3 times a day with an antibacterial soap. It is essential that it is hypoallergenic, that it does not contain perfumes or dyes. Even being antibacterial, check the INCI and check that it is natural. Your skin absorbs 65% of what you apply but freshly injured this percentage is higher and the damage will be too. If you apply hygiene or care products with sulfates and other potentially harmful ingredients, there is a good chance that this area will become very easily irritated and dry. It’s easy, don’t get too complicated, you don’t have to choose a rare soap. It is as simple as using a neutral soap. Always use warm or cold water, and very important: dry the area very well (humidity is always a source of infection). When drying the cosmetic tattoo, do not drag or rub, press gently until all the moisture is completely absorbed. Kitchen paper is ideal for this. Never scratch or remove the scabs from the tattooed area.
Soaps that I have used to clean my tattoos (they are practically the same that I use all year round):
Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap, my favorite is mint and almond but when I get a new tattoo I always use Baby Mild (fragrance-free and for sensitive skin, it has no odor and is made from castile oil, is ideal for this ).
Fragrance-free and sulfate-free soap for extremely sensitive skin, perfect for the whole body, including the face. It is ideal for cleaning all tattoos because it is a very mild soap “without soap”, it does not foam at all .
3. Moisturize: use a moisturizing cream on the tattooed area every time you clean it and massage gently until your skin has completely absorbed it. If you can avoid direct contact with clothing. If it is in a visible area, protect it with a cream with a sun protection factor, although avoid direct contact with the sun as much as possible . It is totally forbidden to bathe in rivers, beaches and / or swimming pools during the following weeks (the recommendations vary from 15 to 30 days). This care is essential if you want your tattoo to heal very well and not lose color in the future.
Although sea water is natural, there are also other types of naturalities and residues that navigate in it. Keep this in mind if you want your tattoo to heal sooner and not itch and look like it deserves.
The balms that I have used the most to care for and scars my tattoos (more than 10), in order of preference:
Buriti Balm from Pai Skincare; it spreads a lot, absorbs very well, smells great and is 100% natural. I use this balm all year round, as a maintenance balm (my favorite)
Hypericum repair balm , has a very intense smell and is very nutritious, it is fantastic because it is absorbed very quickly and greatly alleviates the sensation of heat, especially the first days. I always recommend this balm if you have made a very large, colored tattoo with a lot of filling. There the skin suffers a lot.
Propolis Beeswax Ointment : soothes instantly , heals very quickly, and absorbs fairly quickly. It only has one but, if it is very cold it solidifies, but with a little heat it dissolves easily.
Egyptian Magic, it is also a multipurpose balm and you can use it for any redness, chafing, dryness, wound and for tattoos it is fantastic . It only has one drawback: the smell. If you don’t like heavy smells, I don’t recommend it, but it’s fantastic.
Before using these balms I discovered Skin Savior from One Love Organics, an American brand that is no longer marketed in Europe.
Cleaning, hydrating and protecting will be three basic and routine cares during the following days. Depending on the tattoo – if it is shaded, with relief … -, the area and the size it will take more or less to heal (from 15/20 days to 5 weeks). If you want to speed up this process, remember to take care of that new scar on a daily basis. Always. The first care and the time you dedicate to your tattoo will influence and will be essential for it to heal very well.
My experience:
My first tattoos were small, without relief and in black ink *. I followed the advice of my tattoo artist at all times -except for the cream he recommended: Bepanthol-. I only used it for the first two days of the first tattoo. I have never used it again, why? For the ingredients it contains:
Aqua. Panthenol. Isopropyl myristate. Cetyl alcohol. Stearyl alcohol. Propylene glycol. Lanolin. Potassium cetyl phosphate. Pantolactone.Phenoxyethanol.
* Colored ink is more harmful than black ink. Always ask your tattoo artist, but nowadays black ink comes from natural pigments, mostly charcoal and campeche.
The first organic balm I used was Skin Savior, from One Love Organics and it no longer exists in Europe.
Why did I like Skin Savior so much?
Mainly because the INCI of this natural balm was impeccable, it had never disappointed me and it was just what I needed:
– Of course it did not contain petroleum jelly (hydrocarbons), plastics or Phenoxyethanol (no harmful ingredients).
– It was made with organic wax (creating a film that slows the loss of moisture), ideal for tattoos.
– Contained Coconut oil, Jojoba and Mango butter that regenerates, soothes, hydrates, nourishes and leaves the skin soft.
– All the ingredients were natural and came from plants.
INCI: Organic cocos nucifera (virgin coconut) oil, organic glycine soja (sweet soy) seed oil, organic beeswax, mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, salvia hispanica (chia) seed extract, avena sativa (oat) extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel wax, simmondsia chinesis (jojoba) seed oil, organic vanilla planifolia fruit extract, tocopherol (natural, non-gmo vitamin e).
There was no drama, I soon discovered the balms that I mentioned before and since then Buriti Balm always goes with me in my backpack and when a new tattoo is coming, especially if it is large, I always buy a new container of Hypericum Balm, it is an intensive care Which is great, especially the first week that the skin has been on the surface.
In case you still have doubts … Summary:
1. Don’t use bepanthol . They almost always recommend this cream as a treatment. I only used it for the first 2 days of my first cosmetic tattoo and I discarded it (I kept the piece of paper so as not to forget the INCI). I soon got hold of a natural balm (which I always use). Use a natural cosmetic that hydrates and nourishes. And remember to apply a small amount and not at all times.
We insist on constantly moisturizing our tattoo and that is not correct. It must be clean, hydrated but not constantly moisturized if it is not difficult to heal and the scab will be constantly soft and will not dry as it should (or fall off).
2. Keep it clean, use a mild soap / gel, ideally without fragrance or scents.
3. Avoid exposing it to the sun, especially during the first month. And when it is completely healed, protect it and always hydrate it.
4. After the healing process, take care of it every day . It is part of you, so never forget to hydrate and nourish it. It is only a couple of minutes but you must get used to doing it daily.
“A scar is never the same as real skin, but the wound stops bleeding anyway.” Robin hobb