Please note that the following instructions predominantly refer to larger works or those that contain more ink saturation.

After your appointment, you will be sent home wrapped in a ‘bluey’ (a medical pad) or plastic wrap. You will also be sent home with at least two replacement blueys so you can rewrap yourself for two nights.

After letting wrap that I send you home with settle for 2-4 hours, have a warm shower and gently clean the wound with antibacterial soup. Do not use scrubs or sponges on the wound, only clean hands, and do not submerge the tattoo in water bodies (such as baths or public pools). Showers are fine.

Once clean, either allow the area to air dry, or pat dry with paper towel. Do not use a towel or anything fluffy. You want to avoid any particles sticking to the wound, especially in the first few days while the skin has not yet sealed over.

Please wrap the area in one of your clean blueys before going to sleep. The discharge of your fresh tattoo will cause it to adhere to you a little, but don’t stress. This helps the protective wrap stay put while you sleep and is completely safe so long as you clean the wound properly before applying.

Clean the wound with warm water and antibacterial soap when you wake up. Unless you are working in the sun or in a dirty environment (such as a kitchen, a construction site, the garden etc) you can air out the tattoo for the day. You do not need to use any aftercare yet.

If you are working in a dirty environment, I recommend you wrap the area with a fresh bluey for the day. I also recommended that while you’re in this environment, you change it over every 4 hours or so to yet another fresh bluey if possible. Each time you change the wrap over, clean the wound with warm water and antibacterial soap.

Once your day is over, clean once again with warm water and antibacterial soap, let dry, and rewrap for a second night.

Continue your process of cleaning the tattoo morning and night, but unless necessary, you don’t need to wrap it anymore. You may also start applying a little aftercare 2-3 times a day now. Less is more though - a thin layer is all you need, and will stop the piece from itching and scabbing too much. Too much aftercare will soak the tattoo, and will cause still-healing skin to peel preemptively before the ink can properly take hold.

The first 2 weeks will generally consist of swelling and occasional scabbing. This is the least comfortable part of the tattoo, but is also the most important. You want to make sure you’re treating it like an open wound so that you avoid the risk of infection or injury. Just be aware of it. Go easy at the gym, play gently with your kids and pets - that sort of thing. Once it reaches the itchy phase, you are probably out of the ‘danger zone’.

Week 3 and 4 are usually the final stages of healing. This is where the major itching comes in, and you must refrain from scratching and/or picking at the tattoo. I recommend placing your aftercare in the fridge for additional cooling relief, and I also occasionally use aloe vera gel when the itching is particularly bad, so that’s an option too. It is recommended that you continue to avoid soaking the tattoo during this stage, but it’s not as dire a need as weeks 1 and 2.

If anything hasn’t healed quite right, or it’s healed perfectly and you’re absolutely stoked, please let me know! I love to hear from clients once they’re healed up, and I offer free touch ups within a 3 month period of getting the tattoo, so we can tidy anything up that didn’t quite hold properly.

Day 1