Aftercare

Heal it right.

Your artist just spent hours on you. The next two weeks decide how it looks for the next twenty years. Here's the stuff every artist tells you to buy, in the order you'll need it.

Fresh forearm tattoo sealed under a clear second-skin bandage

Days 1–5

Keep it covered

Saniderm

Waterproof second-skin sheets. Leave it on, shower normally, live your life. Peel it off if it fills with fluid.

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Hands washing a fresh forearm tattoo with unscented foam lather

Daily wash

Keep it clean

Mad Rabbit Aftercare Soap

Unscented foam wash. Clean hands, lukewarm water, twice a day, then pat dry with a paper towel.

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A thin layer of balm being spread across a healing tattoo

Days 1–14

Keep it fed

Hustle Butter Deluxe

The vegan tattoo butter most artists use during the session and send you home with. Thin layer, twice a day.

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Mad Rabbit Soothing Gel

Lighter and less greasy than a balm. Good if Hustle Butter feels too heavy on a fresh piece.

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Healing tattoo in the dry, peeling stage

Week 2+

Ride out the peel

Tattoo Goo Lotion

For the peeling and itching stage. Non-greasy, takes the itch down, keeps the color from going dull.

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Sunlight falling across a fully healed tattooed forearm

Forever

Keep it sharp

Hustle Butter SPF 50

Sun is what fades healed ink. Shea butter and coconut oil base, so it isn't chalky.

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A fully healed black and grey tattoo sleeve

Everything at once

Or just get the kit

Hustle Butter Aftercare Kit

Balm, soap, and the aftercare wrap in one box. TSA-friendly, so it travels. Nothing to forget.

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Mad Rabbit Bundle Kit

Three pieces: repair gel, enhance balm, and SPF 30. Covers day one through years later.

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Chairside earns a small commission when you buy through these links. Costs you nothing extra, and nothing is on this list because of it.

The short version

Don't do
these things.

Most ruined tattoos aren't ruined by the artist. They're ruined in week one.

  • ✕

    Don't pick or scratch the peeling. You'll pull pigment out with the scab and leave patchy spots that need a touch-up.

  • ✕

    Don't soak it. No pools, lakes, hot tubs, or long baths for two to three weeks. Showers are fine.

  • ✕

    Don't smother it. A thick greasy layer traps bacteria and pulls ink. Thin enough that it doesn't look shiny.

  • ✕

    Don't use scented anything. Fragrance and alcohol sting fresh ink and dry the skin out.

  • ✕

    Don't put it in the sun. Not while healing, not without SPF after. Sun is the number one reason old tattoos look muddy.

  • ✕

    Don't guess if something looks wrong. Spreading redness, heat, or pus means call your artist, then a doctor.

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