A guide to tattoo aftercare

If it’s your first time getting tattooed,

or your forty seventh and need a refresher,

here are some tattoo aftercare tips to follow to ensure the best healed tattoo!

1. No touchy.
   This is a huge one, as almost all tattoo infections start from dirt getting into your fresh tattoo. The less you touch it the easier it will heal - ONLY touch your tattoo with freshly cleaned hands. Clean with anti-bacterial soap, rubbing your hands together for at least ten seconds and washing with hot water before they go anywhere near your new tat. Clean hands before applying cream is just as important. Do not let anyone else touch your tattoo unless it has completely healed.

2. Clean everything!
   Anything that the fresh tattoo comes in contact with will need to be clean. Clean clothes, clean PJs, clean bedsheets/sleeping bag, clean towels. If someone else may potentially be using your towel, use a clean paper towel to dry off your tattoo after the shower. Always dab the water off, do not wipe.
   
   

3. No Scratching or rubbing.
   Your tattoo WILL get itchy while it’s healing. This is normal. Depending on how big the tattoo is will determine how itchy it gets. Itch around the tattoo, or put ice on it if it gets unbearable. Do not pick at the scabs, this will pull the ink out of your skin. Do not slap the tattoo. Wear loose clothing so that there isn’t any friction on your healing skin - this includes socks, shoes, bras, etc.
   
   

4. Second Skin or wrap?
   This is up to the artist, and can depend on a few things as well; how big it is, what area it is in, if you are travelling soon, if it is a heavily saturated tattoo, and sensitivities. Normally I do apply second skin. Second skin stays on for between one to five days, however I recommend only leaving it on for up to three days unless it starts peeling off on it’s own. Take it off in the shower and rinse your tattoo with those clean hands of yours (heck yeah!). Yes, you can shower with second skin on. No, you cannot go swimming with it on.
   
   

5. Can I go back to the gym after getting a tattoo?
   Short answer is no. I recommend taking at least a week off the gym (or more depending on the size of the tattoo) as your body needs to rest and focus on healing. If you stress your already stressed immune system, infections happen more readily, as well as catching colds, not to mention you may sweat out some ink if you start too soon. We also don’t want you to sweat under that second skin because it will become trapped there. Light cardio is fine, take it easy like you would if you had a head cold. Walkies are A-okay!
   
   

6. Can I swim with a fresh tattoo?
   Nope, nope no. PLEASE do not. No swimming in pools, the sea, fresh water, or soaking it in the bath, spa or sauna. Just don’t. Showers only until healed.
   
   

7. Should I plan the next few weeks around my tattoo?
   Yes! I have clients who will book a month out from a trip so they know they would have healed and be able to go for that sea swim or crazy five day hike. If you are travelling around nz - make the booking on your second last day so you don’t have to worry about it. Smart planning means happy tattoos.
   
   

8. Goodbye sun.
   Keep your healing tattoo covered and away from harmful UV rays. Do NOT apply sunblock to your new tattoo - only once it has fully healed. It will be your responsibility to apply sunblock to it (at least SPF +50) when you go outside - it’s best to apply it even if you don’t think you will be out in the sun or if it’s overcast. This will help the longevity of the tattoo. Healthy skin means awesome tattoos.
   
   

9. It puts the lotion on the skin.
   Moisturizing your skin in general leading up to your tattoo will mean it will come out even better (goodbye flaky skin chunks that could get caught in the needles). Hold off on the general moisturizing after getting your tattoo and instead you will be using a tattoo healing balm on your tattoo once to twice a day, after your second skin has been taken off. Apply the smallest amount, just enough to moisturize the area to stop it drying out. We still want the tattoo to breath, so applying a minimal amount will maximize the healing process. Only apply with clean hands, do not double tip; if you and a friend are using the same tin - only use a new Qtip or a disposable tongue depressor to take the cream out of the pottle instead. Only use balms specific for tattoos (ie Tedstattoowonders), not just any old antiseptic cream - no matter if you were told to ten years ago by another tattoo artist.
   
   

10. I have more questions!
    Please feel free to message me even if it’s just about general tattoo inquiries - even if I wasn’t the one to tattooed you, I’m always happy to help!

These are all your basic aftercare tips.
The industry (like most) is always changing, and general care will always be changing too for the better as we learn even more about the human body.
I continue researching to improve any aftercare and keep to new industry standards. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to message me in the ‘contact’ tab at the top of the page.

Invercargill: tattoo guest spot May 2025

After three days of rest from the Christchurch guest spot earlier that week, I headed down to Invercargill from the 19th to the 25th of May for another guest spot, this time at Frostbite tattoo. I had guest spotted previous at Frostbite tattoo two years prior and got a lot of interest and a small following of lovely southerners. Invercargill was also where my father’s family was from, so every holiday or long weekend usually meant spending it down in Invergumboot. Usually staying inside due to the wind and rain, and this is where my love of Cartoon Network bloomed with Scooby Doo, the Addams family and Dexters Lab.

There was a cr*p-load of driving involved.

Anyway! I woke on the 19th at 5am, and left at 5:40am for the two hours drive down. I arrived at my friend’s place, Ros, and had some eggs on toast after dropping off my belongings before heading into town to the studio.

I got a wonderfully warm welcome, and other than a few more things on the wall and a few less artists hanging round, it was the same spacious studio that had the highest quality of everything except toilet door hangers (I was assured this would change haha).

Craig (who is the shop owner) has been tattooing for around 23 years. Dang. And has owned this shop for a good chunk of that. He is well recognised within the city, especially for his dark macabre work as well as colour realism, which is in high damn and short supply cross the country. He is a man of many words, and is always eager to share tips and his opinion haha.

We started off with George who chose one of my colour Neotrad flash pieces I have been wanting to do for a long time; the crow-tapuss. This was on her forearm in a neat little gap that was just perfect for this piece, and though colour can be a little intense sometimes George sat very well.

Loving those crisp lines!

That night I was reintroduced to Ros’s rituals of gin, cheese and crackers, and a delicious home cooked meal followed by ‘The Chase’ with a blazing fire going on in the background. Amazing.

Always lovely staying with Ros - and makes the best poached blue cod dish!

Tuesday the 20th started with more home-laid eggs and toast, before going to work and meeting my next client Nina. What a trooper! She was so patient as I worked on her floral piece that covered the top side of her forearm. Everything had a bold outline with thinner detailed lines, much like a mix between neo trad and fineline. This is not an original design, but we did do changes to make it different to the first design.

Wednesday came and it was time to tattoo Joanne, we had worked together previously on the design, and the outcome was a beautiful memorial piece. Though emotional, it was a positive experience - thank you again for coming in.

Tash was up next, and we did a meaningful feather on her right side on her ribs. What a trooper!

Flipped feather design with slight changes from the original

Thursday was going to be my day off, I came into work instead and did an awesome little chicken in boots and a cowboy hat. So much fun! Afterwards, I did a bunch of shopping for work, mainly for the Wellington tattoo convention coming up and fixed an old phone, getting a new number to making it into a work phone, in case clients wanted to call ahead of appointments or have questions. Later on I did a small walk in tattoo of a football team and cup.

How neat!

Friday came and I got up at the bum crack of dawn to go and get some supplies for the farm before going to the shop.

Sarah came in for a floral wrap around the forearm, including birth flowers of loved ones. I love a fineline floral tattoo wrap!

In the afternoon Tabita came in and we worked on an art nouveau chest piece that was also a scar coverup. The idea was to work with the body and instead of completely covering up the scar, softening the area and creating something elegant that she could be proud of showing off.

Saturday consisted of me getting up crazy early again and driving to Queenstown for the day. This is the first time I had accidentally double booked myself and my client Celiana was only in town for the day in Queenstown before leaving on Sunday. This was of a sweet mushroom girl that was a mix of three different designs and absolutely loved it! We got it finished in time for her work dinner she had to attend later that day, and then it was time to make the journey back to Invercargill after dropping off supplies at home.

Sunday Jenna and I chatted about our design for the half day, we coloured in an existing fern tattoo in a deep olive, and then brought it to the forefront with colourful watercolour splatters behind it. I went over a lot of the lines at the start, and extended the ends of the fronds into points without changing the original design.

I then had the privilege of tattooing an old high school friend of mine, Jeanna. This was memorial piece as well and it meant a lot to her that I did her tattoo. We caught up on everything and it was such a good talk I didn’t want to stop! We finished late, and then it was back to Ros’s.

Early that next morning I went to Queenstown (😭 so much travelling) for two tattoos, with the lovely couple George and Grace. George was up first with a LOTR themes tattoo down his forearm - his first big tattoo! Followed by Graces sweet LOTR elvish symbol tattoo on the underside of the forearm and wrist. Thank you both for coming back!

Lord Of The Rings Tattoos

One more time down to Invercargill - yes at this time I was going a bit insane from all this night time driving - to get my car fixed, and got to do my very first cat marking tattoo, split between two clients 🥰

I said my goodbyes - or ‘see you laters’ to Craig, and finally drove home back to Queenstown with the setting sun.

The next day I was horribly sick and was off for over a week. A cautionary tale about burnout. But it was a lot of fun🤣