Kerrie (Fairychick) says: “You’ll probably get a different answer from every person. When I’m in the shower, I don’t really wash the tattoo, I just let soapy water run over it & then rinse it off. The main reason for that is b/c if the tattoo develops any scabs they would get soft in the shower & could be pulled off prematurely by scrubbing the tattoo. You absolutely want any scabs to fall off on their own, when they’re ready. Otherwise you risk losing the color underneath.

As far as aftercare, I use A&D ointment very sparingly for the first few days. Around day 4 I usually get into the really dry, itchy, peely phase and that’s when I switch over to lotion. I use dye-free, scent-free Lubriderm. Usually it’s another 3-4 days I use lotion until the peeling & dryness goes away, and then I let the tattoo be & don’t do anything special to it.”

How do you care for your new ink? Join the discussion on the message board and share your thoughts!