Aftercare information
Tattoos
Firstly, thank you for coming to get tattooed by us!
We usually use a second skin dressing, which can be left on for up to 5 days or until it starts to peel off by its own accord. Excess ink, blood and plasma will come out of the tattoo between the tattoo and the second skin dressing and this is totally normal! It will naturally reabsorb back into the skin and anything left will be washed away when you take the dressing off. You can shower as normal with second skin on, but you cannot bathe or swim. After your shower, pat the dressing dry with a towel.
The best way to remove it is in the shower, stretching the dressing as you peel. There are plenty of TikTok's and videos on YouTube to show you how to remove correctly if you're unsure!
Once it's off, wash the tattoo with antibacterial soap such as Sanex or hand soap and ensure it foams to remove the plasma and ink. Once it's all clean, allow your tattoo to dry naturally or pat with a clean piece of kitchen roll and then apply aftercare balm.
If you've had cling film, keep this on until the evening and then remove it and wash it with antibacterial soap. Let it air dry or pat with a piece of kitchen roll. Once it's dry, re-wrap with cling film and repeat this process in the morning.
Depending how detailed your piece is will depend how long you need to do this for! Something like a linework tattoo will only need this done for one evening and morning, anything more than 2-3 days is best. Once your cling film time is up, it's time to start your aftercare balm!
We recommend Palmers cocoa butter or natural shea butter as aftercare balm. Less is more! Don't apply a thick layer. Do this every time you shower or wash it by hand, once or twice a day until it's healed which takes about 2-3 weeks. The tattoo will appear shiny and scaly for a few weeks/ months after this which is totally normal - your skin is just regenerating. Keep yourself and your tattoo hydrated, this will keep it looking bright!
If you think you need a touch up, please wait until 2 months have passed since first getting tattooed, this allows for the tattoo to be fully settled. Please send a photo if you think it needs one, and we can get you booked in, free of charge within the first 6 months :)
Any questions, email us hello@blacksheepbristol.com! We hope you love your new tattoo!
Piercings
Thank you for coming to get pierced with me, it was a pleasure!
The easiest way to look after your new piercing is with a sea salt water solution: 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt with a mug of boiled water. Let the water slightly cool down, but the warmer the better - just don’t burn yourself. Use a soaked cotton bud to gently go round the edges of the jewellery to soak off any crusty pieces and to lubricate the piercing. Then use a soaked cotton pad to completely submerge the piercing in salt water. Hold this on the piercing until the pad goes cool. Repeat this twice :)
For ear & nipple piercings, the easiest thing to do to submerge the whole piercing is put your whole ear or nipple into the salt water and let the salt water do it’s thing.
Keep doing this process for the whole healing process - please be mindful each piercing has different healing time scales:
Ear lobes 8-12 weeks
Ear cartilage 8-12 months
Lip - downsize jewellery at 4 months, fully healed at 12 months
Septum - 3 months
Nostril - 3-5 months
Tongue - downsize jewellery at 10 days, fully healed 5-6 weeks
Belly button - 9-12 months
Nipples - male anatomy 4-6 months, female anatomy 4-12 months
Eyebrow - 3 months
Dermals - 4-12 months
Depending how long it takes to heal will depend how soon you can change the jewellery. The key is to be patient and keep up the aftercare!
Any questions, email me christina@blacksheepbristol.com or DM me on Instagram @thatveganpiercer :)
Christina x