Aftercare Products

There are a ton of different options and recommendations for how to care for your new tattoo. The following is a list of the products that I’ve found consistently reliable. None of these are sponsored, nor am I paid to recommend them.

First, unscented soap. This one I’m not picky with so long as the soap comes from a pump and is unscented/antibacterial. Bar soap can carry germs even if it’s new but especially if it’s been used, so pump soap all day every day for healing tattoos. I go with Dial, but any brand will do.

Next up, moisturizers. Many use Aquaphor and, in a pinch, I’ll use it too. I tend to avoid it if I can because I find it to be very thick and easy to over-apply. If you must use it, a super light sheen will do. At Caged Raven we will supply you with Vitamin A/D ointment, an excellent option that can be easily found at most pharmacies and department stores. I typically stop using the Vitamin A/D ointment once the tattoo is fully healed. After roughly 1 month, I switch to using a simple, unscented LubiDerm lotion for my daily use. I’m also a big fan of VitaliTree salve. It’s an excellent option for the healing and post-healing stages. In my experience, the moisturizer it provides last the longest and gives the tattoos (both new and old) a fresh look.

Lastly, we have sunscreen. I’ve been told by those who have much better skin routines than I do that anything above SPF 50 is basically just SPF 50. Something is always better than nothing in this situation, so go with whatever you can find. To try and limit the amount of forever chemicals I have inside of me, this is the best brand I’ve found so far. Truthfully, if I know I’m going to be exposed to the sun I’ll make every attempt to wear long sleeves. The sun is a furnace that acts like a low grade (or high grade for those of you who like to tan) tattoo remover. So why would I just let it burn through a sleeve I just paid $$$$$$ for? I’ll grab some breathable UPF long sleeves and call it a day.