Vegan Tattoo Aftercare
Aftercare for your tattoo is just as important as getting the tattoo itself. Know how to care for a new tattoo and learn aftercare tips & tricks.
By Vegan Tattoo Studios · Updated
Aftercare for your tattoo is just as important as getting the tattoo itself. Good aftercare products keep healing skin supple and well moisturized, which helps the tattoo heal as quickly and cleanly as possible — and there’s no reason any of it needs to involve animal products.
Why vegan aftercare matters
Just like inks and prep tools, tattoo-care lotions can be decidedly un-vegan: lanolin, beeswax, animal glycerin, and other by-products turn up constantly in mainstream aftercare. As with anything you put on healing skin, simpler is better. Natural oils and plant-based ingredients keep skin soft without slathering a sensitive, open wound in harsh chemicals and unwanted by-products.
Ointments
Tattoo ointments are generally used only for the first few days of healing. They carry a concentrated dose of skin-repairing vitamins — chiefly A and D — to help close the wound as quickly as possible during the initial stages.
Apply ointment carefully and sparingly. Getting this wrong can mean poorer healing or even ink loss: ointments are thick and oily, and a heavy layer can smother a tattoo, sealing the healing skin off from the air it needs. A thin film is all it takes.
Lotions, creams, and moisturizers
Lotions and creams can take over once you’ve finished with ointment, or be used from day one instead of it. Unlike ointments, they can be used throughout the entire healing process until the tattoo has fully settled. They still contain helpful vitamins and minerals, but their main job is keeping the skin hydrated — they soak lightly into the outer layers and help it retain water.
If your skin is naturally prone to drying out and getting irritated, starting with lotion from the very beginning may work better for you. Either way, the combination of vitamins, minerals, and moisture measurably improves healing quality and speed compared to using nothing at all (so-called dry healing).
Moisturize your clean tattoo 3–6 times per day for roughly two weeks. After that, it’s simply good skin care — many tattoo collectors moisturize their ink daily for life.
Recommended vegan aftercare products
Finding cruelty-free alternatives to trusted products isn’t always easy, and tattoo aftercare is no exception. Fortunately, there are vegan brands that heal a tattoo every bit as well as their non-vegan competitors.
A few widely available options: Lush Ultrabalm and Superdrug’s vitamin E range are both suitable, as are pantry staples like coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter. The Merry Hempsters make a vegan tattoo salve from organic herbs and hemp butter, and Ohana Organics makes a shea-based tattoo butter with aloe, calendula, and lavender. For washing, make sure your soap is free of lanolin and animal fats — Castile soap is a reliable choice — and check that your razors have no glycerin-based lubrication strips.
Popular vegan creams, soaps, and lotions:
- Hustle Butter Deluxe – Tattoo Butter
- After Inked Tattoo Moisturizer & Aftercare Lotion
- Phat Tat
- Rose Tattoo Care
- The Merry Hempsters
- Punk Medics
- Lush Ultrabalm
- Superdrug Vitamin E range
- H2Ocean Tattoo Aftercare
- Ohana Organics
- Tribal Tattoo Care
Taking the best possible care of your fresh tattoo is essential. You may also like our guide to the 10 most common tattoo aftercare mistakes and how to avoid them.
