Can You Use Baby Lotion on a New Tattoo?

If you looked up this question, it probably means you got a new tattoo. Well congratulations, you must be pretty excited, good for you!

Now you must be wondering how you can take care of your new tattoo and not mess up the ink and the first thing that comes to your mind is MOISTURIZING. Instead of using anything fancy with lots of chemicals you decide to use baby lotion.

But, can you use baby lotion on a new tattoo? 

In this article we will break down all the details so that you’ll know what to do.

Table of Contents

• Is Baby Lotion Safe for Tattoos?
• Can You Put Baby Lotion on a New Tattoo?
• 4 Reason Why You Should Not Put Baby Lotion on a Fresh Tattoo
• When to Start Using Baby Lotion on Tattoo
• Can You Put Baby Lotion on a Peeling Tattoo?
• Conclusion

Is Baby Lotion Safe for Tattoos?

Baby lotion is completely safe to use and it has many other benefits for your skin. However it does have some ingredients which can be harmful to the skin area within the tattoo such as petroleum, fragrances, phthalates etc.

If you got the tattoo today you should wait for a couple of days before using any kind of lotion to hydrate and moisturize the skin. 

Can You Put Baby Lotion on a New Tattoo?

This depends entirely on what you mean by a “new tattoo” Did you get it today? If it’s not older than a couple of days it is a “fresh” tattoo.  

Also read: Can I Slap My Tattoo if It Itches?

If the tattoo is fresh off the parlor and not even healed a little, where the area around the tattoo is swollen and red and the ink looks like it can be wiped clean off, you definitely SHOULD NOT use baby lotion (or any lotion).

The only thing you should do is wash it with lukewarm water with antibacterial soap to prevent the wound from getting infected.

If the tattoo is about a couple of days old and is a bit dry, then Yes! you can put baby lotion on it. 

4 Reason Why You Should Not Put Baby Lotion on a Fresh Tattoo

Using baby lotion on a new tattoo is never a good idea. If you use baby lotion on a fresh tattoo you would probably face these problems:

• The fresh tattoo is likely to get infected if any lotion is used other than specialized ointment specifically recommended by your tattoo artist. Even though baby lotion helps to heal the skin it is not meant for open wounds, better wait until it is dried and healed.

• You are likely to mess up with the ink and ruin the tattoo, which you definitely don’t want to happen after all that pain you went through to get a tattoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erl6o_qcvlQ

• Overusing baby lotion can be discomforting because the ink and lotion will be oozing in your skin from the new tattoo.

• You have the risk of using a baby lotion which might have ingredients that are harmful to your tattoo as it is an open wound and these ingredients can be allergic to certain people.

When to Start Using Baby Lotion on Tattoo

A couple of days after getting the tattoo you’ll notice that the wound from the tattoo is healing and it is dried, this process will depend on how fast your body can heal (usually takes 2-3 days) and it also depends on the size of the tattoo and colors used on it. 

At this stage you can use baby lotion, cream, or moisturizers to keep your skin hydrated for further healing of the tattoo. You should apply baby lotion 2- 3 times a day when it gets itchy and dried up and make sure you don’t overdo it. If the baby lotion contains organic ingredients such as ‘cocoa butter’ it is well suitable for the job.

Can You Put Baby Lotion on a Peeling Tattoo?

If your tattoo is peeling it is completely normal, it means that your tattoo is healing. But if the tattoo keeps peeling or scabbing even after two or more weeks then you should talk to your tattoo artist.

You can use a fragrance free baby lotion on the peeling tattoo to moisturize and avoid irritation and the itching feeling, but avoid using it in the first couple of days after getting the tattoo.

Conclusion

Basically if the tattoo is not at least a bit healed or dried up don’t use baby lotion.

Getting a new tattoo is a big responsibility, however it is your decision so now it’s up to you to take good care of the tattoo along with yourself otherwise all of your efforts would go to waste. We hope that this article helped you to make your decisions.

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