How to Choose the Best Tattoo Lotion

Whether you have already had the rather special (some may say unpleasant…) experience of getting inked, or are only now starting to consider getting your first piece of work done, choosing a quality tattoo lotion is a necessary part of the process.

Ask anyone who has a notable piece of ink, and they will tell you openly and honestly that the recovery process isn’t quite as simple as you may have first thought.

Once the tattoo is finished it requires attention and care, otherwise you see an increased risk of infection, skin irritation, and significantly reduced skin healing – all of which can have some seriously negative implications on your final piece of artwork.

Which is right where a high quality tattoo lotion enters the discussion.

What Does Tattoo Lotion Do?

If you take a moment to think about what happens when you physically get a tattoo, you should quickly realize why the recovery process is so important.

During the tattooing process, ink containing needles prick the skin quickly and repeatedly, essentially dragging the ink into the dermis (our second layer of skin). As the dermis sits just beneath the outermost layer of the skin, the needle has to go quite deep into the skin to make the tattoo permanent.

As would be expected, this causes a fairly significant amount of damage to the skin itself, destroying collagen fibers, rupturing tiny glands and blood vessels, and even damaging nerve endings in certain places.

All of which requires recovery.

The body’s immune system goes into overdrive, instigating an inflammatory response that drives blood and immune cells to the site of injury (or in our case, our new tattoo), allowing the removal of damaged tissue while promoting the regeneration of new cells.

Taking all of this into consideration, a good quality tattoo lotion actually facilitates this healing process.

It assists to regulate the immune response, ensuring that the inflammatory response promotes cell healing without interfering with the ink that we want to stay safely under the skin.

Within this, applying a high quality product prevents the skin from any swelling or scabbing, while also hydrating and nourishing the skin – essentially ensuring that your tattoo ends up in the best condition possible at the end of the healing process.

What Makes a Good Tattoo Lotion?

Now as you can imagine, with the increasing popularity of tattoos (did you know that almost 50% of millennials have some sort of ink?), the market has seen a large influx of tattoo lotions – some of which are much better than others.

Many subpar products include cheaply made chemical compounds that do very little to soothe the skin – some of which may actually inhibit healing if used incorrectly. As a result, it is important we pay close attention to the ingredients within our tattoo lotion to ensure that it is actually going to be of any benefit to us.

With this in mind, we want to make sure that our tattoo lotion is comprised from all natural products, using ingredients that have evidence to support their use.

Those tattoo lotions that are built around coconut oil, shea butter, or cocoa butter are often great starting point, as they both exhibit anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. As such, they offer an excellent way to promote skin healing, while reducing the risk of infection and excessive inflammation ^{[1, 2]}.

Additionally, products that include essential oils (with specific emphasis on lavender oil) have further been suggested to soothe irritated skin, again promoting skin healing and reducing the risk of excessive scabbing ^[3].

Best Tattoo Lotion Product Reviews

Now we certainly appreciate that given the sheer volume of tattoo lotions available on the market, we realize that the above can become a little overwhelming – which is why we have gone ahead and found what we believe to be the best tattoo lotions available on the market at the moment.

Pronounce Lavender Infused Body Lotion

Pronounce are one of those companies that have been producing exceptionally high quality products for a very long time. Well known for using only the best natural ingredients, you really cannot go wrong with anything they put out – and fortunately for us, that obviously includes their body lotion.

This product has been certified as using completely organic ingredients, all of which have been naturally processed and are non-GMO. Additionally, it includes both cocoa butter and coconut oil, as well as lavender oil – essentially ensuring it ticks all our key boxes when it comes to promoting skin health and wound healing.

As an added bonus, this product also includes Aloe Vera and Almond oil, both of which have been shown to reduce inflammation and impact skin health in a positive manner, making it the perfect tattoo lotion.

Hustle Butter Deluxe

Hustle Butter is one of the most popular tattoo lotions available on the market at the moment – and for very good reason too.

Using all natural compounds, hustle butter is built around key ingredients shea butter and coconut oil, offering a fantastic way to stave off skin swelling and limit the risk of skin infection.

Additionally, this particular lotion also includes rosemary oil and green tea extract, both of which have been advocated to improve skin health significantly.

This is another excellent option.

Ora’s Amazing Herbal Tattoo Salve

And finally, this all natural herbal lotion is another extremely popular option. While like the other lotions on this list, it is built around coconut oi (and as such offers a great way to reduce swelling and risk of infection), it sets itself apart by including a number of key herbs suggested to stave off of infection and promote cell health.

Combine this with essential oils of rosemary, thuja, and tea tree, and you have a recipe for success. This is a great option for those looking after an all-natural tattoo care product that can ensure the long term health of their new tattoo.

Take-Away Message

Whether you are only now considering your first tattoo, or you are about to get your hundredth, investing in a high quality tattoo lotion is a great way to improve the quality of your tattoo while also ensuring the health of your skin.

The three all natural options listed in this article are what we believe to be the best tattoo lotions available on the market at the moment, each of which offer us with an excellent option in their own right.

If you have had experience with any of these products we would love to hear about it, so drop us a comment and we will get back to you ASAP.