Keeping your tattoo looking fresh during Spring Break is easy – let’s keep your skin and your new tattoo safe!
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Spring Break has swept across the country and we’re here in SoFl being all “yes, yes, it’s Tuesday, suns out, it’ll rain at 4”. We know it’s South Florida. Sometimes we forget that “I live where you vacation” isn’t just a state of mind, and we are excited to meet you and hear about your home and send you back with a permanent souvenir of the Best Spring Break Ever!
We might not originally be from here, but we’ve been here long enough to know that tattoo season is year-round in SoFl. There is no season where you’re stuffed into many layers and puffy coats and big stompy boots (for snow, not for fashion). There is no season where you need to keep your skin covered due to it being cold which can mean irritating that new body modification. We’ve got sunshine and rain and a (generally) balmy 85-90F year-round. This isn’t a humble-brag. There is a point.
Here it is: You know what else is awesome year-round? Protecting your tattoo (read: your skin) from harmful sunshine and keeping yourself well hydrated.
Wait – I have to use sunblock and lotion?
We’re not telling you that a good daily routine of sunblock and moisturizer will change your life, but it is pretty transformative. We use TattooGoo as our suggested aftercare and their lotion is great to use on your tattoos, new and old. Your lotion doesn’t have to be TattooGoo, or anything tattoo-specific. We suggest you check the ingredients before applying, especially to a fresh tattoo or broken skin. Some ingredients can be drying or outright irritating to freshly tattooed or broken skin. We recommend avoiding the following ingredients: alcohol, fragrances, lanolin, mineral oil (such as vitamin A or D), parabens, petroleum, and phthalates.
Always apply sunblock when you expect to be outside, and remember to reapply it every few hours, especially if you plan on being in the water* or sweat a lot. We moved to SoFl in 1998. We’ve learned about leaving a bottle by the front door. In my bag. A face-specific non-clogging tube. It lives in the car. Remember – the sun is trying to kill everyone, not just those of us dumb enough to live too close to the equator. We’re also pretty sure the sun’s other favorite activity is passively bleaching any color from anything. That includes your tattoos! There are quite a few skin moisturizers that also have a decent SPF built right in. Win-Win!
You know what else is awesome year-round? Protecting your tattoo (read: your skin) from harmful sunshine and keeping yourself well hydrated.
I have to drink all the water too?
Getting that inner glow to shine out bright couldn’t be easier – Just add water! Most humans are under-hydrated and drinking plenty of water is a great way to passively keep your tattoos (and your skin – it’s your biggest organ you know) healthy and luminous. Dry skin can make your tattoos look old and faded even when they are brand new. Did you know well-hydrated skin is translucent skin? Tattoos sit sandwiched between different layers of your skin – keeping every layer from the top down hydrated helps keeps your tattoos looking brighter than ever. Even with how humid it is down here in the swamp, we drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. Do you drink plenty of water and still have dry, itchy, dull skin? Try a gentle exfoliation in the shower, but never on broken or wounded skin (so never ever on a fresh tattoo!) and follow up with a good, non-greasy body lotion. Preferably one with a good SPF.
*remember that asterisk by the word water a few paragraphs up? If your tattoo is so fresh it hasn’t peeled yet, it should not be submerged in water or left exposed to water for any length of time. We do not encourage swimming, water parks, baths, long showers, or any other activity where your new tattoo can get waterlogged. That is a good way to lose your new ink :(
