Healing Tattoos in 3 Holistic Steps

From one hippie heart to another - I'd love to share what works (in my experience) for healing tattoos naturally.

It started with a small tattoo on my wrist that lead to an entire sleeve...needless to say, tattoos are addicting.

My favorite tattoo philosophy:

my body, my art


Having said that, I love that there's been a shift in the acceptance of tattoos in our culture. Discrimination will never die however it's certainly lessened. FINALLY.

Soap boxes aside...on to the healing of your new expressive piece:

STEP 1

 

I learned about witch hazel when I had my babies...holy crap this stuff can heal! What I love about Thayers is that they combine Aloe and make an unscented version (therefore eliminating anything that would further irritate your new ink). As you probably know, new tattoos tend to feel like a bad sunburn. This is always my first step after good ol' soap and water. Depending on the size of your tattoo, it's typically best to simply squirt the stuff right on the tattoo and blend it in to your skin gently with clean hands like lotion. Applying with cotton related products can leave fibers behind - no bueno for healing.

STEP 2 

 

One of the few things you can apply to open wounds is silver. I trust Sovereign Silver's brand because it's the only brand pure enough to place in your eye without harmful side effects. After witch hazel, apply this (again, like lotion) over your tattoo. 

STEP 3

I'm going to give you a choice here...everyone likes choices.

 

Both are ointments and both are amazing products to use as a final step after cleansing. On average, I tend to use the tea tree therapy ointment the first week or so (being that it's antiseptic) and switch to Motherlove after the "shedding of snake skin" process is complete to keep it moisturized. 

Keep in mind - depending on the size, your tattoo might look worse before it looks better. It's all a part of the healing process. Don't freak 😉 ...after about 2 weeks - it's going to look fantastic.

My tattoo artist always loves seeing my artwork after a week because he's utterly shocked at the recovery process.

You can find any of these products on Amazon or in your local Sprouts Farmers Market/Whole Foods store.

Questions, comments, feedback? I'd love to hear from you!