Our Tattoo Aftercare Routine, With Sources

This is the aftercare routine we recommend with Lucky Paw Tattoo Cooling Balm, one step at a time, with the sources behind each step and each ingredient. Where a step comes from our own experience as tattoo artists, we say so.

The Routine, Step by Step

1. The first few days: let it dry heal

   Our recommendation as tattoo artists

   This is what we recommend as tattoo artists: keep a new tattoo clean and keep products off it while the skin is still open. It is normal for a new tattoo to ooze clear, yellow or blood-tinged fluid for several days. Aftercare advice varies between artists and clinics, so if your artist gave you different instructions, follow theirs.

   • HealthLink BC: Tattoo Problems

2. Start Lucky Paw once the skin has closed

   Wait until there are no open, weeping or raw spots. Lucky Paw is a cosmetic, and cosmetics are made for unbroken skin: the EU scientific committee on cosmetic safety says damaged skin needs medical advice and pharmacy products, not cosmetics.

   • EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety: Notes of Guidance, 12th revision (section 3-6.10)

3. Patch test on a small area before first use.

   Dermatologists suggest trying a new skin product on a small test spot, such as the inside of your arm, twice a day for 7 to 10 days. If your skin reacts, wash it off and don't use it again.

   • American Academy of Dermatology: How to test skin care products

4. Wash your hands, then gently wash the area with warm water and a mild, fragrance-free soap.

   Always wash your hands before you touch your tattoo. Wash the tattoo gently with warm, not hot, water and a mild, fragrance-free soap, and don't scrub it.

   • Durham Region Health Department (Ontario): Tattoos and Piercings
   • Cleveland Clinic: Tattoo aftercare instructions

5. Pat dry with a clean paper towel or let it air dry.

   Pat the tattoo dry with a clean paper towel instead of rubbing it.

   • Cleveland Clinic: Tattoo aftercare instructions

6. Apply a thin, even layer morning and night, and whenever your tattoo feels dry or tight.

   Dermatologists recommend moisturizing whenever your skin feels dry, and say creams and ointments add more moisture than lotions.

   • American Academy of Dermatology: Dry skin, tips for managing

7. Keep using it on healed tattoos

   A healed tattoo is regular skin again and can dry out like the rest of your skin. HealthLink BC advises keeping itchy areas well moisturized, because dry skin may make itching worse.

   • HealthLink BC: Dry Skin and Itching

8. Stop using it if your skin reacts. Know when to get help.

   If a product causes a reaction, wash it off and stop using it. Contact a health professional if you notice swelling or warmth that gets worse, red streaks spreading from the tattoo, pus, or a fever. In B.C., you can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.

   • American Academy of Dermatology: How to test skin care products
   • HealthLink BC: Tattoo Problems

What Each Ingredient Does

For each ingredient we link the European Commission's CosIng database, the official list of cosmetic ingredients and what each one does in a product, plus research or dermatology advice where it adds something.

• Menthol

  Gives the balm its minty cooling sensation.

  Menthol switches on TRPM8, the cold sensor in your skin, which is why it feels cool. The discovery of this sensor, found using menthol, was part of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

  • Nature (2002): Identification of a cold receptor reveals a general role for TRP channels in thermosensation
  • The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021: press release

• Glycerine

  Draws water to the skin’s surface to help keep skin moisturized.

  The EU's official cosmetic ingredient database lists glycerin as a humectant, an ingredient that helps skin hold on to water. Dermatologists list glycerin among the ingredients to look for in products for dry skin.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Glycerin
  • American Academy of Dermatology: Dry skin, tips for managing

• Avocado & Macadamia Oils

  Plant oils that moisturize and soften dry skin.

  The EU database lists avocado oil as skin conditioning. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel, whose review covers avocado and macadamia oils, says plant oils are used in cosmetics for their skin-conditioning, emollient and moisturizing properties.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review, International Journal of Toxicology (2017): Safety Assessment of Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils

• Olus & Coconut Oils

  Olus oil is the label name for a vegetable oil. Both soften skin and help the balm spread.

  The EU database lists olus oil, a vegetable oil, as an emollient (it helps skin feel soft and smooth) and coconut oil as skin conditioning. The same plant oil review covers both.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Olus Oil
  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review, International Journal of Toxicology (2017): Safety Assessment of Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils

• Shea & Cacao Seed Butters

  Rich plant butters that help hold moisture in the skin.

  The EU database lists shea butter as skin conditioning and cacao seed butter as an emollient. Dermatologists list shea butter among the ingredients to look for in products for dry skin.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
  • American Academy of Dermatology: Dry skin, tips for managing

• Candelilla Wax

  A plant-based wax that gives the balm its firm, spreadable texture.

  The EU database lists candelilla wax as film forming and viscosity controlling: it thickens a product and leaves a light film on the skin, which gives the balm its texture.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax

• Vitamin E

  A skin-conditioning antioxidant that helps keep skin soft.

  The EU database lists tocopherol (vitamin E) as an antioxidant and skin conditioning, and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel reports the same two uses in cosmetics.

  • EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng): Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review, International Journal of Toxicology (2018): Safety Assessment of Tocopherols and Tocotrienols as Used in Cosmetics

Full ingredient list: Glycerine, Olus Oil, Avocado Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Candelilla Wax, Cacao Seed Butter, Coconut Oil, Menthol

How We Chose These Sources

We link to government health services, dermatology associations, official cosmetic ingredient databases and published research, and we sum up each one in our own words. These sources explain the general reasons behind each step and ingredient. They are not reviews or endorsements of Lucky Paw Tattoo Cooling Balm.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a skin condition or a known allergy, check the full ingredient list and ask a pharmacist or doctor before trying a new product.

See the product's ingredients, directions and warnings