Aquaphor for Tattoos – Everything You Need to Know

Why is Aquaphor a good product for healing tattoos?

Skin moisture is the key component for tattoo healing unless you’re consciously choosing the dry heal method of tattoo aftercare. 

Dryness creates significant excessive peeling, scabbing and itchiness to the healing area, which can cause damage to your newly tattooed skin. 

Aquaphor is recommended for tattoo aftercare because it hydrates your skin and keeps moisture locked in while the wounded skin knits and heals. 

Another important factor in Aquaphor’s favor is that it’s fragrance free, paraben free, and hypo allergenic, thus lowering the chance to further irritate your skin. 

Aquaphor ointment also contains chamomile extract. Chamomile is a natural ingredient that helps as an anti-inflammatory.

What are the pros of using Aquaphor ointment?

Some of the benefits Aquaphor provides include: 

• Reduction of initial hard crusting and long-term scabbing 
• Less damage underneath the tattoo scab while healing 
• Prevents infection and irritation 
• Decrease in healing time but not too fast as to cause damage 
• Hydrates, moisturizes and protects wounded skin 

What are the potential cons of Aquaphor?

Despite being a tremendous product for tattoo aftercare, Aquaphor does have a couple of drawbacks. Potential issues can include: 

• The Aquaphor base product can trouble sensitive skin. Should this be an issue I recommend the gentler Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment (see below) 
• Petroleum based, so not efficacious for entire healing process and can clog pores if applied too thickly or too often 
• It’s not a range of products specifically designed for tattoos 

When should you start using Aquaphor? 

You can start using Aquaphor once the tattoo shop issued bandage has been removed, and you’ve cleaned the wound for the first time using a mild antibacterial soap.   

The best way to clean your tattoo is as follows: 

1. Wash hands thoroughly 
2. Apply foam cleanser or soap to newly tattooed area with clean hands 
3. Gently rub cleanser into tattoo and surrounding area
4. Gently wipe off remaining cleanser with a clean paper towel
5. Pat dry excess (don’t rub) 

A freshly inked tattoo should be cleaned 3 times a day until fully healed and followed by the application of Aquaphor for at least the first few days.  

After the first few days you can switch to a thinner, water-based lotion product to continue the aftercare process. Water based moisturizers are most useful during the middle to late stages of your tattoo heal. 

What should I do if there are problems during my tattoo heal? 

If you start having issues at any stage during the tattoo healing process, it’s best to speak to your tattoo artist first. They have experience worth listening to and have seen a lot – both in the types of healing ink and the methods to mitigate issues. 

The tattoo artist has a personal and professional stake in seeing your tattoo heal to its absolute best. They can make recommendations for changing your aftercare routine or advise you to see a medical professional if the issue is serious, or allay fears if you’ve gotten to that ugly part of the healing stage and freak out.

The Top 3 Best Aquaphor Products for Your New Tattoo 

1. Aquaphor Healing Ointment

Aquaphor Healing Ointment is one of those versatile skin care products you can keep in the medicine cabinet for all sorts of situations.  

It just happens to be perfect for use in the tattoo healing process. 

This ointment protects and soothes extremely dry skin, wounds such as tattoos, burns, and other skin irritations. The specialized formula promotes moisture, nourishment, and skin protection during healing. 

Key Specs: 

• 14 oz. Jar 
• Formulated for Oxygen flow 
• Enhances healing and restores moisture flow 
• Preservative, paraben and fragrance free

2. Aquaphor Ointment Body Spray 

Aquaphor Ointment Body Spray is brilliant for those with new tattoos in hard to reach places. As a spray on hypo-allergenic moisturizer, Aquaphor is a good product for tattoos on the back, shoulders, and legs. 

Unlike a spray lotion, the ointment is water-free so locks moisture in for hydration. The spray moisturizer also helps to reduce inflammation and itchiness that comes with a healing tattoo. 

Key Specs: 

• 3.7 oz spray bottle 
• For dry rough skin 
• Hypo-allergenic 
• Non touch spray application 

3. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment  

I’ve been using the Australian equivalent of the Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment product for the past 15 years across 30 tattoos.  I carried it around in my backpack during two round the world trips that featured different climates, temperatures, exposure and terrain.

It never let me down. 

I’m also the parent of small kids. If Aquaphor wasn’t capable enough to protect my children’s butt (literally) it’s not going on my healing tattooed skin either. 

Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment is great because you can apply it thinly and it soothes while allowing your inked area to get the necessary moisture required to keep it healing nicely. It’s also a bit gentler on your skin than the dry skin product we also recommend above. This is brilliant for those with more sensitive skin types. 

As far as all-purpose tattoo moisturizing products are concerned the Baby Healing Ointment would be right at the top of my personal list. 

Key Specs: 

• 14 oz. jar 
• Clinically proven to restore smooth, healthy skin 
• Formulated to allow oxygen to flow 
• Preservative and fragrance free