What ink can you use for home tattoos

They all tend to have issues with color fade in a relatively short period of time when compared to actual tattoo ink as well as problems with detail retention. Although both of these could be due to the skill of the tattooist as well as the cleanliness of their tools and environment, the consistency of the issues is enough to put us off using Sharpie ink for tattoos.

A small number of people report using BIC pen ink as their alternative to actual stick and poke tattoo ink for their body art and although this does tend to have better color and detail retention, we would still not recommend it. The majority of the pens in the BIC range are oil based so you are actively putting and oil based ink into your skin when using it for your stick and poke body art causing a number of potential health hazards.

Just like the Sharpie range, although some of the BIC range has been marked as non-toxic, this is when rated against general arts and crafts with the ink getting on your skin, not being injected into it.

We go into this in more detail in our article on if BIC pen ink is toxic but the short version is, the ink can have issues when injected into your skin with a stick and poke set. The ink particles in BIC pen ink tend to be larger than usual too making it harder to have any stick and poke tattoo done using the ink removed via laser treatments in the future. Although the more modern laser treatments can break the ink down, it does take more sittings increasing the time and cost required to remove them if needed.

Some people have used eyeliner for their stick and poke tattoos and we would highly recommend against doing this. From what we can tell, using eyeliner as an ink alternative tends to have a high rejection rate from your skin causing excessive scabbing directly after having your stick and poke tattoo work done.

This scabbing tends to result in large portions of the eyeliner being pushed back out of your skin having a drastic effect on the actual tattoo. Even if the tattoo artists who completed the work has talent and skill in tattooing, both the color and the detail will suffer from the scabbing process and the actual tattoo tends to look terrible after the initial healing process. Using a graphite pencil for stick and poke tattoos has become increasingly popular for prison tattoos due to graphite pencils being easier to get when in prison.

As you can expect when using graphite, the tattoo tends to have a slight silver look to it rathe than being a solid black and large amounts of the graphite can be rejected from your skin during the healing phase too. This results in the tattoo work fading substantially over the first few weeks and graphite tattoos are notorious for fading after the initial scabbing subsides too.

This means that large chunks of the detail in the tattoo can fade within the first year making the detail in the tattoo difficult to see although it will be obvious that you once had one. But, bear in mind; a DIY tattoos will always look like it was homemade; it will never have a professional appearance!

So, for starters; do not use pen ink! Just, go online and order a bottle of black tattoo ink. The real ink will look times better, and there is a lower chance of infection with the real ink. We recommend you go for vegan, heavy-metal-free ink. Then, make sure that the tools you use are properly cleaned and sterilized.

Try to also clean your skin properly, and maybe even consider shaving the area where the tattoo will be placed. Let the tattoo heal, clean it properly, do not cover it with heavy lotions, and try not to pick it and peel it. If the tattoo becomes red, inflamed, and sore, and stays so for a few days, chances are the tattoo is infected. In that case, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Chances are the ink contains heavy metals, which could cause serious health issues. As you may have noticed, we seriously advise people not to do any DIY, homemade tattoo, especially the stick-and-poke kind with pen ink. This can be seriously dangerous and can put your health at risk. It is always better to go get professionally tattooed than to risk skin and tattoo infection.

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About Us. Privacy Policy Disclaimer. Skip to content. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See our disclosure page for more information. Are Stick-and-Poke Tattoos Temporary? Well, Yes and No! Use immediately. Professional Grade Tattoo Ink Recipe Fastidious tattoo artists prefer to mix their own inks so they know exactly what is in them because ink manufacturers are not currently required to disclose ingredient information.

Ingredients 28 ounces of witch hazel or vodka 1 tablespoon propylene glycol 1 tablespoon of medical grade glycerine 1 - 2 inches pigment powder.

Instructions Mix together the first three ingredients: witch hazel or vodka , glycol and glycerine. Add the pigment powder to a blender, then slowly add enough liquid to create a slurry. Mix on low speed for ten to twenty minutes, and then check the consistency of the mix. If it's too thick, add a little more liquid. If it seems too thin or the color looks too washed out, add a pinch of pigment powder at a time to adjust.

Keep in mind that this is a trial and error process; adjust until you reach the consistency you prefer to work with. Blend at medium speed for one hour.

Pour the finished ink into a sterile container, put a secure lid on it and store it out of direct sunlight. Prison Ink Recipe This is an example of how homemade black ink is often created in prison from simple ingredients like baby oil.

Instructions Burn the plastic razor with a lighter or heat the baby oil to smoking. Place a mirror about 3 to 5 inches away from the burning plastic or oil. Catch the soot particles on the surface of the mirror as soon as the material begins to smoke.

Once the mirror turns black, scrape the mirror with the razor blade and gather the soot scrapings into the bottle cap. Add a drop of water to the bottle cap. Mix the water and ashes with the toothpick. Add a couple drops of shampoo and a drop of ethyl alcohol to thicken and disinfect the formula; mix thoroughly.

Discard any leftover ink promptly after use. Use Precaution Tattoo shops are regulated strictly by the department of health in each state.

By Jennifer L.