2. When washing your new tattoo, wash your hands, then put fresh antibacterial soap in your hands and get a good, light suds goin' on with warm (not hot) water. Then, use COLD water to rinse. Why use cold water? Cold water will tighten your pores, as well as all the little holes that were just made in your skin, feel really good, and will rinse the soap faster with minimal irritaion to the freshly tattooed area.
3. Now, that you are all washed and rinsed, PAT or DAB your tattoo dry, DON'T rub it dry. Use a white paper towel, NOT toilet paper, and not the towel hanging in the bathroom everyone uses to dry off their hands.
4. Allow your tattoo to air dry for a few minutes so you don't lock the tap water into your tattoo when you apply lotion... tap water, odd as it may seem, will actually dry out your skin.
5. Time for lotion. Many people assume they are suposed to use A&D ointment or antibiotic ointment when healing tattoos. DONT DO THIS. Most professional artists no longer recommend doing this. Its greasy, doesn't allow oxygen to your skin, dirt and what not sticks to it, and there is often seepage for several days. Although everyone's skin is different and many other factors such as poor health may affect the healing of a tattoo, there is a much higher rate of fast and effective healing associated with people who use lotion. Yep, plain old lotion, from day one... a dye free, fragrance free lotion... Curel and Tattoo Goo lotion are the top two on my list. Keep the lotion with you all the time, applying it religiously so as to NEVER LET YOUR TATTOO GET DRY IN THE FIRST PLACE, not even once. This will prevent most people in most cases from ever getting a scab at all. This isn't 1942, tattoos don't have to scab anymore.
6. Your tattoo should be healed in two weeks if you take care of it properly. Done and done... until the next time anyway.