Caring for your tattoo: cream, oil, SPF or petroleum jelly — what do you use when?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
Cream, oil, sun protection with SPF, or petroleum jelly: each product does something different. A no-nonsense comparison of four types of tattoo care, including sizes, shelf life, and price per 100 ml.
Two people get the same tattoo. Six months later, one is still sharp and deeply colored, while the other looks dull and faded at the edges. The difference is rarely in the ink and almost always in what happened to it afterward: dry skin, sun, and products not meant for it. Care isn't a complex ritual, but the choice between cream, oil, sun protection, and petroleum jelly does matter. Below is what each product does and when to use it.
Important note: a fresh tattoo is a wound. Your tattoo shop will tell you how to treat it in those first few weeks, and that advice always takes precedence over what you read online. This article is about products and materials, not medical advice.
If you don't want to choose or are giving it as a gift, opt for the Ink'd Tattoo Total Care 4-pack care set for € 24.95. Four individual bottles together cost € 59.20, so the set is clearly cheaper - and it's one of the few gifts for someone with a lot of ink that actually gets used up.
Cream or oil: what's the difference in practice?
A cream absorbs faster and is more pleasant if you put on clothes immediately afterward or go out. An oil stays on the skin longer, feels richer, and is more convenient for large areas — you can oil half a back or a sleeve in a fraction of the time it takes with cream. The downside is that oil takes longer to absorb and can leave stains on textiles.
The practical division most people adhere to: cream during the day, oil in the evening or directly after showering when the skin is still warm. And if you only want to buy one product: choose the cream, as it suits more situations.
What petroleum jelly does and doesn't do
Petroleum jelly has been used for tattoos for decades and has a dual reputation. It's an occlusive layer, not a moisturizing cream: it locks in moisture and keeps friction out. This is useful for chapped skin and areas where clothing rubs, but it's not the same as hydrating. A thick layer on a fresh tattoo also prevents the skin from breathing properly — and many tattoo shops specifically advise against this. So, follow their instructions.
For everyday use, petroleum jelly is mainly cheap and universally applicable. The Original Vaseline Pure Petroleum Jelly 100ml costs €7.95, and the Vaseline Original Protecting Jelly 250ml costs €10.00. Do the math: that's €7.95 per 100ml versus €4.00 per 100ml. For a product you'll use up anyway, the larger size is the logical choice.
Sun is the biggest culprit
Of all the things that fade a tattoo, sunlight is by far the biggest contributor. This applies all year round, not just in July: you also get UV exposure in spring and autumn, especially on a bike or during a long walk. A tattoo on a forearm, calf or shoulder therefore takes more of a beating than you think.
Tattoo care products usually come in bottles of 100 to 200 ml. This is too much for hand luggage, where the limit is 100 ml per container. If you're traveling, decant into a small bottle or buy a second small package; it's a waste to take an opened bottle that you have to throw away at the gate.
Also, look at the open-jar symbol on the packaging: the indication 12M or 6M indicates how many months the product is meant to be used after opening. Write the opening date on the bottom of the bottle with a marker — it takes two seconds and saves guesswork later. Do not store the bottles in the bathroom in a warm place, but in a cupboard; fluctuating temperature and moisture are not good for creams and oils.
A simple schedule
First few weeks: only what your tattoo shop prescribes. Do not add anything yourself.
Daily thereafter: a thin layer of cream, on clean and dry skin.
For dry skin or large areas: oil after showering instead of cream.
As soon as you go outside with the tattoo uncovered: apply SPF, all year round.
If the color looks dull: use the color boost cream instead of the regular one for a period.
More care products can be found under Body Care, Sun Protection, Personal Care and All in Drugstore. If you sell care products in a tattoo shop or store and want to know what's possible per box or in larger quantities? Email info@verpakkingdeals.nl, and we will send you the current stock and tiered pricing.
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