Tattoos are loved by many people, but efforts are required to take good care of your tattoos. Taking good care of tattoos helps rejuvenate the tattoos, whether it is a new tattoo or an old tattoo. There are many different healing ointments and moisturizers available in the market that help in taking good aftercare of tattoos. It is necessary to keep your tattoos hydrated and protect them against dryness. Dryness can irritate your tattoo.

One of the most effective solutions that you can use for your tattoo aftercare is shea butter (1). Shea butter is one of the most preferred products by many tattoo lovers. Shea butter is a natural ingredient that can be used for maintaining tattoos and is also good for skin. Shea butter is commonly found in many moisturizers mainly because of its high moisturizing content. Raw shea butter works well for tattooed skin. Shea butter has raw minerals that can give you the best results for tattoos.

In this post, the benefits of shea butter and how to use shea butter for tattoos aftercare have been discussed.

Why Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a seed fat that is extracted from the shea tree (2). This is why it is also called fatty oil, which helps prevent skin from drying. The seed has oily kernels in it from which shea butter comes. In order to get shea butter, you need to grind the kernel up and then bring it to a boil with water.

While this process is taking place, the butter begins to rise at the top of the saucepan, and then it turns solid. The outcome achieved is a very creamy and tan color. It has a very soft earthy scent. The main benefit of using this shea butter is that it is 100% natural and can be used as an ingredient in many skincare and body care products.

Shea butter is high in vitamins and minerals. It also has many different properties that promote good skin health and improve the quality of the skin. Shea butter has properties that can help soothe skin and can calm irritated skin.

It helps in treating the issue of dry skin and dry skin-related issues. Shea butter mainly includes acids like stearic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid (3). Shea butter is an emollient that helps in keeping the skin moisturized.

Shea butter contains properties that help in improving skin quality. It has vitamin C and E that helps in improving skin quality, and also reduces the development of scars (4).

One of the uses of shea butter is seen as perfect tattoo balm. Shea butter is rich in vitamin A, which also helps improve skin texture.

What Are The Benefits Of Shea Butter For Tattoos?

Shea butter is rich in nutrients and thus has many skin benefits. It has many properties that help in healing skin. Below are some of the important benefits of shea butter for tattoos aftercare:

1. Moisturizing

One of the most important advantages of shea butter is that it is highly moisturizing. It helps deal with the issue of dry and flaky skin. It helps heal cracked and rough skin as well. Shea butter easily penetrates the skin and nourishes and hydrates the skin deeply. It creates a layer of protection on the skin. It locks moisture on the skin.

Shea butter can easily moisture fresh tattoo, keep the skin hydrated and prevent it from drying. Despite being highly moisturizing, shea butter does not leave your skin oily.

2. Rich in vitamins

Shea butter is rich in vitamin C that helps brighten the skin. One of the major benefits of this is that it helps in making your tattoo stand out. This property is especially useful if the tattoo is colorful or tattoo is on deeper skin tones. It also promotes healthy skin and young-looking skin.

It makes your skin look clear and glowing and makes your tattoo appear fresh and new even after many years.

3. Sun Protection

Cinnamic acid in shea butter offers a lower level of sun protection, though this does not mean that it can be used as a sunscreen substitute. It is important to protect the fresh tattoo from the sun. So, it is advised to use sunscreen along with shea butter on your tattoos. Shea butter creates a skin barrier and helps prevent pollution, outer dirt, etc.

4. Easy Penetration

Shea butter easily soaks into the skin and penetrates deep into the skin. While using shea butter on tattoos, always massage a little bit as it will help penetrate deep into the skin and will heal the skin from within. Another major benefit of using shea butter is that it does not clog the pores on the top layer of your skin and allows the skin to breathe.

5. Reduces Itchiness

Tattoos can be itchy sometimes, so to avoid this itchiness, you can use shea butter. Usually, itchy skin is caused due to dryness, and shea butter helps in reducing dry skin. Moisturization and hydration help in reducing dry skin. Shea butter includes vitamin E that helps in calming the skin around the tattoo and reduces itchiness, if any.

How Can You Use Shea Butter For Tattoos?

Using shea butter is very easy and convenient. Follow the below steps to use shea butter on tattoos:

• Clean your tattoo and wash your hands and pat dry the area using a clean, fresh towel.
• Take a spoonful of shea butter and rub it between your hands to warm it a bit. A small amount of shea butter goes a long way.
• Apply the shea butter directly on the skin and massage it for a while to promote deep penetration of shea butter into the layer of skin.
• You need to apply shea butter in the direction of your hair growth.
• Shea butter easily absorbs into the skin.

*Note: If you want to increase the benefits of shea butter, you can add other ingredients as well with it. Like coconut oil or any essential oil. Some of the best essential oils that you can use include tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, etc.

Apart from coconut oil, you can also use other carrier oils like jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, avocado oil, etc. All these carrier oils and essential oils have many skin benefits that can be used to heal skin and take proper aftercare of your tattoos. You can also add shea butter to your lotion and apply it directly to your tattoos.

Conclusion

Taking tattoo care is very necessary to make them stand out and to prevent any sort of negative harm to the skin.The tattoo needs care, and shea butter is one such product that can be used to take good care of your tattoos. Tattoo artists suggest the use of shea butter to take good care of your skin and protect your skin. Shea butter is an excellent tattoo healing product that you can use.

Shea butter deeply penetrates your skin, and it is believed that there are minimal side effects of shea butter. It can be used in the form of a lighter balm for your skin. Shea butter is a great product that you can include in your skincare regimen. If you have acne-prone skin, then ask your tattoo artists for any cream and oil that is best suitable for your skin. It is advised to use pure shea butter to cover your tattoo.