What Is Tattoo Balm? How to Use It & Why I Made Mine a Stick
Fresh tattoos are beautiful.
They're also tender, irritated, and not particularly interested in being manhandled.
Which is exactly how Ink Stick came to exist.
When I decided to make a tattoo balm, I knew I wanted something that would help keep freshly tattooed skin moisturized and conditioned. But I also kept thinking about the application itself.
Because rubbing a thick cream onto a brand-new tattoo?
Not exactly anybody's favorite part of the experience.
So instead of making just another little pot of tattoo balm, I started working on a formula that could go into a stick.
Something that would soften with body heat.
Something that would glide gently across the skin.
Something that wouldn't require you to dig your fingers into a jar and then rub the ever-loving daylights out of an already-tender tattoo.
And thus, Ink Stick was born.
First Things First: What Is Tattoo Balm?
Tattoo balm is an oil-and-wax-based product used to moisturize and condition tattooed skin.
Unlike a traditional lotion, a balm doesn't contain water. Oils and butters provide the moisturizing and conditioning part of the formula, while wax gives the balm enough structure to stay solid.
That's particularly useful when you're trying to put one into a twist-up stick.
Mine is made with shea butter, an aloe butter blend, beeswax, vitamin E, and an herbal-infused hemp seed oil.
And that last ingredient gets a little extra attention around here.
Because naturally I couldn't just buy some oil and call it a day.
That would be entirely too convenient.
Yep, This One Gets the Six-Week Wait Too
The hemp seed oil in Ink Stick is infused with plantain, chickweed, and calendula.
Those herbs weren't picked by throwing darts at an herb cabinet.
I chose them because they have long histories of traditional use in herbal skin preparations, particularly when caring for skin that needs a little extra attention.
Then they go through the same long-and-slow infusion process I use for my herbal salves.
Herbs go into the oil.
The jar goes into a cool, dark space.
I check it.
I shake it.
I put it back.
Then tomorrow?
Shake the little sucker again.
For six weeks.
Once the infusion is finished, I strain out the plant material and use that herbal-infused hemp seed oil to make Ink Stick.
If you're curious about why I spend six weeks shaking jars instead of taking one of the faster routes, I wrote an entire article about it:
How Herbal Salves Are Made: The 6-Week Wait
Spoiler alert: apparently I enjoy giving Future Me more work.
Why Hemp Seed Oil?
I chose hemp seed oil for two main reasons.
First, hemp seed oil has a long history of use in skin-care formulations, and its fatty-acid composition makes it an interesting emollient oil for conditioning the skin.
But there's another reason that's especially important for Ink Stick:
The glide.
Hemp seed oil helps give the formula that silky slip I was looking for.
Remember, one of my goals from the beginning was to create something that could move gently across tender skin without requiring a bunch of rubbing.
The oil matters.
The butters matter.
The amount of beeswax matters.
The whole formula has to work together so the stick stays solid in the tube but begins to soften when it meets the warmth of your skin.
That's the sweet spot.
Why Make Tattoo Balm in a Stick?
This is probably my favorite part of the whole product.
Traditional tattoo balms often come in tins or jars.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, I make Ink Stick in a tin too because some of my customers genuinely prefer using it that way.
But the stick gives you another option.
Instead of scooping balm out with your fingers and then rubbing it over the area, you can twist up the stick and gently glide the product where you want it.
Your body heat helps soften the balm as it moves across the skin.
I've had customers specifically tell me they love the stick because they don't have to rub as much on tender skin.
And that is exactly why I made the thing that way in the first place.
It's always nice when Past Me has a decent idea.
So...Is Ink Stick Basically ChapStick for Tattoos?
Okay, Google.
You aren't completely wrong.
Ink Stick comes in a twist-up tube, glides directly onto the skin, and softens with body heat—so I understand why somebody might look at it and think:
Giant ChapStick for tattoos?
Honestly?
I can see it.
And technically, yes. The ingredients in Ink Stick are lip-safe, so if you want to use it on your lips, you can.
Buuuut...
I also make an herb-infused lip balm specifically formulated for—you guessed it—your lips.
So can Ink Stick pull double duty in a lip emergency?
Sure.
Is that the job I hired it for?
Nope.
Ink Stick was formulated to moisturize and condition tattooed skin, with a silky texture designed to glide gently over the area without a bunch of rubbing.
My lip balm was made to be lip balm.
Everybody has a job around here.
But hey.
You do you, boo.
How Do You Use Tattoo Balm on a Fresh Tattoo?
Here's where your tattoo artist gets to be the boss.
A fresh tattoo is more than pretty new artwork. The skin has been repeatedly punctured during the tattooing process, so proper aftercare matters.
Follow the aftercare instructions your tattoo artist gives you.
Different artists may use different dressings and recommend slightly different aftercare routines depending on the tattoo and how it was covered.
If your artist has given you the go-ahead to use a tattoo balm, that's when Ink Stick can join the party.
Twist up a small amount and glide it gently over the area, allowing your body heat to soften the balm as you apply it.
You don't need to mash the stick into your skin.
You don't need to scrub.
And you definitely don't need to butter yourself like a biscuit.
A little goes a long way.
Reapply according to the aftercare routine recommended by your tattoo artist.
And if something about your tattoo doesn't look or feel right—especially if you're concerned about infection or a reaction—that's not a job for a balm. Talk to your tattoo artist and seek appropriate medical care.
What About Older Tattoos?
Ink Stick isn't only for the fresh stuff.
Once your tattoo is completely healed, the skin sitting over that tattoo still needs the same basic care as the rest of you.
And skin gets dry.
When the skin over an older tattoo is dry and dull-looking, the tattoo underneath can look a little dull too.
That's one reason I like using Ink Stick on older tattoos as part of regular skin care.
The oils and butters moisturize and condition the skin, helping that dry surface look smoother and better cared for.
I recommend working it into your routine rather than remembering your tattoo exists once every six months.
Swipe some on.
Massage it in if needed.
Go about your business.
Your tattoo doesn't retire just because it's done healing.
And while we're talking long-term tattoo care, sunscreen matters too. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends protecting tattooed skin from the sun because UV light can fade some tattoo inks.
Ink Stick is not sunscreen, so don't make it responsible for a job it wasn't hired to do.
What's Actually in Ink Stick?
This is a pretty short ingredient story, which I like.
Shea Butter helps moisturize and soften the skin while contributing to the rich feel of the balm.
Aloe Butter Blend adds another emollient component and helps give the formula its smooth application.
Herbal-Infused Hemp Seed Oil is my six-week infusion of hemp seed oil, plantain, chickweed, and calendula. It conditions the skin and contributes to the silky glide of the finished balm.
Beeswax gives Ink Stick structure. Without it, we'd have herbal oil in a tube.
Vitamin E is included in the oil-based formula and also helps protect the oils in the product from oxidation.
Nothing needs to perform a magic trick.
Each ingredient has a job.
Around here, ingredients are expected to earn their keep.
Does Tattoo Balm Make Tattoos Heal Faster?
This is one of those places where customer experience and a product claim are two different things.
I've had customers tell me they felt their tattoos healed remarkably well while using Ink Stick.
I love hearing that.
But I'm not going to turn their experience into a promise about yours.
Ink Stick is there to moisturize and condition the skin and give you a convenient way to apply a balm with less rubbing.
It isn't a medication, and I'm not going to tell you it can magically speed up the biological process of healing a tattoo.
Your body gets that job.
Ink Stick gets the much less glamorous assignment of being a really nice balm.
I'm comfortable with that division of labor.
Stick or Tin?
This one comes down to personal preference.
If you like direct application and the idea of gliding the balm over the skin, go with the stick.
If you're firmly Team Tin and prefer scooping out exactly how much you want, I've got you covered there too.
Same formula.
Same herbal infusion.
Different delivery system.
I'm not going to start a tattoo-balm civil war over packaging.
Pick your fighter.
The Bottom Line
Ink Stick started with a pretty simple thought:
Fresh tattoos are tender. Why make applying aftercare more irritating than it needs to be?
So I built the formula around that idea.
A balm that softens with body heat.
A silky hemp seed oil base infused with plantain, chickweed, and calendula for six weeks.
Rich butters to moisturize and condition the skin.
Enough beeswax to hold everything together.
And a stick that lets you glide the balm directly where you want it.
Use it on fresh tattoos when your tattoo artist says it's appropriate.
Keep using it after your tattoo heals to moisturize and condition the skin.
And if you're still wondering whether it's basically giant tattoo ChapStick?
Fine, Google. You win this one.