Banger Tattoo Care

  • Why Vaseline petroleum jelly is not the best choice for new tattoo or PMU healing and what breathable natural alternatives work better for the skin microbiome

    Can You Use Vaseline on a New Tattoo? Here's the Problem

    Vaseline has been part of tattoo aftercare longer than almost any other product recommendation. The problem is that it is 100 percent petrolatum — nothing else. Petrolatum creates an impermeable seal that traps wound fluids, blocks oxygen to the beneficial bacteria protecting the wound, and produces a thicker more disruptive peeling phase than any breathable alternative. Here is the biology behind why, and what the updated protocol looks like.

  • Why Aquaphor petrolatum is not the best choice for tattoo or microblading healing and what breathable natural alternatives work better

    Can You Use Aquaphor on a New Tattoo? (Why Most Artists Are Getting This Wrong)

    Aquaphor has been the default tattoo and microblading aftercare recommendation for decades. The science says it should not be. Here is exactly what petroleum does to healing tattooed skin, why the PMU industry is especially overexposed to this problem, and what the biology actually calls for.