I think dry healing the first two days then lotion after works great. I mean, always keep the tattoo clean and your hands clean when you touch it but leave it alone after that. A wound needs to dry out before it can heal, so letting that tattoo dry out for the first two days really helps. Then after that just use a SMALL amount of lotion WHEN NEEDED. Its obviously going to be needed more when getting stretchy spots tattooed like necks and ditches and elbows opposed to places like a forearm or shin. I just tell people to get a clear, non scented anti bacterial liquid hand soap and a hand lotion that is dye free, aloe free, petroleum free and fragrance free. I think a huge problem is that tattooers dont normally mention that only a small amount of whatever they suggest is needed. Then the client thinks that lotion or ointment or whatever is going to heal the tattoo faster if they cake it on. It makes me cringe when I see a tattoo so shinny from whatever they are using on it that i cant even see the tattoo past the light's reflection. So bad for it. It needs oxygen, let it breathe. Also... I know there is a on going debate about this constantly, but wrapping a tattoo the first two nights I find really helps out a lot. I know it creates a shitty environment for the tattoo, but if you wash your hands, then wash the tattoo, then let it air dry, then wrap... you should be good to go. And that wrap creates a sort of green house effect pulling out a lot of discharge and moisture, which allows your tattoo to heal even faster. I know a lot of people would disagree with doing that but it works. I've been doing it for years and I'm clean and not dead.