Fermin

@Fala, thanks for the links. That´s some very useful information. @dari, I never use any essential oil directly on the skin without any type of vehicle. Depending on the application, I´ve used them suspended in water, or diluted in a neutral oil (like rice, jojoba, or coconut) or in a cream. I´ve been using a few drops of citronella oil in about 30mL of water as a mosquito repellent for a couple of years now, and my skin is fine. I´ve also used it to clean my hands after massaging someone´s feet, or to disinfect an open, but shallow, wound. Always in low concentration. And luckily I can get lavender directly from the plant. Next time I get a tattoo I´ll prepare a lavender cream or balm and use that instead of Bepanthen. Thanks!

Oh, believe me, I´m anything but a doormat. You can´t walk over me if you don´t take me down first, and you can´t take me down if you can´t hit me. It takes two to fight, and as I make it clear that I´m not interested, incidents don´t repeat either. Not because I teach intolerant, nosy people a lesson, but because they get bored or tired. I think the way we handle these situations has a lot to do with personalities and our personal history. I used to get angry really easily while growing up. It caused me a lot of pain and kept the bullies engaged. Realizing I could choose how to feel about what people said about me, and that I didn´t get anything positive from letting it affect me, has made a huge change in my life, and even in what people say about me. It´s like now more and more people get to see through what they superficially wouldn´t like about me.

In Spanish we call it "crema de ordeñe", which means literally "milking balm". I didn´t know it was good to protect against bacterias too. I prefer to use as few pharmaceutical products as I can, and I´m looking for a natural alternative to Bepanthen for when I get tattooed again, preferably something I can make myself. I´m not sure of what bag balm has in it, and if it´s all that natural. I already use a homemade sunscreen, made with beeswax, chamomile and marigold. I still have to use it on my tattoo (I got it just three weeks ago and Spring is not that warm yet), but it does wonders keeping my face free of rosacea I would get when exposed to the sun (even when using 60 or 90 SPF). Does anyone know what essential oils After Ink has? Citronella oil is a very good bactericide. I may experiment with that.

I have only one very recent tattoo and it´s not in a visible spot, but I´ve also been stared at for almost all my life. Stares are not necessarily a bad thing. I seem to have a certain presence that draws a lot of attention, and being intergendered, I tend to stand out even more. Most of the attention I get is positive, though, and when it´s negative, I prefer to deflect it rather than try to clash against them. After all, in the same way that nobody will change my ways by telling me BS, I won´t change their view of life with a snappy comeback.

I hear you. I just got my first tattoo two weeks ago and had plans for a larger piece I will want to get when I find the right artist, and that was going to be it. But I immediately started thinking of two more I want to get on my palms, and now I´m also daydreaming about getting sort-of-sleeves. Welcome aboard, Jake. I´m new here too. Don´t worry, I understand what you´re trying to say, it´s just the wording that can come off as judgmental, but I know it´s not what you want to imply, it´s just the way we are taught to say certain things. It happens to me too, or rather I realize it would happen before saying it, so I just shut up :P

At least I do admit it wouldn´t be the first time I swallow my own words.

Nah, you should tell him you accept his offer and have him get three or four tattoos. At least one in a spot he doesn´t usually keep covered. Then you start getting tattooed again.

Thanks guys. It´s been feeling better now and it´s starting to scab. It all seems to be going well now. Hehe, Mark, never say never, but I don´t think I´ll get enough tattoos to do much trial and error :P I think I´ll just stick to one method as long as I don´t get gangrene or something. And ok, I won´t swim in an ocean or a lake. Rivers are ok, right? ;)

Thanks, guys. Is it normal to feel skin a bit tight the day after? Should I moisturize it more? Following the artist´s advice I kept the tattooed area saran wrapped for only a couple of hours yesterday, and just covered with a cotton t-shirt since then. I washed it several times with cold water and unscented soap. Now I´m about to go to the pharmacy to buy bepanthen, which the artist also recommended.

Hi folks and folkettes! I just got my first tattoo. No, not a palm tattoo ;) , but I was close to it. I had thought of getting it on my shoulder blade, but this morning before leaving for the tattoo shop I took a look at my back, which like most people I don´t do very often, and realized how many moles I have there, so maybe it wasn´t such a good spot for a tattoo. On my way to the shop I started thinking of other possible locations, and because of what this tattoo means for me I thought my left palm would be a good place, but I had never seen anyone with a tattoo on their palms so I thought there would be a reason for that. Finally the artist managed to work perfectly around the moles on my back, but when I got back home I was still curious about palm tattoos so I started googling. I found some great articles on BME, including a few showing tattoos done with only white ink, and I fell in love with the subtlety of what can be achieved. I´m now glad I didn´t get this first tattoo on my palm because what I would like to get done now is so much better. I do have a question for those of you that have tattoed your palms, though. Have you experienced any loss of sensation? I´m a massage therapist, so tact is the most important sense for me. I go more by what I feel with my hands than by what my patients tell me before starting the session. Also, Shawn, is it possible you could share that "better way"? I´m new to the forum, so I hope nobody takes this questions as asking for a trade secret. If you don´t feel like sharing it with me I understand. It´s just that I live in a very small country, with an even smaller tattoo culture, so I suspect finding a good artist who can use a new technique would be easier than finding one with experience on tattoing palms the right way (or any way at all). Thanks!

Hello everybody! I just got my first tattoo this morning, and I´m already thinking of getting three others.... Google brought me here in search for some answers. I hope I see the light here :P By the way, I got tattoed by Alejandro, from Callico Tatuajes here in Montevideo. It´s a sygil I drew (and Alejandro redrew giving it a greater dimension). I´ll post a photo later.