Soon thereafter, the inner layers of the skin, as they regenerate, will begin to form a crust on top. This should happen after no longer than 3 to 4 days into the first week, and that’s when the dreaded itchy tattoo happens. We can’t stress this enough – let those flaky scabs fall away naturally. It is very bad for you to peel away the scabs yourself, and can result in a lot of pain and damaged skin as well as infection.

It is recommended during the first week that you moisturize as often as possible if you’re using natural tattoo aftercare products. If you’re using petroleum-based moisturizers, you shouldn’t do it more than three times per day. Instead, you might want to just avoid activities that could dehydrate you and cause the skin to dry up.

Stage Two – Second Week

After the first week, the swelling tends to go way completely. You will still feel sore when you touch your tattoo but that’s ok. The reason this happens is because only the skin around the tattoo is healing.

The scabs are still there. In fact, you’ll experience even more itching in the second stage of the tattoo healing process as more skin is speeding up its recovery. If you feel the need to scratch your itchy tattoo, we recommend you apply pressure instead. By pressing but not hitting, smacking or rubbing on the area, it can make you feel better.

However, if you just keep applying a quality moisturizer, you’ll be able to get through it. Some natural products may even help you alleviate some of the itchiness.

This is ultimately the best solution – to continuously clean the tattoo and use one of our recommended lotions or moisturizers below. These ointments and creams hydrate your skin with all natural ingredients, vitamins and oils, speed up the healing process, and relieve the itchy feeling.

Stage Three – Third and Fourth Weeks

The third stage usually takes two weeks, week three and four. During this two-week period, you begin to feel comfortable again. The itching is all but gone as almost all the remaining tiny scabs keep disappearing. Even during this time, you should still moisturize your tattoo a couple of times a day.