How to take care of your tattoo?
Wash and Treat
Two hours after the tattoo session is over remove the bandage from the tattoo and rinse the tattoo carefully, so that any residual extra color can be washed away. Use lukewarm water and mild, liquid antibacterial or antimicrobial soap (Dial and Provon are the best recommendations.) Do not use a washcloth or anything abrasive. If your tattoo feels slimy or slippery, you have most likely been seeping plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible - when the plasma dries on the skin surface, it creates scabs.
Then pat (do not rub) the area firmly with a CLEAN towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a very light application of Aquaphor ointment. Do not use Neosporin. This is a wonderful product for cuts and scrapes, but not for tattoos. Some can have an allergic reaction to the Neosporin, which causes little red bumps. When the bumps go away, so does the ink, and you end up with a polka-dotted tattoo.
Bathing, Showering, Hot Tubs, and Swimming
Submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub can cause serious damage to your tattoo, so you'll want to avoid those for 2-3 weeks, but showering is perfectly fine and useful. If you get soap or shampoo on your tattoo, just remove it quickly with water.
You should be avoiding Hot Tubs, and Swimming for at least 3 weeks.
Scabbing and Peeling
After a few days, you will notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. It's normal and there is no need to panic. DO NOT itch your tattoo! That could make serious damages. The advice here is, don't pick, and don't scratch! If the skin itches, slap it. If it is peeling, put lotion on it. And if it is scabbing, just leave it alone. Your tattoo is almost healed, and now is not the time to ruin it!
Just be patient!
Protection from the sun
After your tattoo is healed, from now on, you will always want to protect it from the sun's ultraviolet rays. These can fade and damage a brilliant tattoo very fast. Before spending a lot of time in excessive heat, protect your tattoo with a minimum 30SPF sun block.