Cruelty-Free Tattoos

This might surprise you, but if you've got tattoos, you might be rocking charred animal bone and animal fat. It surprised me, but I hadn't ever given the thought necessary to know. Convenience and ignorance are such easy traps to fall into. And while I don't have a ton of tattoos, I've always planned on having quite a bit more work done. So what do you need to know?

Got to ask the questions! And if your artist hasn't asked them, walk away! 

It's all about the source of inks, and the care products promoted and offered at the shop. Luckily, this is Portland and there are plenty of options!

Find an all vegan tattoo shop. Here in Portland, Scapegoat Tattoo, in the vegan mini-mall is quite popular, it's all vegan so you know your tattoo is cruelty-free. If not, have a talk with your artist about what inks are care products are going to be used. You need to avoid certain razors due to gel strips, or certain soaps and ointments due to animal products. The after care is up to you, there are vegan options, use them!

Downsides to a vegan tattoo?

There technically are some negative aspects to getting a tattoo with vegan commercial inks.

• The blacks just aren't as black. Without the carbon from the charred bones the ink just doesn't set into the skin as dark in color, and will fade faster. 
• To replace the organic compounds, they're using things like plastics. And that's getting put under your skin! How vegan is plastic?

The choice is yours, people! If your body's not a graveyard, don't make your skin one!