Quote Originally Posted by kylerimb View Post
in my own experience, i've found that taking a shower before going to the shop ends up being more painful for me. i have no idea why. i make sure to take a shower the night before and try not to get into any funk that day. make sure you eat well before hand, and drink plenty of water like has been said. i usually try not to break unless i really need to, as it usually just ends up irritating the skin more.

the first wash after the session is THE most important cleaning. in my own experience, if i don't wash it extremely well (unscented antibacterial soap) the first time i will scab. there have been times that i wasn't able to wash it nearly as often as i should. but since i washed it really well that first time, i never had a scab. other times, the exact opposite, crappy first wash = scabs.

keep it lubed. very thin coatings of lotion or whatever you plan to use.

and yes, a cool breeze is amazing on fresh ink. and direct sunlight is not so good.

i do things a little different than most people, so i'll just stick with that. good luck, and enjoy it the best you can.
Your tattoos never scabbed just bc u washed it? I washed both mine well when i first got home and they still scabbed up...