Summer is just about here, and when the sun comes out, so do our tattoos. While it’s exciting to finally get the pieces you’ve been hiding away all winter out into the world, the sun can cause problems.

Here are our top tips for protecting and caring for your skin and tattoos over the summer months:

Sea water can be incredibly drying!

We are based in Cornwall, UK, home to the best beaches around, so a quick dip in the sea to cool off is definitely on the cards. But, the salty sea can be extremely drying on your skin. Make sure to shower off any salt after swimming in the sea, and keep your skin hydrated by using a good moisturiser. Our Daily Moisturiser would be ideal in this case, after a long day on the beach.

Stay hydrated!

We know you’ve heard it a million times before, but nothing benefits your skin as much as staying hydrated. Sweating dehydrates you really quickly, so make sure to keep topped up on water all day long. It’s recommended you drink around two litres of water a day, but this should probably be increased a bit during the summer. And no, beer doesn’t count.

Fresh tattoo?

Unfortunately, fun in the sun is kind of out of bounds if you have a fresh tattoo. Prolonged sun exposure can be damaging to all tattoos, but especially freshies. Don’t ever sit out in the sun with a tattoo still under cling film, all the sweat build up is just asking for a rough healing process. And not to mention the damage that sand and dirt from the beach could cause, infections do happen. 

The best thing to do if you are healing a new tattoo is to keep it out of the sun, and covered up as much as possible, as you can’t apply sun cream to a new piece (tattoos are open wounds!). Light layers and materials like a loose linen shirt would be a great option.

Modesty is the best policy

When it’s super hot, the last thing you want to do is stay fully clothed. But in order to keep your tattoos (and skin) looking their best, it is the best option. Any amount of sun exposure damages your skin, and prolonged exposure for your tattoos will give them that blown out, faded look after a few years. We all want to avoid that, and the best course of action is to cover up. Again, light materials like linen, cotton and hemp are a great choice for summer weather.

SPF 50+ is king

Sun cream is key at this time of year, and factor 50+ is really what you should be using, especially on tattoos. Maximum sun protection is necessary to avoid fading and blurring of lines, to keep them crisp for as long as possible. Combining sun cream with time in the shade out of direct sun and covering up as much as possible, is definitely the way to go during the hotter months.