How To Make Homemade Colored Tattoo Ink?

Tattooing is the most popular form of body art. While the black ink tattoo looks cool, tattoos drawn with colored ink give a different dimension. It allows the artist to explore creativity more freely. But usually, colored tattoo inks are quite expensive.

A whole set can cost you up to $200. That’s why it’s a good idea to make colored tattoo inks by yourself. But how to make homemade colored tattoo ink?

Well, in this article we will be discussing just that. Here you will get to know how you can make colored tattoo ink at home with a few simple elements.

Essential Ingredients to Make Homemade Colored Tattoo Ink

Here is a list of what you will need:

Vodka or witch hazel. Vodka is antiseptic, thus it is preferred by many professional tattoo artists.
Propylene glycol
Glycerin. Medical grade glycerine is preferred as regular glycerine can cause contamination.
Dry pigment purchased from a trusted and reliable tattoo supply company.
Sterilized blender. A blender that has never been used should be a first choice. You can buy a new blender and then sterilize it with any sort of antiseptic and then use it.
Bottles
Funnel

How to Make Homemade Colored Tattoo Ink?

Take a sterilized bowl, pour 28 ounces of vodka or witch hazel in it. Add a tablespoon of propylene glycol and glycerin. Mix the solution together till it is clear.
Sterilize the blender. Pour in a cup of the pigment and add the vodka mixture. Blend the whole thing for about fifteen to twenty minutes.
If you have got inked before, you would know the consistency of professional-grade tattoo ink. Keep mixing until the mixture feels right in consistency. If you have not, keep mixing until the pigment has visibly dissolved into the mixture.

This is the perfect time to check whether you like the outcome or not. Is the slurry too thick for you? Pour a little bit of the liquid mixture you made at the beginning. if the color is too dull, add a pinch of more dye.
After putting all the elements together turn on the blender again and let the solution blend for an hour. This will allow the dye to mix well with the solution.

Checkout this article to make homemade tattoo ink with a pencil!

How to Store Homemade Tattoo Ink?

After the ink is ready to put inside a container, set up a funnel in the mouth of the bottle and carefully pour the ink mixture.

Don’t fill the container all the way. Do not forget to sterilize all the stuff you have been using.

Store the whole container in a dark and cool place. Keep the bottle as far away as possible from direct sunlight.

Keeping place at Gates in direct sunlight may cause a change in internal temperature. This will most likely cause the mixture inside to get ruined.

Don’t forget to label the bottle. This is the best way to preserve the ink.

It is recommended that you use the ink immediately after production. Keeping it stored or preserved might cause microorganisms such as bacteria or mold to grow up inside it.

Potential Risk Of Using Homemade Color Tattoo Ink

Homemade tattoo ink can endanger your health, putting you at grave risk. As the ink will insert your skin, if the ink is contaminated in any way it will result in dangerous infections.

This is why I have been emphasizing on sterilizing everything you use to create homemade colored tattoo ink. Below are some of the risks of creating your own homemade colored tattoo ink:

There is no certainty of saying that by sterilizing all the equipment you can prevent contamination. The ink can be contaminated at any point of the production.
You will not be able to tell the difference between a ruined one and a fresh one just by eyeballing it or smelling it unless you are a very experienced professional.
Contaminated ink can cause infection in your skin. For starters, if the ink is contaminated your skin will start to itch. It will start burning, and soon rashes will appear on the skin. If you are lucky then the infection might stop here.
Due to the microorganisms living inside the ink your skin will develop a severe infection. Severe bacterial infection will take months to heal. It will also take long doses of antibiotics which will certainly leave a dent in your wallet.
You might develop an allergic reaction to the ink, which will lead to rashes and scars as well.
And then you will have to go back to a professional to either get the tattoo done again, or fix your messed up tattoo.
Does this mean, homemade colored tattoo ink does not have any potential? No, not really. We will now discuss how to use homemade colored tattoo ink the proper way.

Usage Of Homemade Colored Tattoo Ink

We have been talking about the risk of creating homemade colored tattoo ink up until now. It is not an entirely safe process hence not recommended by a lot of professionals.

But it is not an entirely discardable method either. Below are a few usages homemade colors tattoo ink:

Homemade colored tattoo ink is not very bright and vivid. As we all know due to the breakout of a pandemic, staying away from tattoo shops or any public place is recommended.

Staying at home is the most preferable way during this time. If you have already gotten a tattoo and need a touch-up, you can order a professional tattoo kit to do it yourself at home.

However, as I have said in the beginning, professional tattoo ink can cost up to $200. What you can do in a situation like this is order a professional tattoo kit at home and make the tattoo ink following the above-mentioned recipe and do the touch-up yourself.

I cannot emphasize enough on the necessity of keeping everything sterilized to prevent any sorts of contamination or infection in your skin. Please understand that you are going to be inserting this ink into your skin. You certainly do not want to insert anything contaminated into your skin.

If you are planning to start tattooing as a profession, this can be the perfect method for you to practice without splurging a fortune on professional tattoo ink. But do not forget to be careful.

Additional Read:

In Conclusion

Tattoos have been a great form of self-expression for years. There are several risks of making your own ink, as well as several benefits.

Creating homemade colored tattoo ink may help you in many ways. However, going to a professional is always recommended by us.