The newest tattoo gave me a scare the other day. Like a really big scare but, first let me explain the situation. 

So as planned I went into my next tattoo appointment to get the next addition to my half sleeve done. From the start of the session it became obvious that we were doing this in about four different sessions. So far I have had two done so that means there is about two more to go. For me that is totally ok since it 1: helps my wallet out and 2: lessens the amount of pain I will be in at one given time. So throughout the session my artist and I are chatting about what has been going on throughout the day, the movie that’s playing, the other artists and their quirks, and of course business. For the entire session we had an on and off chat and I got to watch him as he worked. All my other tattoos have been in places where I can't exactly watch an artist do the actual tattooing so It has been a nice change of pace to watch someone who loves their job do their actual job. I think it also helped my artist and I build a better connection. 

The session went really well and as usual I left with my arm bandaged, went to the bar, had some food and a drink with my father and then after an hour I proceeded to go home. Throughout the night I went on my usual routine. I washed the tattoo, put some lotion on it, stared at it and looked at it in close proximity. I wanted to engrave it in my mind and really see it all. 

SO of course at the end of the night I go to bed and I wake up the next day, get ready, have some coffee and go to my part time job to open the store. AS it turns out I had to pull a double and I was not really looking forward to it but I put up with it since it was good hours and I liked everyone that was working that day. I knew that it was going to be smooth sailing. 

Noon rolls around and my friend T gets to the store. I told her that my tattoo was reacting weirdly to my lotion and my Dad wasn’t going to be able to get new lotion till that evening. So I asked if she would bring me her stuff to use temporarily. She was happy to bring me stuff and without thought I used it. After putting it on and letting it settle for a bit I made sure to wipe off the excess lotion AROUND the tattoo. After that I went back to work. 

Not even thirty minutes after I put the stuff on my tattoo started leaking ink. Literally. I noticed it right away. The minute I touched it or wiped it ink streaks would start happening and silently I started freaking out. Was it rejecting it? Was it the lotion? What was happening? In all my years of getting tattooed I have never had one react like that. AS a safety measure we decided to wrap it up loosely with paper towels and tape. For the remainder of the night I kept an eye on it and in the end I got sent home early (not because of the tattoo but because we were super slow). 

After getting home I immediately changed, and washed the tattoo with the new stuff my dad brought home. After washing it, putting lotion on it and letting it sit for a few hours the tattoo stopped reacting and doing...whatever it was doing. 

I will say that it was a huge scare and I thought I royally messed up but now I know what to use and what not to use and I will NOT be making those mistakes again.