It's 2021, most people are covered in ink, including me! It's a beautiful self expression outlet & artform. 

But like everything we come in contact with, there are downsides, toxins & negative health effects. 

Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to stop getting ink. But I am going to tell you how to do it the least toxic way possible & protect yourself. 

1️⃣ Knowing the risks: 

The FDA does NOT regulate tattoo ink & the manufacturers are not required to list ingredients so you really want to trust your artist & look up the MSDS sheet on different inks. Inks are made of pigments, dyes, metals, salts, plastics & carriers. For example an ingredient found in black tattoo inks is benzo(a)pyrene which has caused skin cancer in animals. It also noted that tattoo inks have migrated into the lymph nodes, which play a significant role in immune system health.

2️⃣ Ink Brands: 

Not all inks are creates equal. Some brands are made with less toxic ingredients than others. No ink will be %100 non-toxic because it is a foreign substance going in to the body. However some less toxic brands I've found are: 

Painful Pleasures, Allma Prima, Arcane Tattoo, SkinCandy, Bloodline, Internal Ink, Formula 51, Sacred Colors, Starbrite Ink, Inenze, Kuro Sumi. In general some colors are more or less toxic regardless of brands. 

3️⃣ Support Your System: 

Supporting your body before & after you get a tattoo is crucial. This means opening up the detox pathways & nourishing the body. You want your detox pathways open & activated so they can better detox the ingredients out of your body. 

This looks like: 

-Liver Support: drinking dandelion root tea 1-2x per day for the week or more leading up to tattoo & a week+ after. This supports your liver in detoxification so it's flowing & not sluggish. 

-Bowel Movements: Having healthy & full bowel movements 1-3x day is a huge way our body eliminates toxins. 

- Sweating: We sweat out toxins via our pores, so getting some sauna sessions in before & after will help a lot. 

-Whole Food Vitamin C & Milk Thistle are great yet gentle detox support supplements. 

-Hydration: Drinking water yes, but here I mean CELLULAR HYDRATION. Aka Minerals! Eating Mineral rich foods like oysters, bone broth, shilajit, organic fruit juices & sea salt. Supplementing with trace minerals drops work as well. This will help the water stay inside the cell instead of just peeing it out which aids in a better tattoo recovery. 

-Nourish:

Eating a Pro-Metabolic diet will support the body in handling this stressful situation & help with healing. Easy to digest carbs like roots, fruits, raw honey & pure maple syrup + bioavailable protein. You are literally injuring your body, so you'll want to nourish it so you can recover & heal better.

This may seem like a lot of "work" to put in just to get a tattoo, however tattoos are stressful to the body & don't go without negative effects so it's our job to best support our bodies to handle the things we throw at them. 

Some might say tattoos are just plain toxic & not worth the risk but I personally love having tattoos & while I am knowingly taking in toxins to have them, I am making a TRULY informed choice while also caring extra for my body during this process. 

The More You Know ♥️