The Five-Day Rule
The first five days are the most important part of your tattoo's initial healing. Keep it protected and appropriately moisturised so it heals softly rather than becoming excessively dry and forming heavy scabs.
If your sticker needs to come off earlier than three days, don't panic. Simply move onto the cleansing and cream routine earlier.
Days 1–3: the sticker
Most tattoos will leave the studio protected by an adhesive aftercare sticker. Ideally, this stays in place for approximately 72 hours.
During the first few hours, bubbles and pockets of fluid may appear underneath it. This is expected. Your skin naturally releases plasma and fluid as part of initial healing.
As long as everything feels comfortable and the sticker remains properly sealed, leave it alone. If an air pocket develops, gently work the trapped air towards the edge while maintaining the seal.
Remove the sticker early if:
- The edges begin peeling and the seal is compromised.
- Excessive fluid or weeping builds up underneath it.
- The tattoo feels excessively hot.
- You develop significant itching.
- You experience irritation underneath or around the sticker.
Once the seal has failed, don't keep a compromised sticker on. Remove it, clean the tattoo and begin the cocoa-butter routine immediately.
How to remove the sticker
Don't grab it and rip it off. Take your time.
Using a hairdryer on a medium setting from approximately 25 cm away, gently warm a small section. Start at one corner and gradually work across, approximately an inch at a time.
Some areas may release easily without help. Only use additional warmth where the adhesive feels particularly stuck. The aim is a slow, controlled and comfortable removal.
The full cleanse
- Wash your hands thoroughly.
- Soak 3–4 sheets of fresh kitchen roll with medium-warm water and press out the excess so they're wet but not dripping.
- Gently wipe across the tattoo, dabbing where necessary to remove plasma, fluid, old cream or surface material. Don't scrub. Bin the kitchen roll immediately.
- Wash your hands again. Reload with fresh kitchen roll and gently pat the tattoo. Dispose of it and allow the tattoo to air-dry for 1–2 minutes.
- Wash your hands again with warm soapy water and dry them using fresh kitchen roll.
Yes, that's a lot of hand washing.And yes, you're going to get through a mortgage-worth of kitchen roll. That's deliberate. A fresh tattoo is an open wound, so we're keeping everything that touches it as clean as practically possible.
Applying the cocoa butter
Once the tattoo is clean and dry and your hands are freshly washed, apply Palmer's cocoa butter. You don't need loads.
Spread it gently. The goal is enough moisture to prevent excessive dryness without completely smothering the tattoo.
Every cream application means another cleanse. Don't simply put fresh cocoa butter over old cocoa butter.
Away from home
Plan ahead and take what you need. As an emergency fallback, WaterWipes can be useful if circumstances genuinely prevent the proper cleanse and the alternative is leaving the tattoo unattended for a prolonged period.
Wipes are an emergency option, not your normal routine. Whenever possible, use the proper water, hand-washing, fresh kitchen-roll and cream procedure.
Days 4–5: you're doing the sticker's job
If your sticker lasted the full 72 hours, you're entering the final two days of the Five-Day Rule. Keep the tattoo clean and prevent it becoming excessively dry.
Continue cleansing before applying cocoa butter. Apply it diligently enough that the tattoo isn't left dry and unnourished for prolonged periods.
Aftercare doesn't stop on Day 5
The Five-Day Rule doesn't mean your tattoo is healed in five days. It means this is the period where we're particularly diligent about preventing unnecessary dryness and heavy scabbing.
If you reach Day 6, everything is healing nicely and there are no signs or obvious risks of scabbing, reduce the cocoa butter to approximately twice daily. Continue until around Day 10.
When to get help
Seek medical advice if redness, swelling, heat or pain is worsening rather than settling; if you develop pus, red streaking, a fever or feel unwell; or if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction.
If you're worried, contact NHS 111. Call 999 for a severe reaction or breathing difficulty.
This guide supports normal tattoo aftercare and does not replace individual medical advice.Download the full guide
Save the branded PDF to your phone so you can refer back to it during healing.