Are Colored Tattoos More Expensive – Expert Explain In 2023

When it comes to tattoos, one of the first things that my clients think about is the cost of the tattoo. While there are obvious differences in price due to the size, design, and detail of the tattoo, there are less obvious ones like the artists’ rates and the location of the tattoo shop. But the thing that intrigues a lot of people is the price of the tattoo ink itself. The usual traditional tattoo designs are made with black and grey tattoo ink, but most people nowadays opt for more colors in their tattoos.

So are colored tattoos more expensive than their black and grey counterparts? While colored tattoos are more expensive than black tattoo ink, the variation in colors also accounts for differences in the prices of the tattoos. Some colors are more expensive than others due to how it is made and what it is made from. So let’s see what makes colored tattoos more expensive than a black ink tattoo and see the differences in prices of the colors being used for a colored tattoo!

Key Takeaways

• The materials inside colored tattoo ink are different from each other due to the pigments needed.
• The cost of colored tattoo ink varies because different pigments require a different process to make, where some are more expensive than others!
• There are special tattoo inks out there and some of them are more expensive than regular ones while others are less expensive.
• Other than the color itself, there are many other factors to consider when thinking of how expensive colored tattoos are.
• Some colors are more painful than others, either during the tattooing or during the aftercare of the tattoo.

Colored Tattoo Ink Material

If you didn’t already know, tattoo ink is made of pigments that come from metals! You might think that having metal particles in your skin is dangerous, it is relatively safe to have them embedded in your skin. These aren’t actually the metal themselves but oxides and minerals of metals. These minerals have pigments that form the color of the tattoo ink. Tattoo ink made from lead and mercury have been completely prohibited from production due to their toxicity so you won’t have to worry about these metals in your tattoo ink.

The most common tattoo ink pigments are made from minerals that contain iron, particularly iron oxides. This is primarily because black tattoo ink is the most produced tattoo ink out there and is considered to be the safest among all the colors. Iron oxides also make up the shades of red and orange as well. Along with iron, cobalt is probably the next most common metal present in tattoo ink. Cobalt, along with the addition of other metals, can make a variety of colors in tattoo ink due to its pigmentation. Colors such as purple (cobalt and manganese), blue (cobalt aluminum oxide), and green (cobalt and chromium oxide) are the most common tattoo ink with cobalt in them.

As they are made from different materials, the cost of tattoo inks also differs. As you can see, there is also a combination of mineral pigments used to make different tattoo inks which also contribute to them being either more or less expensive.

Cost of Colored Tattoo Ink

So now that we have covered the different minerals used in the pigments of the tattoo, let’s actually look at the cost of these inks. The more colors that are used in tattoos, the more expensive it will be due to the need to prepare the colors so obviously more colors in your colored tattoo will make it more expensive. So let’s look at the individual colors and see how much they cost.

Black tattoo ink

Probably the least expensive color on the list, black tattoo inks are the most abundant. This is why they are also the cheapest when it comes to their price.

They can range anywhere from $2 to $5 per ounce. Grey tattoo ink is made by lightening black tattoo ink.

Red tattoo ink

Red tattoo ink may be made from iron oxides as well, however, they are more expensive than black tattoo ink due to the presence of other minerals like cadmium. They can range anywhere from $8 to $11 per ounce, whereas the premium tattoo inks could cost $16 per ounce! Brown and orange tattoo ink are shades of red so they cost about the same as the red tattoo ink as well. Red tattoo ink is considered to be the most harmful because most people are allergic to the tattoo ink itself.

Green tattoo ink

Due to the presence of chromium in green tattoo ink, the price of this ink tends to rise above that of red and blue ink. They range anywhere from $11 to $12 per ounce on average. Green tattoos are considered to be one of the safest tattoo inks because of their they hardly react with the skin.

Blue tattoo ink

Blue tattoo ink is made from cobalt and aluminum and they have quite a similar price to red, just a bit lower though.

They can range from about $5 to $9 per ounce and the premium ones cost just about the same red tattoo ink. Like green ink, blue tattoo ink is considered to be relatively safe and long-lasting as the colors take a long time to completely fade.

Purple tattoo ink

Purple tattoo ink is usually more expensive than other types so tattoo ink because they are made from single minerals. This makes the price of the tattoo ink cost higher than that of other inks because the purity of the pigments needed is quite expensive, about $16 per ounce!

Purple tattoos are considered to be bad because they fade very quickly, especially when exposed to UV light from the sun. So be sure to protect your tattoo with sunscreen!

Yellow tattoo ink

Yellow tattoo ink is a bit tricky to put a price on because even if it uses one pigment, the different shades are made by using titanium oxide to lighten it causing a price hike. These have the most varying price, ranging anywhere from $8 to $18 due to the presence of titanium alongside cadmium.

White tattoo ink

Probably on average the most expensive tattoo ink is the white tattoo ink. This is because it uses titanium oxide to be able to get the color of the ink. Titanium processing is already expensive enough to make the cost be as high as $16 and higher! They are also considered to be the worst tattoo ink and only specialist can actually tattoo with them due to their volatility and need for expertise. Over time, white tattoo ink tends to become more yellow because of the oxidation of the tattoo ink in the skin!

Overall, the prices of these tattoo ink can vary even more due because of mixing colors to get the shade of color that you want on your tattoo. The artist has to mix colors in a mixing cup to get the ink that they want for the design of the tattoo so there is even more of a cost there! But in general colored tattoos will be more expensive than black tattoo ink. As you can see, the price of colored ink is almost double to triple of that black tattoo ink!

Special Tattoo Ink

Along with the regular tattoo ink colors, there is special tattoo ink out there that could be considered exotic. So let’s look at these in more detail.

UV tattoo ink

If you have ever seen someone with a glow-in-the-dark tattoo, then you can safely assume that they used UV tattoo ink or blacklight tattoo ink! These are more than double that of normal premium tattoo inks out there because they are made from fluorescent compounds which make them even more expensive. They are thinner than the usual tattoo ink but still have a higher price.

Vegan tattoo ink

As people are becoming more conscious of the environment, so too is the tattoo industry. The introduction of vegan tattoo ink where the ink is made from plant dyes is equal if not better than the metal counterparts! These cost just as much as their metal counterparts as well. Not every tattoo shop has vegan tattoo ink in stock so be sure to ask the tattoo artist if they have them during your consultation.

Prison tattoo ink

While not as common on the outside, prison tattoo ink is made by collecting soot from burning plastic and mixing it with water and oil to create the ink.

It is not considered to be a safe type of ink as it is a DIY tattoo ink but with the right sterilization, it is possible to make your own tattoo ink from soot and other carbon by-products.

Henna tattoo

They are completely plant-based and have been used for many centuries! They cost a lot less than your regular tattoo so these are relatively inexpensive due to their temporary nature.

Not considered to be the tattoo ink that you might be thinking of, but henna tattoos are temporary tattoos made with the help of the stain that henna leaves behind on the skin.

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Other Factors of Expensive Colored Tattoos

There are many factors besides the color of the tattoos that make the tattooing process expensive. A more well-known would be able to charge more for their tattoos because they cater to a specific clientele and the people working there have more experience. The more experienced the tattoo artists, the higher they usually charge. These could range from $200 to $500 per hour on a session. Even the location of the shop matters! A tattoo shop in New York would have a cost that is completely different from Miami. So even location matters on what makes a colored tattoo expensive.

After the tattoo artist, their shop, and their location comes the design of the tattoo itself. A simple design will be less expensive than a more detailed tattoo design. How much ink is used will also be a factor as a complete blackout tattoo will cost more because more ink is used to cover the skin. If you get a tattoo with a lot of variation in color, then the cost of the tattoo will also increase because each of the ink prices is different. If for example, you get a UV tattoo with purple ink, the cost of that tattoo is higher than that of a blue and black tattoo!

The design also matters, where a more detailed design of the tattoo will increase the difficulty of the tattooing process. This will require more time to do and so the cost of the tattoo will definitely rise with it. Generally speaking, a portrait tattoo cost a lot more than a geometrical design because of the intricacies. How big the tattoo is will also factor in how expensive it will be. And finally, the location of the tattoo will also make the tattoo more expensive. A colored chest tattoo will cost more than a tattoo of a similar size on the arm due to the difficulty of tattooing in a painful area.

Are Color Tattoos More Painful?

Color tattoos are not that painful on their own. However, the shading required to get the right color on your skin is what makes it painful. White is considered to be the most painful during the tattooing session because white ink has the hardest time settling in the skin. The tattoo machine has to be over the same area of skin for a lot longer to be able to make sure that the ink is correctly packed into the skin.

The most painful colored tattoo during the aftercare part of a tattoo has to be red. Most people are allergic to red ink as it causes excessive itching and inflammation. A severe allergic reaction could also cause the tattoo itself to be more painful than the actual tattooing itself! Red tattoo inks take longer to heal as well so you will be stuck with the pain for a lot longer than other tattoo inks like black, green, and blue.

Finally, even your skin tones matter for how painful color tattoos will be. Fair skin is the easiest to color because all colors except white can be easily packed into the skin. However, darker colors on darker skin are harder to stand out so they need a lot longer to be tattooed to make the colors of the tattoo be visible.

FAQs

What is the most expensive tattoo ever made?

A temporary tattoo made by the South African jewelry company Shimansky using diamonds which cost almost $1 million dollars using 612 half-carat diamonds!

What is the most expensive tattoo ink?

The Indian Ink is considered to be the most expensive tattoo ink, costing about $1,000 because only 10 of these bottles were ever made.

Which tattoo color lasts the longest?

Black tattoo colors tend to last the longest because the pigments in the tattoo itself are very resistant to fading than other colors. Colors like green and blue also last a long time while lighter colors like purple and yellow fade quickly.

What colored tattoo is the hardest for laser removal?

Darker colors like black and blue are the easiest to remove as they absorb the laser more than lighter colors.

Final Thoughts

Overall, there are many factors that contribute to how expensive a colored tattoo is. From artists’ rates to the design of the tattoo, each of these will add to the cost. On top of that, colored tattoo inks are more expensive than black tattoo ink because of the materials needed to make the tattoo ink. Each color requires different types of pigments which have their own varying cost as well so even colored tattoos have different costs. Overall, the cheapest colored tattoos are blue and red ink but blue is relatively the safer choice due to its longevity. The price of a colored tattoo will always vary so be sure to consult your tattoo artist about how expensive colored tattoos are.

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