How To Dilute Tattoo Ink – Ultimate Method

Getting the right shade of ink is one of the most important parts of any colored tattoo. You want it to look as close to how you imagined the tattoo to be. Therefore, it is important to dilute the ink to the correct amount to get that desired shade you are looking for. But how to dilute tattoo ink to be able to get that right shade?

There are various ways and commercial products available that can assist you to dilute your ink. But there are so many options that you can choose from and so many different methods and ingredients to dilute tattoo ink that it can get overwhelming! That is why a comprehensive guide is needed to get that right shade. Fear not, for I have got that guide for you right here!

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the basics of diluting tattoo ink is important so you know what purpose you can fulfill by doing so.
• There are only 3 easy steps for you to dilute your tattoo ink using the mentioned ingredients.
• Choosing the right diluting solution for your tattoo ink is important as there are a few that you can choose from.
• Remember there are things you want to avoid when you dilute tattoo ink because there are safety concerns.

Diluting Tattoo Ink Basic Understanding

Before getting to how to dilute tattoo ink, it is important to first have a basic understanding of the concept itself. The first thing to learn is when to go about diluting your tattoo ink. So let’s look at them in further detail.

Mixing shades together

When you are doing a colored tattoo, single colors are often the easiest to tattoo because you don’t need to mix them at all. But when it comes to different shades of color in the same tattoo, you will have to mix shades together to achieve the color that you are looking for in the tattoo you are doing! From creating new shades to mixing a hue that is perfect for the colored tattoo design is all achieved by mixing different shades together. You are basically diluting the ink with either a lighter color or darkening a tattoo ink that has dried up and lost its intensity. All of these can be done with a bit of mixing and knowing the color combination to achieve it!

Getting the correct shade

The most important part of tattooing is giving the customer satisfaction with the color. Sometimes, a color might be too dark and not to the liking of the customer. Even getting the right gradient for the shade is important for the tattoo so you will need to dilute tattoo ink to get the perfect shade. Even for black tattoos, you will need to dilute the tattoo ink to get lighter shades of grey to be able to do the shading and shadowing on the tattoo to really bring it to life! This will add depth and dimension to the tattoo that you are looking for and make the tattoo more realistic (this is known as greywashing).

Washed look

Sometimes the intensity of the tattoo is too much and you think a washed look to the tattoo is more preferable. This will give the tattoo much softer lines and create a vintage faded look to the tattoo that is much more preferable for larger tattoos that require a gradual color gradient from the center of the tattoo. Greywash is how most of this is achieved where the tattoo is given a faded shadow to give that old-school tattoo look you might be looking for in the tattoo.

With all that out of the way, it is time to learn how to dilute the tattoo ink!

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Diluting Tattoo Ink: Step-by-Step Guide

Without further ado, let’s get to how you are going to dilute tattoo ink for the purposes mentioned about above.

Step 1: Getting the materials

Diluting tattoo ink is all about knowing the proportions but first, you will need the right ingredients. Mostly, you can dilute with distilled water but you will also need inkwell cups to do the mixing in. So what you will need are:

• Many inkwell cups (the more the better)
• Different tattoo ink colors
• Sterile stirrer (a needle can work just fine)
• Gloves
• White tattoo ink and black tattoo ink
• Dropper
• Tattoo diluting solution (Sterile water/witch hazel/glycerin

There are tattoo ink mixers that you can also get to help you do the mixing without needing to do it yourself. However, I prefer to do it by hand so that I can see the results of the mixing and get the color I’m hoping for.

Step 2: Choosing the colors you want to mix

This step is crucial because it will determine what shade of color you are looking for and how much you want to dilute the tattoo ink solution to get the shade you will need for the tattoo. For example, if you want a shade that is somewhere between red and pink, you will want to first put a bit of red in the inkwell cup and then add the water. Remember, always put the lighter shade of ink first so the mixing and diluting are easier.

Step 3: Diluting tattoo ink

Next up, it is time to start diluting the tattoo ink! In your inkwell cups, use a rough estimation of the following proportions (I use a 5 inkwell cups for this).

You could be really precise with these proportions but that would ruin getting a unique shade. So add the tattoo ink and add the distilled water using the dropper and mix with the sterile stirrer. When you get the right consistency, you can stop the mixing and you are ready for the tattoo

You can also add drops of white tattoo ink to get a lighter shade if you think that the water is not really diluting the ink to a lighter shade quite well enough. This will help you achieve this without diluting further. The same thing can be said for a darker shade where you can add drops of black tattoo ink to achieve that. Just remember to wear your gloves and mix until you are happy with the consistency!

Choosing the Right Tattoo Diluting Solution

If you have noticed, I have mentioned three different tattoo-diluting solutions. That is because these are possibly the 3 best ingredients used for diluting tattoo ink.

So let’s see what makes them so good:

Sterile water

There is probably nothing better than water to help dilute your tattoo ink. The most important part of this is to get sterile water because this ink will be entering your skin and mix in with blood. So to avoid infection, sterile water is the best because it has the consistency to dilute easily and safely. Having the water to a running boil for 5 minutes should be enough for you to achieve sterile water without using anything in it.

Witch hazel

If you have never heard of witch hazel, it is one of those ingredients used to clean the area of the skin to prepare for tattooing. Its strong disinfecting properties are accompanied with being astringent (causing contraction of skin) makes it easier for the tattoo ink to enter the skin! It is a relatively safe solution to work with but you could always do a patch test to see if you are allergic to witch hazel before using it to dilute tattoo ink.

Glycerin

The great thing about glycerin is that it is both safe for the skin and is the best at carrying the pigments of tattoo ink. This is because glycerin helps to control the viscosity of tattoo ink making it easier to dilute or thicken the tattoo ink to your desired consistency. However, glycerin can cause your tattoo ink to become too thick so be careful and add it drop by drop to help control the viscosity of the solution. Glycerin can be a good way to thicken the tattoo ink if you have made it too runny.

With all three solutions, you can be pretty safe when diluting your tattoo ink!

What to Avoid When Diluting Tattoo Ink?

While you are busy mixing and diluting your tattoo ink, there are some things that you should be wary of. So here are what you need to avoid when diluting tattoo ink.

• Improper mixing: causes inconsistent colors to form and ruin the ink
• Contaminated water: will cause skin irritation and infection at worst
• Too runny: when placed in the skin, will cause it to be run off and give bad color
• Over-diluting: causes the ink to be faded on the skin and require touch-up
• Deionized water: contains minerals that could be harmful to the skin when tattooing. May even cause the tattoo ink to prematurely break down.

If you are to avoid these things when diluting, you can have safe tattoo ink that you can use on your skin!

FAQs

Can you use oil to dilute tattoo ink?

You could dilute tattoo ink with oil but it won’t be safe for your skin. Diluting using baby oil is common for prison tattoo ink.

Can you use alcohol to dilute tattoo ink?

While some tattoo ink has alcohol as its base for pigment carrier, it is not safe for your skin as alcohol will make your skin drier and increase its permeability which could let pathogens into your blood when tattooing.

Can you thicken tattoo ink?

Yes, you can! Using glycerin is both a safe ingredient and helps to control the thickness of the tattoo ink.

Final Thoughts

The reason why you want to dilute your tattoo ink can vary. You may want to get the right color or shade or want a consistency that you prefer for your tattoo ink. You can even renew old and dried tattoo ink to return the vibrant colors of your tattoo ink. But what is important is to get the right consistency for your tattoo ink by diluting it. That is why I have included a step-by-step g uide to help you in your dilution of tattoo ink. You can use whichever of the 3 diluting solutions I have mentioned but know that it is not an exact science and more of an artform. So be creative and work your way to get the right color for your tattoo!

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