How To Remove Tattoo Stencil – At Home In 2023

Tattoo stencils are very useful and using them does not make a tattoo artist immature or a newbie. Professional tattoo artists use stencils to make precise art in shorter periods of time which saves time for the artist and the client. Let’s say as a tattoo artist you made a mistake placing the stencil or you want to remove the stencil after getting a tattoo, either way, now you wondering how to remove the tattoo stencil.

Removing a tattoo stencil can be a pain in the neck if you do not follow the correct procedure. If you are trying to remove the stencil after getting a tattoo, following the wrong steps to remove it can end up damaging your permanent tattoo. Removing stencil ink can be a bit difficult depending on the color and type of ink used on the stencil. Today I will discuss everything you need to know regarding removing tattoo stencils and tattoo stencils in general.

Key Takeaways

• You can use rubbing alcohol to remove the tattoo stencil before getting a tattoo.
• To remove the stencil after getting a tattoo you can use soap and lukewarm water.
• Stencil ink is not permanent, it is temporary and goes away on its own within days or a week at most.
• There are two types of paper you can use to do tattoo stencils. These are hectograph paper and thermal paper.
• Using stencils has many benefits. Such as it saves time for both the client and tattoo artist, gives an idea of how it would look before getting the permanent tattoo, helps to do a precise design, etc.

Removing Tattoo Stencil

You can use rubbing alcohol or soap and lukewarm water to remove the stencil depending on if you want to remove the stencil because of some error placing it or if you want to remove the stencil after getting a tattoo. A third option is using a tattoo stencil removal spray. But if you are not a tattoo artist or you don’t get tattoos on regular basis then I won’t recommend investing in such an expensive product to just use once.

Removing Tattoo Stencil Before Getting a Tattoo

If you made an error transferring the stencil design onto the skin, no need to worry. It can happen to the best of us.

Follow the steps below to remove the stencil:

Rubbing alcohol

You probably have rubbing alcohol in your bathroom which makes this process more convenient.

To remove stencil:

1. Get rubbing alcohol. Around 70% alcohol should be ok.
2. Get a cotton ball.
3. Dip the cotton ball into the rubbing alcohol and rub the area where the stencil ink is.
4. After rubbing it for some time the ink should come off. Then you can wash the area with water.
5. Pat the area dry and you are ready to apply your stencil again.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating the area can get rid of the stencil too. You can use the gentle body scrub you have in your bathroom.

If you do not have any you can simply make one by combining: sugar, coconut oil, and a bit of essential oil.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is another fine and easy way to remove stencils.

1. Dip the cotton bar into coconut oil.
2. Rub the area using a circular motion and remove the stencil ink.
3. After removing the ink wash the area with soap to remove the oily texture.
4. Pat the area dry and you’re ready to reapply the stencil.

Nail polish remover

Nail polish removers have acetone, which can remove your stencil.

Use a cotton ball dipped in nail polish remover to remove stencil ink.

Tattoo stencil remover

A tattoo stencil cleaner is designed to remove stencil ink.

So if you are a tattoo artist that removes stencils on daily basis or someone who gets tattoos on the daily basis, then get a decent tattoo stencil remover to easily remove stencil ink.

Removing Tattoo Stencil After Getting a Tattoo

Your tattoo artist used stencils but forgot to remove them later? No worries you can remove them at home. But this time you cannot use alcohol or some other methods mentioned above as the tattoo has been already made. Using any random method will irritate the skin and may fade the tattoo. So follow the steps below to remove the stencil without harming your precious tattoo.

1. Wet the area with lukewarm water.
2. Now apply a non-abrasive soap that is gentle on the skin.
3. Gently rub the area with your hand and you will see the stencil ink is coming off.
4. After removing the ink wash the area clean with water.
5. Pat the area dry.

Remember it may take a few wash or days to remove the stencil completely. So every time you wash a small amount of stencil ink may come off and not all the ink.

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How Long does Tattoo Stencil Last?

A tattoo stencil is not permanent; it is a temporary ink that goes away on its own. It can last from a few days to a week at most. The amount of time it takes to go away depends on the color of the ink and the type of ink used for the stencil. Stencil color such as red does not go away that easily, they will stay with you for a few days.

If you notice your tattoo artist forgot to remove the stencil ink, then there is no need to worry. You can just follow the routine tattoo wash with lukewarm water and soap and you will see the stencil ink coming off. The ink is not harmful, so do not go overboard with washing and rubbing to remove the stencil ink. The ink cannot harm your skin or your tattoo. The most it can stay on your skin is about a week.

Reason Behind Using Tattoo Stencil

There can be many reasons behind using tattoo stencils:

Precision

It helps a tattoo artist create the precise art the client asked for. Tattoo artists are human too.

They may miss a detail or two when making a tattoo. So stencil can keep them on the right track and help create the precise design their client asked for.

Time saver

You will see tattoo artists keeps the design they supposed to make close to them to look at during the tattooing session. But when using a stencil, they won’t have to look anywhere else as the design is literally on the surface they are working on.

It will save some time. And because the stencil is there they can work on the outline much faster. So a stencil can be a great time saver for both the tattoo artist and the client.

Provides an idea of design

Let us say you choose a design for your tattoo. It may look nice on paper or someone else but would it look nice on you? Getting a permanent tattoo just to see if it suits you or not is not the brightest idea.

So instead you can apply a stencil and take your time to see if that design works for you on that specific part of the body or not. If you are happy with the design and placement of the stencil, you can go for a permanent tattoo.

Own unique design

If you want something unique and something of your own, then you can draw your desired design on stencil paper first.

It may take a few tries to get an accurate design, and when you do, you can show it to your tattoo artist and discuss it.

2 Tattoo Stencil Paper Explained

You will find 2 papers for tattoo stencils. Which are:

Hectograph paper

Hectograph, also known as freehand paper, is the basic way of getting a tattoo stencil. You probably have seen this paper being used in typewriter machines. If you ever paid attention to those old-school typewriter machines you have seen how the writer has to put force on the keys and the keys would hit the paper hard to print letters. Well, tattoo stencil using this paper works similarly, as your tattoo artist put pressure over the paper so the design can transfer onto your skin.

This stencil paper has a total of three layers in it. The top layer is to draw or print the design on. The second layer is there to protect the other two layers from getting stuck, your tattoo artist will throw this layer away before using the stencil. The third layer is where your tattoo design gets transferred to.

The benefit of using this paper is it is very cost-effective. You can mistake and try again on another hectograph paper without worrying about the cost. Another huge plus is you can use pretty much any color on this paper you want. Just make sure to use a hectograph pencil to do art.

Thermal paper

Thermal copier machine uses thermal paper to transfer images from one paper to another. You could say it is similar to a photocopy machine. This paper has four layers in it. The top layer is where the tattoo gets transferred to. The second layer is just for protection, your tattoo artist will throw it away when they apply the stencil. The third layer is where the stencil ink resides. And the fourth layer is there in case you use a stencil copy machine.

Before the S8’s invention, thermal paper only had dark purple ink. Which was not very convenient as it is hard to see on the skin. You can use a machine to copy the design on thermal paper or you can use the freehand method to transfer the design. To make a copy on a machine you will need a thermal primer or a dot matrix printer.

Does not matter which type of stencil paper you use; you can apply the same method to remove the ink from your skin.

Making Tattoo Stencil Last Longer

You might not be sure of the design you chose for your tattoo. So to see how it would look you may get a tattoo stencil which will last a few days until you make your decision. Or you may want the stencil to stay for a while even after getting the tattoo. Regardless of the reason if you want to make your tattoo stencil last longer, follow the steps below:

1. Clean the area thoroughly where you want to put the stencil. Make sure no dirt or oil stays in that area.
2. If you have a generous amount of body hair, then it is better to shave the area so the stencil can stick properly. If it does not stick properly it may lose the actual design or have a shorter life span.
3. Make sure you or your tattoo artist uses a quality stencil transfer solution or stencil adhesive so that the stencil stays in the palace and doesn’t get displaced.
4. Ask the tattoo artist to use a gentle touch during the tattooing session so the stencil ink does not rub off.

FAQs

Can I remove the tattoo stencil at home?

Yes, you can. Rubbing the area using lukewarm water and soap would easily remove the stencil ink.

How to remove the purple tattoo stencil?

You can remove the purple tattoo stencil the same way you would remove any other color tattoo stencil. Use rubbing alcohol or soapy lukewarm water to rub the area to clean the stencil ink.

Is stencil ink permanent?

No, it is not permanent.

Does tattoo stencil removal spray work?

Yes, tattoo stencil removal spray works. Just make sure to use it in good quantity, using less spray would not give you the optimum result.

Final Thoughts

Getting a tattoo stencil can be beneficial in many ways. So don’t let yourself stop using tattoo stencils. As they do not harm your skin nor are they permanent. They go away on their own in a few days. In some cases, it may take a week to go away. Depending on stencil ink quality and color the duration it stays on your skin may differ. Usually red color takes much longer to fade.

If your stencil is misplaced or the tattoo artist forgot to remove the stencil during your tattoo session you can remove it by yourself. Before getting the tattoo you can use a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol and rub the area off stencil ink. And if you already got your tattoo done then simply use lukewarm soapy water to rub the stencil ink off.

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