What is the best brand of tattoo ink to buy?

Answer 1

None at all.

The vast majority of tattoo inks contain heavy metals ( read poisonous / carcinogenic ), and many other really nasty substances that a layman ( non chemist ) would not understand the significance of.

Bear in mind that although some tattoo ink manufacturers claim that their inks are "FDA Approved", that NOT A SINGLE TATOO INK IS APPROVED FOR USE IN HUMANS. The FDA approval they are referring to is for use in WILDLIFE and FISH, and that this use if for when scientists study the movements of these creatures.

Some tattoo ink colors may be OK: notable black and white when they are carbon black ( black color ) and zinc oxide ( white color ). Even this is slightly doubtful however and not all black and white inks make use of these particular substances.

Another thing to remember about tatoo inks is what is called the "carrier". The carrier is the liquid that is used to make the colors / dyes / pigments into a liquid form suitable for the tattooing process. One of these carrier substances is called ethylene glycol and also goes by the common name of anti-freeze. Yep, that'r right: anti-freeze. Read the poison warning on a container of it once just for "grins".

Although state and local health authorities may indeed regulate tatoo shops, the regulation only pertains to HOW the proceedure is done, sanitary conditions, and other such matters.

There are no regulations WHATEVER on whether the tattoo itself is safe, and NO limitations at all regarding just what may be in tattoo inks.

Yes. While all of this is true though, there are a lot of artists who do not believe in using metal based paints or even ones that have a lot of chemicals in them. It all depends on who you are getting your tattoo done by. There are now metal free and plastic based paints that are basically tiny balls of ink that explode and are easily absorbed by the body when you go for laser surgery. These are quit common you just have to be sure about the parlour you go to. Always ask questions. Make sure the artist you have chosen knows what inks they are using and where they got them from. For example any thing bought over eBay is a no go. The "suppliers '" often mix their inks with petrol or meths to thin the ink down. The same with a lot of the inks on the Chinese market. Make sure the artist has good quality inks like the ones from America, things like Skin Candy, Intenze and Kuri Sumi. Avoid brands like Prizim and Royal Dragon and NEVER get a tattoo done by a parlour with no labels on their inks.

And yes while some inks maybe dangerous it is also up to you to be careful. Do a little more research and when you do get your personal piece of art imprinted on your body don't think that because you used a good ink that your job is now over. Take good care of the tattoo. Keep it out of the sun for the first week and try not to submerge it in water. Use vitamin E enriched creams on it and let it heal. No scratching, as long as you care for it properly it will last for longer and be brighter.