Aftercare Collective

There’s another way our Botanical Tattoo Glide can be used during a session that you may not have thought about.

Before you begin, apply a small amount to the back of your client’s hand or wrist.

Our glide wasn’t formulated with essential oils simply to smell good. The medicinal aromatic synergy is intentional — and so is the way it can support the tattoo experience.

When things start getting intense, have your client bring their wrist towards their nose and breathe.

The aromatic compounds interact with the olfactory system, sending signals through the olfactory bulb to areas of the brain involved in stress, emotion and pain processing.

Wrist → nose → brain.

Three slow breaths. Long exhale. Then keep going.

Meanwhile, that same formula is working on the tattoo, maintaining slip, conditioning the skin, reducing inflammation and keeping it soft and workable.

A more grounded client.
A more grounded artist.
A calmer environment to tattoo in.

Don’t just use your glide for slip. Use the formulation. 🖤

Back in stock 🖤

Thanks for your patience with this one — we keep selling out sooo fast!

Our Tattoo Healing Packs are finally restocked, with single packs and wholesale packs of 24 now available online.

A complete little healing ritual with our Comfort Enhancing Tattoo Foam Cleanser, your choice of Tattoo Balm flavour, and healing instructions — all tucked into our cute little package.

Everything you need to care for your new artwork from day one.

Choose your flavour + shop online now. 🖤

I’ve met so many new people across the tattoo industry over the past few years, and it’s been a minute since I’ve actually told this story.

So I thought I’d reintroduce myself, and share a little about how Aftercare Collective came to be because the road here probably isn’t what you’d expect.

There was art. Then skin. A whole lot of life in between. And somehow, it all found its way back around.

If you’re new here, hi, I’m Thelma 👋

Swipe through for the story behind Aftercare Collective. 🖤

This one was too good not to share. 🖤

Swipe across to see what dedicated tattoo care over the years looks like.

One of our customers, Zach, sent us these photos of the Aftercare Collective limited editions he’s collected over the years, and seeing them all together like this is pretty special.

Each one represents an artist we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with along the way Anime Tattoo Artist Jose Carlos Jr Daniel Mercy Tom G Tattoo - Adelaide - Anime & Pinups Joey Vaiderz and Alessandro Botta

Different artwork. Different flavours. Different colours inside. Each one created as its own little piece of Aftercare Collective history.

Thank you, Zach, for supporting us, supporting the artists we collaborate with, and trusting our balm with your tattoos year after year.

It’s really special seeing all these collaborations kept together, and now BLACK RESIN has taken its place amongst them too. 🖤

Honestly, we’d much rather see these on you than on our website.

If you’ve got yours, send us a pic or tag AFTERCARE COLLECTIVE.COM.AU so we can share you wearing it. We’d love to start seeing the people behind this little community. 🖤

Available now online.

Your tattoo aftercare shouldn’t start when your tattoo feels dry. It starts from Day 1.

A fresh tattoo is controlled trauma to the skin. The skin barrier has been disrupted and the repair process begins immediately.

That’s why we don’t recommend deliberately allowing a fresh tattoo to dry out.

Wound-healing research supports a protected, appropriately moist environment during skin repair - supporting re-epithelialisation, barrier recovery and reducing excessive water loss from compromised skin.

But moist healing doesn’t mean keeping your tattoo wet or coating it in a thick layer of product.

It means clean skin + a very thin layer of balm + consistent care.

During the first few days, we recommend gently cleansing before each application of balm. This removes residual balm, plasma, sweat and environmental contaminants rather than continually layering fresh product over the skin.

As the initial healing phase settles, cleansing can reduce while regular thin applications of balm continue to support the skin through peeling and barrier recovery.

And please - don’t pick, scratch or exfoliate healing skin. Let the skin release naturally.

If your artist has applied a second-skin or adhesive dressing, follow their instructions first. Begin your cleansing + balm routine once the dressing has been removed as directed.

Some tenderness, mild redness, swelling, itching and flaking can occur during normal healing. Increasing redness or heat, worsening pain or swelling, unusual discharge, red streaking, fever or feeling unwell are different *seek medical advice if you’re concerned.

Aftercare Collective was created from over 15 years of advanced skin therapy, cosmetic chemistry and clinical aromatherapy experience combined with a genuine love of art and skin.

Our formulas were developed and refined over four years before Aftercare Collective launched, with one principle at the centre of it all:

Support the skin from the beginning.

Thin layers. Clean hands. Consistent care.

Full healing guide + references can be found in our Knowledge Hub.

Healthy skin protects the artwork within it ♥️