Permanent tattoos are ink that has been injected into a layer of the skin to alter its pigment or color. The most common use for tattoos is artistic expression but there are other uses too. Such as: Self-expression, Advertising, Art, Religion, Identification and more.

No matter what your reasons are for getting a tattoo, deciding on a design can be a difficult choice.

There are hundreds of themes and thousands of designs out there to choose from. You might draw inspiration from something you see or an event that takes place in your life to help you come up with your own design. In western culture, what is popular is greatly influenced by those in the public eye, such as celebrities, musicians and film stars. A lot of people get tattoos and/or piercing done to be like those they admire. While tattooing and piercing has been a ritual practice throughout most of history, in the last few years it has been practiced more as just an art form.

When trying to come up with a design or mark to get tattooed, a great idea is to keep a scrapbook or notebook with ideas, sketches and designs that you come across or think of and work from there. A permanent tattoo is just what it says: permanent. So when you’ve worked out what you think you would like for a permanent tattoo, it’s always to best to try before you buy, so to speak!

One good way to do this is to try a temporary one first. You can use DIY temporary tattoo paper to print the designs you like and test them out on your own skin to see how they look. You might also like to test how the tattoo will look on different parts of your body. This can be really helpful! In reality, what you originally thought would look good on one part may in actual fact look better somewhere else on the body. So, the only real way to know for sure is to test it out. And the best way to get a good representation of a permanent tattoo is with a fake one.

You can buy DIY temporary tattoo paper online and it’s also available at some stationary/office supply stores.

Temporary transfers are made of ink and glue and last approximately 3-7 days or until removed. You can make a temporary tattoo last longer by avoiding rubbing and keeping it free from water as much as possible. While they are waterproof, water will wear down the tattoo faster.

To remove the transfer sheet simply apply baby oil to the skin and wipe it off. Most tattoos are quite safe, but it’s best to check the ingredients to make sure you’re not allergic to any of the inks or ingredients being used.

Some of those who get a permanent tattoo then get hooked on it and don’t stop at just one. It can be a quite addictive. My recommendation is to test them out first and avoid any later regrets from rushing in. All the best on your tattooing adventure and good luck!