Most of you must have started imagining delicious, palatable chocolate when you read the words ‘cocoa butter.’ Well, it’s natural; we all love chocolates, and some love even more J. But in this post, we’re discussing whether or not it is safe to use cocoa butter on tattoos.
Let’s get started…..
But first, what exactly is Cocoa Butter?
The main chocolate ingredient – cocoa butter, otherwise known as chocolate fat and Theobroma oil, is butter extracted from cocoa beans. The cocoa beans go through numerous processes before cocoa butter is finally extracted. It’s fermented, dried, roasted, and in the end, pressed to separate the butter from non-fat cocoa solids. These solids are then crushed to make cocoa powder.
⇒ What are the different usages of Cocoa Butter?
There are many different usages of cocoa butter. It is one of the main ingredients in chocolate and is used to make all kinds of chocolate, from dark to milk chocolates. In its pure form, cocoa is rich in minerals like magnesium, iron, and potassium, which is good for people’s vascular health. Cocoa also contains a significant amount of flavanols and polyphenols, which is why it is a high-antioxidant food. It means cocoa is good for your body, inside and outside.
Raw cocoa butter tastes heavenly; it’s edible. You can use raw cocoa butter for various foods. Just to let you know, it is also in many skincare products.
Yes, this mouth-watering food isn’t just meant for eating. Because of its buttery smooth texture, cocoa butter is also used as an ingredient in numerous beauty and skincare products. The buttery texture makes applying cocoa butter very easy and comfortable. Besides, its ultra-hydrating properties make this food a fantastic product for skin care.
Cocoa butter has been in use for centuries because of its skin healing and moisturizing properties. It offers countless benefits to the users, including supple skin.
Is it safe to apply cocoa butter on new tattoos?
Undeniably cocoa butter is excellent as it offers myriads of benefits. Besides being an incredibly edible food, cocoa butter makes for a great skin moisturizer. But the question is – whether it is safe to use cocoa butter on tattoos or not.
Well, the answer to this question is NO, yes, A BIG NO. You should avoid using cocoa butter on your fresh tattoo. This is because the tattoo needle breaks the outer layer of your skin, that is, the epidermis, making you vulnerable to scars and infections until your tattooed skin has fully healed. The tattoo needle puncture holes remain open for a few days initially. Putting cocoa butter in a freshly etched tattoo may penetrate the wound and cause an infection.
Actually, cocoa butter is comedogenic, which means that it has a propensity to clog pores and potentially lead to infection. If you apply cocoa butter on your weeping tattoo, it will clog all the pores and cause infection and irritation.
Instead of using cocoa butter on your fresh, weeping tattoo, you can use healing ointments, like Aquaphor Healing Ointment or any other ointment recommended by your tattooist.
Once your tattoo is completely healed, scabs start to form. And this is when you can use cocoa butter on your tattoo. Cocoa butter is excellent for reducing scab formation. Some even claim that using cocoa butter on their healed tattoo helped them ward off itching and irritation.
Benefits of using cocoa butter on healed tattoos
Cocoa butter offers myriads of wonderful benefits; here are some of the benefits of using cocoa butter on a healed tattoo.
Take a look…..
1. Cocoa butter moisturizes the healed tattoo
Tattoo aftercare is a MUST. And keeping your newly healed tattoo moisturized is imperative. Also, it is important that you use tattoo-friendly or natural, or organic products on your tattoo. Cocoa butter is one of the natural moisturizers that seals in moisture on the skin very effectively.
Also, it’s excellent for keeping dry skin hydrated. Know the better moisturized your skin; the bright and vibrant your tattoo will be!
2. Cocoa butter minimizes tattoo itching
As said earlier, tattoo itching and irritation are normal, especially when your tattoo goes through a healing procedure. However, tattoo itching varies from person to person. Some people have mild itching, while others get extremely heavy itching.
Cocoa butter helps minimize tattoo itching. This is because of the moisturizing properties. Many people have found it beneficial for their itchy healing tattoo.
3. Cocoa butter promotes tattoo healing
The anti-inflammatory properties of cocoa butter promote tattoo healing. The use of cocoa butter on tattooed skin reduces swelling and inflammation, thereby helping the skin recover quickly.
4. Cocoa butter reduces the formation of thick scabs
Scab formation is normal for healing tattoos. But using cocoa butter on the tattooed skin hydrates it and keeps the scabs to a minimum. Cocoa butter penetrates the skin, making it suppler and less prone to scabs and cracks.
5. Cocoa butter makes tattooed skin suppler
Cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer. A thin application of cocoa butter is enough to keep your healing tattoo moisturized. Regular use of cocoa butter on your tattoo skin will keep your skin suppler. The suppler your tattooed skin, the better your tattoo will appear!
Which are the best cocoa butter brands for tattoos?
Here are the top 5 cocoa butter brands for tattoos that you can consider for yourself.
1. Unrefined Cocoa Butter by Better Shea Butter
At #1, we have Unrefined Cocoa Butter by Better Shea Butter. This is the first preference of many tattoo artists and dermatologists. The product is best known for soothing burns, rashes, and post-pregnancy stretch marks. This product is available on Amazon; you can buy it from there.
2. Plant Guru’s Raw Cocoa Butter
Sourced from the famous Arriba Nacional bean, Plant Guru’s Raw Cocoa Butter is 100% vegan and without any GMO contents. This is a great product for tattoos; however, the only concern is its smell. The product is more pungent than most unrefined butter. This means even a thin application of butter can make you smell like chocolate for the whole day. You can buy Plant Guru’s Raw Cocoa Butter online; it is available on Amazon.
3. Organic Cocoa Butter Wafers by Wild Foods
Organic cocoa butter wafers by wild foods are made from the finest beans from Peru. These ready-made wafers save you from the hassle of shaving off a big brick. It is available on Amazon.
4. Raw Cocoa Butter by Hansi
An aromatic and mild-smelling butter, Raw Cocoa Butter by Hansi is another excellent choice. When it comes to healing properties, it offers benefits just like other food-grade butter. Because of its pleasing smell, people have become accustomed to this butter. You can use this butter for a newly healed tattoo or an old one. It’s a perfect choice.
5. Cocoa Butter by Sky Organics
This butter is purely vegan. It offers skin healing properties and is best for making your tattoo look radiant. It is raw butter that eases onto the tattooed skin and makes it soft and suppler. The product is available online on Amazon.
⇒ Who should not use cocoa butter?
Of course, people with healing tattoos can use cocoa butter. But, it may be unworkable for some people. For instance, people with oily skin should not use cocoa butter. Because cocoa butter is comedogenic, it has a propensity to clog pores and potentially lead to acne. Using cocoa butter on oily skin can cause an acne breakout, which will affect your tattoo design adversely.
People with keratosis pilaris (a skin condition) should also avoid applying cocoa butter. This is because it can clog your pores badly.
Lastly, people who are allergic or are sensitive to cocoa butter should also avoid applying cocoa butter to their skin. You can do a quick patch test on a non-tattooed skin to find out whether you’re allergic to cocoa butter or not. Apply a thin layer of cocoa butter on your non-tattooed skin and wait 24 hours to see if you get an allergic reaction or not. If you get an allergy, then chuck the idea of using cocoa butter, and if everything goes well, use it.
⇒ Does cocoa butter make tattoos blurry?
It depends!! By this, I simply mean that when you use cocoa butter on a weeping tattoo, it is highly likely to fade. This is because cocoa butter draws out ink from the weeping tattoo that makes it fade prematurely.
However, if you apply cocoa butter to a fully healed tattoo, it will moisturize your tattoo and promote the healing process. Apart from this, it will make your healed tattooed skin suppler and better.
It is safe to use cocoa butter on tattoos that are healed fully. However, cocoa butter on fresh, bleeding tattoos can lead to infection; it can even cause your tattoo to fade prematurely and delay the healing process. Once your tattoo is healed, you can use cocoa butter on your tattooed skin. Using it on a healed tattoo will make it look bright and better!
