Sunken in gloom, or feeling bright.. there will surely be a tattoo.. to make you feel just right! The next thing that comes to mind when we go out for a tattoo is indeed the design and the colours that will bring the design to life. So when we talk about colours, we are essentially talking about the various types to “tattoo ink”. There are some that create effects under different types of lightning, others that are developed for the dynamic ones (who keep changing their tattoos according to their moods), and hence are easy to remove, and yet others, made out of natural products (specially for the skin-conscious lot). Take a pick from anything that suits your imagination! So lets get talking about the most interesting ones.
* Glow in the dark ink and blacklight ink:
This particular ink uses the concept of phosphorescence, i.e, it absorbs light under illuminated conditions and then re-emits it when its dark. This could remind you to glow under dark conditions! However on the other hand, the effects of this ink on health are a matter of controversy. Main ingredients for this ink are:(PMMA) Polymethylmethacrylate 97.5% and microspheres of fluorescent dye 2.5% suspended in UV sterilized, distilled water.
* Home made tattoo ink:
For those who like to experiment with their tattoos, this option of making one’s own ink with the available material must sound like a lot of fun! Needed ingredients: Dry pigment from a reliable tattoo supply company, witch hazel, propylene glycol, medical grade glycerine.
*Henna ink:
For those who like to go natural! This ink is surely the most skin friendly, thanks to its ingredients, henna paste, lemon juice, sugar, and olive or mustard oil. However it limits your colour options to shades of red and black.
*White ink:
An interesting blend this, if that scary look is your calling! If not you, it will surely make your tattoo stand out as a “ghost”! However, this ink takes a longer time to work on dark skin and could fade faster.
Ingredients: Can contain metal oxides, vegetable dyes, synthetic compounds or plastic-based polymers.
Since tattooing is an age old art, there are various traditional ink types too that one can try out, like the ancient Roman ink, the recipe for which was given by Aetius. It includes ingredients like the Egyptian pine bark, corroded bronze, ground with vinegar, gall (insect egg deposits) and vitriol (iron sulphate).
Since no hard and fast rules dictate the imagination, one can bring in the ink where one’s “imagination” is! Mix and match, splash and smudge or let one colour define it all, give your tattoo the desired effect, thanks to the numerous types of tattoo ink.
