It seems like there are more and more people getting tattoos and an equal number of people having them removed. Honestly, figuring out a design that you want for life can be challenging so it’s no surprise that temporary tattoos have emerged as a very popular trend. You can get a temporary tattoo with tattoo transfers, body tattoo pens, henna application and temporary ephemeral ink. We researched each option to see what worked best and if we liked how things look.
Transfer Tattoos
Stick-on transfers tattoos have been popular for children and festival attendees but now they are available in much better designs and in black as well as colors. Transfer tattoos are temporary and last three to seven days although some claim to last for up to 2 weeks. The longevity of the tattoos depends on the water exposure, as well as clothing friction. There are thousands of suppliers and designs to choose from. You can get tiny stickers designed for your fingers or toes as well as a whole sleeve. You can even get blank transfer sheets and add your own image or writing. We all enjoyed this option and purchased artistic designs from Etsy as well as standard designs from Amazon providers.
Henna Tattoos
Henna tattoo art has existed for over 5000 years. The art of Henna, called mehndi in Hindi and Urdu, has origins in Pakistan, India, Africa, and the Middle East. It was originally popular for its natural cooling properties for the people living in hot desert climates.
Today, Henna is used in celebration (weddings, birthdays and other joyous events), special events and general body decoration. The Henna paste symbolizes good health and prosperity in marriage. Natural henna takes a few hours to be absorbed into the skin. There are very few allergic reactions reported although there is concern with black henna ink as it contains a coal-tar hair dye containing p-phenylenediamine (PPD) which may create skin reactions. Henna dye typically lasts two – four weeks before it starts to take on a faded appearance. Once the henna dye begins to fade you can remove it with any silicone-based makeup remover. If you want to learn more about getting a henna tattoo we like this post from authorityytattoo.com.
Tattoo Pens
Over the past couple of years tattoo pens have become very popular. Tattoo Pens provide long-lasting strong water-resistant designs. The semi-permanent tattoo pen is an easy way to draw custom designs or words on the skin. Tattoo pens come in a variety of colors as well as pen thickness allowing for your original artwork to be realized too it’s fullest potential. Tattoo pen color stays on your skin until removed with the corrector or makeup remover without smudging. We like the thin precision marker pens in black for accurate application of words. Unfortunately the color lasts for only about 24 hours. You should be careful with tattoo pen use because there are reports of ink transferring to sheets or clothing. Due to the short lived life off tattoo pens we recommend they be used only for a special occasion as you should expect them to last no longer than 24 hours.
Temporary Ephemeral Tattoos
The latest development in tattoos are temporary tattoos that fade in about a year. Ephemeral ink is made of a medical-grade, biodegradable solution and natural vegan color that are designed to be broken down by your body. These are applied as traditional tattoos are but the ink is and it’s applied into only the upper layer of skin vs the second layer where permanent tattoos are applied.
The downside of the ephemeral ink is that it only comes in black, can’t be applied to fingers or toes and the tattoo size is limited to around 5 inches. Have more questions about how the ephemeral tattoos really work? We like this post from popsugar.com that takes you through the specific details of one person’s experience. The temporary tattoo is a great way to test the concept of getting a real tattoo. You can choose a design and live with it for about 6-12 months. The downside would be how the tattoo looks after about 6 months. Since it is nearly impossible to apply a tattoo at the exact skin depth throughout the tattoo they tend to fade unevenly. This may leave you with a strange fading for a few months.
In summary, for a style change, you can try a temporary tattoo without committing to anything permanent. So save some time and money and embrace the temporary tattoo trend.
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