Is CBD Cream Good for Healing Tattoos?

Tender, swollen, and painful red skin is to be expected after a tattoo; luckily, CBD cream can offer some relief and help your skin bounce back faster.

CBD’s natural properties, including its ability to lower levels of inflammation and pain, make it an ideal tool for helping tattoos recover and heal, particularly in the form of topical CBD creams. Using CBD makes it easy to support your skin and keep it healthy as it mends itself post-tattoo.

The best CBD cream for you and your tattoo will depend on a few things, including how much CBD you need, the level of pain you’re dealing with, and what other goals you want your product to meet. Let’s learn more about what CBD can do for tattoo healing and how you can take advantage of these amazing benefits.

Can I Put CBD Cream on My Tattoo?

You can absolutely put CBD cream on a tattoo; in fact, we highly recommend you do so! CBD’s natural, therapeutic benefits are a great match for the inflammation-prone, healing skin of a new tattoo.

Keeping a tattoo moisturized and protected is an extremely important part of the healing process. 

Incorporating CBD cream into your product line-up can help you accomplish both these goals and more, so much so that you might not need to rely on anything else to manage your pain and swelling as your piece heals.

Does CBD Cream Promote Healing?

Whether or not CBD cream can directly speed up healing or simply support the body as it heals is a bit unclear, but in either case, using CBD cream seems to help many recover faster and with less discomfort. 

Some research suggests that CBD cream has at least some potential to help wounds heal faster, perhaps in large part due to its anti-inflammatory properties (which may make it easier for the body to heal and make you less likely to itch or irritate your tattoo).

More studies are needed to confirm this belief, though. For now, what we do know for sure is that using CBD cream can help limit pain, swelling, and redness, all of which can make it harder for your body to heal. 

So, even if it doesn’t cut down on recovery time, CBD cream can provide the assistance your body needs to bounce back as quickly as it can.

Benefits of Using CBD Cream on Tattoos

The benefits of using CBD cream on a tattoo align with the benefits of using this product in general, or to manage chronic pain. 

Because CBD cream is non-habit forming, easy to use, and highly accessible, it’s a wonderful alternative to other pain-management options out there. 

Plus, it’s made from natural ingredients that are unlikely to irritate skin that is likely sensitive and a bit raw.

Pain Relief

The most obvious, but also most significant, tattoo-related benefit of CBD creams is pain relief. 

Post-tattoo pain can vary in its severity, but it usually resembles a mild to moderate sunburn: aching, hot pain that may get worse when you touch it.

Luckily, CBD cream’s ability to reduce pain caused by injury or chronic health conditions is well-documented. 

Because it binds with endocannabinoid receptors on the skin rather than in the body, topical CBD can work quickly and efficiently to eliminate sensations of pain right at the site in question.

Lowered Inflammation Levels

Also customary of a tattoo, especially a relatively new one, is swelling, inflammation, and redness. 

These things occur naturally after a tattoo as your skin swells up to protect itself from more damage and promote faster healing (by sending blood cells to the area that can ward off contaminants and jumpstart reconstruction).

Though this increased blood flow to the affected area serves a practical purpose, it can also make your skin feel more tender and experience more pain.

Reducing inflammation, then, can not only improve the look of your tattoo, but also how sore it is. And there are few tools better for reducing inflammation, whether it be on the skin or in the body, than CBD.

Moisture & Support

Depending on the type of cream you buy, other benefits like moisturizing properties may also come into play. Choosing a cream with trace amounts of THC or other cannabinoids may also further support you as you heal by more effectively muting pain and inflammation.

Be sure to shop for a CBD cream that meets your needs. 

If you plan to use other products to moisturize and seal your tattoo, for instance, you may want to opt for a more breathable, lightweight cream that won’t leave your skin feeling sticky or damp.

Is CBD Oil Good for New Tattoos?

Much like CBD topicals like creams or salves, CBD oil can help new tattoos heal better and faster by lessening pain and inflammation.

CBD oil may be a bit trickier to use for tattoos simply because it isn’t optimized for this purpose; it may leave a slight residue or fail to properly moisturize your skin, for instance.

A good workaround for these obstacles, though, is to simply combine your CBD oil with a product that can pick up the slack, or to layer your oil with moisturizer.

CBD oil can also be ingested orally or sublingually (under the tongue) to promote pain relief in general, though it will take longer for its effects to kick in and they won’t be as targeted.

Is it OK to Take CBD Before a Tattoo?

It is generally safe to take CBD before getting a tattoo because it should not alter the way you bleed or heal like other pain-relieving medications do. However, it’s never a bad idea to consult your artist to discuss your plans or any risks that might come into play.

It may not be the best idea to apply CBD cream before a tattoo simply because it might not be as effective as you’d like. 

Preparing for your tattoo may remove some product, and your artist may prefer that you hold off until after the session is over.

If you do decide it’s safe and appropriate to use CBD before your tattoo session, it’s a good idea to go for dosage levels that will get the job done without setting you up to experience adverse side effects.

How Much CBD to Take Before Getting a Tattoo

Usually, for pain relief, 40-50 mg of CBD is an appropriate amount to start out with. You can adjust this amount to fit your needs; a dose of 100-300 mg may be necessary for some, while others may find they require even more to notice a difference. 

A good dose of CBD can vary from person to person, especially when it comes to preparing for something significant like a tattoo. It also depends on the type of product you’re using. 

When in doubt, it’s a good idea to consult the dosage recommendations that likely accompany your product. Starting out slow and light and adjusting from there is the best way to find your ideal dose without overwhelming yourself.

Is Hemp Cream Good for Tattoos?

Hemp cream, which is distinctly different from CBD cream, can also be useful when healing tattoos, though it doesn’t offer the same relief from pain and inflammation that CBD can.

Still, hemp creams formulated with hemp seed oil are still loaded with antioxidants and natural compounds that can help moisturize, protect, and strengthen the skin.

Hemp creams can be great moisturizers. They offer many of the benefits of heavier, more intense products without the same level of risk.

What CBD Cream is Best for Tattoo Healing?

If you do decide to use CBD cream for healing tattoos, it’s important to choose one that’s effective at relieving pain but also won’t be drying or irritating to your skin.