EQUIPTMENT & SUPPLIES
Here at Six Hands Tattoo, we strive to use only the best quality tattoo equipment and eco supplies. From the machines we use right down to how we wrap the bed, we take pride in making sure everything is perfect for the task and at a minimal cost to the planet.
Eco Tattooing
Tattooing can be an extremely wasteful industry due to the necessity of single use products and barrier films essential for proper hygiene. Fortunately, these days there are several companies out there with a focus on plastic free alternatives for almost all products used daily at a tattoo studio.
From the very beginning, we decided that Six Hands Tattoo would have a strong focus on trying to move away from single use plastics. While there are still a few things we have not found good alternatives for, we are constantly working on finding the best products with the least impact on the planet and bypassing the petrochemical industry wherever possible.
When you come for your tattoo, you’ll notice all of our barrier films are green bioplastic alternatives. We use paper or bioplastic ink caps and wash cups and even our single use razors and cling film are plastic free and sourced from the brilliant GoodJudy - a Canadian company that are really leading the way in terms of eco tattooing and who have recently branched out in to the UK and Europe.
More information on their mission to help the tattoo industry be more sustainable can be found on their website https://goodjudy.eu/
While being focussed on sustainability, we are sure to maintain extremely high hygiene standards.
We use only top quality single use tattoo needles and cartridges from 2 of the leading brands in the UK - Lockdown and Kwadron. It should go without saying but every needle is new from a sterile packet for each client and safely disposed of immediately after.
The only thing we reuse in the tattoo studio are the grips used to hold and guide the needles. These are put through an ultrasonic cleaner, thoroughly scrubbed, individually packaged and then run through an autoclave (the same pressurised steam cleaner used for medical equipment). Our autoclave is a top of the line unit from excel healthcare and is carefully used and maintained to provide perfectly sterile equipment for all of our tattoo sessions.
We have chosen this approach both for the high quality of the tubes used providing maximum ease and efficiency during the tattoo process, but also to reduce waste - disposable tubes are a huge amount or rubber and plastic to throw away, and when sometimes 3 or 4 are used for a single tattoo, it can result in a massive amount of unnecessary plastic waste.
We also source all of our inks, soaps and ointments from the best and most reputable suppliers to ensure not only a safe and comfortable experience for our tattoo clients, but also tattoos that will heal well and stand the test of time.
Each of our artists has used their expertise and knowledge to develop a palette of high quality pigments suited to their work. From the blackest of blacks from companies like Panthera and Dynamic - to super bright colours from tried and trusted companies like Dermaglo, Solid and Starbrite.
We also use Biotat tattoo butters/ointments containing clove extract for a safe and mild numbing effect to help the process along.
All of the tattoo inks and ointments used at Six Hands are Vegan friendly, and Latex free gloves are always available.
Please let us know before your appointment if you have any allergies that might affect the tattoo process.