Thought stick and poke tattoos were just a fad until I did my own last month

I used to roll my eyes at all those homemade tattoos on Instagram, figured they'd all fade or get infected. But a friend convinced me to try one on my ankle with proper sterile needles and ink from a shop in Portland, cost me like $15 total. It actually healed clean and looks way better than I expected, still holding up after 6 weeks. Has anyone else changed their mind about a DIY method they thought was garbage?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.holly1mo ago

Oh man, I was totally one of those people who thought stick and pokes were just sketchy basement stuff. I used to see them and think they'd all look like blobs or get infected, honestly. But my roommate bought a kit from a legit supplier and did a little star on my wrist, and it healed perfectly and still looks sharp after two months. I was really wrong about the whole thing, it just depends on how clean you keep everything and if you use actual tattoo supplies.

samflores1mo ago

Bought a cheap kit off Amazon once. Biggest mistake ever. Gave myself a lousy little heart that looks like a potato now. But yeah I get what you're saying baker.holly. Clean gear makes all the difference. Just wish I knew that before I messed up my ankle.

samk771mo ago

Aw man, I feel you so hard on that. It really does suck when you try something and it ends up looking like a lumpy potato instead of the cute thing you wanted. I've been there with a few of my own early attempts, honestly. But it's good you're not scared off forever, cause once you get the right stuff and take your time, the results can be way better than you'd think. It's wild how much of a difference a proper needle and actual ink make, not just for the look but for not getting some gnarly infection too. Hope you get another chance to try it out with better gear, cause a do-over can totally fix a bad first impression.