There’s nothing better than creating a brand new, gorgeous tattoo on a client! But if you think that you can just buy a tattoo kit online for $50 and start tattooing, then it’s really important that you read the rest of this blog. Tattoo kits sound like a great, inexpensive way to start tattooing, but there are hidden dangers that pose a huge risk to you and your clients! Check out our top 5 hidden dangers of a tattoo kit below and keep yourself and your clients safe!

1. Tattoo Kit Quality

The quality of these tattoo kits is absolutely horrifying. Any time you see tattoo kits with multiple machines, dozens of bottles of tattoo ink, and zillions of accessories for less than $200, you know the quality is garbage. These tattoo kits will stick you with tattoo needles that break, inks that could be toxic, and a sterilization nightmare. Not only will your tattoo be a mess with low-quality equipment, but you’ll be endangering your client’s health as well as your own.

2. Not Meant for Humans

Those tattoo kits that you can buy online for $30 to $100 aren’t safe for use on humans! You’ll have to hunt down the fine print — as they certainly don’t advertise this — but those kits aren’t even meant for human skin! You’ll usually see some tiny disclaimer about how they’re meant for practice on fruit or fake skin, but tattoo kits are notoriously deceptive! The vast majority of these kits are manufactured in China, and often have typo-riddled instructions or descriptions. We absolutely don’t recommend purchasing or using these tattoo kits, but if you want a laugh just try to read through some of the word salad in these legal disclaimers! It’d be even funnier if it wasn’t causing so much harm! In all seriousness though, if you’re planning on tattooing, don’t use anything other than a quality machine that you order through a professional tattoo studio!

3. Bad Tattoos = Angry Clients

As we mentioned above, you’ll have a tough time creating a quality tattoo with these tattoo kits. So what happens when you have an angry tattoo client in your house who’s pissed off with you? Keep yourself from being in an unsafe situation by NOT tattooing at home, especially with low-quality equipment! The proper place to tattoo is inside of a clean, properly licensed tattoo studio under the supervision of an experienced tattoo artist.

4. Bloodbourne Pathogens

It’s not hard to find the laundry list of diseases that you risk exposing yourself and clients to by tattooing at home. Bloodborne illness is no joke, and by tattooing at home you can expose everyone, including your family members, to dangerous, even lethal pathogens. Without properly sterilized equipment and surfaces, your couch, chairs, carpet, etc., can all become infused with disease. No tattoo, especially a questionable one from a tattoo kit, is worth contracting hepatitis or HIV.

5. No In-Person Instruction

It’s simply not possible to safely learn to tattoo online or from your home, especially with a tattoo kit! In-person instruction is required to learn the techniques and sterilization procedures necessary to tattoo safely and successfully. If you’re eager to learn to tattoo, check out our tattoo workshops! We’ll teach you everything you need to know in a safe, professional environment with high-quality equipment! Save yourself the heartache of a tattoo kit and let us show you how to become a professional tattoo artist yourself!