Necessary items
You'll need the following items to make a Jagua tattoo:
- Jagua gel tube or your own Jagua mixture
- Transfer paper
- Disinfecting gel
- Nitril gloves
- (Tattoo) pen
- Paper towels & cotton swabs
Instructions to create a Jagua Henna tatoo
Step 1: Create a design
Do you have a design in mind? If you have experience, you can draw it freehand. In case you want more guidance, you can draw your design first and then copy it to your skin using Transfer paper.
To use transfer paper for a jagua tattoo, start by drawing your desired design on the smoother side of the transfer paper using a non-toxic pen. Once the design is complete, place the paper ink-side down onto clean, dry skin. Dampen the back of the paper slightly with water using a sponge or cloth, ensuring the entire design is pressed onto the skin. Gently peel back the paper to reveal the transferred design on the skin. Now you can follow the outline with your jagua, filling in details as needed.
Step 2: Prepare your Jagua
If you use our ready-to-use Jagua gel tube, prepare it as follows:
- Remove the cap.
- Remove the seal.
- Click on the accompanying needle.
If you want to use your own Jagua mixture, make sure you prepare your applicator with enough fresh Jagua. To create your own mixture, you can use our guides on how to create Jagua gel using powder or how to create Jagua gel using juice.
Step 3: Clean and prep your skin
Before applying the Jagua paste, clean your skin well and pat it dry. This ensures there’s no dirt, oils or lotions that could affect the tattoo. Make sure your skin doesn’t have any cuts or open wounds to prevent irritation.
Step 4: Apply the Jagua paste
Use your applicator to carefully apply the Jagua mixture onto the skin, creating your desired design. Take your time to get familiar with the product and to know how much pressure you need to give, you can practice this on paper first to get the hang of it. You can use stencils or templates as guides if you like.
Step 5: Let your Jagua tattoo dry
Allow the Jagua paste to dry completely on your skin. This usually takes up to one hour. Avoid touching or smudging the design to let it set properly. Leave the tattoo on the skin for at least 3 hours, the longer the better! Just don’t forget to remove/peal off the gel before going to bed. This will prevent smudging your precious design.
Step 6: Remove the Jagua
Once your Jagua tattoo is dry, gently remove it by peeling it off the skin or by rinsing it away with water. This step reveals just a light print of the tattooed area.
Step 7: Let your tattoo develop
Let your tattoo develop its full color over the next 12 to 24 hours. During this time, the blue-black shade will deepen and become more intense.
Advanced tips
Drawing shaded tattoos
To draw a shaded tattoo with jagua, apply the jagua more densely in areas you want darker and use a thinner layer or gently blot away some jagua for lighter shades. Use a Q-tip or a fine brush, gently blend the edges for a gradient effect, moving from the darkest areas outwards to the lightest. Let it dry thoroughly to achieve a natural, shaded look.
Layering your tattoo
For a 3D effect or added depth, let your first layer dry slightly, then go back over certain areas to add more ink, making them darker.
Fixing mistakes
Remove the mistake as soon as possible using a paper towel, disinfectant and a cotton swab! Remove the gel and make sure to completely clean the skin. Jagua is extremely potent and can even dye the skin with a subtle touch.
How to protect your Jagua tattoo
By taking the right precautions you can enjoy your tattoo for two weeks. Basically, you need to take care of your skin:
- Avoid friction and scrubbing.
- While showering and swimming; be careful with washing the tattoo-area and gently pat it dry.
- Protect the tattoo with a thin layer of petroleum jelly (or something similar) while swimming, bathing, showering and sleeping.
- Enjoying nice weather? Protect the tattoo with suntan lotion.
- Avoid dehydration of the skin.
- Drink plenty of water.
Read more tips in our guide:
How to remove your Jagua tattoo
Removing a Jagua Henna tattoo is possible but will take some days. The most effective and harmless way is to gently scrub the tattoo using an exfoliate. Your tattoo will fade after a few sessions. Stop scrubbing when you experience any discomfort.
