Tattoo Disposable Gloves

If there’s a mantra that is consistently applied in all tattoo shops, it’s this: be sanitary. There’s no more important rule for tattoo artists, as unsanitary conditions not only ruin the reputation of the artists in the shop, but also tarnish the reputations of all tattoo artists. A big part of maintaining sanitary conditions is the appropriate use of tattoo disposable gloves. They’re constantly on the front line of the battle, whether it’s inspecting the area to be tattooed, shaving it, mixing inks, wielding tattoo guns, or cleaning up afterwards, and as such, tattoo shops will go through a ton of gloves in a short period of time.

When to use Tattoo Disposable Gloves
A set of disposable gloves should be used at each stage of tattooing: the initial cleaning of the station, tattooing the client, and the final cleaning of the tattoo. If during any of those stages, you touch anything that isn’t either the customer or your machine, you need to change your gloves to avoid any risk of contamination. You then need to wrap anything you touched in clear plastic to limit the chances of cross contamination, which will later be autoclaved. If whatever you touched can’t be autoclaved, then it must be wiped down with an approved disinfectant during the cleaning process.

Types of Tattoo Disposable Gloves
Latex. Latex is a solid choice for tattooist, as it doesn’t diminish control or sensitivity too much, and stretches well to fit artists with wide variation in hand size. In addition, they offer almost as much protection from abrasion, punctures, and cuts as vinyl.

Nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves are made up of synthetic latex, and are even more resistant to damage than rubber. Even more importantly, they will not give customers with latex allergies any problems (except in exceptionally rare cases), due to their lack of proteins. As far as the control and sensitivity they permit to their wearer, nitrile gloves are comparable to latex. The downside, as you’ve no doubt suspected, is that they’re more expensive. However, having at least a box or two of these on hand in case a latex-allergic customer walks through your doors is a wise move.

Vinyl tattoo gloves. Unlike with latex and nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves severely limit the tactile sensations of the wearer, making them a poor choice for use during tattooing. However, they are more resistant to greases and oils, as well as solvents and chemicals, making them useful for artists when cleaning their station or sanitizing their equipment.

Styles of Disposable Gloves
Tattoo artists make up enough of the market for disposable gloves that some concessions to style have been made by their providers. Instead of just the ubiquitous white and translucent gloves, many retailers offer black gloves—for a slightly increased fee—to help tattoo artists ink in style.

Through proper use of tattoo disposable gloves, you’ll keep yourself, your reputation, and your shop out of harm’s way—and might even manage to look bad ass while doing it.