How to make your own temporary tattoo at home?

A temporary tattoo comes in handy whether you’d like to test-run a potential tattoo design before it gets permanent, or you want to experiment with your body without permanently altering your skin or you simply need a temporary art for a costume or an occasion. You can make your own temporary tattoo at the convenience of your home. You will however need a few household supplies and some other items which you can get from craft stores. Here are some techniques which you can use to make temporary tattoo at home.

How to make a temporary tattoo with paper & printer

Silhouette papers can be used to make temporary tattoos. You can also get some blank decal paper from retailer or any online store like amazon. They come in ten, twenty and fifty sheet bundles.

Step 1: Find your designs

• Find the type of design you want. You can check online for various tattoo designs as well.
• Decide which color you’d like it to be. It could be black, or white or any other color you desire. It only depends if you’ll be using a black and white printer or a colored one.
• Pick colors that will be visible against your skin.
• The image of the tattoo will appear reversed on your skin when you apply it, so make sure to flip it before applying.
• Fit as many images as you can on the sheet. This way you won’t be wasting the paper you’re printing them on.

Step 2: Print the paper

• Load the paper into the printer, and if you’re using a Silhouette paper, make sure to print on its shiny side.
• Make sure the paper is placed in a correct manner & you understand how your printer works, especially the orientation of its prints.
• Don’t forget to add a protective cover to the paper after printing to prevent it from getting damaged. You can also store it in this form for special events .

Step 3: Apply your tattoo

• Cut out the various tattoo designs you printed earlier. It doesn’t matter if they’re precise or not.
• Place the design face down against the part of your body where you want the tattoo to be. Don’t forget to remove the protective cover first.
• Then cover it with a damp cloth or paper towel. You don’t have to wet the paper thoroughly, just ensure it’s wet enough for the tattoo to transfer to your skin.
• Remove the paper. You are done making your tattoo!

Extra tip: Essential tips to take care of your tattoo when sleeping

Step 4: How to remove a temporary paper tattoo

• Your tattoo may last four to five days before it starts to fade. To remove it before then, scrub the tattoo area with soapy water and a scrub brush. It will come off.

Extra tip: Learn here the clever ways to hide your tattoo with makeup

How to get a nail polish temporary tattoo

When using nail polish you have to be very careful because they are not meant to be applied to the skin, just like permanent markers. Also do a test first to make sure you don’t react to ink.

Step 1: Choose a tattoo design

• Think of the tattoo design you desire and the part of your body you want it placed.
• Take a help of your friend, if the area you want your tattoo  to be placed is out of your reach.

Step 2: Print out the design

• Print out the tattoo or draw a picture of it. Ensure that your desired picture looks good if it doesn’t have details inside it.

Step 3: Make it into a stencil 

• Make the picture into a stencil. Cut around the edges and on the inside of the picture you’ve printed out on paper.
• A good thing to do is to color in the picture and cut out the colored part. You’ll be left with a piece of paper with an image cut out from its middle.

Step 4: Trace out the tattoo after placing the stencil on your skin

• Once you have decided on where you want to draw your tattoo, place the stencil in the area and hold it in place. You can use a sellotape to do this.
• After the stencil is firmly in place, create a border for your tattoo by drawing a thin edge on the inside of the stencil. Once this is done, remove the stencil and trace it out to make a neater, bolder border.

Step 5: Fill in your tattoo 

• After creating the border, dress up your tattoo and make it look exactly the way you want. You can use one solid nail polish for the whole tattoo. You can apply other colors too.

Step 6: How to take off a nail polish tattoo

• You can easily wash off this type of tattoo with a nail polish remover. Simply dab a cotton ball in the nail polish remover and use it to wipe away your tattoo.

How to draw an eyeliner temporary tattoo

This type of tattoo is really easy to make. You’ll also have fun when making it. It’s the perfect for a Halloween or costume party, a play, or just to surprise your friends and family.

Step 1: Creating and drawing the tattoo

• Place the tracing/wax paper over the design you want and trace it out with eyeliner or a pencil.
• Using cotton balls clean the area of your skin where you want to put the tattoo.
• Place the design you’ve traced on the desired area facing downward and dampen with a wet towel. Wait for 30 seconds before removing it.
• After removing the paper, use a marker or an eyeliner to make it darker. You can use other colors as well.

Extra tip: Add other colors to the design as you wish. Go over the outline again with your fine tip marker.

Step 2: Apply hairspray to the design

• Apply some baby powder on the skin and spray the hairspray over the design to keep it from coming off for a few hours. There’s no need to completely soak it or saturate it in water.
• That’s all. Your tattoo will take 1-3 days before it fades away.

Step 3: How to get off a eyeliner tattoo

• You can easily wash this type of tattoo off with warm soapy water. If you’re going to bed with your tattoo, the eyeliner in it can stain your bed sheets, so be careful.

Precautions/safety hazards in making a temporary tattoo

There’s always a chance of having a reaction whenever you put chemicals like permanent marker and nail polish on your skin. Even tattoo decal paper can cause a reaction if you’re allergic to its ink.

Doctors have warned not to use permanent markers on children. It contains chemicals like butanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and many others which can cause irritation, depress the central nervous system or bring about other toxic reactions when absorbed through the skin.

So, if you want to create a temporary tattoo with these products, make sure you use hypoallergenic or nontoxic ones. This doesn’t prevent you from having a mild to toxic reaction after using them though. See a doctor immediately if you notice any redness, itching or burning at the place where you have your temporary tattoo.

Remember a temporary tattoo is just for fun and to show your creativity. It is not to cause or pose any health risk to you. Do not get a temporary tattoo that lasts more than 7 days maximum on your skin. If it doesn’t fade off, make sure you wipe it off. Failure to adhere to this could lead to various skin infections or allergies which could damage your skin and lead to other health risks.