Over the years, plenty of new and exciting tattoo trends have popped up and one of them is glow-in-the-dark tattoos.
Started tattooing in 2018, Jose Paz Jr. shared that out of curiosity he tried to use black light tattoo, a trend that is starting to gain popularity because of the creative twist they allow to put on one's body.
Black light tattoos or glow-in-the-dark tatoos are created using ultraviolet (UV) reactive ink. This means that a black light tattoo is nearly invisible in plain daylight, but will come to life when viewed under an ultraviolet bulb.
"Sa ngayon konti pa lang yung mga tattoo artist na nagbibigay ng ganitong service sa mga studio or tattoo shop nila. Unique kasi sya compared sa traditional inks na ginagamit for tattoos (Right now there are very few tattoo artists who offer this service in their studios or tattoo shops. It's more unique compared to the traditional inks used for tattoos)," Paz, who is also a graphic designer for Manila Bulletin, said.
Getting a regular tattoo is different than getting a black light tattoo, Paz explained.
"Ito ay special ink compared sa traditional pigment inks na ginagamit namin for tattoo. Iba rin process pag mag-apply ka ng UV tattoo dahil magkaiba silang ink, mas thinner yung ink ng UV kaya mas mahirap gawin (We use special ink compared to the traditional pigment inks that are used for regular tattoos. UV tattoos also have a different process because its ink is different compared to the regular one. The UV ink is thinner so a UV tattoo is harder to do)," he added.
Just like regular tattoos, black light tattoos are also permanent. However, they cost more and take longer to ink on than traditional tattoos.
For customers interested to get a black light tattoo, Paz recommends choosing minimalist designs.
Paz opened Steezy Ink Tattoo, a home-based tattoo shop in Sta. Ana, Manila where he offers permanent tattoo and henna tattoo.
