Best White Tattoo Ink [Review] in 2021

White tattoo ink has been popular for years now, whether it is to highlight certain areas of a tattoo or add little details. But in the past few years there has been a growing trend of white tattoos– trust me these look pretty incredible. 

White tattoo ink has been a constantly growing demand among tattoo artists who want to achieve subtle tattoo art, you may not be able to see white tattoos from a distance but up close subtle, detailed and creative designs are created. 

White tattoo ink has so many purposes, it can be used to highlight features on a colorful design, such as an eye. It can be used to create creative tribal designs, or even be used as a mixer to tone down colors. 

Before you go to buy white tattoo ink there are some key factors to consider and key things to look for. But don’t worry, this is what I’m here for– I’m here to break down everything you need to know about white tattoo ink and what to look for in your search. 

When you go into a tattoo parlor or if you’re tattooing for a client, we can all agree that 90% of tattoos tend to be black or colored, we never tend to white tattoos as they tend to be much rarer. 

But what are white ink tattoos? They’re essentially tattoos that only use a white pigment, the ink is injected under the layer of skin and it leaves a unique and delicate finish.

White tattoos tend to be much more subtle than black ones or colored ones, they can follow delicate and detailed designs that may go unmissed from a distance but they’re truly beautiful. 

Many white tattoos follow a lace-type or delicate nature and tend to have a much more natural look than regular black tattoos. In the past few years, they have become increasingly popular (especially amongst women) due to the subtlety of the designs.  

But its not as easy as getting a cheap tattoo gun off Amazon and doing the white tattoo willy-nilly it requires an experienced tattoo artist that has experience in the area as it can be more complicated than you may think.  White ink is very temperamental and can be quite challenging to complete, so it’s crucial that it’s done by an artist that knows what they are doing. 

White ink cannot be diluted like other inks, it takes practice to get the design right, white ink is the lightest color you can find and it is much harder to see when tattooed under the skin.

White tattoos take planning and research, you should research and plan what exactly you would like before taking the leap, to ensure you are completely prepared and that it runs as smoothly as possible. Some white tattoos may not even show up if done incorrectly– all that pain for nothing! 

There are some factors that must be considered before you buy tattoo ink. Especially, when it is white ink you must educate yourself about things such as ingredients, brand reviews, and price range, etc.

Two possibilities may lead you to buy white ink for tattooing.

• Either you want to cover up a tattoo using a white ink
• Or you want it to go with a black tattoo

Anyway, whatever the reason is; these factors should be considered to choose the perfect ink for you!

Choose the best artist: If you are going to get a white tattoo, you need to make sure that the artist you choose is capable of doing the job perfectly. This is something that is going to stay forever with you so you can’t make any mistakes that you may regret in the future.

Choose wisely!

There is no chance of improvement if you mess up the tattoo.

Ink Matters: Yes, it does! Don’t just buy a random cheap white tattoo ink because it can affect you badly. Tattoo ink is to be injected into your skin and you can’t afford to damage your body.

Always prefer a reputed brand ink such as Intenze, Dynamic and other companies listed above. Don’t go for cheap if you don’t know about the things.

If you are a beginner then our advice is to use sterilized inks manufactured in the USA.

Careful Shadowing: White Tattoos require proper shadowing to shine out like other colors. Therefore, you must be careful while choosing your tattoo artist because shadowing requires high accuracy. A simple mistake can ruin the art easily.

Like black tattoo ink, white tattoo ink is another really safe color to use in a tattoo. The majority of white tattoo ink brands use vegan ingredients to make their products more natural and gentle ingredients for your skin. 

Most products I have reviewed today use vegan ingredients to create their products, but a personal favorite of mine has to be Kuro Sumi as they use 100% natural ingredients and vegan. 

Using trusted products is so important when buying any tattoo ink, as, after all, the ink is going underneath your skin for a very long time– we cannot compromise quality over a bargain. 

Some brands, however, still use animal ingredients and toxic chemicals to enhance the pigment in their inks; if you notice that the brand has harsh metals like lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and titanium, you should avoid them as this can cause reactions.

Additionally, despite the original pigment being slightly lighter, animal-ingredient tattoo ink doesn’t last as long as the vegan options, and it is more likely to fade. When looking for white tattoo ink, make sure you use a trusted brand that shows the full ingredient list. 

In comparison to tattooing with black ink, many people say that white tattoo inks hurt more when getting them done, this is mainly because white is much finer and will need more strokes for lines to be prominent (the more strokes the more painful it will be). 

Tattooing with white ink is only usually done after the black ink part is completed, since white ink goes over the black ink it means repeated tattooing in certain areas which can be quite painful. Plus the needle goes in deeper in order to lay over the black ink. 

White ink additionally requires more skin stretching than needed during a black tattoo, which makes the skin much thinner and more painful during the process. This still depends on the placement of the tattoo too, tattoos on thinner parts of skin tend to be much more painful in general. 

For example, any tattoo on your foot, hand, rib cage, etc will be much more painful than on your stomach or leg where the skin tends to be much thicker. For the reason that the needle goes in much further and the needle being re-inserted in already tattooed areas you may expect a white tattoo to be more painful than a black one. 

An interesting thing about a white-colored tattoo is that it cannot be seen right away like other vibrant colors. Your friends may not even notice the design until you point it out loud.

But when it is done in contrast with other colors it turns out to be something unique. Getting a white tattoo separates you from the crowd.

Another thing is that not many people out there have mastered the art of white tattoos. Therefore, you have to spend extra time and even money to find the best person for the job.

As stated above, you must never compromise on that because there are almost zero chances of improvement. Choosing a good white tattoo ink along with a professional artist will give you a masterpiece.

Disadvantages of a White Tattoo

Everything good thing has some bad effects as well. Similarly, White Tattoo makes you unique but it comes with the following disadvantages:

• They hurt relatively more than a traditional tattoo. Why? Because white color is hard to inject in the skin considering the low visibility issues. It needs several passes to finally saturate and stay. Therefore, it causes more pain than regular ones.
• Another issue with a white tattoo is that it might turn yellow. This happens when your skin is exposed to sunlight constantly and it changes color with the time passage. Make sure you choose the best white ink to use from the list above to prevent such problems.
• There are certain claims that these tattoos fade away earlier as compared to normal tattoos. But, a professional artist and good ink can definitely work together to provide efficient results.

Black Tattoo Ink and White Tattoo Ink Comparison

Artists use white tattoo ink with black to produce some amazing designs. Here is a little comparison between both of them. Black inks are used for shading, outlining, and designing full-fledged black tattoos. But white tattoo inks when combined with black give out unique designs as shown below.

Also Checkout: Best Black Tattoo Ink in 2021

White ink can be used to highlight black tattoos and cover-up black tattoos using the White-Out Technique. Therefore, the combination shouldn’t be ignored when trying out new things. Nevertheless, both inks have their own use according to the requirements of the customer.

Is there a white tattoo ink?

Yes, different companies are now manufacturing white inks for tattoos. With the increase in trends in the tattoo industry, different colors are used to design awesome tattoos. And the newest addition to the colors set is White.

Can you lighten a tattoo with white ink?

Yes, it is possible to cover a dark tattoo with white ink. Artists use a technique known as the white-out technique. In this technique, white ink is used over the dark-colored tattoo to lighten it up.

This may take a couple of sessions and preparation to get the desired finish but the majority of black tattoos can be lightened to a grey hue using white ink. You can also mix white with other colors before you tattoo to add a lighter pigment.

Are white ink tattoos a good idea?

White ink tattoo can be a good idea in the following cases:

• To cover an existing tattoo
• To use it in contrast with other colors
• Lighten up your black tattoos
• To create subtle and detailed designs

Why are white ink tattoos a bad idea?

The major difference between white tattoos and other colors is visibility. White color designs are not visible from a distance. Nobody might even notice that you have a tattoo unless you point it out.

Another reason is that they have a history of hurting more than regular tattoos. This is because it takes several revisions to make white color visible on your skin.

How long does white tattoo ink last?

Sadly white tattoos don’t last near as long as black tattoos do, they will begin to fade after around 5 years. Even though white tattoo ink shows up more on tanned skin or darker skin tones over pale ones, pale white tattoos tend to last longer.

This is because paler skin has less melanin affecting the ink. But after a few years, it may fade to the point where people may mistake it for a scar. With the proper aftercare and looking after your white tattoo it may last longer.

However this may differ from person to person and from ink to ink, animal ingredient inks don’t tend to last as long as vegan ones because the skin is less likely to be irritated and will heal much more nicely than animal ingredient inks.

How much is a white ink tattoo?

White Ink tattoos do tend to cost much more than your regular black ink tattoo but not always. It all depends on the intricacy and detail of the design, some designs require a special ink covering and this will cost more. 

But on average a white tattoo will start at around $50 and depending on the size it will continue to go up. 

White Tattoo Inks have a high risk so make sure you follow all the guidelines in the article. Don’t go for cheap if you are inexperienced and don’t really know how these things work.

Even if you are an experienced artist make sure you choose an ink that provides long-lasting results for you or the clients. To be on the safe side, always prefer vegan-friendly, sterilized, and natural tattoo inks.

I have hunted down and reviewed my top 7 favorite  white inks for tattooing as of 2021, but stay tuned I will be updating the list with better products as soon as I  find them. 

Happy Tattooing!