How to Get a Tattoo Without Your Parents Knowing

Concealing the Tattoo

Follow the artist's care instructions exactly. If you get an infection, you're going to have to tell your parents, because you may need medical treatment. Tattoo aftercare includes not picking at or scratching your skin, which could make your parents suspicious, anyway. Don't try to hide your new tattoo by re-wrapping it. The tattoo artist will cover the piece immediately after tattooing and instruct you when to take it off. Do not wrap it again, with a bandage, cloth, or anything else. Tattoos cannot be submerged in water for at least two weeks afterwards, so if you are on the swim team, wait until the off-season. Tattoos can "weep" for a few days, so be aware some fluid (clear or the color of your tattoo) may soak through your clothes. You should try to wear something loose anyway, so the tattoo can get air and heal.

Cover the tattoo with makeup. Once your tattoo is fully healed, you can disguise it with makeup. There is high-quality makeup made for this specific purpose, and it actually works. Many are strong enough to stay on all day, won't rub off, and may even be waterproof. In a pinch you can use white face paint to cover a tattoo. Paint two layers over your tattoo (allowing the paint to dry in between layers), then cover with liquid foundation the color of your skin. A spritz of hairspray can help keep it in place. If your tattoo is very dark or has bring colors, purchase a primer as well. This will neutralize the colors of the tattoo so it won't show through your coverup.

Hide it with clothes and accessories. If you strategically placed your tattoo, it should be easy to hide with long sleeves, a thick watch band or bracelet, a bandaid or a ring. Just wearing your hair down can cover a tattoo behind your ear or on the back of your neck.

Be non-committal if the subject of tattoos comes up. Try not to be adamantly anti-tattoo. Say something like, "Actually, I think they can be really beautiful if they're done well." You could even hint that you would consider getting one someday. If you say there's absolutely no way you would ever get one in a million years and then your parents see the one you've been hiding, you're going to come off as a bigger liar.

Explaining Yourself If You Get Caught

Expect to be punished. You got caught, prepare to deal with the consequences. Whining, screaming, and making a scene isn't going to help you prove to your parents that you are more than an impulsive child.

Apologize for concealing the tattoo from them Acknowledging that you were wrong to lie shows maturity, and they may eventually realize you are old enough and mature enough to make decisions about what you do with your own body. This is another good reason to avoid the stick-and-poke--it makes a better impression if you made smart, safe choices when you got your piece and they don't have to worry about your health, too. Bringing up that it's your body and you can do what you want with it might not go well in the heat of the moment. It is a valid point, but probably one to be made once things have cooled down and you can talk rationally about your decision.

Make up a compelling reason why you got the tattoo. It's sort of a dirty trick, but if you say your tiny heart tattoo is to remind you of your dearly departed grandpa, your parents might soften a little. Or if you got a crucifix, tell them it's tied to your faith and to remind you to be a good Christian, or your shamrock tattoo is to keep you grounded in your Irish roots. This works best with broad, symbolic tattoos that you can easily connect to something significant.

Getting the Tattoo

Pick something small. Now is not the time for that full sleeve of a koi fish. A smaller tattoo will be much easier to hide, as it will take less effort to cover it. If your parents surprise you and your tiny tattoo is in full view, you can even slap your hand over it so they won't see. Hiding, and taking care of, a large tattoo is much more complicated. A small tattoo shouldn't be extremely detailed, as the fine lines will spread over time and blur the design. A simple and bold design will age better. Think shapes like hearts and stars, arrows, crosses, musical notes, flowers, anchors, or paw prints. Or if you have major hometown pride, ask for a very simple, single-line representation of the skyline of your city. A small tattoo might be easier to accept if they find out or you eventually show them. It might be the "ice breaker" that makes it easier for you to proceed with larger pieces.

Get the tattoo somewhere hidden or easy to cover. There are plenty of spots on your body your parents rarely see, and these are great places to hide a tattoo. Keep the seasons in mind when you are thinking about a good spot--if you run around in a bathing suit all summer your back-of-the-shoulder tattoo will be in full-view. Conspicuous or easily hidden spots include the inside of your lower lip, behind your ear, your ribs, your ankle, your foot, the inside of your wrist, your back. Areas like the inside of the lip and bottom of the foot, and hands will fade much faster than other areas of the body, because those areas are constantly shedding cells and regenerating skin.

Try white ink. If you have pale, un-freckled skin, you may want to consider a white tattoo. Geometric patterns are especially striking in white, and white ink will be far less noticeable than other colors. It is imperative you get the tattoo where it will see as little sunlight as possible--even with a powerful SPF the sun can cause the white ink to disappear, just leaving some raised bumps and the memories of your rad tattoo.

Go to a reputable shop. You may be tempted to go the stick-and-poke route, especially if you are under 18, but rethink that notion. Even if you sterilize the needles, you risk a serious infection, from skin infections to hepatitis to HIV. Plus, they rarely turn out very well. Bond with your friend not by giving each other stick-and-poke tattoos (and potentially a staph infection), but by going to the shop together and supporting each other as you get tattooed. Check out the shop online and choose an artist you want to work with, whose style fits with your concept. Go into the shop to make an appointment and speak with the artist. The shop should be clean, and smell like soap and cleaning supplies. If not, go somewhere else. For a small piece, you may be able to get tattooed as a walk-in, but the best tattoo artists are usually booked up well in advance.