---
title: "Tattooing With Cremation Ashes"
id: "1897"
type: "page"
slug: "tattooing-with-cremation-ashes"
published_at: "2019-10-12T19:22:03+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-06-10T19:34:11+00:00"
url: "https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/tattooing-with-cremation-ashes/"
markdown_url: "https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/tattooing-with-cremation-ashes.md"
excerpt: "Tattooing With Cremation Ashes Everything you need to know about the act of tattooing with cremation ashes, what’s..."
---

# Tattooing With Cremation Ashes

### Everything you need to know about the act of tattooing with cremation ashes, what’s involved, what’s safe, and how the tattoo heals.

## Tattooing With Cremation Ashes: The Full Picture From The Lab To Your Skin

Can cremation ashes be safely used in a tattoo? Yes, when the work is done right. This page covers what tattooing with cremation ashes involves, the safety and healing side, the surprising history behind the practice, and how Cremation Ink ® prepares everything properly for you and your local tattoo artist.

![tattoos with ashes in it](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tattooing-with-ashes-in-it.jpeg)

### Tattooing With Cremation Ashes Can Be Done Safely

Can cremation ashes be used in tattoo ink without a problem? Yes, and we see [tattoos with ashes](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/)
 infused into them being done by artists all over the world, since we expanded the Cremation Ink ® service to a global audience.

The key word in that question is “safely.” Cremation ashes can be used in tattoo ink, but only when the ashes have been properly prepared first. Done with our service, the answer is a confident yes. Done with raw, unprepared ashes tipped into an ink pot at a tattoo studio, the answer is a clear no. The difference between those two outcomes is the whole reason Cremation Ink ® exists.

### What Is The Risk Of Adding Cremation Ashes To Ink?

With ashes that have been properly prepared beforehand, and good tattoo aftercare from your artist, tattooing with cremation ashes is treated like any other quality tattoo. Through our multi-stage preparation, your loved one’s ashes are cleaned, sterilised and refined to a fine, consistent texture, then infused into tattoo ink we make ourselves, so the ashes and the pigment are matched in particle size and become one true professional ink.

Because we make our own ink and match the prepared ashes to the pigment, the finished ink carries both the pigment and the ashes together as it’s applied. That means as long as you can see your tattoo, your loved one is with you. The deeper safety side is covered on our [safe cremation ash tattoo](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/safe-cremation-ash-tattoo/)
 page and our [is it safe to put ashes in tattoo ink](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/safe-cremation-ash-tattoo/is-it-safe-to-put-ashes-in-tattoo-ink/)
 page if you’d like to read further.

When you choose your tattoo artist, look for a clean studio, a strong track record, and a portfolio with healed work in it. Check the images of the healed tattoos. Healed work tells you the truth about what the tattoo will look like settled in your skin for the rest of your life. That, combined with our prepared ink, gives you everything in place to honour your loved one to the highest standard, exactly as they deserved.

![cremation tattooing inks](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cremation-tattooing-inks.jpg)

### The Surprising History Of Ash In Tattoos

Here’s something not many people realise. Ash in tattoos isn’t a new idea, it’s the oldest idea. The earliest tattoos in human history were made by rubbing fire ashes (soot, mainly) into small cuts or pricks in the skin. That’s how the very first humans figured out tattoos in the first place. Ash-based pigments have been used in tattoos for thousands of years.

At Cremation Ink ® we’ve taken that ancient principle and brought it forward into a modern, careful, professional service. Where the original tattoos used random ash from a fire, ours use a small, carefully prepared portion of your loved one’s ashes, infused into high quality professional tattoo pigment we make ourselves. The principle is the same. The execution is centuries ahead.

For the past twenty years we’ve been featured in multiple international newspapers covering our professional approach to this bespoke service. Tattoo artists around the world recommend us to their clients because they trust what’s in the bottle. Now that we’ve opened the service worldwide, it doesn’t matter where you live. You can get an expertly prepared tattoo ink with your loved one’s ashes inside it, ready to take to your favourite local tattoo artist.

> **The true essence of a memorial tattoo cannot be higher than having a small part of that person with you until you die.**

![tattooing with humans ashes](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tattooing-with-humans-ashes.jpeg)

### What Does The Process Involve?

When you order, we ship a kit to you for safely placing the ashes in. We only need about a tablespoon per ink bottle. You post the kit back to us, and your loved one’s ashes will then be assigned to one of our staff who follows them through the whole process from start to finish.

In the lab, we take a small portion of the ashes through our preparation protocols. They’re cleaned, then sterilised, then refined using specialist equipment to a fine, consistent texture that matches the pigment we make. This is careful, multi-stage work, and it’s exactly the part a tattoo studio isn’t set up to do.

Once the ashes are prepared, they’re infused into tattoo ink we make ourselves to create your finished bottle of Cremation Ink ®, with the ashes matched to the pigment so they sit in the ink as a true part of it. The amount used is roughly a tablespoon’s volume of ashes, and any ashes you sent that weren’t used in the process are returned to you alongside the finished ink at the same time.

We’re proud to say that what you send us, you get back. At no stage do any of your loved one’s ashes get binned or treated with anything less than dignity. Ever. The fuller process step-by-step is covered on our dedicated [process](https://cremationink.com/the-process-of-ashes-into-tattoo-ink/)
 page, and our [making tattoos with cremation ashes](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/making-tattoos-with-cremation-ashes/)
 page gives a different angle on the same work.

Cremation Ink ® has been in this very bespoke field for over twenty years. We’re not a chancer trying to make a quick buck. The level of respect we give to your loved one’s ashes, and to you, is built into every part of how we work.

![tattooing with dog ashes](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tattooing-with-dog-ashes.jpeg)

### The Healing Process

Using high quality ink for cremation ash tattoos helps the skin heal cleanly. Crusting is minimal and the tattoo settles in well. Raw, unprepared ashes tipped into a memorial tattoo are a very different story, with coarse particles that can mean heavier crusting and a longer, messier heal. That’s the comparison that matters, and it’s why a properly prepared ink is the sensible route.

Aftercare follows the same rules as any quality tattoo. Keep it clean. Don’t pick at it. Follow the aftercare your artist recommends, especially in the first week. Avoid swimming pools and direct sun on it until it’s fully healed. Standard advice, the same as any other tattoo.

![tattooing with pet cremation ashes](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tattooing-with-pet-cremation-ashes.jpg)

### Tattooing With Pet Cremation Ashes

We hope this has been a helpful short guide. The same process works for pets. We’ve made many bottles of ink for clients tattooing with dog cremation ashes, cat cremation ashes, and even horse cremation ashes. For our wider thoughts on pet memorials, [memorial tattoos with ashes](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/memorial-tattoos-with-ashes/)
 covers it well.

A practical tip for pet owners. When you arrange the cremation for your pet, ask the pet crematorium if they can process the ashes a bit further than standard. Most pet crematoriums are very accommodating, and a finer ash particle makes the entire process at our end smoother. Mention you’re planning to use a portion of the ashes for a memorial tattoo, and they’ll usually know exactly what you mean.

Whoever you’ve lost, four-legged or two-legged, we’re here to make sure you get the perfect tattoo, infused with your loved one’s ashes. And if you’d like to read about finding an artist, our [cremation ashes tattoo near me](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/tattooing-with-cremation-ashes/cremation-ashes-tattoo-near-me/)
 page covers finding a studio near you, and our [cremation tattoo artists near me](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes/tattooing-with-cremation-ashes/cremation-tattoo-artists-near-me/)
 page covers what to look for in the artist themselves.

### Reflection On Tattooing With Cremation Ashes

If your loved one has been cremated, we can combine our high quality tattoo ink with a small portion of their ashes to give you the most personal possible tribute. A tattoo is the one thing you’ll be buried or cremated in yourself. It really is the only way to take your loved one with you for the rest of your life.

At Cremation Ink ® we’re proud to offer this remote, worldwide ashes tattoo ink service. After many years of experience in this bespoke field, we provide a carefully prepared, ashes-infused tattoo ink that you’ll love, and that your chosen tattoo artist will love too.

When you feel ready, you can [order your inks here](https://cremationink.com/shop/)
. We’ll send out a kit, walk you through it, and look after the rest. Or [contact us](https://cremationink.com/contact-us/)
 first if you’d like to talk it through.

![Tattooing With Cremation Ashes FAQs](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ashes-tattoo-facts.jpg)Tattooing With Cremation Ashes FAQs

#### Can cremation ashes safely be used in tattoo ink?

Yes, when Cremation Ink ® has prepared the ashes beforehand. Our multi-stage process cleans, sterilises and refines the ashes, then infuses them into tattoo ink we make ourselves, matched to the pigment in particle size. By the time the bottle reaches your tattoo artist, the ink is prepared for use under the skin and behaves like any other quality professional ink.

#### Why can’t my local tattoo studio just mix the ashes into their own ink?

We strongly recommend against it, and most reputable studios will refuse. Raw cremation ashes are coarse and unprepared, nothing like the consistency of tattoo pigment, and they haven’t been sterilised for use in skin. They also need refining to match pigment size for proper infusion, which a studio simply isn’t set up to do at the counter. Use Cremation Ink ® to handle the lab work and infuse the ashes into our own ink, then take the prepared bottle to your local artist.

#### How is the tattooing itself different from a normal tattoo?

It isn’t. Once the bottle of Cremation Ink ® arrives, your artist treats it exactly like any other quality professional tattoo ink. They pour it into their ink pot, work as they always do, and complete the tattoo. From your side, the experience is identical to any other tattoo session.

#### Will the tattoo heal differently because there are ashes in the ink?

No. Because the ashes have been properly prepared and infused into our own professional tattoo ink by Cremation Ink ®, the tattoo heals like any other quality tattoo. Crusting is minimal, and standard aftercare from your artist applies. Follow whatever aftercare your artist recommends.

#### How much of my loved one’s ashes do you need?

About a tablespoon per bottle of ink. You keep the rest, and any ashes Cremation Ink ® doesn’t use in the process are returned to you alongside the finished bottle.

#### Is it true that ashes were the original tattoo pigment?

Yes. The very first tattoos in human history were made by rubbing fire soot into small cuts in the skin. Ash-based pigments have been used in tattoos for thousands of years. Cremation Ink ® takes that ancient principle and brings it forward into a modern, careful, professional service for memorial tattoos today.

#### Can this be done for pets too?

Yes. We’ve made many bottles of ink for tattoos using dog, cat and horse cremation ashes. If you’re arranging the cremation for a pet, ask the pet crematorium if they can process the ashes a bit further than standard, since finer ash particles make our process even smoother.

#### Will the tattoo last as long as a normal tattoo?

Yes. The pigment Cremation Ink ® uses is high grade, so the tattoo holds colour well after healing, like any other professional tattoo. As with any tattoo, keeping it out of strong sun helps it stay sharp.

#### How long does the whole process take?

Once your loved one’s ashes arrive at Cremation Ink ®, the finished ink is usually ready within five to nine days. The bottle is then posted back to you tracked and signed for, anywhere in the world. After that it’s a matter of booking your local appointment.

#### Will I get any unused ashes back?

Yes, every time. What you send to Cremation Ink ®, you get back, with the finished bottle of ink. No ashes are ever thrown away or treated with anything less than respect.

![all cremation tattoo ink - cremation ink](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/all-cremation-tattoo-ink.jpg)[Cremation Ink – Shop](https://cremationink.com/shop)

![Tattoos With Ashes](http://cremationink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Tattoos-With-Ashes.jpg)[Tattoos with ashes](https://cremationink.com/tattoos-with-ashes)