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8 minute read
With the funeral tastes of British people shifting significantly in the last few years, it should come as no surprise that more British people are asking, “Can you put cremation ashes in a tattoo?”
In this blogpost, we will ask whether and how we can put cremation ashes in a tattoo, considering, among other things, the legal and health implications of doing so.
Cremation ashes tattoos, as the name suggests, are a form of body modification involving the mixing of ink with small amounts of cremated remains. This is done in order to form images on a person’s body with an especially heightened emotional significance.
The decision to get a tattoo with cremation ashes is not to be taken lightly, and many people find the thought of it too extreme or taboo. But for those opting for it, getting a tattoo with the ashes of a loved one is an intensely personal, vivid and visual way of paying homage to them.
People can turn their loved one’s ashes into a wide array of different items and keepsakes these days, from jewellery to vinyl records and even ammunition. Getting a cremation tattoo allows a bereaved person to always have the one they’ve lost be permanently with them, as close as can be.
The beauty behind the idea of having a tattoo with the ashes of a loved one is that the image itself can be anything: it could be a photo of the loved one themselves in tattoo form, or an image that commemorates something they loved, like music or sport.
It could also be words that they once spoke or wrote, or even a message from the wearer of the tattoo to their loved one, or vice versa. National Geographic covered the story of someone who got a cremation tattoo using some images that were designed by her father before he died. The possibilities are endless.
As you might expect, there are certain health, safety and legal matters that should first be considered before you decide to get a tattoo infused with the ashes of a loved one.
The health risks posed by getting a cremation tattoo are just the same as those of getting a normal tattoo. Much like whether or not ashes are toxic, or whether more than one person is cremated at the same time, the idea that a cremation-ink tattoo is especially unhealthy is a cremation myth. Due to the fact that a body is cremated at such high temperatures, there is no risk of any bacteria or contaminants being harboured by the ashes.
Be diligent when you are choosing your tattoo artist, if you’re considering a cremation tattoo; while ash might be harmless from a health point of view, more sanitary tattoo artists will have a more clinical process for incorporating ash into their ink.
While it’s not illegal for tattoo artists to simply decant ash into ink with a free hand in their studio, the conditions may not be as sanitary as others. If you like the visual quality of an artist’s work, ask them about their process for ash incorporation before you opt for their services.
There are currently no specific laws in the UK regulating the incorporation of materials into tattoo ink. Therefore the only laws that relate to cremation ash tattoos are those which generally apply to tattooing.
Depending on the process that your tattoo artist goes through, the price could be just the same as a normal tattoo. However, if they are employing a specific ash-incorporation process then the price is likely to be higher. It is up to you to decide whether it is worth paying the extra money.
Given that cremation tattoos are something of an emerging trend among British mourners, the practice is not yet mainstream or that widely spread. But the trailblazing companies across the world providing this option to bereaved tattoo lovers have developed thoughtful and sanitary methods that are quite similar to one another.
A cremation ink company might ship a secure package to the customer who then shares a portion of the ashes they wish to use. They’ll then send it back to the company, who begin a filtration process that reduces the ash to the exact size and pigment of the ink that the customer wants to use. The company then sends it back to the customer via courier with a unique serial number in a vial which they can bring to their tattoo artist for direct use.
Bear in mind that the exact process might vary from company to company; if you’ve found one you’re interested in using, you may wish to get in touch with them to find out the specifics of their own process.
While we can’t personally vouch for the quality and sterility of the processes used by cremation ink companies, you might want to reach out to any company directly to find out about the rigorousness of their approach.
Ultimately, there are businesses out there who are looking to provide those seeking a cremation tattoo with a safe and sanitary option. It’s up to the one interested in getting a tattoo with cremated remains to do their research before choosing an ink provider or artist.
The tattooing process using ash-infused ink is largely the same as getting a normal tattoo, but with one or two differences.
The only real way in which getting a cremation tattoo differs from a normal one is that the ashes need to be integrated into the ink of choice beforehand. Once this has been done, the rest of the process is virtually identical.
As there are no laws in the UK specifically governing the addition of materials to tattoo ink, it’s up to the seeker of the tattoo to decide how to go about doing this. There are now a number of companies with innovative, door-to-door processes for the hygienic and safe integration of ash into tattoo ink which they can choose from.
Even the aftercare of a cremation tattoo is exactly the same as that for a normal one, so the only thing the customer has to decide is which tattoo artist to opt for.
It’s even possible to use the ashes of a beloved pet for a cremation tattoo. Recently, a British Army veteran who served in Afghanistan had his dog Treo’s ashes incorporated into a memorial tattoo.
If you are selecting a cremation ink company for this purpose, make sure that they are happy to use animal ashes as well as human ones beforehand.
It goes without saying that in order to use the ashes of a loved one or treasured pet, they first need to have been cremated. We will now explain how the cremation process works, and how this relates to the ash’s incorporation into ink.
The cremation process roughly takes between one and three hours, following a body’s exposure in the cremator to temperatures of between 800 and 1000ºC. Once this has been done, and the cremator has cooled to a safe temperature, a crematorium attendant will gather the ashes of the person who has died with a rake.
The ashes are then stored in a transportable container of some kind. Once you have the ashes of your loved one in your possession, from there you can provide a portion of them to the provider of your cremation ink, who can then start their refinement and filtration process where they add them to the ink.
Exactly how the ashes of your loved one or pet are transformed into ink will depend on your provider’s own particular process. It’s likely that the process will generally work like this:
We hope this explanation of a new and interesting commemoration practice has been useful to you. If you’re interested in learning more about direct cremation, or anything at all relating to how to commemorate someone meaningfully, our helpful team would be delighted to receive your call.
