What colour are your tattoo gloves?
Tattoo artists wear gloves for much the same reasons as workers in the healthcare sector. They are worn for protection against blood-borne disease, needlestick injury, and to protect the artist’s hands from damage from the substances they use as part of their job.
The vast majority of tattoo gloves are black, although other colours are available, as shown by our range. It is widely accepted that black latex or nitrile is preferred as it hides ink stains and shows puncture wounds more clearly.
Gloves are often provided by the shop rather than being the personal choice of the artist. Some artists also say that black latex is tougher than other types, but from a cosmetic point of view, they are safer for the wearer as well as being more pleasant for the customer to see as the artist is working on their design.
Those tattoo artists who also offer piercing services often say the piercing jewellery shows up better in their hands against black gloves. Butterflies and fixings are small enough that they can be easily lost if the tattooist (or the customer) isn’t careful.
Aston Workwear also stock black nitrile tattoo gloves, which can be worn by artists and used for customers who have a latex allergy. These are often called ‘gorilla gloves’ in the trade, and can be quite the status symbol among some tattooists.
Status symbol or not, tattoo gloves are essential for health and safety reasons, as they offer protection against the large number of blood-borne diseases it would otherwise be possible to transmit or catch.
It is essential that the tattooist wears the right size of gloves, so Aston Workwear’s range is available in five sizes from extra small to extra-large across the whole range of colours. Fortunately, buying tattoo gloves wholesale from us is easy, which allows shops to carry a full range for their staff.
Another reason why black nitrile tattoo gloves can be preferred is the artistic value of the colour. When showing a client how a tattoo will look, the tattooist can use their fingers as a black-clad frame to the area, drawing attention to the work and focussing the customer’s eye on the work in progress.
Tattoo artists may be the best known users of black gloves, but they are not the only people who prefer them. Depending on their line of work, black nitrile tattoo gloves are also popular in the beauty sector, while traditional trades such as mechanics also have a use for them.
