Shaylarbo – Tattoo Artist (Houston, TX)

Shayla McIntosh (Bowen)

Shaylarbo

Shayla was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After attending NYU for costume design for 2 years, Shayla left to pursue her dream of being a tattoo artist. For 4 years Shayla has been tattooing people from all over, giving them permanent artwork that is meaningful and beautiful. Shayla loves tattooing with clean linework and bold colors, her style being a twist of illustrative and traditional. Rates are negotiable and custom tattoo requests as well as flash bookings are welcome. Shayla also does tattoo pop ups at local events, so contact her for inquiries!

What to expect with Shaylarbo:

Comfortable and relaxing environment
Experienced artist input on your tattoo
Top of the line cleaning and safety protocols
Full aftercare instructions for a well-healed tattoo

My Process

How It Works

Getting a tattoo is a simple (and I'd like to say painless) process. I'm here to help you get the best piece of work possible as comfortably and affordably as possible. I have available flash and I also do custom tats, so whatever you want-- I got you!

1. Free Consultation

Email me or come into the shop to discuss your tattoo. Bring your ideas, and I'll guide you on how to make it a tattoo you'll love. Alternatively, you can email me your idea(s), and I'll get in touch with you to design the perfect tattoo.

2. Book An Appointment

Once you’ve decided what you want, I will give you a quote so you can book the date for your tattoo and pay your deposit.

3. Get Your Tattoo

When you arrive at the shop, I'll have your design prepared. Next, settle in and enjoy getting your new tattoo.

Book Your Tattoo

Appointment

Text me at the number below, or you can request a booking using the form here or dm me on Instagram (@shaylarbo).

Text or Call

832-557-6633

Preparing & Aftercare

Before getting your tattoo:

For a week before your appointment, apply lotion to the tattoo site daily and stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.

To prepare for the day of the appointment remember to get a good night’s rest and eat a solid breakfast before you come in. This will ensure your comfort during the process and hopefully keep you from passing out on me <3

Do not shave the tattoo site beforehand, I will do that for you so there’s no stubble or razor burn to disrupt the tattoo process.

Things to bring to your appointment:

Water

Snack or drink with sugar

Headphones for music

Things NOT to bring to your appointment:

Alcohol

Controlling friends/family

Pets

Children

AFTERCARE

With Second Skin:

Leave second skin on for 2-3 days (until the blood and ink inside of the wrap has dried up and turned crusty).

Early removal of second skin is required if any of the blood/plasma/ink is leaking out of the wrap or you are having an allergic reaction to the wrap. The second skin acts as a barrier between your fresh wound of a tattoo and the outside world, keeping bacteria and debris out, as well as speeding up the scabbing process of the tattoo. To remove the second skin, run warm (NOT HOT) water over tattoo while you gently peel the second skin off. Upon removal gently and thoroughly clean your tattoo with UNSCENTED ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP (I, and most artists, recommend using Dial Gold liquid soap. Pat dry gently with a clean washcloth.

Without Second Skin:

Remove saran wrap from tattoo upon arrival at home. Gently clean tattoo with UNSCENTED ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP (Dial Gold liquid soap). Pat dry gently with a clean washcloth. Wash your tattoo once a day for the first week as specified above. Over washing your tattoo can lead to your tattoo drying out, scabbing more severely, and peeling prematurely.

MOISTURIZING

3 words for you when applying a moisturizer: Soft, not wet. You want the healing tattoo skin to feel soft but not wet. Over moisturizing is a common issue with tattoo aftercare that can lead to uneven healing and ink fallout, especially in tattoos with heavy color. Excess moisture also makes for the perfect environment for an infection to do its thing. It is more harmful for you to over moisturize your healing tattoos than to under moisturize them.

When moisturizing, stay away from thick, petroleum-based jellies and lotions such as Vaseline and Aquaphor. In my experience these are too thick, not allowing the tattoo to breathe and often leading to the tattoo becoming over-moisturized and healing poorly. I recommend Palmer’s cocoa butter or any unscented lotions, such as Lubriderm or Nivea. Once again, less is more.

If your tattoo is swollen beyond a reasonable level (lots of people stay a little swollen for the first few days on bigger pieces or color-heavy pieces), hot to the touch, weirdly painful, oozing thick green or yellow liquid, has developed pustules, or has red streaking spreading outwards from the tattoo site, GO TO THE DOCTOR. Infections are serious, and can require amputation or cause blood poisoning if they go untreated.

When your tattoo is itchy, DO NOT SCRATCH IT. Slap it or moisturize and the issue should be relieved at least partially.

Avoid swimming for 3-4 weeks after being tattooed. Second skin doesn’t keep the germs of swimming out.

If you have any questions at all about how your tattoo is healing please message me! My email is [email protected] and my instagram is @shaylarbo 🙂