back tattoos: shampooing, sleeping, hair, clothes...

i am getting a tattoo in the center of my back right below my neck, and i was wondering: will shampooing my hair in the shower affect the tattoo's healing process? if so, how long should i wait to shampoo? will sleeping on my back affect the tattoo, and how long should i wait to do so? if i wear my hair down before the tattoo is healed will it irritate the tattoo? also, i am starting school next week, and i was planning on wearing loose t-shirts while walking across campus to prevent the sun from hitting the tattoo, would it be better to just wear tank tops to let it breathe? this is my first tattoo, so help me out please!

good luck with your first one, that is always fun. first off, NO SUN for at least two weeks - keep it covered and avoid sunlight at all costs!! also stay away from pools, the ocean and tanning beds (avoid those anyways). sleeping on it should be ok, as well as your hair, i would try to lean over when you shampoo so it goes forward, if possible. my artist tells me to have minimal contact with water while it heals, but everyone is different. but above all, do what your artist says. follow their aftercare only as good as you want the tattoo to look. if you slack, cut corners or scratch it - it will look like it and you will regret it in the end.

Before my first tattoos on my back, I wasn't able to sleep on my stomach. Now my body "automatically" reverts to sleeping on my stomach - I think it remembers some of that pain. I wouldn't worry about wearing a normal t-shirt after the first couple days - it'll be dry and scabby, not moist. Not skin-tight, but no need to borrow your boyfriend's or anything. I wouldn't wear a tank top, though.