I noticed that the particle size listed for the DT glow powder (>50um) is different to the particle size of the Abyss Walker glow powder (85-150um). Has anybody got experience directly comparing the two of them? I’m interested to see if the particle size makes much of a difference in retaining the powder through healing, or in its brightness. Or in any other way at all, really. I know there’s an AW blog post saying that particle size matters, but I couldn’t find anything else discussing it.
Bonus question, how important is actual scarring for holding the glow powder in? I don’t particularly like the look of scars but I’m really interested in getting glowy so if I could heal cleanly without scars and still glow that’d be neat
OK, i dont like seeing you hanging for an answer, so my hope is to help stimulate some conversations BUT I don’t have either glow powders.
The following are my observations (and happy to be corrected) and assumptions educated guesses, but take the following with a pinch of salt.
Abyss Walker were first to market between the 2 companies.
DT took longer and refined the process hence the finer particles.
AW did more of their testing on flesh, and DT more in the Lab sifting and washing.
I’m not saying one is right or wrong, just my observations.
Here’s where my best guess comes in:
I would suggest there are Pros and Cons for both powders.
Simple list: AW Glow
PRO
Probably brighter due to larger particles
CON
Probably better suited for larger incisions / Scar work
DT Glow
PRO
Probably better for finer line details and consistency of glow.
CON
Probably not quite as bright compared to AZ Powder
Again, these aren’t facts! They are my assumptions
IF I am correct, DT Glow Powder probably suits you better, but if you wanted bigger glow in a bigger bit of art where finer details dont matter, I would suggest AW Glow would suit you better
Thank you, I didn’t really know the history of the two products so the background’s helpful.
I think your pros and cons listed there line up pretty will with some in the post you linked, in fact I think pretty much everything I’d need to know is in there. I’ll start with some of the DT powder and go from there I think.
Properly done Scarification will hold more powder (brighter/longer glow) but Stick and Poke method also works, is quick and easy and nearly invisible. It just doesn’t glow as much, unless you re-do it several times.
My GlowSaber is scarification, was done Dec 2025. The scar is still noticeable but very faint.
Fingerlines I did myself using a Stick and Poke tattoo method, several times starting since… I want to say Jan or Feb 2026. Don’t have a recent glowing pic handy but this is what it looked like right after the first application.
Note: The GlowSaber is an older pic, and in person looks filled in much more. I was having issues with aftercare and an extremely dry environment so it pulled some of the powder out during bandage changes, that’s why it looks “splotchy”.
Stick-N-Poke will almost always look like what it is: a line of tiny glowing dots. The more often you redo the application the more it will fill in. I went over my left hand twice (waiting about a month for healing). My right hand actually didn’t take at all and all the glow fell out, but that was a “first time trying it left-handed” issue, and I didn’t poke deep enough for it to set.
I was thinking of getting pretty much those exact finger lines, so thank you for posting that. Really gives me an idea of what it’ll look like. Great choice by the way, lookin good
I didn’t think stick and poke would work at all for this, so that’s interesting. It’s pretty much invisible when not glowing, going by that pic. How did you control for infection doing that? I’ve always heard that’s the big worry with home tattoos.
Even the glow sabre looks pretty subtle when it’s not green though. I was just thinking about mixing tattoos and glow scars last night, I like what you’ve done with that
The StickNPoke method uses a… I want to say 40/60 (or 60/40? I forgot… when I did it, I just went 100% soap, lol) mix of distilled water and GreenSoap (tattooing soap) as a carrier.
Basically, clean work surface, wash ya hands, mix up some glowpowder in with the soap mixture and go at at.
Stretch the skin as tight as you can, go in at a roughly 45 degree angle. 2-3 pokes, mix up the soap/glow, get some on the tip, 2-3 pokes etc etc. And poke deeper than you think you need to. Nice thing about doing it on yourself, you have a good feel for how deep you need to go, once you do find the right spot.
Depending on how much you plan on doing, may need more than 1 needle, they dull quickly. Also don’t mix too much at once, if it sits for a while it kinda gets soupy and doesnt want to tattoo as well from what I’ve experience, but that may be because I didn’t get the mixture right.
Not an expert, this is just how I did it, and it mostly worked out for me
I talked with my tattoo artist at some length for tips for StickNPokes (she used to years ago, and still does sometimes), so definitely get some advice, check with a tattoo artist etc
GreenSoap (Tattoo soap), and it’s supposed to be either a 40/60 or a 60/40 (i dont remember) mix with distilled water, but I just used pure GreenSoap because I didn’t know what I was doing at first
Can you explain how you mix the green soap and glow pigment ? I thought the green soap was for cleaning the area as you worked but I’ve only just started researching stick and poles and tattoos in general so I still have much to learn
I sterilize a stainless steel condiment cup (if you have sterile ink caps that’s probably better) and stir the soap and powder into a paste with the needle. You have to re-stir every time you dip the needle back in. Green soap is generally just meant for cleaning the skin, but it happens to work okay as a carrier for glow powder as well.
I saw some people saying not to use green soap becuase it contains chlorhexidine, wondering what people here think about that? I dont really know enough yet to have an opinion on it but am also starting to look into doing glow stick and pokes on myself.
Someone in the biohacking discord shared this study saying clorhexidine could slow healing in response to someone asking if it could be used to make scars more prominent for scarification. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/wrr.13044
I dont know much about it, but personally I am going to avoid using green soap as the carrier and thought I’d share the info.
