A former inmate has gone viral on TikTok after showing how to make tattoo ink out of a black flip flop and mouthwash.

Andre Smith, 38, from New Zealand, has shared some tips he picked up while serving time at prisons across Australia – including the unique way of making the DIY ink.

In the video, Andre can be seen ripping the rubber band off the flip flop, before burning it with a lighter under a broken piece of desk.

He carries on burning the rubber until it blackens the desk, turns the piece of wood over and then scrapes the carbon soot into a small container.

He then mixes the soot with mouthwash until he has the consistency of ink.

He said: "The tattoo ink has been made this way in prisons for a long time collecting soot from burnt objects collected and mixed with a liquid to form a ink.

“The most popular is burning a sandal strap being rubber this lets of a thick dark smoke creating thick carbon,

"The other way is we soak a toilet paper wick rolled up tight soaked in oil from noodle packets or baby oil and burn the paper wick to collect the carbon soot either way works well."

The video has been viewed over 10.3 million times as well as racking up over 520,000 likes.

One user commented: "‘Don't try this at home' I won't, I'll try it in prison obviously." [sic]

Another person said: "Mouth wash and a melted slipper got it."

"I work at a jail and I can confirm this is what everyone does," someone else added.

"Where there is a will - there is a way," said another user.

Someone asked: "Thats dope. Saw your other vid making the machine, how often do you have to dip that single needle during a tat??" [sic]

To which Andre replied: "We usually have to burn at least 5 sandal straps for 1 big tattoo."

Andre has also learned how to make a tattoo gun.

"To make a tattoo gun in prison we mount a motor from a CD player to a melted toothbrush, then we use a broken pen for the needle guide,” he told Jam Press.

"For the needle we use a spring from a lighter and we heat it up and stretch it to make it straight, then we melt it in to the inside plastic from a pen, trim it up and run it in to the tattoo gun.

"We then use concrete or sand paper to sharpen it, for being a single needle I have seen some amazing tattoos produced."

Andre was living in Australia when he was sentenced to three years in prison for grievous bodily harm after an altercation at a restaurant.

He served his sentence at Hakea prison, Cassaurina prison, and Acacia prison.

Whilst in prison, Andre had his Australian visa cancelled under bad character grounds and once his sentence was finished was moved to Yongah Hill Detention Centre to wait to be deported back to New Zealand.

Andre, who has his own marine solutions company on the outside, Econets Australia, has now been at the centre for five months, with no date of a return.

After being told he would only be there for three weeks maximum, he came up with the idea of starting his TikTok account (@ detentioncentrejourney501).