Henna Heals: Head Tattoos with a Mission

A group of Canadian tattooists are joining to support women suffering from cancer – creating fabulous henné crowns on patients’ heads to help them deal with their hair loss.

Facing up to cancer isn’t easy. It’s a difficult experience not only from a physical but also from a psychological point of view as it requires mental strength to accept all the changes that the illness brings to your life. Hair loss as a result of chemotherapy is definitely one of these consequences, and women often see it as the loss of a key element of their femininity.

To help patients get through this experience, a group of 5 Canadian tattooists decided to found the Henna Heals association and trace henné crowns onto heads to enhance femininity and cancel the sense of emptiness left by hair loss. Flowers, messages of hope, symbols and decorations replace hair locks, to give women new-found dignity as founder Frances Darwin explains: “It’s important for women to feel pretty and feminine even when they’re ill”.

The association is made up of volunteers and operates in Toronto but they hope to sign up as many artists as possible on a global level. This is why a campaign has been launched to initiate and train tattooists all over the world – whilst in the United States there are already lots of people involved in this supportive initiative, in Europe there are only two so far.

To extend the network, an online platform has been created to link artists in different areas. It’s possible to take part in the project not only as an artist but also as a supporter – a small donation helps the association to develop their work.

For more information, please visit Henna Heals website!