Artist creates henna crowns to make cancer patients feel beautiful

For many of us, our hair is a defining feature. It can be the thing that makes us feel bold, edgy, or even what we hide behind when we’re feeling insecure. No matter what attachment we have to it, it’s important to remember, at the end of the day, hair is just hair. It doesn’t have to be the thing that makes us feel beautiful or not. For cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, this is a lesson that often has to be learned before being ready or willing — an especially hard thing when our whole lives are so wrapped up in, well, hair. 

One artist named Sarah Walters is employing an ancient practice to help ease patients into physically and emotionally letting go of their locks. Walters is working to help cancer patients reclaim their beauty by giving them henna crowns. 

Walters mastered the traditional technique back in 2008 and now runs her own business, ‘Sarahenna’. She told over an email interview that she has always been passionate about wanting to give back and helping others. “When my step-dad passed away from multiple myeloma (a rare cancer of the plasma cells) in 2004, I remember my feeling of helplessness,” she wrote adding, “It reinforced my desire to help people, and now with more of a focus on those who are fighting cancer.” 

In 2010, Walters’ mom asked her if she would create a henna crown for a friend who was receiving chemotherapy treatment. Walters explained that this was the moment she realised she wanted to continue helping others in a similar way. “I was excited for the opportunity! After that, I knew I wanted to make (the crowns) accessible to anyone and everyone who had lost their hair during chemo.” 

Walters now permanently offers henna crowns to clients. She creates one-of-a-kind crowns for each customer based on any inspiration photos they bring and/or their personalities. Walters is also mindful of the cancer patients’ treatment so she only uses completely plantbased henna. Best of all, she offers her crowns by donation so they’re accessible to anyone who wants them. 

Walters states that the henna crowns have a transformative effect on the wearers, “My clients are always so excited when they first see their finished henna crown. They tell me that they feel beautiful, and can’t wait to share it with their families and friends. I hope that my henna crowns give cancer fighters a reprieve from a stressful time in their lives. I hope they feel beautiful and loved.”