Looking for Getting a Head Tattoo? [Essential 2023 Guideline]

Are you thinking of getting a head tattoo ? Get to know these 5 fundamental points.

If you want to get a head tattoo but don’t know where to start from, this 5-step-guide will say it all. Whether this is your first time getting inked or you’re already familiar with the world of tattoo art, head tattoos for men or women need more attention and consciousness.

1. Choose the Tattoo Artist Wisely 

First things first, make sure you choose a licensed tattoo artist. How to know if a tattoo artist is licensed? Ideally, the license would be displayed and is issued by the local authority. In case it’s not displayed you have the full right to ask the tattoo artists for the licenses to ink. Having experienced and licensed tattoo artists ink your head is important as the Head tattoos are quite challenging. As the skin of your scalp is quite thin and is more prone to bleeding it’s better to trust your head tattoo to an experienced tattoo artist. Make sure to review the previous head tattoo images of your tattoo artists before making the decision of entrusting your scalp to this person.

2. Don’t Rush with The Tattoo Sketch 

Head tattoos are the ones that catch people’s attention instantly as they’re in a very visible spot. Understand that permanent tattoos cannot be undone fully. So, it’d be better to spend a little more time on choosing the sketch and working on it then being spontaneous about it and then have regrets. Think of the tattoo design, consult with your tattoo artists and make sure to point out everything about tattoo design you want to get. Your tattoo artist should do the rest. Once the sketch is ready it’s best for you to try it out first as the head curves may disorte the sketch and it’ll need more work to be done. Consult with your tattoo artists as many times as necessary until the head tattoo sketch fits perfectly to your scalp.

3. How Painful Are Head Tattoos? Get prepared Mentally and Physically

Tattooing is basically piercing the top layer of your skin with sharp needles covered with ink. It sounds quite painful, doesn’t it? And generally, yes, getting a tattoo is painful, although people experience different levels of pain because pain tolerance is individual and it varies depending on the area getting inked. Even though there’s no scientific evidence confirming the levels of pain for each body part, it’s believed that head tattoos are generally considered one of the most painful parts for getting a tattoo. It is believed, the more fat there is, less nerve endings and thicker skin the less painful getting a tattoo will be. The less fat there is, more nerve endings and thinner skin the more getting a head tattoo will hurt.

What you can do to reduce the pain of getting a head tattoo is preparing yourself both mentally and physically. Many people who got their scalps tattooed said that the sound of the tattoo gun is quite loud, so do yourself a favor and bring earpods. You’ll be able to listen to your favorite songs and reduce the noise of the tattoo machine which, believe it or not, will help you endure the pain better.
You can also take painkillers before getting a head tattoo. You’ll need to consult with your tattoo artists for the exact dose and the time to take these medications. If your tattoo is a large or a complex one which is going to take a lot of time, make sure to bring something to drink; a fruit smoothie will do.

4. You Will Need To Shave Before Getting a Tattoo

Don’t use a razor to shave your head before getting a tattoo. That’s a big mistake many people make. The reason is, you can easily cut yourself if you’re not a bald man used to head shaving or simply have enough experience in head shaving with a razor. You may eventually complicate the process of getting a head tattoo. When it’s time to get your head tattooed, your tattoo artists will surely shave your head with a disposable razor. What you can do to help the process is using a user-friendly and do-it-yourself electric head shaver as the latter is very easy and safe to use, they leave the head very smooth without nicks or cuts, so it’d be a great thing to do before getting a head tattoo.

5. How Do You Take Care of Fresh Head Tattoos?

Tattoo healing is similar to any other healing of a wound. Few people realize this but getting a tattoo in fact means wounding the area that’s being inked. Imagine piercing your skin with a sharp needle dozens of times, it leaves your skin wounded which will need time to get healed. Once you get your head tattoo there’s no need for any antibacterial ointments as mentioned previously everything, starting from the tattoo gun, needle, and your scalp get sterilized before getting a tattoo.
As any other wound, the sooner your head tattoo gets scab the better. It means that your wounds are getting dry and the scab is a natural barrier that lets your wounds avoid microbes. Once you get those scabs it’s important to keep your head tattoo moisturized as much as possible for tattoo healing and avoid scratching or scrubbing even though you might die to do it.
You should by any means follow the instructions of your tattoo artists for the head tattoo aftercare. What we favor is the saniderm patches known as tattoo healing patches, which function like a second skin for your fresh tattoo. It lets your newly done tattoo breath as some other products might clodge the pores, not letting the tattoo breath and extend the tattoo healing time.

FAQ for Head Tattoos 

We’ve collected the most frequently asked questions about head tattoos and asked experienced people to share their tips and knowledge on head tattoos. 

•  Can You Grow Hair Over a Head Tattoo?

In short, the answer to the question is YES, the hair is supposed to grow back in case there were no issues with hair growth beforehand. Hair isn't able to grow if the hair follicle is damaged or the skin is damaged. The hair is going to grow back with its usual speed and it’s important to avoid touching the hair around the tattoo in the first 7-10 days until the tattoo healing process is completed. It’s very important in case of head tattoos as you might feel some itching when the hair starts to grow back however avoid scratching your head tattoo during this time. Afterwards, you’ll be able to freely adjust the length of your head hair with electric head shavers and even give a smooth head shave.

• How much would a head tattoo cost? 

  The cost for a head tattoo depends on the tattoo artist, the size of the tattoo and the country and currency you’re getting your head tattoo at. Also, many tattoo artists charge by size, per letter or per hour and there’s always a minimum charge even for a very small tattoo. The reason is that everytime a tattoo artist does a tattoo, it costs them money as they sterilize the tattoo gun and the area which is getting inked, they ideally must use new needles for each customer, vaseline, ink etc. The minimum price would vary as well depending on the experience of the tattoo artists and the quality you’ll get. So, there’s one thing to keep in mind; you pay for quality. Most of the time the cheaper it is the lower the quality is in case the tattoo isn’t a very simple and small one. The price for a tattoo can range from $100-$8000 depending on the artists, size of the tattoo and the supplements used. 

• Can Having a Head Tattoo Affect Job Opportunities?

  Even though having a tattoo doesn’t affect having job opportunities as it did a while ago it still has an effect according to the researchers, especially head tattoos. Undoubtedly, nowadays people with tattoos get job opportunities even if they have tattoos. However, it’s still tricky because many jobs require you to hide tattoos even if you have them. For example, if you have a tattoo in an invisible spot your employee wouldn’t mind it. However, because head tattoos are visible in case you keep your head shaved, you might have a harder time getting hired for some specific jobs such as government, medical, social jobs.
  
  

• How Often a Head Tattoo needs to be Touched Up?

  In case your fresh tattoo has healed and has some imperfections you can go for a touch up after 3 months. This time is considered the ideal period of time for tattoo healing for any type of tattoo.
  If your tattoo is perfect but the colors have faded away which usually happens after a couple of years, you want to consult with your tattoo artists as they’ll be more likely to see if there’s a need for touch up. However, there are a couple of tips that will help you to know when to expect a touch up. Some areas fade the tattoo faster than others, such areas would be veiny body parts and areas that are exposed to sun rays the most.
  
  

• How Do I Try The Tattoo Design Before Making it Permanent?

  First of all, before getting a permanent tattoo, you have to try the sketch in the area you want to get the tattoo. If you don’t like how it looks, change the design or the area it needs to be tatted.
  Fortunately, nowadays there are a lot of free and paid apps that can show how a tattoo design will look on you. The problem with such apps is that most of the time you’ll be given limited tattoo designs.
  That’s why we advise trying temporary tattoos which would be a little investment for the final perfect permanent tattoo.
  Inkbox is a fruit-based organic black ink that gives you the opportunity of trying your own or already ready tattoo designs. The temporary tattoo lasts for about two weeks and the prices start at $19. In case you like to design your own tattoo and already have something ready, try Silhouette Temporary Tattoo Paper. You’ll need to print the design on this paper and apply with water. It usually lasts 1-2 days and can be erased with a towel or hot water.

 

What Head Tattoo Should I Get?

From Viking tattoo ideas to the craziest and trendy head tattoo ideas of the 2023.

The trend of head tattoos has increased drastically in 2023. Whether balding in your 20’s or choosing to be bald or going for the “quarantine haircut” many people shave their head due to COVID-19 being in lockdown. Most of the time those who decide to shave their head and get a head tattoo, they usually go an extra mile to complete their look by keeping a beard with a bald head. In case you've already decided to get a head tattoo and are looking for a head tattoo design, we got you!

We’ve collected our favourite 4 head tattoo designs of 2023.

• Viking Head Tattoo Designs
  

  Credits, Credits

  If you’re looking to blame someone for Viking Head Tattoos trend it should be Ragnar Lothbrok. His manly and surprisingly trendy style got many girls and boys falling for him.
  The most popular Ragnar Lothrbrok head tattoo is the raven head tattoo. Throughout the series a raven would appear to Ragner each time he was contemplating on something, making a hard decision or was in despair. It was said that Ragner was a descendant of Odin, the Allfather in Nordic mythology who had two ravens as his messengers; Mungin and Hugin. Putting it all together Ragnar’s raven head tattoo implied that he was Odin’s descendant and that Ragnar lives in the presence of Odin and follows his guidance. 
  
  

• Geometric Head Tattoo Designs
  

  Credits, Credits, Credits, Credits

  Geometric tattoos overall were regarding spiritual and religious practices in ancient times. However, nowadays it is more tied to symmetry, balance, peace, nature and more earthly things with spiritual symbolism. The reason is that the shapes that are used for such kinds of tattoos are earthly, meaning you can find and see these shapes physically but people will give spiritual meanings to these shapes. For example the circle would be considered the Karma - “what goes around comes around”. There are a couple of Geometric tattoo ideas for men such as the Gordian knot tattoo, Fractal designs, and animals or items designed with Geometric shapes. Here’re couple of examples.
  
  

• Mandala head Tattoo designs
  

  Credits, Credits, Credits, Credits

  The meaning behind the mandala tattoos is harmony, balance and perfection. The reason is that the mandala itself always takes the shape of the circle. No surprise as it's a Sanskrit word for “circle.” The mandala tattoos usually start from the centre and include many overlapping circles. You might think mandala tattoos would be boring in case it’s only in circular shape however the mandala tattoo can be divided into two halves or take a triangular or any other shape, be in vivid colours with many flowers and other geometric shapes or be very simple but still mesmerizing. Even though many experts would agree that the best places for mandala tattoos would be the chest and the back as those areas are flat enough for the mandala tattoo to fit perfectly, the head is also another great spot for mandala tattoos. You might also think that mandala tattoos are feminine and are for women only but there are mandala tattoo ideas for men that we’re in love with. Female or male these mandala tattoo designs would make you stand out from the crowd. Here are some of our favourite mandala tattoo designs.
  
  

• Tribal Head Tattoo designs

  As the name already hints, the tribal tattoos are deprived of the ancient tribes and their worldview. The meaning behind tribal tattoos varies as inking was a common thing in tribes. Tribal tattoos most of the time would identify a person’s family, social status or a rite of passage such as a boy turning into a man or a girl ready to give birth thus becoming a woman. The most common tribal tattoo types are of Maori, Hawaiian, Borneon. What’s common in these tribal tattoos is that all of them are usually very bold and thick so it would be very hard to cover them. They’re also usually quite simple but can have a deep meaning. Here are some tribal tattoos for men and their meaning.
  
  Amazonian Tribal Tattoo
  
  

  Credits

  
  Aztec Head Tattoos
  
  

  Credits

  
  Aztec Head Tattoos
  
  

  Credits

  
  Maori Tribal Tattoo
  
  

  Credits

 

Finally, there are many already ready tattoo ideas and designs you can choose from. The most important thing is to remember that tattoos are permanent and you need to choose wisely the design and the tattoo artists. Whatever you choose as a head tattoo make sure it’s really something you want. So good luck, we are sure you’ll rock your head tattoo!