20 Hardcore Head Tattoos That May Go Too Far

When it comes to tattoo badassness, there is nothing but nothing more badass than hardcore head tattoos. Did I say hardcore? If you get a head tattoo, you’re obviously made out of solid granite, my friend. Used to be that the neck tat was hardcore, and yes, in it’s own way it is. But a head tattoo? That takes things to a whole other level.

Of course, that’s not to say that a hardcore head tattoo is only for your friendly neighborhood meathead. We’re not saying that at all. If you have a head tattoo, that absolutely does not mean that you have the IQ of a brick and you like punching things. There are other, nicer, more well-rounded people who also feel the urge to ink up their skulls. There really are! Check some out below:

Head Tattoo That Looks Like Hair

Let’s start with the obvious reason why you’d ink up your head… why, as a hair replacement, of course! This is fashion designer Lou Eyrich. She’s a cancer survivor, and may (I’m guessing here) have done this in place of wearing a wig once the chemotherapy kicked in and she started losing her hair. That’s one theory, of course. Another is that she just thought, “to hell with it, I’m done with shampoo!” Either way, not making light of a serious situation, this tattoo actually looks absolutely amazing. Stylish as hell.

Topless Angel

This one is moving back more into the realm of the badassness typical of a head tattoo. A naked chick on the back of the head (well, naked angel if you want to be picky, but I’m sure that the wings aren’t the first thing you’re seeing here, huh?). And then you have the regular, long-haired sweet blonde chick from the front and this at the back. Loving the juxtaposition here. I wonder if it’s a self-portrait?

Roses & Butterflys

Of course, unlike the blonde girl previously, which was kinda badass but weird with the hair thing, this lady here properly nails it. Everyone knows that there are only two hairstyles that go with a head tat for cool badassness as opposed to weird badassness. And those two styles are either a full skinhead or a mohawk. This girl went for the latter and this tattoo just works, plain and simple.

Cogs & Machinery

And just to double down on the girls-with-mohawks-and-head-tats theme we’ve been discussing, check this one out. Another piece of awesomeness. Like I say, this style just works. Loving the cogs and question marks here – like showing the workings of the brain just 7.1 mm on the other side of the tattoo. Yes — I googled the thickness of a woman’s skull for my research. I’m nothing if not thorough, and you’ve just learned something you never knew.

Dragon

Now we see the other “hairstyle” that works for a hardcore head tattoo. The skinhead. The shaven look. A beautiful woman can get away with any haircut, and this one does not disappoint. The shaved head and simple dragon silhouette both serve to create an impression of utmost confidence and cool.

Errmm…

And now we have the first dude in this erstwhile collection. This place was starting to be like a high school girls gathering. All talking about boys and pillow fights. So here’s a guy with a head tattoo to mix things up a little. Now with that said, I have no earthly idea of what this tattoo actually is or represents. Non whatsoever. So sorry, Token Dude, I haven’t much more to add here. It IS pretty damn cool though. Isn’t it?

Flower

This flower is amazing. I just love the design here and the black outlines. Check out the tips of the leaves with their yellow or red colors on them. The fact that this is a head tattoo is both fantastic and disappointing. Fantastic because it’s right there for all to see right now. Disappointing because sooner or later this dude will grow his hair back over it and it’ll never see the light of day again. Enjoy this while it lasts.

United We Stand

This is proper badass. Cool as the coolest cucumber in the fridge. Which makes me sound like a dork and this dude look even cooler. This is the guy you wish you were but you’re not. If I could have a man crush, it’d be with this guy. He has a number of different things going on here, and all of them just work. And that hat makes them work even better.

Gorilla

And here the hair is used as a prop, as a piece of the art itself. Aside from wondering why anyone would get the face of a silverback gorilla on the back of his head, I’m also wondering how this will play out if this dude changes his hairstyle or –shock! horror!– he starts to lose his hair. Will that mean more inkage or will he suck it up like a man? Only time will tell.

Hipster Shark

Staying on the animal theme, here’s a shark. Or more precisely, a shark that’s been cut in two like a magician’s assistant when the trick goes wrong. Aside from the why’s and wherefore’s of the half-shark deal (do I just overthink this stuff?), this is actually quite a badass little tattoo. Cos sharks are badass fish and head tattoos are badass tattoos.

Head ‘n’ Neck

This is the epitome of a typical badass hardcore head tattoo. Black ink only, nice intricate design – but not TOO intricate – and the real kicker… the whole thing flowing down out of the head and into the neck. Everyone knows that neck tattoos are the little brothers of head tattoos, and so have the same badass credibility. Put the two brothers together on the same body and that takes some beating, man. Some beating indeed.

Bear

The hair is suspect here – we’ve already established that unless the hair is part of the artwork then it should be a skinhead or a mohawk. This is half a skinhead, I suppose, and so we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Now to the piece itself. It’s a bear with a big red mouth and red eyes. I guess that means that it’s an angry bear or a roaring bear. Either way, if you want an animal tattooed onto the back of your head, you could do worse than a grizzly.

Crystal Ball

This is another one of those tattoos that it’s almost a pity that it’s on the head, due to the possibility of hair growing back and hiding it forever – although in the case of this guy, I think he’s a baldy anyway meaning that we could possibly be safe and that this gem is destined to be on display permanently. I certainly hope so, because any covering up of this piece of art would be a crime against humanity.

Feathers

Back to a beautiful woman again. Sick of all these dudes. Let’s face it, hardcore head tattoos are always more hardcore on a chick. And look at how awesome this one is, with the face on the side of her head, almost as lovely as the real thing. That feather running down past her ear just makes the whole thing perfect.

Rotting Fish

Maybe it’s unfair to describe this fantastic piece of badass art as a “rotting fish”, but what else would you call it? Other than genius, that is? Again with the black ink. That always seems to work best on these head tats. Just love the fishy tail coming down behind the ear as well. Not much more to say about this one other than “sublime”.

Third Eye

I tell you what’s cool about this one. It’s the fact that she’s growing her hair a little bit over this. Yeah I know, that might defeat the purpose of having a head tattoo – in fact it’s the prime occupational hazard of getting a head tattoo – but hear me out here. I know I said that in other cases it would be a pity for hair to cover their piece of art, but in this case I think it helps. The whole third eye mystery thing going on. The hair adds a sense of concealment and makes it all that more elicit. You know what I mean? She doesn’t want to grow her hair out any more than this though – what she’s got right now is perfect. Any more would ruin the whole effect.

Dotty

This one is all done by dots. Tons and tons of little dots looking exactly a shaved head itself, done to a #1 maybe. And then the design shaved in. I’ve used the word “genius” enough in these threads, but this one is truly deserving of the title. A wonderful, wonderful piece of work.

Hell Yeah!

I don’t even know how to start to describe this. All I can say is that this is one heck of a damn head tattoo. It’s awesomeness will only be destroyed by my witless mutterings, so I’ll just sit here very quietly and let you, dear reader, take it in for yourself.

The Optical Illusion

There always has to be one doesn’t there? One person who’ll take a regular hardcore badass head tattoo and turn it into something weird and freaky. Something that makes your head look like it’s got a hole in it heading directly into the bowels of your brain. But it’s all just an illusion – a trick. I wonder if this person gets annoyed by people constantly wanting to touch the “hole”?

And finally…

So there you have it – 20 hardcore head tattoos for your viewing pleasure. If this selection has made you start to even consider going this route in your tattoo “journey”, then you’re obviously badass as hell with or without this post. You’re obviously someone who doesn’t give a damn, and that’s alright with me. Go for it if that’s where you’re destiny lies. And just remember, if it all goes south or if there’s a job interview riding on it, you can always grow out your hair over it. Unless you’re bald, of course. Then you’ll just need to suck it up.