LOSING your hair can be traumatic, whether its through chemotherapy, alopecia or for another reason.

But professional face and body artist Amy Jones is offering an alternative to wigs, hats or going bare, that is helping women to feel proud of their appearance.

Amy, who is a skilled henna artist, is offering henna 'crowns' to people who have lost their hair, covering bald heads or bald patches with intricate eye-catching designs, which her clients have told her help them to feel beautiful again.

Amy, from Midanbury, was a beauty therapist for many years, before working in a fancy dress shop, where she specialised in costumes and face painting.

She also honed her skills on her two children and went on to set up her own fancy dress and face painting business, Creative Capers.

She trained in henna art in the 90s, when it became a craze after Madonna had mehndi on her hands.

Her work had already included a lot of henna art, including for festivals, hen parties, weddings and Bollywood events, when she was asked to do a henna crown for a friend's sister who was undergoing chemotherapy and had lost her hair, around two years ago.

"She had had bright red hair, it was quite a thing," says Amy.

"I did four henna crowns for her, and once her hair had started to grow back, she came back and I did a design on her forehead, because she liked it so much.

"It was quite profound, especially the first crown. The effect it had on her was quite incredible.

"She said that once she lost her hair, people would avoid talking to her, or all they saw was sickness.

"Once she had the crown done, people came up to her and talked to her. She said they saw the art, rather than a sick person.

"Her husband also found it quite sexy, which is an important part of life.

"She said 'you have no idea how you've helped me get through'. It was very inspiring."

Amy can offer clients who are suffering from hair loss anything from a full crown, which takes about two hours, to smaller designs on bare patches, such as for those suffering from alopecia.

She offers her clients their first crown for just the cost of materials, and then charges for subsequent work.

"I was offering them completely free, but the women wouldn't have it," she says.

"I went to talk to an alopecia support group, and they made the point that 'just because we are sick, it doesn't mean we need charity, so now I just do the first one for the cost of materials and charge for later ones."

All the women who she has worked on have said that it has given them a confidence boost and helped them to feel more beautiful.

"Hair is such a huge part of you and if you suddenly lose it it can feel like a big part of yourself has gone," says Amy.

"So to be able to have something that's beautiful and also a bit wacky can be really important."

* For more information, visit creativecapers.vpweb.co.uk