Vidhi Heiland fell in love with creating body art using henna while growing up in India. She found she could create a safe place for others during the application.

And now her efforts to help cancer patients in the Topeka area have people around the world following her journey.

More than a million have watched her tell her story online. With more than 167,000 likes and almost 3,000 shares on TikTok, Heiland showed the world her talent of henna tattoos, while providing her service to a cancer patient.

Heiland started her business Essential Henna in 2015 and offered her first henna crown in 2017. She provides henna tattoos to people across the capital city and surrounding areas.

Recently, she began offering free henna crowns to those suffering from hair loss due to cancer. Her goal is to make everyone feel confident.

Heiland said she usually doesn't get to see how her work affects her clients, but being in the moment is what she cherishes the most.

"During the session, I'm literally meeting someone for the first time who's going through something that I've never been through," Heiland said. "So, I can't put myself in their shoes, but there is a connection. It's two complete strangers, and we're connecting over artwork."

Henna artistry helps connect with people while giving back to the community

Heiland's love for Henna stems back to her childhood. Her mother did henna on her when she was a little girl and after trying it herself, she never looked back.

She said henna has been a part of her culture since she was born. When she came to America from India, it helped her connect with people.

"Henna also helped me through anxiety and depression," Heiland said. "There was this dark cloud over me, and since henna helped me through that, I figured I could give back to the community by doing henna crowns and help individuals who are going through chemotherapy.

"Because, you know, financial and health and just going through something like that must be really tough for someone."

On Friday morning, Bernice Schwartzman — a native Topekan — traveled from St. Louis for Heiland's services. She was excited to sit in the chair as it would be Heiland's first time shaving a client's hair before providing a henna crown.

Schwartzman will be admitted to the hospital in a few days for a bone marrow transplant because of myelodysplastic syndrome. Although she lives an almost five-hour car ride away, she welcomed the opportunity to get a henna crown while visiting her hometown.

"I've always appreciated the culture that the Indian women do before their wedding," Schwartzman said.

After receiving her crown, she said it felt more comfortable than a bald head. The process made her feel comfortable and relaxed, she said.

With the word "warrior" written on her head with the henna, Schwartzman said she chose that word because, "Cancer is a battle, and I'm going to win."

All products used for Essential Henna are natural and handmade

Heiland takes pride in knowing that all the products she uses are natural and handmade by her. They include eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, sugar, water and lawsonia inermis, also known as hina, or the henna tree from India.

Henna art typically lasts up to two weeks before beginning to fade.

Along with the crowns, Heiland's services include bridal showers, parties and more. While her online video continues to get more attention daily, she said she's trying to remain focused on her goal of being available for everyone.

"It was overwhelming to read a lot of the comments from all of the strangers," Heiland said. "Everyone was thanking me or sharing a story about how they've lost their loved one."

Since, catching the public's attention, Heiland has set up a donation that allows for all proceeds to cover the cost of supplies and allow for her to do more crowns as the demand grows.

Heiland has participated in such community events as food truck festivals and corporate gatherings.

Eventually, she hopes to partner with local oncology centers to "find a way to shine light into people's world while they go through a tough journey."

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Vidhi Heiland provides henna crowns to cancer patients with hair loss