We love big, bold tattoos. Gigantic back pieces that run from the back of someone's neck to their tailbone are so incredibly, deeply cool. Full sleeves are a sight to behold. Finger tats can be adorable, but they're always kind of punk — and that makes them special. But the truth is, as much as we enjoy the look of an extremely visible tattoo that can never been covered up, it's not for everyone — and that's OK, too. Some folks choose career paths that make having a visible tattoo simply impossible, and that's a great choice for them. Some have families who would be extremely upset by our choice to get a tattoo anywhere visible, and they choose to not rock the boat this way. And for a lot of people, it's just nice to be able to display a tattoo when we feel like it — and not show it off when we don't. It's cool to be able to be adaptable this way.
For anyone who can easily grow long hair, these tattoos are a way forward if covering a tattoo is a good idea for personal reasons or because of workplace concerns. Some of these are more subtle than others — or would require a certain kind of hairstyle. A tiny, pencil eraser-sized tattoo at the base of the neck, for instance, is going to be easily covered up as long as the hair is always worn down, while a tattoo on the shaved side of a head is going to be visible as long as that hair is shaved — but of course, will be completely invisible once the hair has grown back. For anyone looking for some good tattoo ideas, consider inspiring quote tattoos that aren't cheesy, as well as beautifully meaningful tattoos. For mamas wanting a tattoo that celebrates their motherhood, we have some tattoo ideas for moms who want to get inked. For those new to getting body art, we like these first tattoo ideas (and consider getting it done someplace that is a little more fleshy and less bony — it'll hurt way less). And for anyone looking to find a tiny tattoo to hide behind their hair, take a look at cool and tiny micro tattoos.
'Be Brave' Tattoo
Normally, when we think of a neck tattoo, we don't automatically think of something super subtle that can be easily hidden by wearing our hair long or doing a cool fishtail side pony. This tat is in a badass spot, but is so tiny, nobody should ever see it unless we want them to.
Jasmine Flower Tattoo
This tiny jasmine flower tattoo is tucked sweetly behind the ear, and it looks so pretty there. We love how absolutely flawless the delicate fine line tattoo is — a technique we have been seeing more of lately, and we think is feminine and pretty.
Tattoo Honoring Dad
This subtle behind-the-ear tattoo is so delicate — and it can easily be covered should the wearer choose to do so. And even sweeter, the woman who got this tattoo did so to honor her father. As she notes in the caption, "This tattoo symbolizes the father-daughter relationship."
Little Sunflower
We think a sunflower is such a cool choice for a flower tattoo because it's much more unusual than some others (although don't get us wrong, a good rose is a classic choice). The color of the sunflower also contrasts nicely with the model's beautiful red hair.
Cool 'Needle' Tattoo
Anyone here a Game of Thrones fan? This cool tattoo is of Arya Stark's super-fine, slender sword, Needle! It's definitely one of the best props on the show, and we would love to have its tattooed on our body — it sounds like such an empowering idea!
Lotus-Inspired Design
This lotus flower is so peaceful-looking. In Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes purity: While the flower is literally rooted in mud, its flowers blossom far above its roots — this is meant to symbolize the peace that comes with detaching ourselves from desire.
Kismet Tattoo
The word kismet comes from the Arabic word ḳismat, which means “division, portion, or lot.” Kismet is basically our lot in life. We usually use it in relation to something significant that happens to us by chance. It's a form of destiny or fate — and it's a great tattoo.
Hummingbird Tattoo
This hummingbird tattoo has such a cool watercolor background, but what we love most of all is the fact that this tattoo is in honor of the memory of the recipient's mother. It's a beautiful piece composed for a beautiful reason, and we think it's lovely.
Question Mark Tattoo
The translation of the caption on the picture of this tattoo says it all: "What we do not see. Participation 1: Ideas behind the head." It's a cool concept — as is the idea of doing a question mark tat.
Tiny Moon Tattoo
This tattoo is so super-small, it's easily covered by any amount of hair — that isn't a shaved head, of course. Also, the artist notes that these are also affordable. While some tats can range into the thousands of dollars, this little one is just $20-30.
Cool Coordinates
We love how personal a coordinates tattoo is, without actually revealing anything to someone other than the person who has it. All anyone on the outside knows is that we have a particular relationship with a place, not anything about it. It feels open and guarded at the same time.
Back-of-the-Head Piece
The placement of this tattoo is everything. Given that it's smack in the middle of the back of her head, this is probably not going to be revealed ever unless the person who has it wants it to be shown off — which makes it feel like a cool secret more than anything.
Sagittarius Tattoo
Sagittarius are known for being creative, so it's no surprise that this tattoo has some beautiful creative details — or that it's in a more unusual spot on the body. If the wearer chooses to wear her hair down, it's completely covered, but it can also be shown off easily.
Aphrodite Tattoo
A beautiful script is art in itself, but it's not like we can imitate handwriting this good ourselves. But this mini tattoo is so delicate, and that the lettering is so reminiscent of real handwriting (albeit handwriting far better than our own).
Cool Head Tattoo
We may think of a tattoo on someone's head as pretty extreme — and with good reason. But the truth is, if we get tattooed someplace where our hair grows, this is the ultimate hidden tattoo — nobody needs to see it unless we shave our heads!
Mosquito Tattoo
Do we understand the love for mosquitoes this person clearly has? No, we do not, cannot, and will not. But we do think this tattoo is super cool — and that it's really cool that all she has to do is grow her hair out, and nobody will ever know she had a tattoo!
'Breathe' Tattoo
How many times in our lives do we need to be told to just sit back and breathe a little bit? This is a great reminder that we need to destigmatize mental health issues and that sometimes, we need to just give ourselves some room to breathe.
Adorable Bow Tattoo
The contrast of something as sweet, girly, and frilly as a big pink bow against the inherently less-delicate prospect of being tattooed gives this tattoo its interesting angle. All this person has to do is grow out her hair a little bit, and she'll instantly be incognito as far as tattoos go.
Unusual Mermaid Tattoo
We'll admit, this isn't what we'd traditionally think of when we think of a mermaid tattoo. A mermaid tail disappearing into a beautiful antique teacup is an unusual choice, we're sure — but we think it's super neat for that.
Tiny Hourglass
The size of this hourglass means it can be easily concealed. A timely reminder to get what we want and love done while we can, this hourglass is capable of inspiring its wearer on a daily basis — and being hidden by moving her hair just a touch.
