Scalp Massage for Healthy Growing Hair

Apart from washing your hair, do you ever take the time to give your scalp a stimulating massage? In my quest to find ways to regrow the hairs at my temples I came across this very simple step that can aid with such. It takes but a few minutes a day and when you massage the scalp, the hair follicles are stimulated; new blood is circulated, oxygen reaches the follicles and your hair root has a party. Oxygen and blood at hair root means a hair growth party. You get the picture; scalp massages are very beneficial to your hair.  

A scalp massage can be one of the most enjoyable ways to help with hair growth. Not only does a massage increase the health of your hair and scalp, it can have a positive effect on your total well-being, as it reduces stress, enabling you to feel more relaxed.

Here are some quick facts about massaging your scalp for hair growth: 

• Unclogs hair follicles from dead skin
• Increase blood flow to the follicles
• Improving your follicles' power to grow hair
• Increase the rate at which your hair grows
• Improves the quality of hair that you grow
• Makes hair and roots stronger
• Moisturizes hair by distributing natural oil flow throughout the scalp and hair.

Scalp massages also relieves stress, which can wreak havoc on healthy hair growth!



Scalp massages are especially good for persons with dry hair. Regular scalp massages increases the amount of sebum that is produced in the hair follicle. This sebum is the natural oil produced by the body. By the same token, if you have oily hair you should not do regular scalp massages as it can cause an overproduction of sebum.

You can incorporate scalp massages in your daily routine, you don’t have to wait until you are washing your hair to give your head a good rub down or even on your stylist to give you a good head massage; just schedule a massage session of five to ten minutes daily, get your essential oil and your favorite soothing music and go at it. [As for me, I like to do it just before I go to bed - in front of the television lol]

As with every massage session there is a technique. Here are two ways:

The Friction Massage
The friction massage requires you to move from the front to the back of your head. Rub your hands with oil, there are specific oils that you can use for specific hair problems [see below for the best Essential Oils for hair massages]. For this massage use the balls of the fingers (not the finger tips) in rapid movements over the scalp. Move the fingers in circular movements firmly over the whole scalp starting from the front of the head and moving back to the nape of the neck. Do not move hands too vigorously and always make sure that your hands are coated with oil.

The Kneading Massage
You will need both hands for this one, using the balls of the fingers (not the tip, where your nails are) spread them out over the scalp and then press firmly on your scalp and move the fingers over the scalp. Knead your head in a firm movement, slow movement; your scalp should be doing most of the movement not your fingers. Do this movement on different sections of the head until all your head is massaged.

Rotating Action: The fingers of one hand can move in one direction, e.g. clockwise, and the fingers of the other hand can move in the other direction. Keep the fingers of one hand still while the other rotates and visa versa. Start at the nape of the neck and then move up to the front of the head. This scalp massage is very effective to release stress in the neck and head area and it stimulates the glands and muscles in your head and neck area.

Don’t be too vigorous with any of your massages and remember to massage the scalp not your hair!

Benefits

One of the most beneficial aspects of a scalp massage is that is will increase the circulation in the scalp area. This will help the hair follicles become receptive to the nutrients and oxygen they need for maximum health.

Benefits for Hair
The use of a massage oil will help treat dandruff and deep condition the hair and scalp, which will help eliminate split ends and dry, brittle hair.

Function

A good scalp massage will increase the strength of the roots of the hair, which will lead to stronger hair. Stronger hair is less likely to break and will look thicker.

Effects

By increasing blood flow to the hair follicle, hair is less likely to go into the resting phase prematurely. After hair goes intothe resting phase, it is shed so that new hair can begin to take its place. But if hair prematurely enters the resting phase, there could be an abundance of hair being shed at one time, which will give the appearance of thinning hair.

Considerations

There are a number of different oils used for scalp massage, with each one having its own particular strengths. Oils with lavender or rosemary are often used to help stimulate hair growth on people with thinning
hair.


This video gives an idea of how to do a good scalp/head massage. I have taken to just watching this video while doing my scalp massage just to keep focused.

Best Oils for Hair/Scalp Massages

There are several essential oils that are particularly good for hair health and specific types of hair issues. One way to take advantage of them is to add a bit of it to your carrier oil and massage your scalp or add a drop or two on your comb, in your shampoo or conditioner. Here are the oils that are particularly good for massages.

Hair Issues	Essential Oils
Hair Loss	Rosemary, cedar wood, thyme, grape seed, and jojoba are particularly good for hair loss.
Dandruff	Tea tree oil, rosemary and jojoba are particularly good for improving the blood flow towards your scalp. Use one or the other and massage gently on scalp your for at least 5 minutes. Do this regularly for best results.
Thinning or Shedding Hair	Rosemary, jojoba, and tea tree are also known for helping with thinning or shedding hair. Massage it into your scalp before shampooing and left on overnight or they can be used after shampooing and left on without rinsing it out.
Dry, Brittle Hair	When it comes to dry hair, jojoba is king of the essentials; mixed with rosemary they are effective. Use this once per week to massage hair and leave it on overnight for the healing properties of the oils to work.
Limp, Lifeless Hair	Massage hair with sage. Add sage to jojoba or use with a carrier oil and massage scalp.
General Hair Health	Don’t have a hair problem and just want a good essential oil to massage hair while adding benefits to your strands, you can choose among: rose essential oil, lavender essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, chamomile essential oil, lemongrass essential oil and evening primrose oil.