Wellness tips
Stop hair loss
Best tips for growing and caring for your hair with scalp massage
Scalp Massage
Would you believe that massaging your scalp every day can stop you from losing your hair?
It just seems too simple.
But the fact is that massaging your scalp regularly is a natural proven method to get your hair grow and even combat baldness.
By using massage techniques like kneading, rubbing, tapping and putting pressure on the scalp you can increase the circulation of the blood at the surface skin.
The resulting effects are:
- Improved skin condition.
- Boosted strength of hair roots.
- Increased circulation and nutrients to the hair follicles.
- Increased relaxation – when we relax we produce happy, feel good hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin.
- Decreased stress –relaxing also lowers our cortisol levels allowing the body to heal and grow new cells.
In this post we are going to teach you a series of massage routines that you can do every day using your fingers and palms.
An even better idea would be to get someone else to do it for you!
Related Topics
Contraindications
Before we start please check with your doctor if you have any reason to believe that head massage may have a negative effect on your body.
These may include:
- Recent head injuries
- Pregnancy in the first or last trimester
- Recent operations
- Cuts or bruises
- Cancer
- Epilepsy
- Diabetes
- Asthma
- Contagious or infectious skin conditions
- You are taking an anticoagulant medication
Anatomical Regions of the Head
There are four main regions of the skull that we are going to work on during your head massage.
These include:
- Occipital Region
- Parietal Region
- Temporal Region
- Frontal Region
The other part of the body we need to include is your trapezius.
These are the two large muscles either side at the base of your neck that attach from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae.
The trapezius muscles get very tight when we are sitting all day at a desk or when we are stressed. So it’s the perfect place to start your massage routine!
Hair loss and essential oils
We don’t necessarily always want to be using oil to massage our scalps however if you are wanting to reverse hair loss the recipe below has been proven by the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary study to increase hair growth by just massaging it into your head for 2 minutes every evening!
Natural oils and essential oils have therapeutic, nourishing benefits when they are used for massaging your head.
If you do not want to use essential oils try using an equal part of castor oil to either coconut (you will need to melt this a little first) or almond oil. They will help to reduce breakage of brittle or dry hair.
Once you have finished your massage leave it on your hair for another 30 minutes and a treatment and then wash off as usual.
Massage Oil Recipe to reverse hair loss
- 2 drops x Cedar Wood Essential Oil
- 2 drops x Thyme Essential Oil
- 3 drops x Lavender Essential Oil
- 3 drops x Rosemary Essential Oil
- ½ teaspoon x Jojoba Oil
- 4 teaspoons x Grape Seed Oil
The Jojoba and Grapeseed oils are the carrier oils.
Do not use the essential oils without a carrier oil as they are too strong for your skin.
Tips for dryness, dandruff and irritation
Dryness, dandruff and irritation can all cause distasteful white flakes on your shoulders and in your hair. An itchy scalp and dull hair are all signs that you have problems with your scalp. You can have these problems for a few reasons:
- Cold weather when the air is very dry
- Eczema
- Diet
- Shampooing your hair too much
- Using the wrong hair products for your hair
Here are some easy ways you can restore your scalp back to health:
- Massage you scalp with natural oils such as peppermint or tea tree oil
- Avoid hot showers
- Brush your hair twice a day
- Use paraben and sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
If the symptoms persist after trying these options you should see your doctor or dermatologist for some advice.
The Scalp Massage Routine
- Getting ready!
If you are going to use oil make sure you prepare it in advance and have it handy.
Before your start take a moment to relax your mind and body.
Have a seat in a comfortable chair. Place your feet flat on the floor and ground yourself.
Sit up tall through your spine. Close your eyes and take a deep breath into your ribs. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Relax your shoulders.
Take three more breaths.
- Warm up your muscles
Heat is a great way to relax your tight muscles because it promotes better blood flow and circulation.
Take your palms together and rub them vigorously for a couple of minutes.
You will feel the heat rise!
- The circle technique
Place your warm palms on the outside of both of your trapezius muscles and with a circular motion massage to the base of your neck.
The pressure should be medium and you should do six repetitions in each hand placement.
Once you get to your neck work your way up your neck to your occipital region, at the base of your scalp.
Continue to the parietal region maintaining the pressure and the repetitions.
Change the position of your hands to the temporal region and repeat the circles with your palms six times working towards the frontal region.
Using one hand massage your frontal region.
4. The comb technique
In this next part of the massage you are going to use your fingertips.
Again with medium pressure but starting at the base of your occipital region, work your hands up your scalp with a combing motion.
Work through the parietal region until you reach the top of your scalp.
Change the direction of your hands and comb through the temporal region and then continue to the frontal region.
- The knead technique
For the next movement you will use your fingers and thumbs to ‘knead’ the muscles and the scalp.
Starting at your trapezius, using circular motions knead, or lift and drop, the muscle with the tips of your fingers and thumbs.
Stay for 6 repetitions and then move to the neck working up to the occipital region.
As you work through the regions on the scalp think about how you are stimulating the blood flow to the skin and hair follicles.
You can actually feel the release!
- Palm massage
Following the same pattern you are now going to use your palm to massage.
Starting once more at the trapezius this time use a little more pressure.
Work upwards and when you get to your hairline allow the skin to move across the scalp as you move through the series of positions.
You might be starting to get a little tired now so remember to continue to relax your shoulders and to breathe.
Close your eyes and enjoy the moment!
- The tapping technique
For the final massage movement in your daily scalp massage routine you will need to use your three middle fingers on each hand to ‘tap’ the skin and the scalp.
Begin again at the trapezius and use a firm tapping movement to work along the muscle, up the neck and over your entire head.
The tapping motion will bring the blood to the surface of the skin and encourage further stimulation.
- Neck and shoulder stretch
To finish your massage, you need to relax your shoulders and your neck.
This is especially important after having your arms above your shoulders for this amount of time.
Sit up straight. Relax your shoulders and take a deep breath into your ribs.
To release your trapezius slowly turn your head to the left look over your shoulder. Allow your right shoulder to draw down towards the floor. Breathe in and breathe out. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds.
Come back to the center.
Now turn your head to the right and do the same movement.
Next take your left ear to your left shoulder, slowly breathe in and breathe out.
Come back to center.
Take your right ear to your right shoulder, slowly breathe in and breathe out.
Come back to center.
Please note: If you have any cervical disc injuries please do not do this next part of the stretch.
Take your chin to your chest, take a slow breath in and breathe out and come back to center.
Breathe in and breathe out.
And you’re done!
