Let’s talk about scalp massage benefits, and why you might want to start making them part of your routine.
I started giving my wife a scalp massage years ago not even knowing all the positive effects that it had. We actually just called it a “head rub” or “head pets”. All I knew was that when I did give one she usually ended up falling asleep. We’ll go more into that in a little bit. But I never thought about the positive impacts other than that I knew it put her to sleep, and it also relaxed her and made her feel good. And by all means don’t think that I knew exactly what I was doing. Because I had no clue.
But sure enough, there’s actually a lot of reasons why a scalp massage promotes good health. Things that I initially never thought of beyond the obvious things like that it promotes relaxation and sleep. So let’s start off by talking about the two basic types massages that can be used for your scalp.
Two Basic Types Of Scalp Massages And Techniques
Effleurage
The effleurage movement is a french verb meaning “to stroke” or “skim over”. It’s a slow motion with a smooth and continuous stroke using the flat of the hand with the fingers held together. Although the fingers generally lead the massage the palm of the hand provides the most amount of pressure and is what the recipient should feel the most.
With an effleurage massage the movement is repeated several times over the same part of the scalp with outward and return strokes. In fact, this repetition has a large part to do with what provides relaxation to the recipient. Remember to keep the motion of the hands slow and consistent throughout the massage.
An effleurage massage not only works well for the scalp, but also works well for facial massages, also.
Petrissage
Although a petrissage massage technique covers a range of movements like kneading, skin rolling, wringing, and knuckling most of those aren’t really appropriate for a scalp massage. After all, most people wouldn’t want to go through a massage feeling like they’re getting punched in the head! However, there are techniques in a petrissage massage that can be used for the scalp.
The most common type of petrissage massage for the scalp would be the kneading and lifting of the scalp using your fingers. The recipient of the massage may actually like this technique more than effleurage because the petrissage will also provide a gentle stroking of the hair.
Scalp Massage Benefits
It’ll Do Wonders For Your Hair
Your hair and scalp is more complex than most people would think. I’m not a scientist, so I’ll let the scientists explain how your scalp works. But we do know that there are a lot of scalp massage benefits beyond what you might have originally thought. It’s more than just something that feels good so lets get right into it.
1. It Lubricates And Conditions The Scalp
If you’ve seen any shampoo commercials lately they often talk about a dry scalp, and how their shampoo or conditioner can help with a dry scalp. Well, one of the pay offs of a scalp massage is that it’s like a lubricator for the scalp. If desired, you can also add a massage oil to help lubricate the scalp and take care of any flakes or brittle hair.
Coconut oil is ideal for all hair types, but really helps with dry, damaged, or dull hair. It also helps with brittle hair or split ends.
2. Helps Strengthen The Roots Of The Hair And Prevent Hair Loss
Keeping your scalp lubricated is kind of like keeping your plant watered. The roots stay strong and the plant grows. Your hair and scalp works the same way when you keep your scalp lubricated. The roots of the hair stay strong and your hair will grow thicker and stronger.
3. Helps Soften And Condition The Hair
With healthy roots your hair will remain stronger and softer. And not only will the existing hair be stronger, but the scalp massage will also promote the growth of new hair.
4. Spreads Natural Oils Of The Hair
We’ve talked about adding some oil to the hair when you massage your scalp. But the goal is to help keep your hair naturally oily. Natural oil is created in the sebaceous glands and distributed through the hair during a scalp massage. As these natural oils are spread your hair will start looking more vibrant and lustrous.
5. Improves Resilience Of The Hair
Now that we’ve helped build nice and strong hair (if you didn’t already have it) we can help keep the hair strong and resilient. A consistent scalp massage is kind of like keeping your car oiled and maintained. With proper maintenance your hair will be less prone to damage and will help to prevent hair loss like we mentioned earlier.
6. Can Help Thicken And Regrow Hair
Believe it or not, massaging the scalp can help thicken and regrow hair and is recommended for those with slow hair growth. Some oils are recommended to aid in this process although it is beneficial. The living hair follicles get stretched and stimulated to produce thicker hair.
If your primary goal for starting a scalp massage is to regrow hair you might want someone else to monitor the growth and take pictures. When we look in the mirror we can only see our head and hair from certain angles. Getting someone else involved and taking pictures will give a more objective look at your progress.
Plus All The Other Scalp Massage Benefits…
7. Reduces Stress
This scalp massage benefit is similar to what you get from other massages. A scalp massage feels good and helps to keep you relaxed. As you become more relaxed the body naturally starts to release tensions from stress. The good news is that this reduction of stress doesn’t end when the massage ends. It carries forward as the body continues to be relaxed well after the massage ends
8. Improves Your Mood
This is a continuation of the stress reduction and tension release. Add in the fact that it should have felt good you should naturally be in a better mood after you receive a scalp massage.
9. Improves Blood Circulation
The increase of blood flow is common with body massages. But did you realize that it’s important to increase blood circulation to your scalp? With an increased blood flow to the scalp after even a 4 minute scalp massage you’ll increase enough blood flow to the area to help the hair follicles remain healthy. As a result, this again will promote healthy hair and the regrowth of any hair if it has been lost.
10. Scalp Massages Reduces Muscle Tension Throughout The Head
A scalp massage will help you feel relaxed and release tension. But it’ll also ease muscle tension throughout your head and neck as the nerves on the skins surface get stimulated. There’s a lot of muscles in the scalp, and some of those muscles lead down to the face and neck. So as you massage the scalp muscles that lead to other parts of the body are also impacted in a positive way.
11. Natural Remedy For Migraines And Headaches
When a lot of us get headaches we start to naturally rub our heads to help ease the pain. It’s usually a targeted approach for pain relief. The pain relief comes as a culmination of increasing blood circulation to the area, and the sensation which helps the body to relax and naturally fight the headache.
12. Helps Balance The Nervous System
We now know that the scalp and head has lots of nerve endings. As the sensory receptors fire from the scalp massage that information is passed along the nerve pathways between the brain and down through the spinal chord. As a result, a balance between the autonomic nervous system and the central nervous system.
When the systems are unbalanced the body tends to remain in fight or flight mode with an increased level of stress. So if your a Star Wars fan you might say you want there to be a “balance in the force”.
13. Improves Sleep And Your Immune System
A large part of this benefit comes from the body becoming relaxed during the massage. This is especially beneficial if you’re encountering stress and have other things on your mind. As the body and brain becomes more relaxed and comfortable drowsiness sets in and sleep is likely to follow.
Like other scalp massage benefits the promotion of sleep doesn’t end right after the massage. If the body and mind are more relaxed than you might find it easier to fall asleep days after you received your last massage.
Your immune system also improves as you begin to sleep better. With proper sleep your immune system grows stronger and will even do a better job of preventing and fighting off colds and viruses.
How To Give Yourself A Scalp Massage
We talked a lot about scalp massages, and the implication was that someone else would be giving the scalp massage. But can you give yourself a scalp massage? You bet! You can give yourself a scalp massage and still gain all the rewards we mentioned before including stimulating hair growth.
Here’s how to give yourself a s scalp massage
- Let’s set the mood first. Find a relaxing place to sit preferably in a room that has dimmer light. Put your phone away or at least turn it on silent. If you wish you could even listen to some calming music.
- Run your fingers through your hair from front to back in a straight motion using the tips of your fingers. This is the petrissage style we talked about earlier.
- After a couple of minutes transition from the straight motion to a circular motion. You’ll want to make small circular motions as you work your hands from the front to the back of the scalp.
- After another couple of motions you’ll want to repeat steps 2 and 3, but now you’ll start at the back of the head and work your way forward from the back to the front of the scalp.
- Now we transition to the sides of the scalp. Start above the ear making circular motions with your finger tips, and work your way to the back of the head. You don’t want to end up at the back of your neck though. The massage should continue to the side of your neck.
- Place the palms of your hands on top of your head and rub back and forth. This is now the effleurage motion discussed at the beginning.
- We’re going to finish up by rubbing behind the ears with the finger tips in a circular motion.
Using an oil for the massage will also be beneficial when giving yourself a massage.
Other Ways To Give Yourself A Scalp Massage
There’s also a lot of technology that can aid you in giving yourself a scalp massage. If you purchase a scalp massager it’ll allow you to relax a little bit more. A lot of these aids are very inexpensive and won’t break the bank.
Final Thoughts On Scalp Massage Benefits
Making a scalp massage part of your routine will have a very positive impact for your overall health. It’ll not only prevent hair loss but will even promote hair growth. If you tend to get an itchy scalp you’ll also find relief from the itch and flakes. But the scalp massage benefits don’t stop with what it can do for your hair.
For most people, you should find yourself a little less stressed and could even sleep better at night. We hope you decide to try it because the impacts should be all positive.
