Due to the rising number of people reporting cases of hair loss or even baldness, time and money has been poured into research to find a way to reverse, or at the very least, slow down the effects - believe it or not, incorporating regular scalp massages into your daily wellness routine might be the answer you’ve been searching for.
The Structure of the Hair
To better understand how scalp massages can promote hair growth, let’s break things down a bit further.
A singular strand of hair is made up of three parts: the medulla (innermost layer), the cortex (middle layer), and the cuticle (outermost layer). Each strand of hair is connected to a root encased in a covering called the follicle, which lies below the surface of the skin. The hair follicles (the only living part of the hair) are connected to what’s known as the dermal papilla, which is fed by the bloodstream to produce new hair.
Many people attribute hair loss to hereditary factors and believe that if it’s hereditary, it’s inevitable, but new research suggests that might not be the case.
The idea is that by increasing blood flow to the scalp through massage stimulation, you are able to grow healthier, and in some cases, even thicker hair.
Do scalp massages actually work?
Dr. Henry Choy conducted a study in Hong Kong to prove that increasing blood flow to the scalp through massage stimulation could have drastic effects on growing more hair, naturally.
Dr. Choy created a massage technique for 100 participants to follow for 300 days called “detumescence therapy.” During the hair’s growth phase, there must be increased blood flow to the scalp to maintain the nutrition of the reproducing cells. Since this happens very rapidly, Dr. Choy believed that poor circulation could have a negative impact on healthy hair growth and predicted that kneading, massaging and stimulating the scalp would ultimately result in natural hair growth.
As it turns out, Dr. Choy’s prediction was correct - all of the study’s participants reported healthy hair growth.
At Home Scalp Massage
Daily scalp massages decrease inflammation and can help to reduce symptoms of stress. One study found that just four minutes of scalp massage stimulation per day can increase hair growth while decreasing overall stress. Our advice? Incorporate it into your daily shower or bath routine. Use your favorite shampoo and essential oil with your Scalp 2 or Scalp Mini to really get the most out of your scalp massage.
Our Favorite Aromatherapy Shampoo + Conditioner Combos
- Aesop Equalizing Shampoo & Volumising Conditioner
- Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo & Conditioner
- Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo & Conditioner
Explore the reference links below to read more about the benefits of scalp massage for hair growth.
- https://www.rd.com/health/beauty/scalp-massage-hair-growth/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26904154
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/121028-massage-scalp-promote-hair-growth/
- https://www.zeel.com/blog/massage/if-you-want-to-regrow-thicken-hair-you-need-scalp-massage/
- https://www.longdom.org/open-access/detumescence-therapy-of-human-scalp-for-natural-hair-regrowth-2155-9554.1000138.pdf