The benefits of scalp massage - Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

[massage]

While “bald is beautiful,” many people want to keep their hair for as long as possible. Concoctions and methods have been peddled for centuries, and a current claim is that scalp massaging promotes hair growth. Fact or fiction?

Healthline.com in November noted: “Though research is limited, there may be some promise to this theory, depending on your hair growth needs.” The report informed that a scalp massager device or fingers may work to promote hair growth and thickness by:

• Stretching the cells of hair follicles.
• Stimulating follicles.
• Dilating blood vessels beneath the skin.

A scalp massager is designed with some sort of handle attachment and then dulled metal protrusions or rubber or silicone bristles. Fingernails and fingertips can achieve the same or similar results, according to healthline.com. General massage instructions are: 1) apply light to medium pressure to scalp, moving in small circles; 2) work across scalp to cover all areas.

Besides the possibility that hair may benefit from a scalp massage, healthline.com in March listed other plusses:

• Tension release
• Alleviation of migraine and headache pain
• Reduction in stress
• General relaxation

A 2016 Journal of Therapy Science study on scalp massage, stress and heart rate in women determined these main findings during a 10-week scalp massage program:

1. “A 15 minute scalp massage has a positive effect on stress hormones.”
2. “There was a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 15 and 25 minute scalp massages, which seems to be a result of the stabilization of hormone levels …”
3. Four weeks of massage at work was shown to significantly decrease strain and blood pressure.”

Scalp massaging in the shower, while shampooing and conditioning, also exfoliates the scalp to buff away dry, flaky skin, according to a January dermatology-focused report in Cosmopolitan magazine. Additionally, hair product buildup is eliminated through in-shower scalp massaging.

Hand-held scalp massager devices typically retail for under $20. Some are electric and generate a vibration.