I thought I could just use my fingers. But then I stumbled upon this silicone scalp massager that had rave reviews on amazon and since I'm such a SUCKER for 5 star reviews en masse, I got one. That and it was only 5 bucks.
The thing feels really good. Way better than your fingers. The best part is, it doesn't pull on your hair the way fingers do. It feels like it gets to your scalp without touching your hair like 10 chubby fingers would. And I think because it's made of silicone, it doesn't grab your hair.
The reason it feels amazing
Your scalp is full of nerves super close to the surface. Giving yourself a scalp massage stimulates these nerve endings. You don't even need to press hard (it's not shiatsu)--light touch is enough.
Benefits
Reduces Muscle Tension - it can lower blood pressure, reduce levels of stress hormones, and slow your heart rate.
Promotes Hair Growth - This one awesome study found: "Stretching forces result in changes in gene expression in human dermal papilla cells. Standardized scalp massage is a way to transmit mechanical stress to human dermal papilla cells in subcutaneous tissue. Hair thickness was shown to increase with standardized scalp massage." [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4740347/] In other words, scalp massage grows and thickens the hair on your noggin!
It can be done almost anywhere. Like for real, I'm driving with one hand and giving myself a scalp massage with the other. I'm holding my iphone with one hand scrolling through my insta feed and massaging my fat head with the other. I'm lying in bed and... you get the point.
Helps with migraines/headaches, increases in serotonin (a.k.a. cures moodiness...hallelujah!)
Helps balance nervous system - Another great study found for the first time, a "detailed interaction of the autonomic nervous system and the head meridian acupoint massage." [https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2016/4943204/]
“You don't even need to press hard (it's not shiatsu)--light touch is enough."
I don't have a set head massage routine, I just do small circles all over--crown, hairline, nape of my neck, back of my head. The whole time I'm thinking of all the blood flow I'm bringing to that area and how my hair follicles are absolutely lovin' it!
