When we’re talking about scalp massager benefits there are quite a few interesting benefits that stand out, aspects that quite impress me considering that most scalp massagers are quite cheap.
If you use a scalp massager daily, will it lead to any noticeable improvements when it comes to hair thickness and hair growth?
And maybe there are more scalp massager benefits than those related to hair health.
I’m going to try to answer these questions for you by talking in simple terms about the benefits of massaging your scalp daily.
If you’re already convinced that a scalp massager can definitely be beneficial to you, check out my reviews for the best scalp massager.
And, if you want some interesting styling tools, check out my reviews for the best hair straighteners for men.
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How Do Scalp Massagers Benefit the Scalp?
A scalp massager is a tool that massages the scalp. These tools are quite cheap and easily found.
Most handheld scalp massagers can be used in the shower, while the electric type needs to specify that it’s waterproof in order to be able to use it on wet hair, as well. Nowadays, most electric scalp massagers are waterproof.
Even so,
If you don’t want to get a scalp massager, you can go the old-fashioned route: using your fingers to massage your scalp.
You can massage your scalp on dry hair or in the shower by rubbing your scalp with your shampoo. Move your fingers in circular motions using light to medium pressure and do it for about 4-5 minutes at least once a day.
Scalp massages deliver mechanical forces to the scalp – that includes epidermis, dermis, skin appendages, blood vessels and nerves.
It’s from these mechanical forces that the benefits stem from.
Scalp Massager Benefits: Increased Hair Thickness & So Much More
Before going into details about how a scalp massager can actually be beneficial and it might be something that you might find worth trying, let’s succinctly see which are these benefits:
- increased hair thickness
- relaxing effect – a scalp massager can relax us, it’s a simple tool for getting a bit of stress-relief
- increased blood flow, which can impact our physical, emotional, and mental well-being
- exfoliation (removal of dead skin cells), getting rid of debris and dandruff
- hair/scalp serums and hair products can be better absorbed since blood vessels are more dilated
I also want to mention that these benefits won’t be noticed after a few weeks.
You have to stick with it and it will become part of your daily routine for years to come and maybe for the rest of your life, if you get into the habit. Just like we wash our faces daily for healthy skin and we apply moisturizers and serums and eye creams and we exercise and so on.
Increased Hair Thickness
In 2016 there was a study performed on 9 Japanese males who showed no obvious hair loss. You can read the entire study here although a lot of complicated words are used, reading it gave me a headache, which actually made me crave a scalp massage.
The conclusion of the study, although I definitely think that it’s made on a very small sample, is at least clear: a standardized scalp massage was able to increase hair thickness.
The participants were given 4 minutes of standardized scalp massage daily for 24 weeks.
So,
We also learn that it’s best to give ourselves a scalp massage daily if we expect to see noticeable scalp massager benefits.
And that it doesn’t take too long to do a scalp massage. 3-5 minutes spent on a scalp massage can be more than enough and it can do wonders, especially when it comes to our mood.
Aging causes our hairs to decrease in number and thickness. Now you see why it’s so awesome that among the most important scalp massager benefits is the increase in hair thickness.
Nevertheless,
The study wasn’t able to prove that there was a significant difference in hair growth rate.
It also didn’t reach a positive conclusion on hair density, it seems that hair density wasn’t demonstrated to be among scalp massager benefits, at least not according to this one study.
Relaxing Effect
Well, if you mention the word massage, for most of us it’s instantly associated with relaxation. For me, it’s mostly a method of stress relief, just like exercising is.
It’s why I also massage my face when I apply my various skincare products. A massage on my eyes it’s meant to prevent under eye wrinkles but it’s mostly, again, for relaxation.
When someone is running their fingers through your hair it’s an awesome feeling, isn’t it? It’s the same when using a scalp massager. There are definitely many benefits.
Since there are a lot of scalp massagers that can be used in the shower and they’re also known under the name shampoo brush, the stress-relief benefit is even more pronounced.
Under hot water everything seems just a bit better and our mood improves in just a few minutes with the help of a quite cheap scalp massager.
Increases Blood Flow
As I’ve already said, mechanical forces generated by the scalp massage are responsible for the increased blood flow.
The increased blood flow is considered to be the one responsible for an increase in hair thickness.
Moreover,
According to differentbrains.org, the increased blood flow can be responsible for an ease in tiredness and stiffness and it can increase concentration, focus, memory, productivity, and even our immunity.
It means that scalp massager benefits can cover all areas: physical levels as well as taking care of our emotional and mental levels.
It’s not only about having beautiful hair, it’s a wider area of benefits and it’s exactly what I was talking about in my introduction on scalp massager benefits.
Positive Effects on Androgenic Alopecia – Study Made only on Hand Scalp Massage
Androgenic alopecia is also known as male pattern baldness but it can affect both men and women. It’s characterized by a receding hair line and hair disappearance from crown and frontal scalp. Even if we don’t know the name, we all know what it looks like.
Well, there was another study made, this time to evaluate the effects of standardized scalp massages for androgenic alopecia. You can read the entire study here with all its conclusions and how the study was performed.
However,
There are a few things that we must note before jumping to the conclusion and the positive effects because there are positive results when it comes to standardized scalp massages for androgenic alopecia.
The scalp massages were not performed with a scalp massager but with fingers, hand generated pressure, pinches and stretches were used in this study.
It’s not a benefit for scalp massagers since it’s a study made on hand scalp massages that also need to be performed a certain way.
The massage should last for 20 minutes and it should performed twice daily. And the commitment to massage for at least 10 months. That’s a serious commitment and a great effort, you can read the study for more info on how the massages should be performed.
The conclusion of the study if you follow those stipulations: 37.3% reported hair loss stabilization and 31.7% reported slight or significant hair regrowth.
Electric scalp massagers can imitate hands movements when it comes to scalp massages and there are some that even have patent technologies in this regard.
All in all, it’s a positive result but it takes a lot of effort and diligence. The more hours you put it in a span of years, the more noticeable the results when it comes to hair regrowth.
Scalp Massager Benefits: Is Increased Hair Growth Rate Among Them?
As I’ve already mentioned above, there are no clinical studies that can show with certainty that scalp massager benefits encompass increased hair growth rate, too.
So, I would say that the answer would be no. Scalp massages don’t help with hair growth rate. The hair won’t grow faster just because you’re massaging your scalp.
You can use a scalp massager before applying a hair growing serum, that way it can be efficiently absorbed. You have nothing to lose by doing that.
There are still many other awesome scalp massager benefits that can convince you to give these affordable tools a chance.
