Introduction
A head massage is something which feels so soothing and amazing. It not only offers a sensory pleasure, but a head massage reduces the symptoms of a headache, reduces stress and even boost hair growth. The best thing is that a head massage can be done at home itself by us. Or else we can visit a salon or a spa to have an expert head massage from a therapist. So, in this blog we are going to tell you the health benefits of head massage.
Benefits of Head massage
As there are different types and forms of head massage, so benefits depend on the type of head massage. Suppose if someone gets cranial-sacral massage therapy. This is a very gentle and soft message therapy or technique which focuses on the central nervous system of the head, spinal column and sacrum. This cranial sacral message therapy is used to do many things:
- Release tension
- Reduce headache pain and ease migraine
- Reduce stress
- Provide complete relaxation
According to reports, even the less specialized messages that is done by ourselves at home can also reduce stress and tension as well as condition the scalp. This also improves the blood circulation in the head and neck area.
Few other important benefits of a head massage:
Promotes hair growth and reduces hairfall
If the hair is very thin and not thick as it was before, if hair fall is happening, then a scalp massage is required to be done. After this massage, there was reduction of hair fall and increase in hair thickness after a complete 24 weeks of this daily head massage or daily scalp massage.
Lowers blood pressure
It is absolutely agreed that a scalp message can reduce the stress of the day, and provide relaxation feelings. According to proper reports and survey, it was found that a 15-25 minutes of scalp massage can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in female participants. Some believe that a head massage promotes blood circulation and relaxes the blood vessels and neck muscles. A proper massage has a positive impact on these places.
Provide relief from Migraines
A proper head massage provide relief from migraine headaches. Sometimes the tension is so bad that it goes up to neck, head and upper back, this results in pain in the head which is known as migraine. There are different people who suffer from this unbearable pain. A head massage helps in reducing the symptoms of migraine. It improves blood flow to the brain.
Reduces tension headache symptoms
A tension headache is something which almost happens to each and every person. In this busy world, everyone stays busy in their work which creates tension. This kind of headache causes pain in the head, neck and behind the eyes. This types of headaches are often triggered by muscle contractions. As per the American Massage Therapy Association, a proper scalp message reduces the frequency, intensity and duration of tension headaches. This is because of a relaxing effect that the particular head massage has on the neck muscles.
How to do a head massage?
The most perfect thing is that we can do a head massage by ourselves and that is the beauty of a head massage. The important thing we need is the fingertips and massage oil is optional. Besides this, a scalp massaging tool can be used in place of a fingertip for the head massage. These tools come in the form of brushes and handheld rubber massagers. The massaging tool can be worked on all over the scalp in the same way we use our fingertips.
There are some steps below to give a proper head massage :
- We need to be relax and firstly sit down in a comfortable chair. If for the head massage, oil is used, we must put a towel around the neck and chair to catch on the drips.
- Secondly, we need to start applying from light to medium pressure on the head and scalp with fingertips and massage tool. In case, if your are using oil, you need to dip your fingers in the oil and proceed with the proper head massage.
- The fingertips or scalp massaging tool should be moved around the scalp in small circular motions.
- Now, we have to do a proper massage for a minimum 5 minutes which would cover the entire head, scalp and forehead.
- Later, we can wash our head with a shampoo.
Best oils to be used for a head Massage
A head massage can be done without oil and doing it with oil is much more effective. There are added benefits of using essential oil. Even aroma oil can be used for head massage. As we can use any oil for your massage, but there are some essential oils which pairs much better with a relaxing massage. The two best essential and beneficial oils for a perfect head massage are lavender oil and peppermint oil. Also, we can use coconut oil for a proper head massage. According to a registered aromatherapist, jojoba oil and sweet almond oil can be used for head massage as this would not clog the pores. We need to first dilute the oil before applying on the scalp. We need to mix few drops of essential oil with carrier oil such as coconut oil or jojoba oil in order to avoid irritation.
Below are some points which would do a patch test to check how the particular skin will react:
- Firstly, we need to wash the forearm with unscented soap that is mild and pat it dry.
- Then we need to apply some drops of diluted essential oil in the forearm on a small patch of skin.
- Thirdly, we need to cover the area with the bandage and dry it for 24 hours. If your skin has any allergic reaction or any signs like rash, irritation or discomfort, then we need to immediately remove the bandage and wash the area with soap and water. If there is no irritation, then we can say that essential oil is safe for a head massage.
Conclusion:
I hope, this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about health benefits of head massage.
