Your three-step hair workout
These three steps cover your whole head, following the direction of the blood flow from the nape of your neck and your ears to the top of your head.
- Concentrate on the front part of your head and the base of your skull.
- Lean your elbows on a table so you can exert more pressure with your hands.
1 Mobilisation massage
Place your fingertips slightly apart on your scalp and exert pressure on the skin. Make small circular movements and massage back and forth. Move your fingers to a new part of the scalp and repeat. Your whole head should take around a minute to massage.
2 Pinching massage
Now place your hands on either side of your head 2cm apart with your fingers pressed together. Close them so they pinch the scalp gently for 30 seconds.
3 Suction pad massage
Place one hand on top of the other and exert pressure while bringing your fingers in towards your palms to try and squeeze your scalp. Hold for around 30 seconds.
Be careful not to rub the scalp too much when you massage it. Your fingers shouldn’t scratch the skin and should stay fixed in place. The principle idea is to move the scalp along the skull and not drag your fingers across your skin.
When, where and how often?
This depends on what type of hair you have:
- 3 times a week for normal hair
- Every day for dry hair
- Twice a week for greasy hair (before shampooing)
Don’t massage your scalp in the shower once you’ve washed it. There’s no point allowing even the gentlest shampoo to penetrate to the roots, as this won’t improve your hair’s healthiness or shine. This is actually more likely to make your tresses dull and lifeless.
Apart from this, you can give your scalp a workout anytime during the day (with dry or damp hair). A complete session shouldn’t take more than two or three minutes.
Finally, if you tend to shed a lot of hair in the autumn, it’s a good idea to talk to your hairdresser. A haircare professional will be able to advise on the right products and treatments to complement scalp massage.
