Miracle growth with scalp massage - does it work?

[DancingQueen]

I tried to search the forums to find a similar thread, but I don't think my search function is working.

Yesturday, I found a lot of videos on youtube on how to grow your hair 1 inch or more in a week. It seemed a bit ridiculous and impossible to me, but several people swear it is working. The technique is to do a hot oil scalp massage with preferably olive oil, but coconut oil would also be okay. You are supposed to do the scalp massage for 4 minutes upside down, then leave it on for 2 hours, and wash it out with shampoo and conditioner. Do this each day for a week, and it should have grown around 1 inch - sometimes more.

Technically, the scalp massage will increase blood flow, and the oil would potentially supply the hair follicle with nutrients. But I am still a bit skeptical. So, here are my questions:

1) Could this actually make the hair grow faster for real?
2) If this works, what oil would be best - olive oil or coconut oil? Or another oil?
3) What difference does it make if the oil is hot or cold?
4) If this (hypothetically) worked, would you achieve results from doing this every second day?

Here is a link for reference, and there is lots of similar videos like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxmZntIuQ_o

[Sarahlabyrinth]

If that was possible we would all be doing it.

[The-Young-Maid]

I almost hope its not true because I'd have wasted a lot of time otherwise.:doh: I don't think I'll be trying it. I've done hot oils before but I got increased shedding from it.

[PetuniaBlossom]

I try to do at least a brief scalp massage every day. Sometimes whilst upside down, sometimes not. I also oil about once a week (overnight before washing) using a mixture of half coconut oil and half castor oil. I can't say I've noticed that my hair grows noticeably faster, simply that its perpetual thirstiness is appeased.

[jacqueline101]

I don't think it's possible to get that type of growth.

[AmyBeth]

I began brief, maybe 2 minute massages daily last year and am convinced that it really helped to speed up my growth by a long shot. I don't have time for the kind of routine you describe, besides my hair is so very fine I'd have to wash it every day if I put oil directly on the scalp! I believe I've read that Jacqueline101 is a devotee of monistat (hi, Jacqueline!) and I think it's helped me too. If you have the time, energy, and inclination to try the miracle growth massages, more power to you. If it works, I'd probably try to find the time.

[Wildcat Diva]

One word...shedding...

I'll skip it.

[Seeshami]

I message when I wash but there isn't any more difference in massaging my scalp as there is to braiding my hair every day. I think one reason why people believe they've found the instant long hair fix for them is a hair growth spurt. I know my hair didn't grow much the last half of winter and it crept a long slowly. Well I finished the grieving process moved on and have a little less stress in my life and now my hair is back to normal growth. The only way to know if it really works would be to shave your head. Start a regime and stick with it for a certain amount of time (probably a few years) and then shave your head and try something else. and that doesn't even factor in environment and stress which effect hair too.

[Firefox7275]

There is some published research suggesting that scalp massage may be effective also regular physical activity - perhaps because both increase circulation. I'm not aware of any evidence that specific oils have magical properties, any oil rich in oleic acid (like olive!) can be irritant and increase shedding in susceptible individuals so I would not risk that. One inch of growth in a week is either poor measurement or they have super fast growing hair anyway or they changed something else in their lifestyle or routine.

Just take at least the recommended 10,000 steps each day and eat a balanced nutrient dense wholefood diet so the blood that does reach your scalp is supplying all the nutrients your follicles need.

[furnival]

Four inches in a month? Ah, codswallop. :p

[spidermom]

I don't think any method that forces hair to grow faster than its natural genetic setting is a good idea. If a bunch of it starts growing because of the thing you're doing, what happens when you stop doing the thing? Does it stop growing? Shed out?

I'll let nature take its course; seems most prudent to me.

[ravenreed]

I massage my scalp for about a minute every time I wash it. Oiling my scalp makes me shed horribly, so I do it only rarely. Perhaps every two months or so if I notice my scalp is dry. However, unless your hair hates coconut and olive oil like mine does, you could give it a go and see if you notice an improvement. I wouldn't count on four inches a month though.

[HairFaerie]

OK, I'm sorry, I am not trying to be negative but I watched about 4 of these types of videos and I just couldn't watch any more. They were starting to annoy me.

I mean, there may be some more growth than usual, but I think 4 inches in a month is unrealistic. None of these girls have actual PROOF of 4 inches per month.

I have gotten two inches a month during winter growth spurts but never four inches and not all year long.

i wouldn't say that there aren't a *few* people in the world who can grow 4 inches in one month, but I am pretty sure that is very, very rare and it wouldn't happen EVERY month.

I call :bs:

[jeanniet]

I'm in the coincidental growth spurt camp. I think if anything does give you faster growth, it's not going to be all that much more, and certainly not an inch a week. But just because hair grows an average of 1/2" a month, that doesn't mean that sometimes it will grow faster. I had a growth spurt once where I grew about 3" in around six weeks. I didn't do anything special; it just grew. Then it went back to normal. So if you have one person saying, "Look! I did this, and my hair grew an inch!" it doesn't mean a whole lot. If you get a thousand people saying it, maybe. If a controlled study says it, then yes.

I think the best thing for your hair is a good diet and healthy lifestyle, and patience.

[HairFaerie]

The answer to the old-aged question "How do you get long hair?" is simple:

Don't cut it.

In fact, when I had almost waist length hair (which is short by LHC standards but long by society's standards) I would have people ask me "OMG! How did you get your hair that long?" My reply was simply "I don't cut it." You'd be amazed at how many people just stood there and looked at me, dumbfounded! Kind of humorous now that I think about it!
What other answer were they expecting?

[The-Young-Maid]

Hairfaefie I've had girls in my classes ask me that, they looked confused when I said I don't cut it. :confused: or use oils and wear it up.

[jeanniet]

The answer to the old-aged question "How do you get long hair?" is simple:

Don't cut it.

In fact, when I had almost waist length hair (which is short by LHC standards but long by society's standards) I would have people ask me "OMG! How did you get your hair that long?" My reply was simply "I don't cut it." You'd be amazed at how many people just stood there and looked at me, dumbfounded! Kind of humorous now that I think about it!
What other answer were they expecting?

That's pretty funny, but I'll bet it doesn't occur to a lot of people because they just don't think about how much they trim off.

I wouldn't be surprised to find someone whose hair grows 3-4" a month on a regular basis, but if they exist, they probably don't do anything special. The average is just that, an average. So there must be people who grow much slower and some who grow much faster, too. I don't think there's any magic to it.

[leslissocool]

Well I have an interesting theory: Better circulation does mean faster hair growth.


I did an experiment with higher protein and yoga (down poses mostly) every day for one month and my hair grew the most it's ever grown, I'm talking a 3 inch spur. I posted the pictures too it's probably in the archives. My hair did grow, and it grew a lot.


I remember ultrabella saying something about, in order for scalp massages to work, you had to do them with a metal tip vigorously. My "poses" did made my flood rush to my head since they were head balances and camel poses. So I think there might be truth in that. However I do think my hair growth is genetic, I see my daughter's hair grows very fast too. But I've never seen it grow as much as I did when I was going yoga, even when lifting weights and running and doing plyo.


I didn't have a 4+ growth though. And it was a one month thing, the next month it grew 1 to 1 1/2 inches like it normally does.

[Monkey962]

I should think that this sort of treatment would increase growth, as both the massage and the application of a warm or hot substance act as vasodilators. This means increased blood circulation to the hair follicles. However, I doubt an inch in a week is possible. I also don't think you need to follow such a regimented routine. Simply doing it on a regular basis would be just as effective.

[Anje]

I had what I would estimate was a 4-inch month once. My secret hair growth trick apparently was not a product or massage, it was traveling to Germany. (Seriously, it's freaky when your hair grows that much in that short a period!) I haven't repeated the feat since and just have had normal growth ever since. Maybe I should go back? :lol:

And no, the locals where I stayed didn't seem to have insane hair growth.

[shawty]

I once grew my hair about an inch in three weeks. I did this by carefully altering my diet, massaging my scalp daily, and using external growth treatments. However: 1) I didn't do the routine you described, I just massaged with my fingertips for one minute while hanging upside down; 2) it could easily have been the diet changes or the treatments that caused the growth spurt; 3) the same routine of coming at it from three directions might not have worked under different circumstances - I really have no perfect explanation for what happened, I just know it did happen.
So I have to agree with what the others have said: you can make your hair grow faster, but not THAT much faster, and you can't keep it growing fast forever (unless, of course, your hair just grows fast all the time).

[The-Young-Maid]

Anje Do you know anything about how Germany(or traveling?) caused your growth? I'd love to know because
I'll be staying in Germany and Austria for 10 days.:eyebrows:

[Anje]

Not a clue. Drinking the tap water (my host family found this weird) or the reduced gravity of flying, perhaps? :bounce:

[The-Young-Maid]

Reduced gravity of course!!! I can't believe it never occurred to me before! You didn't happen to go during Oktoberfest did you?
I hear beer is also good for hair:beercheer: ... don't worry I'll stick to the tap water.:p

[Sharysa]

Okay, I like a quick scalp massage as often as possible, and I also like my twice-weekly (room temperature) oiling that definitely helps with retaining my hair's length and moisture. A lot of people like to use their oil as a pre-shower treatment, but I prefer oiling my hair post-shower because it's faster.

Some people say that an upside-down scalp massage or just bending over for a minute or two will help increase circulation to the scalp. I haven't tried it, but it makes the same sense as the regular scalp massage.

However, the UPSIDE DOWN SCALP MASSAGE WITH A HOT OIL LEAVE-IN FOR TWO HOURS sounds like people trying to combine way too many "good for hair" things into one big, messy, ridiculous-sounding instant fix.

[Wildcat Diva]

I have tried Castor oil scalp massages before and my hair came out in scary gobs.

[Mayflower]

I always give myself a nice relaxing scalp massage either before I hop into the shower, or while shampooing my hair (around 3 minutes with a gentle shampoo), just to relax and get everything nice and clean. I wouldn't have the patience to do this everyday, and washing my hair everyday for a week sounds like a nightmare.

My hair does grow significantly faster since working out and eating "clean" (better circulation + no more defeciencies) but that's common knowledge. It grew straight to my goal length and now I have to keep cutting it because it gets too long. :p

[Anje]

Reduced gravity of course!!! I can't believe it never occurred to me before! You didn't happen to go during Oktoberfest did you?
I hear beer is also good for hair:beercheer: ... don't worry I'll stick to the tap water.:p
Nope, June and a bit of July. I was in Austria over Midsummer, actually.

Sadly, I didn't drink the beer -- they made me sign stuff saying I wouldn't, so I stuck to it. I was 17 at the time and it was a school-sponsored trip. :p Clearly, this is more reason of me to go back! I love good beer! :beercheer:

[starlamelissa]

I believe it's good for my scalp to manipulate it a little. I massage my scalp in the shower with shampoo, and when I comb or brush my hair I scritch my scalp with the bristles. I don't know if my hair grows faster because of this, but I do it for my scalps general health and condition. I also lightly brush my kids scalps with a brush.

[BeccaAngel]

However, the UPSIDE DOWN SCALP MASSAGE WITH A HOT OIL LEAVE-IN FOR TWO HOURS sounds like people trying to combine way too many "good for hair" things into one big, messy, ridiculous-sounding instant fix.

What she said :P

[DancingQueen]

Well, I guess it did seem a bit excessive, and of course I would never expect 4 inches in a month!! :) But I was wondering about the principle; wether there could be something about it. I guess I should just take some yoga-classes in germany. :)

Thank you for the answers. :)

[furnival]

I think the problem with 'miracle hair growth' treatments is that it's very hard to prove if they work or not. Hair grows at different rates all the time, influenced by diet, stress, health and many other variables. We all know that stalls and growth spurts can happen at any time, usually with no discernable reason. It's also entirely possible that hair growth can be affected by the placebo effect, so it's almost impossible, in the absence of any scientific studies, to know whether anything you do to yourself can make your hair grow faster.

[LaurelSpring]

I remember awhile back I read something about tugging on your hair (not real hard....little tugs) and this was supposed to help growth and make your hair strong. Its like those women you see who pull large objects with their hair. They started out with these little tugs. Anyway, I cant remember exactly what I read, but it sounded good at the time and I was tugging on it for awhile. I cant remember if there were any benefits. I think I also remember going through a caffeine stage. Maybe if you tug, massage and put some caffeine on it something cool would happen. :hmm: Maybe I'll give it another try!! :eek:

[Othala]

I have found that I can make my hair grow about 50% faster if I massage it for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes or longer ideally, in the night. However, only if I wash it (with hot water only or hot water following shampoo) every morning, letting the hot water run over my scalp for a good long time (say 10 minutes) and use specific growth treatments (Nexxus Vitatress or Nisim Fast).

Also, eating a little chicken at every meal really increases the growth rate and the strength of my hair fibre.

Even with this treatment, I never achieved a growth rate of more than 1.5 inches a month, nor I do not know if this is sustainable because I have never done it for more than a couple of months due to boredom, LOL, but I just wanted to chime in and say that it is possible to induce extra growth and that when doing so the quality of hair did not appear any different to that produced by non-induced hair growth.

[MaryO]

I wish it were true! But I do think that if it were, LHC would know about it.

[itdontmatter48]

Scalp massage increases blood circulation, which helps growth and shedding. It is a fact.

[Ginger Kitteh]

I should try. I've been meaning to do before and after hair growth videos to pass the time. Of course, it would have to be a two month long project to have a control month.

[Suze2012]

Gawd! *rollseyes*

Being one who doesn't want to grow...but my growth has increased due to my changes learned from here.. I massage for about 5 mins per day via co washing.
I am at growth rate about 3-4 inches per quarter....can someone let me know how to slow this down?