When you massage your scalp with oils and it causes hair fall

[CreatureBailey]

When we massage our scalp with example castor oil or any other oil and it seems like we get more hair coming out. Is it because

1) The massaging is causing the hairs who are already about to fall soon to fall sooner (just the ones who are in the telogen phase and are close to falling)

2) The massaging is just downright making hair fall even if it's not supposed to because with the oil it is harsh ?

I don't feel any harshness I just feel massaging as usual. With oils.

Which one is it? Is it bad to massage with oils? Or is it a normal explanable scientific phenomenon?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I guess it could be a combination of the two, depending on how your scalp likes the oil. In any case, if you do scalp massages with oils and get increased shedding, don't continue doing it.

Some people get no problems doing it, others, do get shedding from it.

[CreatureBailey]

I guess it could be a combination of the two, depending on how your scalp likes the oil. In any case, if you do scalp massages with oils and get increased shedding, don't continue doing it.

Some people get no problems doing it, others, do get shedding from it.

So does the massaging rip hairs off their follicles? D:

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Only if you are being very rough, and if you were "ripping" the hair out, it would hurt, like getting your hair pulled out.

[JennGalt]

Maybe your scalp doesn't like the type of oil you've been using? Mine threw a fit and got itchy and flaky over olive oil. There was some mild shedding too. I'd been using olive oil in my hair for years without any problem, and can still eat it and use it on other parts of my body. But sometimes allergies develop suddenly and only affect certain parts of the body. Once I removed olive oil from my hair care and replaced it with other oils, all the problems stopped.

[LadyLongLocks]

Just my 2 cents here...I never believed in oiling my scalp since my scalp provides its own natural oils, the best for your scalp. Putting some foreign oil on the hair may set the follicle into a confused state and mess up the ph balance.
I would be afraid to ever oil my scalp!:hmm: Message your scalp for blood circulation and with your own hair oil. This is what works for me and luckily my scalp has no issues and is very healthy.
Only washing my hair once a week to 10 days allows oils to accumulate. My hair has grown past floor length. I do use oil on the length, coconut oil mostly, but have cut down on it and my routine is very basic. Just leave your scalp alone and be patient, your hair will grow!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Just my 2 cents here...I never believed in oiling my scalp since my scalp provides its own natural oils, the best for your scalp. Putting some foreign oil on the hair may set the follicle into a confused state and mess up the ph balance.
I would be afraid to ever oil my scalp!:hmm: Message your scalp for blood circulation and with your own hair oil. This is what works for me and luckily my scalp has no issues and is very healthy.
Only washing my hair once a week to 10 days allows oils to accumulate. My hair has grown past floor length. I do use oil on the length, coconut oil mostly, but have cut down on it and my routine is very basic. Just leave your scalp alone and be patient, your hair will grow!

Excellent advice from one who should know :)

[LadyLongLocks]

Excellent advice from one who should know :)
Thanks Sarahlabyrinth :)
I know everyone is different and what works for one doesn't work for another. I guess I'm old school and follow the advice of a long hair expert who worked under George Michael.
Use your own hair oils and a boar bristle brush to distribute & don't wash your hair too often.

[CreatureBailey]

Yeah good idea :) I guess I've been a bit harsh sometimes cause (it doesn't happen often but still) I bruise my scalp from massaging. :S oops hehe.

[littlestarface]

Yeah good idea :) I guess I've been a bit harsh sometimes cause (it doesn't happen often but still) I bruise my scalp from massaging. :S oops hehe.

Daaang thats so rough lol. Take it easy girly.

[CreatureBailey]

Daaang thats so rough lol. Take it easy girly.

littlestarface !!!!!!!! :D It's been a while!!! :D :grouphug:

[littlestarface]

littlestarface !!!!!!!! :D It's been a while!!! :D :grouphug:
:eyebrows: Hope you been well sweety!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Yes, be gentle on your scalp and with your hair :) They are delicate.

[lapushka]

When we massage our scalp with example castor oil or any other oil and it seems like we get more hair coming out. Is it because

1) The massaging is causing the hairs who are already about to fall soon to fall sooner (just the ones who are in the telogen phase and are close to falling)

2) The massaging is just downright making hair fall even if it's not supposed to because with the oil it is harsh ?

I don't feel any harshness I just feel massaging as usual. With oils.

Which one is it? Is it bad to massage with oils? Or is it a normal explanable scientific phenomenon?

The only way to test this is to just put the oil on the scalp and see if you get equal shedding than when you massage.

In any case, if for me that was the result: more shedding than normal. I would stop doing this straight away, but maybe that's just me. You don't want your hair thinning out unnecessarily.

[Reservechic]

I experience shedding with any hair oil that I have used to pre-poo and do a scalp massage with (and I have definitely tried a bunch for sure). I basically consider it to be natural, since I only do a major manipulation of my hair on my hair wash days, and between such time, I keep my hair in a bun, and I only finger style my hair throughout the week. I chalk it all up to shredded hairs that were meant to be released anyways. What I currently use to pre-poo and massage my scalp with is coconut oil. I don't massage my scalp very aggressively and I never use my nails to massage my scalp with either (I actually keep my nails cut super short all the time). The shedding that I see isn't a whole lot, so I don't really worry about it.

[CreatureBailey]

One of my FB friends is now working for a beauty compagny and she was like ''I need 4 hair models'' and I was like ''me !! '' :P She will make us try a hair growth product that makes hair stronger and all that hahaha. Apparently there's results after 1 month only. I hope I make a good hair model :cool:

[Wendyp]

I used to oil regularly I was a Wen junky and he recommends it. I never equated it with shedding. But since reading here that it may cause less shedding I stopped and sure enough I have a lot less shedding. I’m alao starting to think my scalp may hate my own oil too, so I’m washing now more than 2 x a week to see. I live in Florida abd we have almost 100% humidity most days.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I never oil my scalp. The lengths, yes, as a pre-poo, but never the scalp. It produces its own oils, which must be better for the hair and scalp that some other substance we might think to use on there.

[nycelle]

I shed like crazy if I oil my scalp. I didn't even realize what was going on until I joined here. Just thought it was loose hair that came out when I was massaging my scalp with the oil. So I tested it. Massaged without oil and nothing happened. So now, I stick to the length.
I don't know if other factors played a role, or it was a fluke that no hair came out when I didn't use it, but I won't put oil anywhere near my scalp now.

[Wendyp]

I shed like crazy if I oil my scalp. I didn't even realize what was going on until I joined here. Just thought it was loose hair that came out when I was massaging my scalp with the oil. So I tested it. Massaged without oil and nothing happened. So now, I stick to the length.
I don't know if other factors played a role, or it was a fluke that no hair came out when I didn't use it, but I won't put oil anywhere near my scalp now.

Exactly what happened to me lol I was doing so much wrong. Funny tho everyone is different even same hair type and everything can require totally different routines and products!

[nycelle]

Exactly what happened to me lol I was doing so much wrong. Funny tho everyone is different even same hair type and everything can require totally different routines and products!

Crazy isn't it? Yeah, I'm still figuring out what works best for me.

[CreatureBailey]

Why would oiling the scalp cause hair fall tho? It doesn't hurt when we do it...

[AutobotsAttack]

Sometimes physically massaging the scalp can encourage shedding. Some of it may be not so good, some of it may be normal. You can kind of correlate how massaging can lead to hair growth, sometimes a hair might be near the end stage of growth and getting ready to shed, so massaging the scalp can give it that boost it needed to go ahead and shed.

As far as oils go, same principle. Some oils encourage growth, which can also encourage a hair to go right on through to its shedding phase.

I wouldn’t be quick to call oils foreign. Not to mention other ethnicities have skin that thrive on many good quality oils. Scalp skin included. I would say it could be reason number 1. You mentioned. Castor oil is rather polar, fairly high in fatty acids as well. Helps skin retain water better, scalp skin included. There’s a whole number of different fluctuations your entire body goes through, including your scalp. Multiple times a day. Massaging and oiling it can cause some shedding/hair fall. Even massaging at different times of the day can yield changes.

If there’s no redness, or itching, or extreme, excessive shedding I’d say some more noticed shedding isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

[Borgessa]

Yeah good idea :) I guess I've been a bit harsh sometimes cause (it doesn't happen often but still) I bruise my scalp from massaging. :S oops hehe.

Lol, stop if there's blood!! Sorry.. I'm with Laura here, just leave it be, it will grow, how fast it grows imo is genetics.. my scalp hates oils too.

[Stagecoach]

I've always experienced excess shedding with scalp oiling and massage. My scalp just really does not like much done to it at all, so over the years I've learned to not try anything that stimulates it excessively, especially anything to oily. CO washing also caused massive shedding for me.

[lapushka]

Why would oiling the scalp cause hair fall tho? It doesn't hurt when we do it...

It just exists, and it is a "thing", CreatureBailey. I don't know why either, but it happens for a lot of us out there. Even with conditioner. You just have to ask the people who lost part of their circumference to oiling or conditioning the scalp.

I'd test it out without oil to see. If you shed even amounts, there's nothing to worry about, but if you shed more, I would honestly stop. You don't have to, but don't say we didn't warn you. :flower:

[Agnieszka]

I don't know how it works but if I put any oil near my scalp and start gently massaging my hair comes out in clumps. I kept going for sometime as I thought maybe it's just initial thing to get dead follicles out but after couple of months of the same thing happening I stopped.

[Stagecoach]

It just exists, and it is a "thing", CreatureBailey. I don't know why either, but it happens for a lot of us out there. Even with conditioner. You just have to ask the people who lost part of their circumference to oiling or conditioning the scalp.

I'd test it out without oil to see. If you shed even amounts, there's nothing to worry about, but if you shed more, I would honestly stop. You don't have to, but don't say we didn't warn you. :flower:


I don't know how it works but if I put any oil near my scalp and start gently massaging my hair comes out in clumps. I kept going for sometime as I thought maybe it's just initial thing to get dead follicles out but after couple of months of the same thing happening I stopped.

Agreed! And I've tried it on and over over a good number of years, and it's always the same. Massive shedding from oiling my scalp.

[Kat]

I agree with other people to also try massage without oil and oil without massage to see if it's the same.

Or, is it possible you are just noticing the shedding because it's coming out on your hands and might normally just fall unnoticed over time instead?

Re: oiling scalp-- normally I wouldn't, because I am oily enough on my own. However, living somewhere humid, my face (and I assume scalp) are quite oily, and I also sweat a lot. My hair tends to stink because the oil-sweat smell gets into it and sticks even after washing. I have considered oiling my scalp in hopes that with the hair arlready lightly coated with oil, my own sweat and hair oils won't stick, so they'll be easier to wash away and won't be able to leave odor on my hair...

[CreatureBailey]

Like I accidently bruised my scalp a bit and it's been days and it's not healing

[longmane]

Why would oiling the scalp cause hair fall tho? It doesn't hurt when we do it...

I have a hypothesis why I personally try to keep hair products (except shampoo) away from my scalp as much as possible. I'm not a scientist and so far I haven't found any studies about it but here is my reasoning:

I think of the scalp like the rest of the skin. If for example I have an oily face (or I keep applying oils, lotions, etc) and I leave it more than a day, it is going to block my follicles/pores which disrupts how they usually are, causing acne. It could be the same for the scalp. If I put oils, conditioners, moisturizers on my scalp, it could block the hair follicles, disrupt the growth or cause the hair to just fall off.

To expand on how I think it disrupts the hair follicle, our body tries to balance itself by reacting to the external environment (Homeostasis). The follicle has a control over how much sebum it needs to function normally. Maybe this extra oil throws it off balance so it gets into something similar to "fight or flight" so it slows down the growth or gets rid of the hair completely to focus on fighting this extra oil that's putting it in stress?

[CreatureBailey]

Okay but seriously I bruised my scalp massaging and it's just not healing and sometimes it randomly hurts o.O Eeeeeep

[littlestarface]

Okay but seriously I bruised my scalp massaging and it's just not healing and sometimes it randomly hurts o.O Eeeeeep

I wish I can tie your hands behind your back. RIP scalp.

[Kaya]

Okay but seriously I bruised my scalp massaging and it's just not healing and sometimes it randomly hurts o.O Eeeeeep

Whoa! :bigeyes: You must have been doing some hardcore massage to bruise your scalp so badly it's either not healing or just taking a very long to heal. If it continues to hurt, I'd venture to say make a doctor's appointment just to make sure there is no serious, lasting issues. :( Otherwise, try and be patient and pamper your scalp by keeping minimal contact with it.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Okay but seriously I bruised my scalp massaging and it's just not healing and sometimes it randomly hurts o.O Eeeeeep

Gosh, how hard were you massaging it? Massage should be gentle. Poor scalp.... Be gentle to it from now on :)

[CreatureBailey]

I don't massage that hard I mean sometimes I do, but it doesn't last much. I've bruised my scalp before too but it would heal. Also it's a rather small bruise. But like it's just staying there and I don't even do anything and it starts hurting. But I don't ravage my scalp thaaaat much it's weird

[TheForestFae]

My hair didn't really happy with the putting oil on my hair process, it makes my hair falling out a lot. Even though it keep falling out like that, the result after was actually pretty amazing. Therefore i don't know that if my hair is gonna like it or not, but still i oilling my hair every time before shampooing.

[CreatureBailey]

We say that our scalp already produces sebum already, but other oils have their own nutriments too... Eh. Mmh.

[Stagecoach]

I don't massage that hard I mean sometimes I do, but it doesn't last much. I've bruised my scalp before too but it would heal. Also it's a rather small bruise. But like it's just staying there and I don't even do anything and it starts hurting. But I don't ravage my scalp thaaaat much it's weird

Maybe you are sensitive to the oil you used?

[Chromis]

My scalp loves oiling, but I only use very small amounts or else my hair looks too greasy for my taste. It gets super dry if I don't oil at all though! I can't use all oils equally on my scalp. Caster is one that I can only use in tiny, tiny amounts and only in the driest spot. (Right in the front when my part starts too, grump. It does work amazingly though!)

Now, that said: Even if your hair absolutely loves oilings, I am not sure we can say for sure that oil is the cause of hairfall for you in this case. I feel like massaging so hard that your scalp gets bruised is going to cause some shedding even if you hadn't used any oil at all! Ditto for massaging or scritching until your scalp bleeds (and past me has totally done that too with the scritching!) I think this might be one of those cases of you need to know yourself. I don't give myself scalp massages because I know I would overdo it, same with scritching. This is why I do that thing with s&d where I only allow myself to cut a few splits each day. I know I *will* stand there for an hour until my neck hurts and I am running late.

[CreatureBailey]

I’m taking a break from massaging for a few days... until it’s healed at least. And I don’t mean to overdo it, it’s just when I massage and I don’t feel the blood rushing all the way through my scalp I think «*have I done enough? This doesn’t seem enough. I massaged but I don’t feel anything in my scalp... I should keep going and do it harder*». I feel like if I massage but I don’t feel the blood circulating enough, then it might not work... and I haven’t used oil in a while, like I didn’t get the bruise from oiling I don’t think.