If you ask people about hair treatments, they usually think of oils, shampoos, and conditioners that may be beneficial to healthy hair growth. But what about the blood flow in your scalp?
Having proper blood circulation is among the most underrated ways to promote and stimulate hair growth. Most people don’t even realize how important it is.
Today we will discuss why scalp blood circulation is so important and how to do it naturally.
Increase blood circulation to the hair follicles by massaging your scalp
Massaging your scalp is one of the best ways to improve blood circulation that you can do on your own. With message therapy you can employ a variety of massage techniques, and we strongly suggest you learn more about them, not only for possible improved hair growth, but also for overall health and well-being. Learning how to do it correctly is important so you don’t overdo it and damage your hair follicles or cause stress or skin irritation.
Keep your hair clean by washing your scalp
Apart from increasing blood circulation, the hair follicles and pores in your skin may be blocked by debris. If you are using any type of product to improve hair health and stimulate circulation, it may be less effective if it is obstructed by grease and excess oil, dead skin cells, or other buildup of previous hair products that has been used. It is important to keep the scalp clean in order for proper hair health and proper blood flow. If you already have a greasy scalp, wash your hair every one to two days with a recommended shampoo for greasy or oily hair, and if you have a dry scalp, wash it less often, maybe every three to four days. Maybe once or twice every month, use a cleansing shampoo in order to remove any debris and product buildup from the scalp.
Essential oils may stimulate blood circulation
Lavender, thyme, rosemary, cedarwood, and peppermint essential oils are said to aid in scalp blood circulation, and lipids protect the scalp from microbial diseases. Applying essential oils to your hair may be benefitial for your hair and scalp.
Eat a balanced diet
One cannot emphasize enough how important a balanced diet is for one’s overall health. Hair health is no different. Proper nutrition is vital for health, and being nutrient deficient may lead to hair loss. Biotin, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids are among the minerals and nutrients that have been linked to improved blood circulation and hair development.
A good healthy scalp also involves proper hair growth and no microbiological colony proliferation, both of which are linked to scalp blood flow.
Does blood circulation help hair grow?
Blood circulation is a key transmission system that keeps every organ in your body alive. The hair also receives oxygen and other nutrients from blood circulating through the body to the scalp. And through the hair growth life cycle, blood aids and maintains the hair in your follicle. Once the hair disconnects from its root, it stops growing and will eventually fall out.
A hair follicle is surrounded by blood vessels, but weak blood flow in these vessels can cause the hair follicles not grow as much hair. Some may shrink or shut down, which results in dormant hair follicles. Actively improving the circulation of blood to the scalp helps to stimulate hair growth and hopefully results in a head full of healthy hair.
There can be many reasons for bad hair growth, but in general, improved blood circulation tends to improve hair growth, and decreased blood flow often leads to hair loss.
Reasons for poor scalp circulation
Venous and arterial blood that flows through to the vascular system and heart chambers is defined as blood circulation, and is powered by the heart’s pumping activity.
Hair loss can be one of the symptomps of poor scalp circulation. The hair’s length and size are determined by the hair cycle’s growth stage. Which, in consequence, is dependent on the scalp’s blood supply. Inadequate blood circulation prevents your hair roots from receiving enough nutrition, making your hair follicles thin and lifeless. Some studies have indicated that hair loss has been linked to a reduction in blood vessels.
The thickness of both the hair follicle shrinks with age, culminating in alopecia patches, and a diminished blood supply slows hair growth, depriving the hair root of fuel.
Genetics, age, hormones, underlying diseases are a few primary rasons for poor scalp circulation.
There are a number of factors that may lead to a steady decrease in scalp circulation and in the number of hairs on the head, and they might indeed play a role in male pattern baldness, such as:
- Unhealthy lifestyle
- Aging
- Hormones are changing
- Illness or underlying health conditions
- Baldness in the family or hereditary pattern hair loss
- Burns
- Injury
- Scalp ringworm that has not been treated
- Excess vitamin A
Natural ways to increase blood circulation to the scalp
According to research and studies, massaging your scalp can significantly speed up hair development by stimulating blood flow. Also getting a professional back, neck and head massage and stretching, can allieviate pressure and anxiety. We know that high stress levels can also lead to hair loss. So if you are very tense, it might even be beneficial for hair growth. Hair development will be aided by improved blood circulation, which also protects against other potential hair damage.
How micro-needling can increase blood circulation in the hair roots
So, every strand of hair is in a different condition of maturation from each of the three phases of hair growth. When the hair lifecycle is finished, it starts over again, and a new strand of hair is formed in the root of the follicle. Each month, hair is growing approximately half an inch – but usually faster during the summer than during winter.
Micro-needling is another way of improving the blood circulation in the scalp. It works by causing tiny punctures and wounds in the surface of the scalp, which then causes a response by the body to improve the flow of blood to the area in order to rejuvinate and heal the tiny wounds.
This type of treatment is believed to do many things:
- Encourage the growth of hair cells.
- Improve blood circulation
- Restore the health of your scalp
- Activate stem cells in the scalp which may regrow lost hair.
- Opens up “channels” in the scalp where topically applied hair growth products can penetrate the scalp more easily and enhance its efficiency.
Especially when used in combination with other hair growth treatments such as topical minoxidil, DHT-blocker such as topical finasteride, or a LLLT device, the individual effects of each treatment is multiplied, and in some studies it has shown that it may even regrow lost hair.
How to massage the scalp to increase blood flow?
The best way is to go to a professional masseuse who knows how to massage.
Some people have massaged their own scalp themselves by doing it like this:
- Brush out the hair to smooth it out
- Optional: Rub warm oil onto the scalp with the fingertips (but not so hot that it burns).
- Run fingers through the hair and onto the scalp.
- To energize the entire scalp, apply gently in circular strokes.
- The scalp and neck can be massaged as well.
- If the skin becomes red, irritated or painful, stop massaging.
- Allow the oil to sit for an hour.
- Because oiling acts as a pre-conditioner, wash the hair with a mild shampoo.
- Avoid using a chemical-based conditioner
- Repeat the process once or twice a week.
Massage is a good option health technique for improving blood circulation and reducing stress, and is the most effective natural hair growth promoter.
Minoxidil is a vasodilator that increases hair growth
Minoxidil, a vasodilator medicine recognized because of its potential to reduce or eliminate hair loss and encourage hair regrowth, was first prescribed to control blood pressure and was taken orally as a tablet. A vasodilator increases the nourishment as well as maintenance of the hair by increasing the amount of blood to the follicle. If you give a topical vasodilator to someone who already has a head full of hair, it will often grow faster and fuller hair.
Does hair need oxygen to grow?
Absolutely! Cutting off the oxygen to the hair is like the hair can’t breathe. So make sure your scalp can breathe because your hair follicles require oxygen to grow and flourish. Oxygen promotes a healthy scalp, which leads to the growth of strong, healthy hair.
