Loose Scalp?

[brittanynic16]

I work in a spa/salon and once (2 or 3 years ago) a colorist was telling my co worker that her scalp felt the way scalps are suppose to feel. I felt her scalp too, and it felt mussy and loose. Then I felt my scalp and it was tight and didn't move. I thought it was interesting but, I never gave it a second thought until recently.

For the past 6 weeks or so I have been doing scalp massages 3 or 4 times a week. Once a week I add ayuverdic oils on wash days (leaving them in over night irritates my scalp). In the past week, my scalp and hair have been acting totally differently. My scalp isn't mussy b/c unlike my coworker I have a medium thickness to my skin while hers is very thick. But, my scalp is sooooo loose. It shifts very easily with little effort when before it would barely move at all. My hair is even acting differently too. No matter if I was relaxed or natural my hair always felt ruff when wet (never seemed to get fully wet), never responded to any conditioned except Aveda DR and was always dry even with daily CW and heavy oils.

This week I shampooed two days apart, and I knew I was going to have dry hair for the rest of the week but, it did not feel dry at all!. When I wet my hair it got wet right away and even responded to my moistuizing conditioner. Also, my scalp is producing a lot more oil. One day after I wash I notice that I have oil on my scalp.

At first I really didn't like to do the massages b/c I kind of hurt and made my scalp sore. Now that it is looser I love the way it feels. My scalp every gets a little tingle now like it's saying "Time to massage!!"

Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this?

 

[Nonie]

Here's a discussion along the same lines: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=188971

In answer to your question, it may have been my imagination but it seems like when I had a bald spot, that particular spot appeared to be rooted to the skull. So when I read about bald heads being tight, it made a lot of sense and I massaged like crazy to keep my scalp supple. In time, my scalp became more "flexible". I also do the scalp flex exercise as often as I can think of it, just to make sure my scalp stays loose.

 

[brittanynic16]

Thanks for the link

 

[sonce]

Random point: I can give myself a "face lift" (you actually see all the skin on my forehead and the sides of my face up to my cheekbones shift a couple of inches upward so that everything looks strangely tight) when I flex my ear/scalp muscles. I guess the fact that I have such control over my ear/scalp muscles is in itself unusual, but maybe it has to do with the looseness of my scalp. I felt my scalp after reading your post and it is very easy to slide across my skull. I wonder if my hair also grows so quickly because my scalp is loose. Hmm...Loose Scalp: The Cure for the Common Everything?

 

[Isis]

I believe there is something to the "loose scalp".
A few years ago, I started an
Unconventional Ways to Grow Long, Healthy Hair thread and posted a yoga exercise that I do. It's purpose is to massage and loosen the scalp to stimulate hair growth. It's from a great book called, "Richard Hittleman's Yoga 28 Day Exercise Plan". It feels so good too. Here it is:

[Scalp Exercise

For the Healthy Appearance of Your Hair

1) Sit in cross-legged posture. Grasp hair firmly at roots.
2) Make scalp move as much as possible, first forward, then backward by pulling vigorously.
3) Perform rhythmically and not too quickly 25 times without pause. Relax.
4) At conclusion of movements scalp should tingle and feel "alive"."

 

[hothair]

:scratchch hmmm...

 

[Ms Lala]

I might have to look into this. My scalp is anything but loose.

 

[Nonie]

This is a little OT, but those of you who can flex your scalp, do you also notice that your forehead is free of horizontal lines, especially the kind that seemed to be carved in there permanently? The scalp flex is a good exercise for ironing out wrinkles on your forehead too.

 

[sonce]

This is a little OT, but those of you who can flex your scalp, do you also notice that your forehead is free of horizontal lines, especially the kind that seemed to be carved in there permanently? The scalp flex is a good exercise for ironing out wrinkles on your forehead too.

My forehead is completely line free (none are apparent even when I raise my eyebrows). I think being 22 is part of it, genetics too (my mom and aunt are 50 and 46, respectively, and have literally no lines), but perhaps my scalp control is also a part because a lot of my fellow 22 year olds, even black ones, have lines, however faint. I will continue to do my scalp flex and take up more exercises.

 

[kblc06]

This is so interesting because my mother always says that a loose scalp is a sign of healthy fast growing hair due to the fact blood circulation flows very easily or something like that-anyway it seems as though she was right about one more of her old wise sayings

 

[brittanynic16]

I feel like my hair is growing faster because of this. When I was younger my mother would always comment on how fast my hair grew but I haven't noticed that in the past few year. It seemed pretty average but, she did massage my scalp when I was younger. Now, I feel like I am back to normal.

I think that yoga move is right on. I do get that "alive" feeling.

 

[ChanelNo5]

This makes a lot of sense. Now, what are some really good stimulating oils we should use for these scalp massages?

 

[Nonie]

This makes a lot of sense. Now, what are some really good stimulating oils we should use for these scalp massages?

Here are a few pages that mention some oils that are good for treating hair loss and so I imagine they'd be good for hair growth too:

• http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/Hair/hair_loss_aromatherapy.htm
• http://www.aromatherapy-at-home.com/doessentialoilsgrowhair.html
• http://motowngirl.com/oils.php

 

[brittanynic16]

I have been using ayuverdic oils

 

[ttlayli]

Hey! I don't think my scalp is loose at all! How can I loosen up my scalp?? LOL

 

[drasgrl]

I don't go around feeling other peoples scalps so I really don't have a way to compare if my scalp is loose. I've been into massaging it a lot more lately so maybe I can tell a difference after a while.

 

[Nonie]

Hey! I don't think my scalp is loose at all! How can I loosen up my scalp?? LOL

Massage!

And you don't have to feel other people's scalps to know if yours is loose. A loose scalp slides over the skull easily. A tight one doesn't move. Sometimes it is some parts of your scalp that feel tighter than others. A good regular massage can change that.

 

[tiffers]

I believe there is something to the "loose scalp".
A few years ago, I started an
Unconventional Ways to Grow Long, Healthy Hair thread and posted a yoga exercise that I do. It's purpose is to massage and loosen the scalp to stimulate hair growth. It's from a great book called, "Richard Hittleman's Yoga 28 Day Exercise Plan". It feels so good too. Here it is:

Okay, so you actually grab your hair at the roots and pull it hard? Would that be kinda dangerous? I want to try this, but I keep imagining pulling plugs out of my head!

When you go back and forth, do you just keep tugging on the same spot, or do you pull on different spots around your head so you don't put too much stress on one section?

 

[discodumpling]

My hair has reaped the rewards of daily scalp massages with whatever oil of moment i'm enjoying. I prefer light & absorbant oils like coconut, jojoba & grapeseed.

When I started my journey my scalp was always tight, itchy & irritable. Through the use of various nourishing oils & consistant scalp massage i've ALMOST optimized my scalp. It's supple & moisturized most days; I only have slight discomfort during PMS :tmi:

...and oh yes I like it rough

 

[Nonie]

Sonce, I recently discovered that I'd been doing half the scalp exercise on Tom Haggerty's websites. I got his CD video and got to see how it's done and if you're just moving the ears back, and thus your scalp back, that's only half the exercise and you can get an even greater movement if you raise eyebrows first. This moves scalp forward. When you relax eyebrows, that's when you flex the muscles at the back of the head to move scalp and ears back. When you see him doing it, it's almost like watching a cartoon. I've added the forward scalp shift by raising eyebrows before I do the ears back movement, and it seems my muscles are moving so much more the more I do it. I'm so inspired and it's fun alternating. I just can't do the eyebrow part in public. I probably already scare folks w/ just the backward ear movement alone.

 

[JustKiya]

INTERESTING!

I like pulling on my hair - just gently, not hard enough to pull hairs out, but hard enough to make your skin 'lift' a little.

I'm 31, no lines on my forehead, either. And my scalp is pretty loose - it slides pretty easy (though ya'll should see me here rubbing spots to see if they feel tight! )

I've gotta stay on top of my massages, though!

 

[Shaley]

Massage!

And you don't have to feel other people's scalps to know if yours is loose. A loose scalp slides over the skull easily. A tight one doesn't move. Sometimes it is some parts of your scalp that feel tighter than others. A good regular massage can change that.

My aunt and cousin's scalps are both very loose...sometimes it looks kinda gross.. I guess that's because mine is so tight and I'm not using to seeing that.
Before, their scalps were normal or semi-tight like everyone elses but their beautician told them that their scalp was not supposed to be tight like that. She told them they need to massage every day or at least several times a week...and she thoroughly massages their hair at appointment time.
They both have healthy, long hair.
Everyone always comments about how loose their scalp is...

 

[melissa-bee]

Interesting...

 

[onelove08]

^ Very!!!!

 

[Aisling~Siahbon]

does this affect your facial features? like saggy eye brows ect.

 

[Nonie]

does this affect your facial features? like saggy eye brows ect.

Nope. It actually tones your forehead so you never have frown lines, thus keeping your eyebrows where they should be. The effect is actually so good that it gets harder with time to form wrinkles on your forehead when you raise your eyebrows.


Normally when you raise your eyebrows, this happens:

Deep furrows form as the frontalis muscles of the forehead contract causing the skin to wrinkle:

​

But the more you do the exercise, the muscles of your forehead tone up and this tone up so that its as if your skin is ironed out.

I've been doing the scalp flex on and off for years and when I raise my eyebrows, this is what happens:

ETA: My eyebrow position has not changed. Top pic below taken way before I ever did the scalp exercise; bottom pic taken after a few years of doing it (The pics were taken about 14 or 15 years apart):

 

[lea86111]

my scalp is extremely loose (bad girl lol jk) and i remember a boy making fun of it in elementary school, i don3 remember how we got to talking about this but yeah. I was born n raised in italy but i am a ghanaian so they were all white. The boy said i must've had a scalp transplant and that's why my hair was so different funny thing is that being in elementary school i actually entertained the thought in my head! Lol

 

[Nova]

When I was a girl, my mother told me hair grows easily/faster if you have a lose scalp. Mine was tight as a drum! She also told me daily scalp massages will stimulate hair growth.

I remember once when her sister came to visit, she told us standing on your head a few minutes a day will make your hair grow faster (due to increased circulation). We all laughed at her. It seems she got the last laugh after all...