Scalp massage increases circulation and brings vital nutrients to the hair follicle. During massage, hair follicles and the skin of your scalp are kneaded and stretched in a way that promotes genes associated with hair growth.
In this limited study, nine men received 4 minutes of daily scalp massage for 24 weeks. At the end of the trial, researchers measured an increase in the density of individual hairs.
Though it’s unknown if these results will translate to women, the researchers noted a significant number of genes were affected by the massage experiment (2655 genes were upregulated and 2823 genes were downregulated). With such a significant number of genes affected, would venture to say there’s likely to be some level of overlap between men and women. All in all, this is great news for folks who love scalp massages!