Add *This* To Your Shower Routine For Healthy Hair Growth

There's nothing quite like having your hair washed. It's one of life's simplest pleasures: There's just something about a professional running their fingers through your sudsy strands that sparks a certain joy, no? So, what if we told you that you could recreate the sensation without enlisting the expert fingertips of a hairstylist? 

Enter: scalp massagers, the handheld tools that make any hair care regimen feel salon-grade. Although, it's not just about the feel-good sensation. These brushes can also help lift scalp buildup, deposit your shampoo, and support circulation and kick-start healthy hair growth—the possibilities are truly endless (but more on that later). 

Below, the best scalp massagers that do it all.

Benefits of using a scalp brush

By using a scalp brush, you reap all the unique benefits of a scalp massage along with a few shower-specific perks: 

"Incorporating scalp brushes and massagers helps relax the scalp and increase suppleness," says Bridgette Hill, certified trichologist and founder of Root Cause Scalp Analysis. "We know stress tightens the scalp and impedes circulation and hair growth." With regular massage, you can release that tension and encourage blood flow to the area—which, in turn, delivers oxygen and hair-healthy nutrients to the follicles. 

That's why regular scalp massages have been associated with hair growth: "Beautiful, strong hair depends on good blood circulation, proper nutrition, and a healthy and supple scalp," says board-certified dermatologist Raechele Cochran Gathers, M.D., who specializes in hair care and founded MDHairMixtress about scalp massages. In fact, in a 2016 study, a small number of men received a daily four-minute scalp massage. At the conclusion of the study, the investigators found an increase in hair thickness1. A more recent 2019 study found that of the 300 or so participants who followed a specific massage regimen, nearly 70% reported improved hair thickness at the end2.  

These brushes can also help loosen scalp buildup, which makes it easier to rinse out all the gunk—just take a moment to massage your dry hair before your rinse. "Scalp brushes aid with exfoliation, removing dead skin cells and product buildup from the base of the hair follicle," notes Hill. 

In the shower, scalp brushes can also help deposit your shampoo and work up a lather. Of course, sulfate-free shampoos still won't foam up like their traditional counterparts, but the brush can help generate somewhat of a sudsy experience and provide a thorough cleanse. 

And thanks to the soft, flexible bristles, scalp brushes can also help pre-shampoo treatments, oils, masks, etc., seep into those follicles: "When used with a pre-shampoo oil or serum-based scalp treatment, scalp brushes and massagers aid in assisting the active ingredients to penetrate deeper," notes Hill.   

Some even use the tool post-conditioner to detangle their locks: The rubber teeth are especially soft on your strands, so they can glide through hair with ease. 

How to use a scalp massager

Ultimately, it depends on the end result you're looking for. If you're using a scalp brush to scrub in a shampoo, simply massage in circular motions after you've deposited your product. If detangling is your main gig, just rake the brush through your strands after globbing on your conditioner. 

But if you're looking for a relaxing pre-shampoo treatment (whether to help loosen buildup or promote circulation), find Hill's tutorial below:

FAQs

Still have questions? Here are the most common queries. 

Again, this will depend on your own hair care regimen—including how often you shampoo your hair or perform scalp treatments—but you can really use a scalp massager as often as you like. "For those looking to introduce scalp massage, try doing them daily for about five minutes," says Cochran Gathers. 

If that doesn't sound doable, Hill generally recommends a weekly or biweekly schedule: "Depending on your hair care regimen and scalp condition, weekly scalp massages with massagers are excellent for overall health and well-being," she says, especially if you're partial to weekly pre-shampoo treatments. Or you may pick up the scalp brush on less-frequent occasions, whenever you're looking to soothe and unwind—that's just fine, too. 

As a general rule of thumb: Larger bristles can penetrate denser strands, while thinner teeth might be best for finer hair. But according to Hill, you don't necessarily need to select a specific tool based on your hair texture, as many are quite versatile; it's much more important to think about how you plan to use it in your routine. 

For example: "For curly, tightly coiled hair types, it's best to use a scalp brush as a pre-shampoo treatment step performed weekly, biweekly, or monthly," says Hill (or whenever you plan to have a wash day). She recommends sectioning the hair into quadrants and applying your scalp treatment section by section, gently massaging each region lightly with your fingertips until each is generously coated.

Then use the scalp brush in semicircle motions, moving up and around the head. Repeat for two to three rounds, then shampoo and condition as usual. If you shampoo less frequently and have very thick, dense curls, you could add another round of scalp brushing as you work in the shampoo, says Hill. "If you do not, it is not necessary to overstimulate," she notes. 

The takeaway

Scalp brushes are an underrated hair care hero. Add one to your routine, and you can stimulate hair growth, lift buildup, ease tension, and detangle—all with one tool. Go ahead and grab one of the high-quality options above; we cannot recommend it enough.