Here at Hair Loving, we'd like to raise a glass to all of you who are planning to take the time to focus on yourselves and your general well-being and happiness in the new year. There's no doubt about it: standing back to renew yourself – mentally, physically, and emotionally – puts your life into a fresh perspective and stimulates feelings of greater awareness, relaxation and rejuvenation.
Self-care
We say “good for you!” because self-care entails making a lot of important decisions. These may typically involve choosing to live a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, wholesome food choices, and the resolve to give up bad lifestyle habits like smoking and excessive drinking. Most importantly, self-care empowers you to prioritise your own emotional and physical health, and take it into your own hands. Finding the incentive to improve your quality of life may make each day more meaningful. But hang on a minute...
Self-care is also hair care
Keeping your tresses clean, healthy-looking and attractive goes hand-in-hand with self-care. Think about it. Taking care of yourself involves practising mindfulness and being attuned to your body's requirements, and that includes the needs of your hair too! Why not schedule regular moments of 'me-time' to kick-start your self-care journey to becoming hair-confident every step of the way. It couldn't be easier!
Reach your inner zen
Take the ancient Egyptians, for example. They took deep pride and pleasure in maintaining their hair, massaging castor oil and almond oil into their scalps to moisturise, condition and protect their strands in the hot and dry climate in which they lived. They also believed that oiling one's scalp would encourage hair growth and offer additional therapeutic health benefits.
Hair oiling and massage are also widespread practices in Ayurveda which has been around in India for more than 5,000 years. Ayurveda is one of the best-known medicinal systems in the world, with a focus on holistic approaches to treat the whole individual – not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. A remedial treatment involves a variety of pressure techniques applied to the head, shoulders and neck, a circular massage using aromatic oils which may enhance your tresses whilst calming an overstimulated mind.
Revitalise your scalp with a massage
Yes, we've said it before, but a good scalp massage is a terrific way to relieve tension while simultaneously increasing blood circulation to your face and head, including your hair follicles. So before we go any further, let's see again how the powerful combination of our Hair Conditioning & Support Rescue Bundles (which include Hair Loving's Oils and a Luxury Micro Fibre Towel) will restore moisture and shine to your hair whilst also improving circulation and relieving tension.
- First, thoroughly detangle your hair and wash out any styling products.
- Heat several tablespoons of oil in a metal spoon over a flame or for a few seconds in the microwave.
- Test a few drops on your inner arm, as the scalp is more sensitive to temperature than other sections of the body.
- Rub your hands together vigorously to generate heat before massaging the warm oil in both palms in a circular motion, making sure you spread the oil between your fingers and smoothing the cuticles as you go.
- Press your thumbs on your temples and place your fingers along the centre of your skull from your crown to your forehead before raking your fingers (use a little pressure) down toward your ears in a long sweeping motion.
- Massage the oil into your scalp and hair. Repeat this again only this time, from your forehead to the nape and back again.
- As you smooth the oil through the length of your hair to condition it, massage your scalp with a rhythmic pinching motion by bringing the fingertips and thumbs together, then release.
Don't be afraid to explore your entire skull and when you encounter sensitive spots, focus your fingers there and exert even more pressure. Enjoy the sensation all through your body and you should feel completely revitalised, calm, and free of any worry or anxiety – in fact, you may even experience an increase in energy as a result of this hair-loving experience.
Tap into your soul
After your scalp massage, why not relax even more with a little 'tapping' a self-care practice that involves tapping on certain spots of the body (in this case the scalp) to stimulate and promote general health and well-being?
In China, health practices like 'Qi Gong' (which means "energy work") consider that tapping can deliver a variety of health benefits, including increased levels of energy, enhanced quality of sleep, decreased levels of stress and anxiety, and a strengthened immune system.
What's more, all this extra self-pampering may trigger the relaxation reflex, which is the body's response to stress. Achieving a physiologically calm state in which your blood pressure, heart rate, digestive function, and hormone levels return to normal levels can't be bad, can it?
Let's give it a go:
- Whilst hair is wet, use your fingertips to lightly tap your scalp in a rather quick rhythm over the head, nape, brows, and jaw.
- Find the dimples on the back of your head, directly behind the tops of your ears. Apply pressure for a few seconds, then release and repeat three times.
- Put gentle but firm pressure on the hollows at the base of your skull where it meets the top of your neck and then place both hands beneath the nape, the head and the neck gently lifting and rolling them to the left. Hold this position for a few seconds before doing the same again only to the right.
- Gently wash your hair and towel most of the water out. Let your hair dry naturally.
To wrap up
Leave Hair Loving's luxury hydrating hair oil in your tresses for an overnight treatment, wrapped in our deluxe hair towel wrap. The oil will absorb deeply into hair, scalp, and roots.
A healthy body and lustrous locks will make you feel confident and good about your life, and it will also demonstrate to others that you place value on yourself.
