Indian Head Massage uses & benefits

Indian Head massage,

like most holistic treatments, is ancient, dating back over a thousand years. Its roots lie in the Indian practise and belief of Ayurvedic Healing. The word Ayurveda is composed of two words of Sanskrit, ayur, meaning life and veda, meaning knowledge. Ayurveda is the medical practice of ancient India and was passed down from generation to generation.

History

Traditionally Indian Head Massage treated only the head, scalp & hair. Mothers used techniques to treat their daughter’s hair, or those of their relatives & friends. They infused herbs and spices with oils to nourish and protect the hair. They also believed that by working on the head the practice nourished the whole body, mind and spirit too, bringing balance, health and long life.

We can thank Narendra Mehta for our modern take on Indian Head massage. Mehta grew up in an Indian community where this type of massage was an important part of everyday life. He moved to England to train as a physiotherapist in the 1970’s before returning to India in 1978 (although I think his certificates will be a little out of date now). Once back in his home land he began to study the ancient art and its benefits. Mehta expanded the therapy to include the face, neck, shoulders and chest and included modern knowledge of acupressure and shiatsu. All together now “Thank you Narendra for being the first to formalize Indian Head Massage as an actual therapy.”

Uses and benefits

Indian head Massage has a long, long list of uses and benefits so we’ll try to categorize them here:

Head

• Encourage hair growth

• Reduce hair loss

• Nourish hair for healthy shine

• Help with alopecia

• Reduce stress

• Reduce muscular tension

• Improve blood flow to the scalp and brain

• Improve quality of sleep

• Combat anxiety & depression

• Eases headaches

Face

• Reduce muscle tension in jaw & eyes

• Nourish skin for healthy glow

• Increases circulation for improved skin health

• Smooth out fine lines

• Promote relaxation and peace

• Eases sinusitis

Neck & shoulders

• Ease out muscle tension & pain

• Improve range of motion

• Combat stress by working on trigger areas

• Improve posture

• Breakdown knots and trigger points

• Increases the lymph flow to remove toxins and boost immune system

Oils

• Almond oil, full of protein and vitamins A, B, D & E. It adds gloss, particularly to dyed hair and is an excellent moisturizer for dry hair. It also warms muscles which soothes pain & tension.

• Mustard seed oil nourishes dry scalp and is great at relieving pain, tension & inflammation. It boosts the circulation to bring nutrient rich blood to all areas treated, causing healing and growth.

• Coconut oil softens and moisturizes both hair and skin. It’s great for dry, brittle hair, promotes hair growth and helps reduce inflammation.

• Sesame seed oil is packed with Vitamin E, iron, calcium & phosphorus. It strengthens and protects hair and helps to clear congested skin. It relieves tightness in muscles.

• Olive oil promotes hair growths and thickens hair over time. It reduces swelling and tension in muscles.

Indian head massage is a truly beautiful treatment, leaving you completely at ease and at peace. Being able to target those specific areas of tension means this treatment gets results. For stress, sore muscles, anxiety or just because you can’t really go wrong here. There is just something so ultimately soothing about massage for the head that really makes this treatment one of my favorites.

Have a look at my website to see what other amazing therapies are on offer!