One of the most essential things to establish in order to grow more hairs, either on your scalp, beard, or anywhere else on the body, is good blood circulation.
So now the question becomes, how can I increase blood flow to my scalp?
To answer the question briefly already, exercising, drinking enough water, and a healthy diet are the most important things to get in order to improve blood flow to the scalp.
Yet, many more tips exist. Let me explain what other things we can do to improve our circulatory system.
How can I increase blood flow to my scalp? Practical tips
Massage your scalp
Massaging your scalp is one of the best ways to promote blood flow.
Apply gentle pressure to the scalp while moving your fingers in circular motions. This will promote good blood flow to those areas by opening up the present blood vessels. This will motivate the blood vessels to supply an increased amount of nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles.
If you don’t want to do the manual work, then electronic devices that do the massage for you exist as well at the cost of being more pricey.
Healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet isn’t just important to increase blood flow to your scalp, but also to lead a long, flourishing life.
A good diet should consist of plenty of protein, zinc, vitamin A, and biotin. Try to eat unprocessed foods while maintaining a large variety of meat, vegetables, and fruits. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring, nor bland. As long as you eat a varied diet, you should be fine.
Drink enough water
Drinking enough water is critical for a variety of reasons such as staying hydrated and having well functioning kidneys, but also by improving blood circulation due to improving blood flow through the entire body since it provokes the veins to expand.
Drinking water that’s too cold, however, can cause the blood vessels to close due to vasoconstriction.
Cleanse your scalp regularly with shampoo
Residue buildup can in rare cases interrupt proper blood flow to the scalp. But most people who wash their hair and scalp regularly should not encounter this problem.
Washing your hair every few days with shampoo is good practice. Using a clarifying shampoo every once in a while can be beneficial since it cleanses the scalp of dead skin cells, and prevents unreasonable buildup of oil.
Minoxidil shampoo doesn’t exist yet, but shampoo promoting hair growth does.Brush your hair regularly
The bristles of your brush rubbing against the skin of your scalp is known to stimulate blood flow under the skin since it is a bit of a massaging motion due to the gentle pressure it places on the scalp.
Furthermore, the slight scratches it can make on the scalp can be compared to a very light micro needling procedure, which has been shown to be beneficial for hair growth/regrowth.
Massage your scalp with essential oils
Massaging your scalp with a mixture of essential oils such as rosemary and cedar wood can aid blood circulation in the scalp.
They can also be used to keep the scalp in a healthy state by fighting off microbic infections.
Use hair growth stimulators
Hair growth stimulators such as minoxidil and oral finasteride have the appropriate scientific backup that proves that they’re effective at promoting hair growth by stimulating blood circulation in the topically applied region.
Furthermore, they help by stimulating the present, but maybe dormant hair follicles. It should be noted however that hair follicles can’t be revived if they’re dead. At least not by the use of popular, but non-invasive hair growth stimulators.
Hair masks
Creating hair masks with ingredients like fenugreek, henna, and hibiscus can help keep your hair in a smooth and vital state.
If your hair and hair follicles are in a good state, then they will be better at absorbing the much-needed nutrients from the skin in order to promote the growth of new, healthier hairs.
Practice the inversion method
The inversion method means dropping your head upside down either when standing up, or lying down. But be careful, as too much blood flow to the head can lead to dizziness and even fainting if you suddenly sit/stand back with your head straight up.
Still, this technique can improve blood flow to the scalp. Just make sure not to practice the method too long at a given time. Certainly not if you’re a beginner.
Exercise
Exercising improves blood circulation not just to the scalp, but in your entire body. The fact that it’s indispensable to stay in good shape and live a healthy life is nothing to sniff at, either.
Exercising also releases endorphins, which are basically our happiness hormones, and help to put us in a state of relaxation by reducing tension and stress. Being in a relaxed state is vital for a healthy, well functioning body with a good blood flow.
Combining minoxidil with exercise is not a problem either. Just make sure to apply after you’re done working out, or a while before so the product gets ample time to be absorbed.Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises can improve blood circulation by relaxing constricted arteries, lungs, and muscles.
Deep diaphragmatic breathing improves blood flow by pushing blood into the chest, right into the heart. It also improves oxygenation to the heart, which in turn allows it to pump blood more efficiently. Not to mention that it can lower blood pressure.
Limit stress
Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which puts our body in a state of instant readiness to fight off dangerous situations. This releases hormones that lead to slow blood circulation towards the heart by enlarging the size of our plagues.
All of this causes our blood vessels to constrict, which means blood flow becomes less efficient, and perhaps more importantly, limited.
This temporary increases our blood pressure. But if the stress becomes chronic, then issues will start to arise sooner or later since the blood circulation remains poor constantly.
It is proven that minoxidil can even help combat stress related hair loss as well.Cold showers
Cold showers help to improve blood circulation to the scalp, since cold showers means we’re showering with water that’s colder than our own natural body temperature.
Because this cold water constricts the blood circulation of our bodies surface, our bodies’ deeper tissues need to work harder to keep our core temperature by pumping blood around more efficiently. This means that frequent cold showers can help make our circulatory system more effectual.
Does increasing blood flow to scalp grow hair?
Does brushing your scalp improve blood flow?
What causes poor scalp circulation?
Firstly, blood flow towards the scalp is the hardest for the body, since it’s the furthest away from our heart. This is also mainly why most blood circulation issues towards the scalp happen.
Lack of stimulation to the scalp and hair follicles around that area is the main issue that causes poor scalp circulation.
It’s also possible that active substances like fat and keratin harden your scalp and block the hair follicles as a result.
Final note
Improving blood flow to our scalp and body is something that’s doable and well within our reach.
Like is often the case, the easy, essential things to live a healthy life such as exercising, eating healthy, and drinking enough water go a long way towards a better circulatory system as well.
But the other tips explained in this article such as brushing your hair, and massaging your scalp can aid you to optimize blood circulation to keep your hair in tip-top shape, or in order to help you regrow lost hair.