Sometimes life sends us an unexpected gift of a person, treatment or lesson that ends up being so
Wellness Know How: Ilapothecary
Tag: women
From cynic to fan: Jade Beauty Head Massage Tool from Hayou Method
While I am a big fan of quality hair brushes, like Kent, Tangle Teezer or Wet Brush, that don’t irritate the scalp, nor pull your hair out when brushing, recent hype about jade & rose quartz head massage tools has left me cold – yet another expensive tool that we don’t need in our arsenal, I thought to myself. Yet the images of Chinese concubines and Japanese geishas brushing their gloriously long and glossy manes kept swirling in my mind and when an opportunity to try the launched in October Jade Beauty Head Massage Tool from Hayou Method arose, I guess I was in the right frame of mind for an experiment.
Designed for use directly on the scalp, the latest tool from Katie Brindle, Chinese Medicine practitioner & founder of Hayo’u Method, offers multiple health and beauty benefits. Based on highly researched massage techniques, the promise is that it is extremely easy and enjoyable to use. Through Gua Sha (a massage technique using a tool) and conscious breathing exercises, you can help reduce the signs of premature ageing, while also looking after your internal health. So far, so easy!
The benefit of regular head massage should never be underestimated and while the long-term effect depends on a variety of factors, brushing your hair and massaging your scalp promotes healthier hair growth, stimulates the scalp, reduces stress & tension, increases energy levels and promotes the sense of calm & relaxation.
According to Katie, Hair Combing (or Combing Therapy) is an extension of Chinese Medecinal Massage Tui Na and Jade Beauty Restorer Comb offers you a daily beauty ritual that can have long-term benefits not only for your state of mind, but the health of your scalp and hair.
Hayo’u Method Jade Beauty Restorer Comb (£38)
‘What Will it Do?’ I wondered, as I got to grips with brushing my and my daughter’s hair and scalp with a jade comb. Its soothing shade of green and lightness both pleasing on the eye and soothing for the mind. Well, combined with the ritual, it will improve the blood circulation to the scalp, which in turn will deliver more essential nutrients to the hair follicles, which in its turn will help determine how healthy your hair will be (coupled with other factors, like lifestyle, existing health conditions, DNA & nutrition). Using this comb also massages the acupressure points, regulating the meridians (or energy channels) on your head. Using it daily will have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body and will help reduce stress – something that I can testify to. The actual process of brushing your hair and stimulating the scalp with this jade comb slows you down, allowing for your actions to be almost sloth-like, leaving you calm and energised in equal measure.
Interestingly, because of the size and the way that the comb ends are shaped (it is quite comfortable to hold in your hand too, allowing for more precise movements, but make sure that your hands are dry, so it doesn’t slip out and break !) it will help clean the scalp of dead skin and dandruff. It also feels very satisfying to gently untangle the knots out of the hair with the comb at the end of the day, especially if yours is long.
Katie helpfully shared a video about the best ways to put this comb to good use and after watching it & improving my own technique, I got on with using it daily, often twice a day, in the morning after brushing my teeth and in the evening as I unwind in my bathroom in silence. There is something almost Pavlovian in the pleasure derived from slowly running the comb over your scalp and hair, slowing down the breathing and emptying your mind of the clutter.
And it wasn’t just me who enjoyed using this comb, but my little girl too. While I got too pocessive over ‘the fragility’ of jade, if it gets dropped on the tiled bathroom floor, I very much enjoy the tender moments with my daughter in the evening, brushing her hair, catching up on day’s events, plans for the next day and unwinding together before bedtime. We also added our own twist to the technique, leaning forward and brushing the scalp and hair from the back forward, with the blood rushing to the head for a brief period of time and it feels so good to then look int the mirror and see a lion’s thick mane of hair .)
So, do I still think that a jade hair comb is an unnecessary gimmick? Absolutely and resoundingly ‘no’. I absolutely LOVE using this Jade Beauty head Massage Tool and have noticed that my scalp feels less dry and the hair seems to be shinier after about four weeks. Now I also look forward to my daily hair & scalp brushing ritual, which before seemed more like a quick chore, rather than something special. The art of enjoyment of little things that make a difference to how we look and feel!
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Annie arrived quietly, but her wild mane of hair and a coat in an eye-catching shade of coral red, accompanied by her wide smile, which seemed to draw people towards her (one will later spill water over her, eliciting first surprise and then an understanding giggle from Annie) and within minutes, joined by a fellow beauty blogger Ailish Lucas, we all chatted away like old friends.
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