Can massaging expensive oils into your scalp really give you better hair? Do you need some Scalp treatment and you are around California?
Well, getting a scalp treatment is a beauty ritual that’s been around for years but is enjoying a resurgence thanks to a growing interest in anything that promises relaxation. And this does feel great, but what’s it going to do for your hair? Well yes! So here are some scalp treatments and products in California.
Today, the simple rules of shampooing regularly and not shedding dandruff onto one’s sweater is no longer sufficient in a world of routine “manscaping” body waxes and lunchtime Restalyne appointments.
Driving the trend is the growing obsession with head-to-toe luxury, experts say, combined with the beauty industry’s hunt for body areas that have so far not been seen to require greasing up, injecting or plucking – past examples including the neck, the back of the hand, and one that many women are still smarting from: the Brazilian wax.
This most recent fixation focuses on the root of the problem, so to speak: sebum and sweat. The average scalp houses 100,000 hair follicles and skin cells that constantly are shed and regenerate. The humble scalp is getting lots of attention from spas and beauty companies that adhere to the philosophy that it be treated just like the skin on one’s face, complete with a regimen of exfoliating, cleansing (just don’t call it shampooing), toning and moisturizing.
Last month SenSpa, a wellness center and day spa in the Presidio, began offering a scalp treatment called the Ayurvedic Bliss Ritual, a combination of massage and aromatherapy with warmed essential oils and herbs poured onto the head and worked into the forehead and scalp. It’s designed to stimulate blood flow to the brain and promote mental clarity and shiny hair.
In fact, a search for “scalp treatments” on a popular listings Web site lists more than 55 spas that offer similar services in San Francisco alone.
Earlier this year, Elevation salon in the Financial District became one of just 20 salons in California to offer hair “ceremonies,” a selection of treatments for the scalp and hair created by the cosmetics company Shu Uemura. All of the treatments feature products from the line’s new Art of Hair collection, with exotic ingredients such as camellia oil, deep-sea water and white tea extract.
Furthermore, salon co-owner Joseph Roland describes the 15-, 25- and 50-minute ceremonies as “multi-sensorial luxury experiences” that incorporate shiatsu-inspired massage techniques to balance, relax and energize clients. The service costs between $50 and $150, and the shampoos and styling products cost $30 to $60 each.
“Some have always said that the best part of a haircut is the scalp massage,” he said, “And this really takes that to the ultimate level.”
Another Japanese beauty company, DHC, which has its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, introduced its olive-oil-based Head Oil scalp treatment in 2000 and sells about 4,000 bottles nationwide each year ($17.50, at www.dhccare.com).
“DHC adapted the same principle of using conditioning, nutritive oil – but to rid unwanted buildup as well as deposit moisture – right at the follicle roots,” said Miles Perdiguerra, the company’s marketing director.
There’s also Bain de Terre’s Sugar & Fig Scalp Massage Scrub ($18, at www.baindeterre.com); Carita’s Nutri-Repairing Radiance Shampoo ($30, at www.carita.com), formulated to rinse away buildup caused by hard-water residue; and Aveda’s Scalp Remedy Dandruff Solution ($24, at www.aveda.com), which has salicylic acid to tone the scalp in addition to other conditioning ingredients.
Though these products are specifically designed to be scalp-centric, the great majority of hair care and styling lotions, sprays and potions are actually what cause itchiness, flaking and lackluster locks.
“If you have an overactive gland or two mixed with residue left behind from styling products, then the dead skin cells lining the opening of your follicles won’t shed and you end up clogging your follicles – producing buildup,” said New York dermatologist Yael Halaas. A dirty scalp is not optimal for hair growth but, she adds, “avoiding it is impossible” because sweat is a natural biological function.
Of course, there’s also the Satin Jet Maia, a “beauty shower” at Barneys New York in Union Square, that turns each droplet of water into a luxurious spray of purified, chlorine-free water. Besides softening the water, the showerhead produces outward jets that create a “breathing hole,” which enables the user to comfortably face the water for longer periods of time, in turn providing deeper cleansing and a more thorough rinse of residue-causing shampoo and conditioner. But the best-selling hair product at Barneys is Phillip B.’s Anti-Flake Relief Shampoo, which at $35 a bottle is five times as expensive as its drugstore counterpart Head and Shoulders. As the beauty buyer at Barneys, Bettina O’Neill, puts it, “our customers use the best skin care and makeup products, and they are definitely looking for high-quality hair care as well.”
Additionally, there’s also a new treatment in town unlike any other. Bold statement? Yes. Unbelievable bliss? Absolutely. Just head over to Prive Salon Los Angeles to try the latest offering on their menu, the Beauty Scalp Balance treatment, not quite knowing what to expect.
You will be methodically applied Steam hair and scalp oils (a genius all-natural, mostly organic line based on classic aromatherapy founded by Carla Gentile to restore and balance your hair, scalp — and also your spirit!) and soothed away any traces of my stress with an incredible touch using authentic Indian friction techniques.
While it may alarm some to realize that we have neglected our scalps, it may also be comforting to learn that there is a new way to pamper oneself and – at best – achieve new clarity of mind that might help prevent us from falling victim to the next beauty trend.
After my mesmerizing scalp massage, you will continue again with these pamper parties with the salon’s brilliant stylists and you will immediately be impressed with your extra-glossy, healthier-looking locks. Once your hair was shampooed and blown out like a bombshell, you will surely feel like a brand new person from the inside out. Ninety minutes of total relaxation merged with supermodel-worthy salon time? So, you will definitely enjoy these scalp treatments.