Does Brushing Your Scalp Make Hair Grow? What the Research Shows

Brushing your hair is not the same as the scalp massage that has been studied. A small study of a standardized scalp massage found increased hair thickness after 24 weeks, but we found no study that brushing 100 or 200 times a day grows hair, and one study of Afro hair found that damage rose with the number of combing strokes.

Here's what the research says about scalp massage, what it suggests about brushing, and how to be gentle with your hair.

Key Takeaways

• In nine men, 4 minutes of standardized scalp massage a day for 24 weeks increased hair thickness.
• In a survey of 327 people with pattern hair loss who tried a 20-minute massage routine, 68.9% reported hair loss stabilization or regrowth. It was a self-reported survey with no control group.
• In a study of Afro hair, surface hair-fiber damage rose with the number of combing strokes, and 480 strokes caused more cuticle damage than frequent braiding.
• We found no study showing that brushing 100 or 200 times a day grows hair.

Does Brushing Your Scalp Make Hair Grow?

The idea comes from the old advice to brush 100 times a day. The research doesn't test that. What it tests is massage, which applies pressure and stretching to the scalp, and the one thing it measured was hair thickness.

Brushing, Massage And Shedding

Brushing a lot isn't the same as massaging. Brushing and combing put repeated mechanical stress on hair fibers, while a massage moves the scalp skin with your fingers or a device. If you're losing hair, see a dermatologist rather than relying on either.

Check out the FullyVital hairbrush - it's designed to help you get thicker, fuller hair.

How To Be Gentle

• Use a brush that glides through your hair without pulling.
• Don't count strokes. More isn't better for hair fibers.

What The Research Shows

A Standardized Scalp Massage

Nine healthy men received 4 minutes of standardized scalp massage a day for 24 weeks using a device. Hair thickness increased after 24 weeks (0.085 vs 0.092 mm). In the lab, stretching human dermal papilla cells changed the expression of thousands of genes, including hair-cycle genes. The authors concluded that massage transmits mechanical stress to dermal papilla cells (Koyama et al., 2016). It was a very small study.

A Survey Of People With Pattern Hair Loss

In a retrospective survey of 1,899 people invited and 340 who responded, 327 tried a twice-daily, 20-minute scalp massage routine. 68.9% reported hair loss stabilization or regrowth, and more time spent massaging was linked to more perceived change. It was self-reported and had no control group (English & Barazesh, 2019).

Combing Strokes And Damage

In 30 women, frequent braiders had thinner, weaker hair with more cuticle damage and higher traction alopecia scores than occasional braiders. In a separate test on naturally curly Afro hair, surface fibre damage rose linearly with the number of combing strokes, and cuticle damage from 480 strokes was more severe than from frequent braiding (Molamodi et al., 2021). The study was on Afro hair.

Check out the FullyVital hair growth system to get thicker, fuller and stronger hair starting in 60 days!

See also: Hair Cortex: What It Is and Why It Matters · Hair Crimping: Heat Damage & What the Research Shows

Comparing oils? See our guide to rosemary oil for hair growth, the oil with the most research behind it.

For how each stage of hair growth works and how fast hair grows back, see our guide to the hair growth cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does brushing your hair make it grow?

We found no study showing it does. A small study found scalp massage increased hair thickness.

Does brushing cause hair loss?

We found no study showing that brushing causes hair loss. In a study of Afro hair, damage to the hair fibre rose with the number of combing strokes.

Is scalp massage worth trying?

It has early evidence for hair thickness. If you're losing hair, see a dermatologist for the cause.

References

1. Koyama T, Kobayashi K, Hama T, et al. Standardized Scalp Massage Results in Increased Hair Thickness by Inducing Stretching Forces to Dermal Papilla Cells in the Subcutaneous Tissue. Eplasty. 2016. PubMed
2. English RS Jr, Barazesh JM. Self-Assessments of Standardized Scalp Massages for Androgenic Alopecia: Survey Results. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2019. PubMed
3. Molamodi K, Fajuyigbe D, Sewraj P, et al. Quantifying the impact of braiding and combing on the integrity of natural African hair. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2021. PubMed