If you want silky, shiny and healthy hair without splurging on a salon treatment, it’s time to indulge in an at-home head spa! Recreate that luxurious, relaxing experience right in your own bathroom in five simple steps.
Step 1
Start by treating your scalp to a massage. This not only nourishes your scalp, but also gets the blood flowing, encourages hair growth and healthier roots. Use your fingertips to massage in gentle, circular motions for 10-15 minutes, or call in a scalp exfoliating tool.
Step 2
Use a mild shampoo that suits your hair type to ensure your locks are squeaky- clean and ready to soak up the nutrients from the treatments to follow. Work up a good lather, focusing on your roots, then rinse off with lukewarm water.
Step 3
Apply a hair mask or deep-conditioning treatment from roots to tips, ensuring every strand is coated. Leave it on for 20-30 minutes. For an extra spa-like touch, wrap your hair in a warm towel to help the mask penetrate deeper while you relax and unwind.
Step 4
Rinse off the mask with lukewarm water, ensuring no residue is left behind. Apply conditioner, focusing on the ends, then finish with a cold-water rinse to seal the hair cuticles and boost shine.
Step 5
Pat your hair dry with a soft towel, then apply a leave-in conditioner or hair serum to lock in moisture. If blow-drying, use a heat protectant first. Finally, spritz with your favourite hair fragrance and you’re all set with salon-worthy locks at home!
Try these top products to elevate your at-home head spa
Give this treatment a go
Shopping editor Sarah Templeton booked in for a salon tress test!
Hair washing has been a part of my weekly routine since the age of seven. Three times a week for 23 years – that’s around 3500 shampoos in my lifetime. And as I learned in a confronting consult during a recent head spa, I’ve been doing it wrong the whole time!
A facial for your scalp, utilising massage and speciality products, head spas are cropping up in salons around the country. So, I went to find out what all the fuss is about with a Japanese Head Spa ($188) from scalp master Koji Hirota at hair salon Morgan and Morgan in Auckland.
Head spas are all about improving hair health from the root to tip. Koji kicked things off by examining my scalp using a microscope, and the result was a confronting image of blocked hair follicles and a flaky, crusty scalp.
Koji gave my scalp a thorough going over with an exfoliating detox gel, before leading me to a massage chair at the basin and tucking me under a thick blanket.
The next 60 minutes were spent thoroughly shampooing every square inch of my scalp, before applying treatment masks to restore my scalp’s microbiome. While those soaked, Koji gave me the most incredible neck massage I’ve ever experienced.
Far too soon, I was awakened from a state of deep Zen and headed back to my chair, where I was treated to more neck and shoulder massages. When he rechecked scalp under the microscope, the difference was obvious to see. The skin was gleaming, the strands were hydrated and the follicles were unblocked.
To round things off, Koji treated me to a full bouncy blowout – quite different to the usual post-massage scurry to the car with a slicked scalp full of oils. I’m a head spa convert. It would make a fabulous treat before a special occasion.”
Koji’s tips for an at-home head spa
Lather: You need to activate your shampoo for it to properly do its job. Emulsify in your hands, then really get in there, massaging it throughout the scalp. It should be foamy. If your arms are getting sore, you’re doing it right!
Time: Much like shaving your legs, washing your hair shouldn’t be something you rush through. Choose a time when you can give it your full attention – aka, not when you’re running late for work or a school drop-off.
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