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Step 1:
Place your hands on either side of your client’s scalp. Ask them to take a deep breath; as they exhale, slowly press your hands together with a gentle compression stroke. Repeat 2 times (this should take approximately 15 seconds). This technique helps your client focus by bringing their ahh-wareness into the body.
Step 2:
Apply Renewing Scalp Care Scrub-to-Foam. With all fingers except your thumbs, use a gliding back-and-forth motion to massage the scalp. Concentrate on a small section of the scalp for approximately 5 seconds before moving on to another area. Repeat until you have covered the entire scalp. This technique helps with scalp exfoliation and stimulating surface circulation.
Step 3:
Massage the scalp using a pinching technique with the thumbs. Start along the hairline at the midline with your thumbs facing each other about 1 centimeter apart. Press your thumbs together, lifting the scalp tissue. Release and move your thumbs along the midline. Continue the technique along the midline until you reach the back of the head. Repeat the technique with 4 more lines (2 on each side of the midline) to cover the entire scalp. This technique relaxes muscle tissue and stimulates surface circulation.
Step 4:
Using the palm of one hand while stabilizing the head with the other hand, massage the scalp with circular motions. You can remain in one spot to move the tissue (the tissue moves with your hand), then follow with circular gliding motions (your hand moves over the tissue). Repeat until you cover the entire scalp. This technique relaxes muscle tissue and exfoliates.
Step 5:
Massage the GV21 (Governing Vessel 21 or One Hundred Meeting Point), located at the crown of the head, using circular friction motions. Massaging this point, a converging area of the subtle energy of the body in the head, can calm the mind and help with focus.
Step 6:
Massage the GB8 (Gall Bladder 8 or Leading Valley Point), located a finger’s width above the top of ear, using circular friction motions. Massaging this point can calm the mind and help alleviate headaches.
Step 7:
Massage the pressure points along the occipital ridge with circular friction motions for 1 minute.
POINT 1: GV16 (Wind Mansion), located along the midline at the occipital ridge posterior to the external occipital protuberance. “GV” means governing vessel, the main energy channel that runs up along the midline of spine.
POINT 2: B10 (Heavenly Pillar), located one finger’s width lateral to the GV16 on either occipital ridge. “B” means bladder meridian side of the occipital ridge.
POINT 3: GB20 (Heaven’s Gate), ocated one to one and a half finger’s width lateral to B10 on either side of the occipital ridge. “GB” means gall bladder meridian. These points are among the most important areas of the body to massage. From an energy perspective in Chinese medicine, B10 and GB20 are exit points for energy from the head. The bladder and gall bladder meridians both begin in the head, then exit the head at these points to work their way down the back side of the body to the feet. As many of us spend much of our waking hours thinking, working these points can help get energy that may be stuck in the head moving more efficiently along the channels. In addition, there are multiple muscle attachments along the occipital ridge so working the entire occipital ridge including these specific points can help loosen muscle tension through the head, neck, and shoulders.