What Are Jade Combs And Should You Be Using One?
If you stay current with the latest beauty trends, you've probably heard of jade rollers, but you might not be familiar with jade combs. Fans of jade rollers use them for facial massage as part of their skin care routine. According to Everyday Health, jade has long been used in Chinese and East Asian medicine for both cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Now, a more recent trend is to use this polished mineral as a scalp massager and for combing the hair.
You may want to try jade combs for their feel-good benefits of relieving tension across the head and scalp and enhancing relaxation (per Everyday Health). "Using the toothed side on the scalp with a bit more pressure stimulates the scalp, [theoretically] bringing fresh blood to the area," Tom Ingegno, an acupuncturist and owner of Charm City Integrative Health in Baltimore, told Everyday Health. Besides feeling great, jade combing — by boosting circulation — is touted to stimulate hair growth.
Do jade combs work?
Research on the effectiveness of jade combs is lacking, however, according to Healthline. While using a jade comb to massage your scalp is safe, there's not much evidence to suggest that it can actually help promote hair growth. A small 2016 study published in Eplasty found that regular scalp massages may lead to thicker hair. These results were supported by a 2019 study published in Dermatology and Therapy. However, these findings were self-reported.
Further research is still needed to determine whether or not scalp massages can effectively stimulate hair growth. Despite a lack of concrete results, you can still use jade combs to massage your scalp. At the very least, it might feel good and help you relax. "If you're trying to relax the scalp and relieve some tension, you might notice a change after the first time," Ingegno told Everyday Health. "If you're looking to see thicker, healthier hair, it could take a few months, [or may never come to be]."