Yahoo Lifestyle Scouted: I Visited a Reiki Hairstylist for Help With My Thinning Strands—Here’s What Happened
Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.
I have had thick, long hair for most of my life. There were the occasional short haircuts and some moments of shedding during life’s stressful seasons, but, for the most part, my hair has always been pretty full. That is, until very recently. Life has gotten the best of me, and I have been s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d to the max, which has caused some pretty intense hair loss. At first, I didn’t think the thinning was a big deal, but when the shedding persisted for over a month, I started to get concerned.
I work in hair and beauty, so I’m familiar with what the hair pros recommend in times of duress. So, I stocked up my Ulta cart and let these expert-approved hair loss treatments work their magic… or so I had hoped. Unfortunately, none of the go-to hair loss formulas (shampoos, conditioners, scalp exfoliants, etc.) were helping to quell the hair loss.
While venting to a friend, she recommended I try Reiki (a Japanese technique for stress reduction and healing) and knew exactly who I should go to—Reiki ceremonial hairstylist Jo Marie. A few weeks later, I was parked in her chair, detailing my struggles. I told her how my hair had lost its density, which was most notable when putting it up in a half-up style. Typically, I had a lot of hair at the top and bottom. Now? Not so much.
“It could be a number of reasons. Our hair does just change over time,” Jo told me while visiting Freija Collective in Los Angeles. Jo whipped out her scalp camera to get up close and personal with what was going on atop my head. “This camera helps discover any imbalances that may be on the scalp,” Jo said while running the camera across my scalp. “It looks like you might be a little dry, but it’s not an abnormal amount of dryness,” she mentioned about my scalp, recommending her Reiki ceremonial scalp facial as a starting point for my hair regrowth journey.
Jo started the facial with some hair oiling, using the Hui Hui Essentials Growth Stimulant Scalp Rescue Day, a product she recommended I use in my daily haircare routine going forward. “The peppermint oil in this formula is great for hair growth,” she shared. “I really like [it] because I have a tight, tense scalp and peppermint helps loosen up tension.”
As Jo worked the oil through my scalp, she used a gua sha tool to aid in the massage. “The massage part is really important for hair stimulation,” she stresses. “Gua sha can help stimulate the scalp better than your fingers alone, which is why I always recommend using the tool at home when hair oiling.”
Once my hair was oiled, we went to Jo’s treatment room, where my strands were wrapped in a heat cap to allow the oil to work its magic. While lying down on the massage table, I was asked to hold two crystals in the palms of my hands and rest my eyes with a rose quartz eye mask. From there, Jo sent Reiki to the points that needed it most, noting that both my heart and throat chakras were craving some healing.
After the treatment and Reiki, Jo washed out the oil and applied a scalp gel while sharing what she picked up about my energy during the Reiki session. “Your throat and heart chakras needed to be open, which makes sense given the stressful experience you’ve had recently,” she noted. “Focusing on opening these chakras can help you become aligned, which can help with scalp regrowth in a way. When our chakras are in alignment, everything else can fall into place.” She also recommended I try some grounding practices, like walking barefoot in the grass or along the sand, to align my chakras. “I know this sounds very hippie-dippy, but it does work,” Jo noted.
We finished out the treatment with a blow-dry that left my scalp feeling brand new. Jo was also kind enough to leave me with some words of advice for conquering my hair-thinning problems at home, along with sharing some products she would recommend to keep my scalp in check.
Jo shared that there are topical products to use and internal products that can help as well. For the topical portion, she recommended both Hui Hui Essentials Growth Stimulant hair oils, along with the Hui Hui Essentials Agua Escape Root Revival. “It helps with a lot of scalp issues because it increases blood flow and circulation with its botanical blend of oils and other hair-loving ingredients,” Jo said. “I like to spray it on my scalp after I shampoo and leave it in. You can also apply it to your ends as well, especially if they’re feeling dry or damaged.”
Aside from topical hair growth treatments, Jo emphasized the importance of supplementation and proper nutrition. “Make sure you’re up on your vitamins,” she told me. “I recommend getting labs done to see if there’s possibly anything internal going on that a doctor would be better able to help you with than a topical product.” As far as vitamins and nutrients go, she suggested vitamin D, iron, B12, and collagen.
I’m only a few weeks into my post-Reiki scalp treatment routine, but so far, I’ve noticed far less thinning in the shower and when I brush my hair. If you’re also struggling with thinning hair and have tried it all, I highly recommend visiting Jo at Freija Collective to receive a scalp consultation and Reiki scalp facial. Shop Jo Marie’s Reiki-approved hair growth recommendations below.
