In Western countries we might pamper ourselves with an Indian Head massage (also called Champi massage) from time to time when we need some relaxation. However, in India the use of the Champi massage is quite different as it is seen as a part of women´s daily beauty routines. And I got to experience this first-hand!
Indian Head massage for dry hair
In the State of Goa in India, I was recently staying with some friends that are living there since years back. On the second day of my stay their lovely housekeeper, a young women named Sunita, was inspecting my hair for a while before she announced that it was terribly dry and needed immediate treatment in the form of an Indian head massage. She told me that in her family they often apply the Champi massage to each other using different oils and creams in order to maintain their hair shiny and nourished. As I would never say no to a massage, I accepted the treatment with pleasure!
Nourishing Champi massage with coconut milk
Somewhat to my surprise, Sunita started preparing for our Indian head massage session by crashing a coconut and squeezing
out the milk it contains. Then she mixed the coconut milk with a small amount of water. She told me that with the help of the Champi massage, the coconut milk would reach deep into my hair and scalp and leave my hair nourished, hydrated and shiny. As she started to apply the massage I felt the softness and smoothness of the coconut milk in my hair along with her hands that worked on my scalp, bringing me into a profound state of relaxation. After the head massage session, I was told to let the coconut milk dry in my hair as this way its nourishing effects would act deeper and last longer. After about 30 minutes I washed my hair and it felt amazingly silky and shiny!
It was a great experience for me and interesting to see that they still use the Champi massage as a part of their beauty routines (at least in some families), as they did centuries ago when it originated in India. I definitely think that we could try to include the massage in our daily beauty routines also in the Western countries. We only need to learn how to apply the Indian Head massage and get our family and friends to study it as well!
Happy massaging,
Massage Around the World
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