Comb your hair 100 times every morning during spring
An ancient Chinese text, "On Health Preservation," states: "During the first three months of spring, comb your hair one or two hundred times each morning." This implies two meanings: first, combing your hair contributes to health preservation; second, spring is the ideal season for such practice.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, meridians run throughout the body, connecting internal and external organs, regulating blood and qi flow, and facilitating communication among bodily systems. Blood and qi circulate through these meridians to nourish tissues, resist external pathogens, and protect the body. The "Baihui" point (the Hundred Meetings) on the top of the head gets its name because meridians directly converge here or indirectly affect it. Thus, combing your hair helps unblock meridians, promote blood circulation, nourish and strengthen hair, enhance brain function, improve hearing, clear vision, and prevent headaches.
It is recorded that even as early as the Sui Dynasty, renowned physician Chao Yuanfang clearly stated that combing hair promotes blood circulation, dispels wind-dampness, and prevents premature graying. Su Dongpo had deep personal experience with how combing hair aids sleep, once saying: "Comb your hair over a hundred times, let your hair loose, lie down, and sleep soundly until dawn."
Combing your hair in spring aligns with seasonal health preservation principles, helping to activate yang energy, relieve stagnation, regulate blood and qi, thus strengthening the body.
What are the proper techniques for health-preserving hair-combing? You should comb your entire scalp—both the center and sides—from the hairline at the forehead all the way to the nape of the neck. Each area should be combed at least 50 times for effectiveness, with the upper limit determined by comfort. Morning is the best time, as it coincides with the natural rise of yang energy. Use combs made of ox horn, jade, or wood.
Doctors particularly caution that hair-combing merely promotes meridian unblocking and bodily balance—it is a health-preserving method, not a substitute for medical treatment when illness occurs.
For cerebrovascular disease: additionally massage the Yongquan and Taichong acupoints on the feet.
For headache: massage the Hegu and Fengchi acupoints on the hands.
For insomnia: massage the Yongquan and Sanyinjiao acupoints on the legs and feet.