You’ve got your derma roller, you’ve got your hair growth serum—now what? Proper technique makes a significant difference in results. Let me walk you through exactly how to microneedle your scalp effectively.
Before You Start: The Right Equipment
Needle Depth
For hair growth, you need longer needles than for facial skincare:
1.0mm: Good starting point if you’re new to scalp microneedling. Reaches upper dermis.
1.5mm: Optimal for most people. Reaches the follicle bulge where stem cells reside.
0.5mm or less: Too shallow for significant hair growth stimulation. These depths help with product absorption but won’t trigger the growth factor response you need.
Roller vs. Stamp
For scalp specifically, rollers can work well because you’re covering larger areas. However, stamping devices (pen-style) offer more precision for targeting specific thinning zones.
The Glow Hair Kit includes an appropriate device designed for effective scalp treatment.
Step-by-Step Scalp Microneedling Technique
Step 1: Prepare Your Scalp
Wash your hair with a gentle shampoo and let it dry completely. You need a clean scalp free of products, oils, and debris.
If you have longer hair, use clips to section it away from thinning areas so you can access the scalp directly.
Step 2: Apply Your Serum
Before microneedling, apply your copper peptide or growth factor serum to the areas you’ll be treating. This allows the actives to be driven deep during treatment.
Be generous—you want good coverage.
Step 3: Section and Treat Systematically
Work in sections to ensure complete coverage. For each section:
Apply moderate pressure: You want to feel the needles engaging with the scalp, but not causing significant pain. A slight prickling sensation is normal.
Roll in multiple directions: Roll horizontally, then vertically, then diagonally. This ensures you’re creating channels in all directions for thorough coverage.
4-5 passes per direction: Don’t overdo it. More passes don’t equal better results and can cause unnecessary trauma.
Lift and reposition: Don’t drag the roller from one area to another while it’s pressed into your scalp. Lift, move, then press again.
| Direction | Technique | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal | Roll from ear to ear | Covers width of treatment area |
| Vertical | Roll from forehead to crown | Covers length of treatment area |
| Diagonal | Roll at 45-degree angles | Ensures complete channel coverage |
| Multiple passes | 4-5 passes each direction | Thorough without overtreatment |
Step 4: Apply More Serum
After microneedling, apply another layer of serum. Those channels you just created are open and ready to absorb. This post-treatment application often delivers even more product to follicles than the pre-treatment dose.
Step 5: Let It Work
Don’t wash your hair for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Give the serum time to absorb through those open channels. You can gently massage the serum in, but avoid vigorous rubbing.
What to Expect During and After Treatment
During Treatment
Sensation: Mild to moderate prickling. Some areas may be more sensitive than others. It shouldn’t be painful—if it is, you’re pressing too hard.
Appearance: Slight pinkness or redness to the scalp is normal and indicates proper depth.
After Treatment
Immediately: Scalp may be pink and slightly tender. This typically resolves within hours.
Next day: Most redness should be gone. Scalp may feel slightly tight or dry.
Following days: Normal scalp sensation returns. Some people notice mild flaking as the scalp heals.
Treatment Schedule
Frequency: Once per week. Your scalp needs time to complete the healing and growth factor response between sessions.
Duration: Commit to at least 3-6 months before judging results. Hair growth is slow—stimulation today won’t be visible for months.
Maintenance: Once you see results, you can potentially reduce to every 2 weeks for maintenance.
Between Sessions
On non-microneedling days, continue applying your hair growth serum daily. The daily application maintains consistent stimulation, while weekly microneedling provides the deep delivery and growth factor boost.
Daily routine:
Apply serum to scalp in thinning areas. Massage gently for 1-2 minutes. Leave on (don’t wash out immediately if possible).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using wrong needle depth: 0.25-0.5mm won’t stimulate significant hair growth. Use 1.0-1.5mm for scalp.
Rolling too frequently: More than once a week doesn’t improve results and may cause irritation. Your scalp needs healing time.
Pressing too hard: Moderate pressure is sufficient. Excessive force causes unnecessary trauma without better results.
Skipping serum: Microneedling alone is less effective than microneedling plus topical treatment. Always use with appropriate serums.
Inconsistency: Sporadic treatments won’t produce results. Commit to weekly sessions for months.
Not sanitizing: Always clean your device. Introducing bacteria to open channels causes problems.
Optimizing Your Results
Use quality serums: Copper peptides, growth factors, or minoxidil (applied hours before or after, not immediately).
Take photos: Progress is gradual. Monthly photos help you see changes you might not notice day-to-day.
Address underlying factors: Nutrition, stress, and overall health affect hair growth. Support your treatment with good lifestyle habits.
Be patient: The hardest part. Results take months, not weeks.
The Complete Weekly Protocol
Microneedling day (once weekly):
Clean, dry scalp → Apply serum → Microneedle systematically → Apply more serum → Leave overnight → Wash next morning
Other days:
Daily serum application → Gentle massage → Leave on for hours or overnight when possible
The Bottom Line
Scalp microneedling technique matters. The right depth, proper coverage, appropriate frequency, and good serum products combine to create an effective at-home hair regrowth treatment.
Be consistent, be patient, and let those follicles respond. The results are worth the commitment.
