If you’ve ever had a yeast infection, your first stop was almost certainly the drugstore where you probably bought a tube of Monistat. Despite the availability of many OTC treatments, Monistat antifungal products have been the gold standard for treating vaginal yeast infections for more than 40 years. But, while Monistat may reduce a serious case of vaginal itching and redness, rumor has it, it may be able to do a little bit more.
Monistat contains an antifungal ingredient, miconazole, which has been gaining a lot of attention for its potential ability to increase hair growth. Despite claims that Monistat is the best alternative to hair growth products, experts have their doubts. Moreover, they’re warning that using this hair growth hack may do more harm than good. But why?
How Did The Monistat Hair Growth Hack Start?
The evidence that miconazole can promote hair growth is limited, but there is some support for it. It was concluded from one study that antifungal treatments that contain miconazole, such as Monistat, can alleviate the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis in a similar fashion as steroids.
Seborrheic dermatitis may result from an overgrowth of yeast called Malassezia. This type of yeast infection causes scratching and in turn, damage to hair follicles leading to hair thinning. Some experts believe miconazole could be a possible treatment. Miconazole may lower the dandruff-causing yeast on the skin, resulting in less flaking and irritation of the scalp.
In spite of the fact that this study may portray miconazole in a positive light, issues may actually worsen when using it. Seborrheic dermatitis can also be caused by using a vaginal cream on your head. What a surprise! If you decide to try this hair growth hack, you may end up losing more hair.
In any case, if you’d rather not deal with this not-so-promising dupe, there are plenty of other options to restore your voluminous locks.
Better Alternatives For Thinning Hair
Instead of succumbing to antifungal creams to treat your thinning hair, consider a more tried and true option. Monistat for hair loss is not scientifically supported to be used to promote hair growth. It can also cause rashes and irritation on the scalp, according to Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist. He explained to Shape that Monistat contains mineral oil, which is heavy and can clog pores. It can also completely block hair follicles and hair growth.
“There are certainly better products formulated specifically for the scalp and hair,” he said. Instead, Dr. Zeichner recommends zinc pyrithione-containing dandruff shampoos with antifungal properties to deal with dandruff and inflammation. Other options include Rene Furterer’s Triphasic strengthening shampoo which is formulated to fortify hair strength, resilience, and growth potential.
