When it comes to black hair, our edges are the cherry on the sundae. Despite which hairstyle we choose, we always seem to go to great lengths to keep our edges flourishing, even if it means using nontraditional products.
While there’s a whole host of hair products, including shampoos and oils, that promise to help our hair flourish, it seems like members of the natural hair community are constantly finding solutions that spark the question "what the heck is she thinking" from the rest of us.
Recently, Regina Hall shared that the secret to her flourishing edges came from a tip that her friend, Tiffany Haddish shared with her: Monistat 7. Her fans were left baffled, but after some research, we found that there’s something to this.
Monistat 7 is another growth stimulator women in the natural hair community have been using for years. The anti-fungal cream known for relieving vaginal burning and itching is now being applied directly to the hairline and scalp to help hair grow.
Miconazole nitrate, the active ingredient in Monistat, is what many are attributing to their hair growth. A quick search on YouTube for ‘Monistat hair growth’ and thousands of videos populate, with some dating as far back as 2012. So while this is not a new phenomenon, some Black women still can’t get enough of this trick.
While there has yet to be any clinical trial to back up these claims, a study by NCBI did find that ketoconazole, a similar anti-fungal medicine, did help regrow the hair of patients suffering from alopecia. “Hair density and size and proportion of follicles were improved by KCZ,” the study found.
There have been some natural hair vloggers that warn about how directly applying Monistat 7 on the scalp may potentially cause headaches and recommends diluting it with water so it’s not as concentrated.
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Warnings like that always make us a little leary to try a beauty trend, especially on our hair. However, there’s no denying that Monistat 7 as a growth stimulator has stood the test among the YouTube community, no easy feat in a beauty world that’s extremely fairweather.
Will you try it?
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
