Are there any benefits in using anti-dandruff shampoo as a face wash?

For many, TikTok seems like the ultimate platform to discover new beauty hacks. Although many of them can be helpful and even mindblowing, other tips are not so great; therefore, you should stay away from trying them.

Recently the conversation has been about using an anti-dandruff shampoo to clean your face. After TikToker Elyse Meyers posted a video about using Head & Shoulders instead of a facial cleanser, many skincare experts jumped in to reveal if there are any benefits to swapping products when you have acne-prone skin.

“Before you spend a lot of money on skin-care products, just hold on. Just go buy Head & Shoulders and wash your face with it and see what happens,” Meyers says in the intro, revealing she’s been using the dandruff shampoo as a cleanser for years. Meyers claims that a dermatologist told her the zinc in the product was “incredible for your face.”

Should you try it too?

“There is some truth to the trend, but I would stick to an actual acne cleanser,” Debra Jaliman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, told Allure. “Anti-dandruff shampoos have antifungal properties due to the ingredient zinc pyrithione,” she says.

According to the publication, board-certified facial cosmetic and oculoplastic surgeon Tanuj Nakra, MD, agrees. “This trend has taken flight because most dandruff shampoos contain zinc pyrithione, an antifungal, which helps people who have a very specific type of acne from fungal overgrowth. However, as most people with acne actually have the bacterial variety instead of the fungal variety, dandruff shampoos won’t work,” he says. “Worse, the detergents in relatively cheap over-the-counter dandruff shampoos are not made for facial skin and can irritate and dry out the skin.”

Ron Robinson, cosmetic chemist and founder of skin-care brand BeautyStat told the outlet that the shampoo works in the face the same way it works on the scalp. “Acne is the result of pores being clogged by oil. It becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which then can cause swelling and redness,” he explains. “Anti-dandruff shampoos are over-the-counter drugs commonly formulated with two FDA-approved ingredients: zinc pyrithione and selenium sulfide. Both ingredients work on dandruff because of their antifungal and antibacterial properties. If applied to the face, they could help reduce acne breakouts because of their antibacterial benefits.”

So there you have it! If you are experiencing fungal acne, give this TikTok hack a try!