Hey Curlies,
Ready to pop the magic pill to grow longer hair fast? Pump those breaks for one moment, and let’s talk about what biotin really is, and how it impacts your body.
Biotin has increasingly become popular in the beauty industry as a supplement, also known as vitamin H and part of the “B vitamin family,” that promises to help you grow longer, stronger and thicker hair.
Women flock to shelves to pick up brands at the drugstore, and in the natural hair community, the main product of several businesses deals with selling a hair vitamin that contains biotin.
How does biotin work for your hair?
We all know that our hair is made of protein – Keratin to be more specific. According to Healthline, “biotin improves your body’s keratin infrastructure.”
I asked a couple of people on Facebook about their experiences while using hair growth vitamins with biotin. Here were some of the responses:
“I used Hairfinty. It grew my hair but thinned it out. I am currently using mane choice so I’ll let you know how that is!”  – Brekell
“I used prenatal pills and the hair skin and nails gummies- they were delicious buuuut my face broke out so bad.” – Elizabeth
I started going showing signs of a receding hairline at 23 due to the stress of the military. I started taking Biotin and Hairfinity pills with dermarolling therapy. After about 3 months I started to grow my hair back, right now I have a natural hairline. – Corey
Obviously, there seems to be some pros and cons of taking hair growth vitamins with biotin. Let’s break them down:
The pros and cons
Pros
- Biotin may promote longer, thicker hair
Cons
- Acne
- Thinning hair
- Need to remember to take daily
Listen to the podcast episode of Curly Conversations on biotin and hair growth vitamins:
A few years ago, I had a young lady ask me about my thoughts on a specific hair vitamin brand. She told me she had been taking the supplement for months and experienced hair loss, thinning, breakage and her face was full of acne.
She also asked if that was normal. My response, “No, it’s not normal. When taking any supplement, you need to drink tons and tons of water to help push the vitamins through your body. If you don’t, this is why many people experience acne.”
What I recommend
While I’m not a fan of supplements aimed to grow your hair for several reasons, I believe there are other ways you can give your hair nutrients it needs to thrive.
Here are a few of my biggest recommendations:
- Eat a vibrant and nutritious diet with lots of water – Choose greens, fruits and veggies that are high in vitamins that your hair and skin need to glow and grow. Many foods already contain biotin like whole grains, bananas, legumes, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and others. Find ways to incorporate more of those into your diet.
- In addition, make sure you’re drinking enough water each day. Find out how much you should drink daily.
- Find hair care products made with biotin as the featured ingredient – I love Mill Creek Botanicals Biotin Shampoo
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Biotin isn’t the end all be all but it does promote hair growth in some. One should take a multivitamin while taking it, drink lots of water, and always consult your general physician.
Thanks for reading, Dr. Quia!
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