A lesson on experimenting

[MoonLover]

So I'm relatively new here and I should know from Ursula's standard newbie advice that I should experiment with one thing at a time. And really after all the science I've taken I should be more diligent about controls and variables. I was way too enthusiastic.

I didn't listen. I started taking Biosil and Nioxin Recharging Complex vitamins the same week I joined the lhc. I was very good about taking them for four months and then I stopped a few weeks ago. I was getting good growth- an average of 0.87" a month (3 of the months I got 1", during the month of taking finals concurrently with moving out of state I got 0.5".) I also got a ton of new baby hairs so the hair nearest to my scalp is fuller. Since I've stopped, I'm at 0.5" a month.

So now I don't know what was affecting me more, the Biosil or Nioxin. Maybe it was both together Now I have to start all over again and try one at a time to figure it out (I would do both but I'm trying my best to budget.)

Learn from my mistake! Advice to the newbies as Ursula said:

"There is one rule: No more than one change (in product or technique), no more frequently than every two weeks."

[HairFaerie]

Hopefully you will figure out which one it was and it won't be both so you don't have to spend as much money. 1" per month is pretty cool though, huh? Good luck!

[Mesmerise]

Nioxin, as far as I can see, seems to be a multi vitamin type supplement, while the Biosil is just silica. If Nioxin doesn't contain silica, then maybe it's a good idea to take Biosil as well. However, if Nioxin contains silica, then I'd start by taking just the Nioxin. !

Most products designed for hair, I've found, contain silica because it's considered important for the growth of hair and nails.

Anyway, if I were to re-take the experiment, I'd start with the Nioxin. Also bear in mind the two together could have had a synergistic effect

[MermaidOH]

Congrats on your growth! I agree with the above trying taking the Nioxin 1st and chart your growth then the Biosil and chart growth and if nothing really spectacular happens try both together again. Best of Luck!

[terryn]

Just remember with internal supplements it can take a lot longer for the results to show up, so you might want to try them for 3-6 months separately to really get a feel for the results. Best of luck!

[MoonLover]

Oh noeeees! I should have waited to write this thread before ordering. I decided to try the Biosil first, mostly because I wanted to get back on a regular multi-vitamin. Not exactly regular because it's a whole-foods kind but regular in that it is not targeted towards hair, skin and nails. Oh well

If the Nioxin contained silica, it must have been a very small amount or I wouldn't have bought the Biosil. I have to look it up again.

I'm definitely going to give them at least 3 months each before I decide which one it was. I"m not sure if my growth stalls or spurts during certain seasons so I'm not sure how I will control for that. But anyway, it's just a personal experiment so it's okay.