How do you take Biotin and not get breakouts?

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

A couple of weeks ago, I ran to the store to buy a bottle of high potency 5,000 mcg Biotin tablets. Originally, I started taking them to help me grow in my eyebrows, but was super-excited about the hair benefits also. However, now my normally clear complexion is starting to breakout. Nothing else has really changed, so after I checked online, I learned that Biotin breakouts are very common. What is your experience with this? Have you discovered a way to take Biotin and not breakout? A lesser strength, lesser frequency?

I look forward to your suggestions.

[missblueeyes]

If you break out from Biotin, I suspect that your dose is way too high for you. I've been taking 1,000mcg for about a week now and I haven't noticed any breakouts so far. (Well, I did break out all over my face but that wasn't the biotin, that was an ingredient in my new moisturizer which I'm apparently allergic to. :brickwall, It has since cleared up a lot!)
I would suggest trying a smaller dosis. :)

[ChloeDharma]

I agree with the suggestion to take smaller doses. I remember a thread a few months ago talking about biotin and it was quite scary. Apparently it can screw up your kidneys in large doses or something equally unpleasant.

From what I understand the biotin thing came about because people with biotin deficiency loose hair. The thing is it's really hard to be deficient. I think you have to consume raw egg whites to risk deficiency. I would presume the smaller amount in a good multivitamin would be enough and much safer than mega-dosing on biotin.
There are of course many other safer things you could try to speed up growth.
Oh, I also heard that as well as taking smaller amounts drinking lots of water is a must to prevent getting spots from it.

[hannabiss]

i take a 5000 break it in half and take one every other day. im got break outs from taking it everyday. what is worse is the instructions say to take three every day!! this is outrageous!!! it helps growth a little but dont forget your body (even though capable of peaing out access) has to work hard to rid you of waste and everything can take a toll. Igorsbelltower has an amazing article on biotin.

[missblueeyes]

Regarding the kidney issue, it is advised that you drink a lot when taking Biotin. I aim for about 2 1/2 litres a day and I still think it's not enough. If you drink a lot, it will be fine, but if your water intake is low, it will have bad effects on your body.

[Panth]

From what I understand the biotin thing came about because people with biotin deficiency loose hair. The thing is it's really hard to be deficient.

This.

Biotin deficiency often causes hairloss. That does not mean that taking additional biotin when you are not deficient will promote hair retention/growth. Also, it is pretty impossible to be deficient unless you have serious medical issues. Not only is the average diet more than sufficient to provide biotin, but your gut bacteria also produce it.

If you are breaking out, it is a sign that you are overdosing and your body can't cope with it. The wise thing to do would be to stop taking unnecessary supplements. It's not a magic fix. Your hair will grow with or without it.

[Ambrielle]

The multi vitamins i take have a very small amount of biotin in them (less than 100), i personally wouldn't go beyond 300 a day unless you were certain to be deficient in that vitamin. In any case i'd advise you to take it along with a complete b vitamin complex especially at the high dosage you're consuming. Acne flare ups associated with biotin are often a sign of overdosing or not consuming enough water, such high doses put our kidneys through so much strain. You could always take those less often a week, say three times, if you didn't want to waste them?

[missblueeyes]

Whoops, I actually just realized that I've been referring to the wrong thing on the ingredients list. I'm taking 1.000mcg silicia and 350mcg Biotin.

[swearnsue]

I was able to grow thicker eyebrows by putting castor oil on them several nights a week for a couple of months. I had a small bald patch in my eyebrow that completely grew in with castor oil and that was years ago. My brows are stick thicker.

Just put a very small amount on each eyebrow before bed, being careful not to get any in your eyes.

[endlessly]

I tried to use Biotin about two months ago, but honestly couldn't handle the breakouts - my skin erupted in huge, very painful cysts that refused to clear. After about two weeks, I completely discontinued use and my skin is still trying to heal all this time later. For some, it's a fantastic product and while I certainly didn't use it long enough to see any major results, I have heard in the past that the breakouts do go away if given enough time and several report seeing an improvement in their hair.

As a side note, I did go in for a doctor's visit and posed the question to him about the breakouts, and was informed that you have to dramatically increase your water intake - which, of course, I didn't know at the time. Also, for some, cystic acne is just a really unfortunate side effect and even drinking more water won't help it go away while taking Biotin. When I later had my levels checked, my body already produces the recommended amount, so adding anymore doesn't really benefit me.

[meteor]

Biotin deficiency often causes hairloss. That does not mean that taking additional biotin when you are not deficient will promote hair retention/growth. Also, it is pretty impossible to be deficient unless you have serious medical issues. Not only is the average diet more than sufficient to provide biotin, but your gut bacteria also produce it.

If you are breaking out, it is a sign that you are overdosing and your body can't cope with it. The wise thing to do would be to stop taking unnecessary supplements. It's not a magic fix. Your hair will grow with or without it.

^ Absolutely. :agree:

I should add that any high dose supplementation without real need can cause health problems. Just get blood-work tests done and address current deficiencies, if you have any.
There is a reason why doctors want you to tell them not only about all your medication, but also all the supplements you take.

[RancheroTheBee]

As one or two people upthread mentioned, 300 - 350 mcg is a reasonable dose. That's around your daily recommended value. People have said something to the effect of, "You pee out the excess" which

a) puts strain on your kidneys, and yes, people have experienced serious medical problems because of it and
b) by acknowledging that you are peeing out the excess, you are acknowledging that you are taking way more than you need to, and you're wasting your money by LITERALLY flushing it down the toilet.

The amount that comes in multis for hair is usually more than enough.

[ghost]

I don't even use biotin anymore, I just take a regular multivitamin (the gummi kind from trader joes) that has a little bit of everything, including biotin, in it.
When I was still taking it, I took pills that had 5000 mcg, which was probably WAY too much. I definitely started breaking out after taking it, and cleared up a bit once I stopped. Unless you have very thin hair, even 1000 mcg/day might be too much.

As others have pointed out, it's actually kind of difficult *not* to get enough biotin in even a moderately healthy diet. Chug lots of water and focus on proteins, healthy fats, and sulfur (if that the right word?) like eggs and cruciferous veggies, and your hair will turn out just fine.

[jacqueline101]

I take a women's one a day and I'm fine with that amount of biotin. Even when I did take biotin I didn't have breakouts but I had to be over doing it. I was on 100 mcg I think.

[Five of Five]

Taking excessive amounts of a single vitamin, aside from the strain on the kidneys, also inhibits the absorption of other vitamins.

In my circumstantial, unscientific opinion, I believe that biotin causes acne because it inhibits absorption of Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) which is actually used in high doses as a very effective acne treatment. When I took Vitamin B5 it dramatically reduced the oil I produced, and as a result I got a lot of compliments on my skin improvement and needed to wash my hair less often. When I took Biotin, my skin erupted and it had no positive impact on my hair.

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

Thank you for all of the feedback. I wasn't originally taking it for my hair, as I am fairly happy with it at the moment. My eyebrows are another story. I am trying to get them to grow back into the bare spots. I read that Biotin has helped people with eyebrow issues, so I decided to give it a shot. Certainly not for the sake of my skin, though.

I liked the idea about splitting one in half and taking a half every other day. Maybe I'll try that. I am currently also taking a multivitamin that contains a small amount of Biotin, and am using RapidBrow and also Jamaican Black Castor Oil on the advice from another thread.

[gustavonut]

I've taken Natrol 10,000 mcg a day at one point and grew 2 inches of hair in one month maybe less. Weird thing is I never had breakouts or a problem with my kidneys when taking it. And it is a HIGH dose too. Maybe I have a deficiancy and don't know about it? Who knows.

[Carolyn]

I never had any breakouts with Biotin. I took one of the mega doses for a while and while it helped my nails grow faster it did nothing for my hair growth rate. I became wary of taking so much after reading about the scary side effects. Now I get some in my multi vitamin and my hair vitamin and I feel that's enough.

[RancheroTheBee]

Thank you for all of the feedback. I wasn't originally taking it for my hair, as I am fairly happy with it at the moment. My eyebrows are another story. I am trying to get them to grow back into the bare spots. I read that Biotin has helped people with eyebrow issues, so I decided to give it a shot. Certainly not for the sake of my skin, though.

I liked the idea about splitting one in half and taking a half every other day. Maybe I'll try that. I am currently also taking a multivitamin that contains a small amount of Biotin, and am using RapidBrow and also Jamaican Black Castor Oil on the advice from another thread.

That should help! I don't know how long you've been using it, but I've heard awesome stuff about both castor oil and Rapidbrow. As a browless person, I sympathize!

[vega]

Have you tried taking liquid formula for biotin?

[TaterTot]

I have the super high potency biotin, 10,000mcg, and I cut them into quarters and take 1 quarter every day. It was the cheapest way to take biotin. I drink tons of water in general, about 150 oz a day.

[Addy]

I have never broken out while taking biotin. Everyone is different though.

[Knifegill]

10 ounces of salmon and 8 eggs have more than enough biotin for a day.

EDIT: Hey, looks like even as few as 2 might do it! But I pretty much always eat my 8 eggs a day. So I get 4x the normal amount and all of it in safe, bioavailable form. So no acne, and I'm totally prone to acne so this is great.

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

Have you tried taking liquid formula for biotin?

No, I've never tried that. I'm taking liquid BioSil drops right now which I do like... but it's not Biotin.