Biotin?

[Nicci]

Hello All!

I have fine hair that lands just under my bra strap, I also have nails that always seem to peel at the tip no matter what I do to try to make them healthy. I was wondering if taking biotin will help in any way with my nails and hair, I have read reviews about fuller hair and longer lashes as well as weight loss and stronger nails but I am unsure if I should take them. I am 100 pounds on a bad day and 98 on a good day, I am 5'2 inches tall and I am 20 years old. I want to know if you took biotin and what were the advantages you saw? Did your hair start to grow faster and thicker? How do your nails look? Your skin?

[HairFanson]

I take biotin 7500mcg per day for the last 2 years. I started taking it when I took off my artificial gel nails. I also use the NailTek strengthener one coat every couple of days.
My hair grows about 1-1.5 inches per month, and my nails are 3/4 of an inch long with no bending. I never had flaking or peeling but I did have nails that would bend and split. Now they are super long, and dont break. (I broke one back in Feb, because I crushed it in a car door).

I did have a few months of bad acne and oily skin when I started it though, but this tamed down to my normal acne prone skin after a few months.

[Nique1202]

If you think you might have a deficiency that's causing your hair to be thinner or finer, or your nails to be weaker, then you should see a doctor and have a full blood workup done. A hundred different things, from low b-vitamin or iron levels to thyroid imbalance, can cause hair and nail problems.

Biotin in particular, though, is a very common vitamin and so many foods have high levels of it naturally or are supplemented with it that if you're eating a wide range of foods every day then you almost certainly don't need to supplement with it. Also, most supplements involve taking at least 20 to 40 times the daily recommended amount. That is, nutrition recommendations are for about 250 mg of biotin a day, and most hair and nail type supplements have 5,000 to 10,000 or more, at which point you're likely to get side effects (like terrible acne). The best part? The "fix" for those side effects is to drink liters and liters of water every day, which can damage your kidneys over time because they're working more than they need to AND means you're literally just peeing out all the 95% of the vitamin that you don't need. That's just a waste of your time (spent on the toilet when you could be doing other more fun things) and your money.

[Deborah]

I began taking 5,000 mg of Biotin years ago to see if it made my hair any 'better'. It did nothing to my hair, but my fingernails improved very much in strength, so I keep it up. I have not had any bad side effects.

[jera]

I began taking biotin several years ago and continue to take 5,000 mcg a day because my diet is not rich in foods containing biotin. It didn't do anything for my nails, but it did help stop my hair from shedding so much.
For hair & nail problems you could try a keratin supplement and add a collagen supplement too. Both of these helped me transform my nails which were vertically ridged and really ugly.

[Night_Kitten]

I used to take Biotin, but saw no effect from it... From what I understand one will only see improvement if there was a lack in Biotin before taking the vitamin, if you get enough in your diet you won't see any effect...
I second the recommendation of going to the doctor and checking for vitamin deficiencies, the hair and nails are the first to suffer when the body is experiencing a shortage, so checking if you're getting enough of all the different vitamins and micro-nutrients would be the first step to healthier hair and nails :)

[lalepepper]

If you think you might have a deficiency that's causing your hair to be thinner or finer, or your nails to be weaker, then you should see a doctor and have a full blood workup done. A hundred different things, from low b-vitamin or iron levels to thyroid imbalance, can cause hair and nail problems.
I'd second this recommendation. I was having peeling nails that were also flattening out, paired with increased shedding. I have lost over 100 lbs and had to change my diet after having my gallbladder removed. I got blood panels done and found my b12 levels were low and my iron stores were depleted, but I wasn't anemic. I've fixed and maintain my b12 levels with supplementation, but following recent follow up tests I still need to work on restoring my iron stores.

Better to know for sure and target your interventions than to throw your time and money trying to pin it down yourself. It's all too easy to see some sort of improvement and think you've nailed it, but still allow an underlying problem to persist. If you can, I'd ask your doctor for a referral for a baseline blood panel.

[lapushka]

I recommend everyone read this when wanting to go on Biotin. There is such a thing as too much!
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.be/2011/02/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[LauraAlaina]

I tried taking Biotin and it made my back break out really bad. Stopped taking it and haven't had any problems what so ever. Sigh, oh well..

[curlylocks85]

Hello All!

I have fine hair that lands just under my bra strap, I also have nails that always seem to peel at the tip no matter what I do to try to make them healthy. I was wondering if taking biotin will help in any way with my nails and hair, I have read reviews about fuller hair and longer lashes as well as weight loss and stronger nails but I am unsure if I should take them. I am 100 pounds on a bad day and 98 on a good day, I am 5'2 inches tall and I am 20 years old. I want to know if you took biotin and what were the advantages you saw? Did your hair start to grow faster and thicker? How do your nails look? Your skin?

I take Biotin 10,000 mcg daily, as well as, a Hair, Skin, & Nails supplement. I have found that my hair is growing faster, feels softer, and has more shine, since I started taking the higher dose of Biotin. I think the extra Biotin brought my hair's growth potential to its maximum growth rate.

My skin is very smooth and has a bit of a shine to it and my complexion is very even. Many people have been telling me that lately. Honestly, their comments make me feel pretty. :o

My nails grow faster now, (for which I also think, the extra Biotin has brought my hair's growth potential to its maximum growth rate), but there is no change in thickness.

I hope this is helpful? :)

[bonbon58]

If you think you might have a deficiency that's causing your hair to be thinner or finer, or your nails to be weaker, then you should see a doctor and have a full blood workup done. A hundred different things, from low b-vitamin or iron levels to thyroid imbalance, can cause hair and nail problems.

Biotin in particular, though, is a very common vitamin and so many foods have high levels of it naturally or are supplemented with it that if you're eating a wide range of foods every day then you almost certainly don't need to supplement with it. Also, most supplements involve taking at least 20 to 40 times the daily recommended amount. That is, nutrition recommendations are for about 250 mg of biotin a day, and most hair and nail type supplements have 5,000 to 10,000 or more, at which point you're likely to get side effects (like terrible acne). The best part? The "fix" for those side effects is to drink liters and liters of water every day, which can damage your kidneys over time because they're working more than they need to AND means you're literally just peeing out all the 95% of the vitamin that you don't need. That's just a waste of your time (spent on the toilet when you could be doing other more fun things) and your money.

This. Our body can only absorb and utilize so much biotin, and the amount of biotin found in supplements usually far exceeds what we really need. Taking it probably will not help you unless you have a deficiency, which is very rare (unless you eat lots of raw eggs). Don't buy into the supplement industry's scam! If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably not true.

[gthlvrmx]

Here, read this http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.com/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html
I used to take biotin but I see no point in taking it anymore. I don't think my hair grew faster. I took diatomaceous earth and biotin together before and I got really strong nails, they were hard to clip off, but as for hair growth...not much difference.

[Bunnehlvr22]

One word: migraines.

Yes, I tend to suffer from one or two migraines a month. But with biotin I had two migraines a WEEK. I researched it and apparently long term use of biotin supplements can cause migraines in some people.

Oh, it made my hair and nails grow faster, though.