DE, monistat, msm or Biotin?

[Cupofmilk]

I am starting to struggle seeing any growth in my hair. Beacuse I wear it in braids of one form or another at all times, I measure with braid waves in. I can't really see where the end of my hair gets to on the tape as it isn't a blunt hemline as it is so wavey.
I then tried pictures - the first picture we took about a month ago shows waist length hair... then this month it is definately an inch shorter and this is with it less wavey.... clearly an angle thing!
I have finally finished all my supplements (MSM) and I am wondering what else I can try. I have read about DE on here - it's quite expensive isn't it in the UK ? Or does it last a while.
The other thing might help me is MOnistat (dakatirn in the UK) - but I wash atnight - so if I put it on at night I would have to wait 24 hours to wash off - would this damage the hair?
Or should I stick to MSM or Biotin. Supplements are expensive so I can't do all at once.
I just want a bit of growth.Getting back to TB seems a long way away

[eezepeeze]

What is DE? What is MSM? I've seen these in other posts but don't know what they are. Help?

[freecelt]

DE is Diatomaceous earth and MSM is Methylsulfonylmethane, You can read about either of them on wiki. HTH :)

[x0h_bother]

Cup of milk, I can't imagine leaving the monistat on your hair from the AM to PM would be good for YOU in your daily life. As for suggestions from what I have read, MSM and Monistat are better for growth, Biotin is great for shedding and strength. If you have scalp issues you may want to try the monistat.

[Oksana]

Im in the UK and have been ordering my DE from ebay. I get a huge bag which lasts me about 4 months for about £7. I havent noticed a great inprovement in growth but shedding is almost non existant!

I have also tried daktarin, which i do think worked, but i found it made my hair greasy (maybe different ingredients to US?) so i have been taking a break, it also seemed to cost more than DE.

[dropinthebucket]

There's an extensive thread on DE here at LHC (you probl'y saw it already, and that's why you're wondering whether it's worth doing, i'm guessing). I wasn't sure about getting it just for hair growth - but then i read about all the other wonderful things it does, on various online sites. 1) it cleans the digestive system, binding the toxins we ingest from food and the environment. 2) it's an anti-parasitic (so, ya know, if you've got worms ... it's a great, natural remedy! a friend of mine always gives it to her horses for de-worming). 3) it helps arthritis sufferers, both by removing allergens (toxins) that aggravate the condition, and by providing necessary components for joint lubrication. 4) and if you have some left, it's a great natural garden pesticide! i felt a bit concerned about taking something that's also a pesticide, but once i read about how it works and what it does, i understood. i think people have posted a few links to info. on that thread. good luck with getting it growing again.

[Linnykinz]

Cupofmilk, I have taken/used all of these. I take DE every day (when I remember, oops), hair vitamins every day, and I apply Monistat every time I wash. I use it on wet hair and rub it on my scalp, just enough to use on all of my scalp but not so much to make it greasy. In my personal experience, I can leave it on until the next time I wash/rinse my hair (usually 3 days) and it doesn't make my hair greasy. smelly, nothing. Also it makes my scalp feel so fresh :) I wouldn't have a huge worry about that if I was you, maybe try it one night/day and if it makes your hair gross have a cute up-do in handy?

As far as the MSM goes, I never experienced the growth that many people rave about. I guess it is different for everybody.
DE has been helping I think, some good hair growth as well as clear skin and other side-effects of DE that Dropinthebucket posted.
Biotin is in my hair vits, 1000% DRV. It has helped a LOT. I don't know if it's the combination of vitamins or the biotin itself (biotin is the highest % in the vits) but my hair has been growing like nuts.
I don't think the DE is too expensive, as long as you are not ordering a 50lb bag. It lasts a while. I got a 10 lb bag a while ago and have not even made a dent in it..thinking I should be gone with 1 lb :)

[dropinthebucket]

hey linnykinz! we are both trying for APL by aug., 2010! i have an inch or inch and half to go, though, so unless i get a good spurt with DE, not sure i'll quite make it! i'm close, though, sooooooo close! :) (unhijack) :D

[Aredhel77]

I started to take both DE and MSM a few weeks ago and although I'm not yet sure about hair growth, my nails are growing a lot quicker. Also, I've noticed that both my skin and hair feel REALLY soft. So much so that I've only had to use light moisturisers like aloe on my body. I normally suffer from dry elbows and knees and that problem has vanished! My skin feels a lot smoother all over.

I was taking a good tablespoon of DE and noticed some slight constipation (!) so I've reduced the amount now. Note: I am also drinking more water so that must be helping as well, (both skin AND digestion LOL) ;) .
So far so good, I'm impressed! :cheese:

[jera]

If I could only take one or two supplements it would be Biotin and Omega 3 fatty acids as found in fish oils oils or flax oil. I've never experienced mega growth from MSM alone and it's the single most expensive of the vitamin supplements I take. :)

[Hylia]

I tried taking DE, but it upset my stomach a bit too much for my liking. I started taking this supplement recently called hair and nails by natures bounty. It contains horsetail and biotin, I`ve heard good reviews, but I guess i`ll have to wait this one out.

[paigeturner]

Hey, I'm in the UK aswell!
At the moment I'm taking biotin (only 600mg because anymore breaks me out into cystic acne), MSM, horsetail and am rubbing Daktarin into my scalp every two days whether I've washed it or am washing it or not. I haven't noticed the Daktarin making my scalp any greasier but if it looks a little dirty I just use a spritz of bastiste dry shampoo.

I've only been doing the vitamins three weeks and I've only done the Daktarin three times, but I had a severely thinning patch the size of a 5p and now I have hair covering all of it and it's improved so much it's almost gone.

I've also ordered some DE but it hasn't arrived yet and I've only ordered a small bag because I'm not sure how I'll react.

Anyway, I don't really have official results to share yet as I only actually measured my hair and took a photo three days ago, but I'll keep updates and report back in a month!