Just a general wonderment...

[Gwen]

Just a quick question... I've been running out of vitamins the last 1.5 weeks now and my hair barely grew. But now that I've refreshed my stash and I'm back on track... My hair has grown .2 inches since Sunday!

So here's my question: How long does it take for vitamins or supplements to 'kick in'. I'm currently taking an omega fish oil, biotin, and silica. A couple times a week I'll throw in a multi-vitamin as well, just for sh*ts and giggles.

Gwen.

[Panth]

Personally, I'd put it down to differences in how you held your head / stood whilst measuring. Or, as you're a 2a, differences in wave tightness due to humidity on the day or whatever. Particularly since the difference is only 0.2" which is easily lost/gained by either of these ways.

As for vitamins, personally I think that if you are eating healthily and are not deficient in anything you shouldn't need to take any ... and that if you are deficient (and it's not due to a medical condition) you should just try to eat a more varied healthy diet. *shrug* Lots of people don't agree with me on that one, though.

Out of curiosity, how much biotin are you taking? Just because many people seem to like to take mega doses of that but it has been reported (on LHC, nevermind elsewhere) to cause migraines, cystic acne and kidney failure...

[jojo]

Yes totally agree, I am one who went into mild renal failure through biotin. I think a healthy diet is better than risking being ill with supplements. Couldnt agree more with panth and really wishing we had a like button as id press it!

[christine1989]

I'm definatly pro- suppliment. They have definatly been good to my hair however they took a good two months to begin making a difference in my hair. I stopped taking iron because I ran out a while ago and my hair dropped in growth rate :(. I should pick some up soon and begin taking them so I can see if my growth rate bounces back. They say that when you begin taking a suppliment you can expect to wait up to 6 months for full results but since you probobly still have some in your system maybe 1-3 months :confused:.

[owlathena]

I'm pro-supplement too, as long as you know what you're taking and the risks/benefits. I have 1000mcg biotin pills that I cut into fourths, so that I'm only taking 250mcg, which is still more than the RDA, but with this dose I don't get the acne side effect that I did at a higher dose.

I notice a HUGE difference in my circulation and energy levels if I forget to take iron. I take 18mg every day, which is a lot, but I'm vegan and also recovering from iron deficiency (also, the body isn't able to absorb all of the iron in iron supplements, and a lot of it isn't used). I do not recommend that anyone takes iron without first talking to their doctor, as it can very easily build to toxic levels.

I think the most beneficial supplement (unless you're deficient in something) is a good multi. I don't think the body is able to absorb as much from a pill as from food, but its a good back-up. I love the gummy kind!

[Malibu Barbie]

It takes about 2 to 3 months for vitamins to kick in and I would be very careful and ask a Dr. if your vitamin cocktail is healthly. More people do damage to their bodys because they think, "It's a vitamin it can't hurt you." It can ;)

[Joliebaby]

I've definitely noticed increased growth faster than 3 months. I think it depends - sometimes they can take effect quite fast, like a week or two.

[Gwen]

As for vitamins, personally I think that if you are eating healthily and are not deficient in anything you shouldn't need to take any ... and that if you are deficient (and it's not due to a medical condition) you should just try to eat a more varied healthy diet. *shrug* Lots of people don't agree with me on that one, though.

Out of curiosity, how much biotin are you taking? Just because many people seem to like to take mega doses of that but it has been reported (on LHC, nevermind elsewhere) to cause migraines, cystic acne and kidney failure...

I have a history of being iron deficient. I haven't had it checked since January this year so I'm not sure where it's at right now.

I'm taking 1000mcg of Biotin once per day. I've taken it before and had no issues. I generally change up my amount of vitamins\supplements I take when I run out. I try new things, or I don't take them everyday. I don't eat a lot of veggies... I try eating them as much as I can, but it gets hard keeping them fresh when you're the only one going into your fridge! I also don't eat a lot of meat... I stick to the basics, like chicken or beef. And even then, I don't eat a lot of it.

Gwen

[Audrey Horne]

I take suplements from time to time. I'm on Calcium/vitamin D at the moment, for my bones. I was on hair suplements for three months previously and it helped my hair to grow. I never take more than one suplement at a time (my personal rule). I choose to play it as safe as I can.

[KittyLost]

I am pro-supplement to an extent. You can be taking too many vitamins which your body will just flush out anyway making expensive wee! Too many can also cause health problems. You'd be fine with just a healthy diet and a multi-vitamin or hair, skin and nails supplement. These will contain the other vitamins you are currently taking.

I noticed increased growth rate for the first 3 months I started taking a Hair skin and nails supplement each day, then it settled back down to my normal growth rate. I then added a multi-vitamin and biotin to the mix and felt ill, broke out in spots and sufferred headaches. I then stopped taking them for a long time and now only take a hair, skin and nails supplement when I can remember and notice it doesn't really have an effect. I think it is something you need to do regularly. I've heard biotin takes ages to kick in, I think different vitamins have different rates.

[ravenreed]

I regularly take a multi and extra B-12 because I get low on that. I also took fish oil for ten years, but I am not currently taking it. I have never noticed a difference in how my hair grows when taking vitamins versus not taking them. My hair, all on its own, stalls for a bit and then goes nuts.

[Amber_Maiden]

I'm vegan as well, and take Iron... Actually, when I don't take it, after a couple of days, I get dizzy, find it hard to concentrate, get tired easily, etc... And when I take Iron, I feel better in about a day or two. :) So I guess it depends on the supplement your taking. Some take awhile, some take less time...

[Hiriel]

As for vitamins, personally I think that if you are eating healthily and are not deficient in anything you shouldn't need to take any ... and that if you are deficient (and it's not due to a medical condition) you should just try to eat a more varied healthy diet. *shrug* Lots of people don't agree with me on that one, though.

An exception, for large parts of the world, is vitamin D. In Norway you just can't get enough, unless you live on fish alone. We quite simply don't have enough sun.

[ChatNoir]

An exception, for large parts of the world, is vitamin D. In Norway you just can't get enough, unless you live on fish alone. We quite simply don't have enough sun.

True story. Especially in the north where I'm from. Vitamin C and D are really important supplements, here!

[vanillabones]

I've been taking vitamins religiously since about autumn. After 3 months my nails reallyyy started to show the results and they've been wonderful ever since. I can only hope the same for my new roots. My hair grows very slowlyyyyy but I think I am getting almost, if not average growth now. Hopefully as my hair gets healthier and the bleach is chopped out it will keep growing faster to its full potential. (To my knowledge my hair grew very quickly as a child, I would get it cut every year to chin and it'd grow out to at least APL the next summer... I don't remember any trims.)

Either way being a super shorty I'm happy to take my pill salad even solely for the placebo..

[shockinglength]

I'm currently taking 1000 mcg's of Biotin daily.......is that too much !? O.O

[julliams]

I'm not sure I would be able to be certain of growth over that short amount of time. Just a tiny tip of the head or moving a finger a little further down the tape measure can make it look like growth or no growth. Also, I would imagine that the benefits of the vitamins would be in your general system even after you had stopped actually taking them.

Try not to worry about growth from week to week. It will happen.