Long hair, clear skin, and strong nails are some things that people from all over strive to have. In todays day and age, a large number of models and celebrities that people in society consider to be the perfect examples of what a person should look like, have long and lustrous locks. Hair doesn’t grow on its own, and for some it doesn’t grow all too quickly. We live in a time where people want what they want, when they want it, and those people do not often want to wait to get what it is they want. So often, people find themselves wanting long hair, and wanting it now. In these cases, people, myself included, turn to the vitamin called Biotin, in hopes of speeding up the hair growth process.
According to WebMD, Biotin is “used orally for hair loss, brittle nails, skin rash in infants, diabetes and mild depression.” Biotin can be found in a pill or gummy form, and is often taken orally. After about a year of taking Biotin, I can tell you that my hair does seem to grow a bit faster than usual (because it usually takes forever), and my nails do feel stronger. Yet, taking this for so long has gotten me thinking, what exactly are the downsides to this kind of supplement?
After a bit of research, according to an article from the Huffington Post titled, “Why You Should Be Cautious Of Taking Biotin For Your Hair, Skin & Nails”, dermatologists are not completely sure of what benefits Biotin really has. According to Dr. Susan Stuart, a dermatologist, “hair loss and brittle nails may have multiple causes and taking biotin supplements may actually halt this process and even help to reverse it” (Oliver).
The verdict on whether or not you should take Biotin is up to you, but with the information I saw, there is really no point in taking it unless you have a Biotin deficiency. Biotin itself can be found in “brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast, liver, cauliflower, salmon, bananas, carrots, egg yolks, sardines, legumes, and mushrooms” (“Does Biotin Really Stimulate Hair Growth?”). That being said, each case is different, and Biotin may help you like it has helped me, or it may not. It is up to you to decide whether or not it is worth it.
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Resources:
“Does Biotin Really Stimulate Hair Growth?” About. About Group, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014
Oliver, Dana. “Why You Should Be Cautious Of Taking Biotin For Your Hair, Skin & Nails.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
In 10th grade I got a really awful haircut and wanted my hair to grow back so badly. I would take Biotin and sometimes even take a couple a day which is probably dangerous. If I didn’t run out of Biotin I would probably still be taking it every day. I am happy I read your post because if not I could still be taking it and thinking it was really beneficial for my nails skin and hair!
Lucky you. It has been a half of year that I took the Biotin, but it just cannot work on my hair! Maybe it’s because different people have different body constitution. As a kind of nutrishment, I think if we take it in time everyday, it should work to help us stay healthy. Besides what you bring up in your article, I think there should exist some research or animal test used to prove what it actually healping. And I think after reading this, I can go deeper with this idea. After all, this is something that about to ourselves! It is worth to pay our attention to it.
I used to take biotin myself but stopped just because I forgot so much that I didn’t think it would help me. I’ve never heard of it actually being a bad thing though, that’s interesting. My hair is pretty damaged and my nails are so brittle because I constantly pick and bite at them. I was thinking of starting to take biotin again to help improve this but after reading that it could actually do the opposite, I may not! I’m also interested in further research, thanks for posting this.
I am actually very happy you posted this. I recently bought Biotin to help nail growth after getting rid of my pink and white set removed. The woman who does my nails suggested it to me in hopes that my nails wouldn’t stay brittle for long. I normally eat bananas, carrots and eggs, so the vitamin I’m taking on top of eating foods with natural biotin in them, is most likely an over compensation. I am interested to see further research done on the effects it has on skin and nails as well. This post definitely makes me want to do more research on vitamins before I buy them.