Noa needs to know…I’m using a Biotin shampoo that was recommended by a dermatologist,but i’ve read that the Biotin isn’t absorbed by the skin,so…can this shampoo really benefit my hair?
The Right Brain responds:
Biotin, also known as vitamin H, is necessary for healthy hair growth. Studies have shown that lack of Biotin sources in your diet can cause hair loss and skin conditions. However, such deficiencies are rather rare and can be easily corrected with supplements and proper diet. Topically applied Biotin, like the shampoo you mentioned, will not help your hair grow.
Dermatologist recommended
Why then, would a dermatologist recommend a Biotin shampoo? It’s impossible to say for sure without more details from you and your dermatologist and without knowing the ingredients used in the specific Biotin shampoo that was recommended, but as usual, we can make a few educated guesses:
- You might have told your dermatologist that you were experiencing a lot of hair breakage and asked for a recommendation, he or she could be recommending a specific shampoo because it’s more conditioning and would therefore help alleviate breakage caused by brushing and combing.
- If you told your doctor you were concerned about scalp irritation, too, then he or she might have recommended a Biotin shampoo that used a milder surfactant blend and just coincidentally contained Biotin.
- Hopefully this is a false possibility, but your doctor could be misinformed and actually believes topical Biotin will help your hair grow.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Regardless of the reason, there’s no downside to trying the Biotin shampoo unless it’s too expensive. And you should always take your doctors medical advice seriously. But when the question is about cosmetic ingredients, feel free to get a second opinion from The Beauty Brains!
Have you used biotin? Topically or internally? Dish on your experiences!
i started taking biotin after a short hair disaster… it made my skin break out so badly, like red and very sore. if only i knew before hand i def wouldnt have started taking it at all! luckily i went to the skin clinic two days ago and got a microdermabrasion treatment done and its slowly clearing up…. abit pricey but worth it!
When my cardiologist took me off of several medications, I began to lose clumps of hair. I had a bald patch in my crown that was about 5in in diameter and several patches ranging from pea size to half dollar sized in various places on my scalp. Yup, I had medication that made my hair fall out several months after STOPPING use, and yes this was all at once, I was walking around looking like a dog with mange.
Thank God for my dermatoligist. She had me use dandruff control shampoo- Head and Shoulders or Selson Blue was just fine. I washed with the medicated stuff once a week and used my regular products on my 2nd wash of the week. She also had me rub a lovely medicated foam on my scalp twice daily, take Biotin Forte vitamins, and get cortisone shots in my scalp every 2weeks. My hair started to regrow in 2-3mos. She then had me continue the biotin for a few months after, and my hair eventually grew back thick and healthy. After stopping biotin, I did notice that my hair didn't grow as swiftly, but I don't care about length… I care about not being bald. I've never been attached to my hair, but being bald should be a choice not a demand of nature. I'm pro-biotin.
Recently I went natural and began taking Biotin. For the first 6 months my hair grew 4.5 inches,(yes 4.5 inches in 6 months) which was amazing because the average growth is 1/2 inch a month. I decided to stop taking the Biotin to see if they were the reason for my hair growth. I didn't take them for 4 months, during which time my hair grew 2 inches(the average) which was ok, but as you can guess I will be taking the Biotin from now on.I did not change my diet in those four months. I do also eat lots of fruts, vegatables, and fish and no red meat, which am sure helps.
I too got horrible acne when I started taking it (only 1000mcg). I stopped taking it after two months. My skin is still recovering.
I LOVE BIOTIN. I'm not certain about the growth claims but my hair and skin has definitely improved since taking the vitamin. I suffered from dry skin around my eyebrows and after 3 days on biotin, my skin became soft and moist. My new growth was so soft and I attribute it to biotin.
i love biotin. i know that for some people there are negative skin effects, but for me all i have seen is amazing growth, thicker hair and steel nails. like, they are so strong its ridiculous
missdeeplyrooted.blogspot.com
I was taking biotin everyday and my face broke out sooo bad, i knew it was the pills.. now I'm in recover mode
I really think the effects that you have from the biotin depends on the mcgs. When I first started taking biotin pills I was unknowingly taking the 5000 mcgs and after the second or third day I noticed that about an hour and a half to two hours after I would eat I would be starving as if I hadn't eaten all day. When I looked up the effects of biotin I learned that not only is it good for hair, skin, and nails, it increases the metabolism as well. When I found that out I stopped taking them. After that I switched to a biotin shampoo and conditioner and it did fortify my hair and gave it more elasticity. I discovered this when I stopped using the biotin shampoo and conditioner because the natural characteristics of my hair began to show and I learned that I have very fine, frizzy hair that is not as elastic and it wasn't like that when I was using the biotin shampoo and conditioner.
I found a biotin supplement at my local Target for 1.34 (or something cheap like that) and began taking it and I notice a huge difference in my nails- I haven't noticed too much difference in my hair but I figure if its good for my nails it must be good for my hair too … but I definitely notice a positive difference when I take it
I'm 50 yrs old and biotin gave me terrible acne. Evidently, I already have enough in my system…don't know why I tried it anyway because my hair is mid-back and healthy & my nails are healthy too….DUMB 🙁
I was takin Biotin supplements for months but like Prinie said, it cuased dormant hair to grow in places that I was not too thrilled about (mainly chin, upper lip, sideburns, armpit eeeek!!!. I stopped taking them and the body hair has slowed tremendously but I wish I could go back to taking them. They really prevented a lot of breakage and made my nails stronger than ever. It just wasn't worth plucking chin hair on a regular 🙁
I did my BC 2 months ago, and my hairdresser recommended I take Biotin supplements. I had been transitioning to natural hair for 4 years, afraid to do the BC.I went from 14 inches of dead, split, dried and fried, to 2 inches of super curly, super soft coils. Now 2 months later, and 1000mcg of Biotin/day, I'm at 5inches of coily, soft, springy, cottony soft hair.
About the Biotin. I always run things by my doctor, before I take ANYTHING. I one of those paranoid patients that need second, third, and forth opinions. Doctor assured me 1000mcg of Hi-Potency Biotin is a good amt to take daily. He also educated me on what foods contain natural Biotin so I'm aware that I'm getting it elsewhere. I workout 3-4 times a week and health a fairly green diet. I drink lots of water.
I too experienced the bad acne. At first I attributed it to my monthly. But it popped up too frequently. I changed up my facial routine (exfoliating twice weekly, instead of just once) and upped my water intake and that took care of the acne issues.
Skin benefits are AMAZING! And I have the roughest driest skin in the winter! I haven't even had to break out the winter creams yet! Nails are stronger and growing fast. So all in all it's been a BIG plus for me!
Ok here's my two cents, it depends I think on your age. I am in my 50's and Biotin is a wonder vitamin for me. I notice my hair growing faster, nails are stronger, skin damage from the sun is better with Biotin. But you can overdose on it, some folks have enough B vitamin in their systems already, I however am not one of them. I love my biotin, and will never stop using it. Yes we can get sun damage, and I am a truly dark skinned woman. Those little white spots on legs is indeed sun damage. Biotin also can reverse vitaligo in some people as well.
My sister used biotin and her skin flared up with acne despite drinking almost a gallon of water a day. It was awful… she stopped and the acne disappeared, unfortunately, not the scars.
I got horrible acne and ditched the biotin after about 4 months….didn't notice major growth
I've been taking biotin supplements for over a year now. I've noticed that my nails grow longer and stronger. My hair has grown but I wouldn't say it's just because of the supplements. It's probably a combination of things, regular moisture and protective styling included. The biotin probably helps some but I haven't noticed that my hair grows any faster. It still grows at about the same rate, 1/2 inch per month.
I shampoo with a biotin based product and my hair seems to be improving. Not saying it's the biotin but perhaps there are other ingredients that are doing the trick, but my hair appears to be a little thicker after application. I tried taking biotin pills for two weeks and quit because my face broke out something awful across my forehead. I was taking about 3000 mcg/day and drinking tons of water. I have a friend, however, who took it and her hair growth was off the chain and she didn't experience any breakouts. Now I take MSM and though I have definitely noticed a change in my joints, skin and nails, I haven't yet seen any significant changes in my hair growth with the MSM.
omgeeeee…the ACNE I got from this….shakes head. Never.Again. I would rather have short hair all my life than have the ACNE I had using Biotin. That was just me…..Like Curly Nikki says, Do you booboo…but NEVER.AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Biotin made my hair feel amazing and the strands I had became thicker, weightier, less frizzy, less dry, and really aided in getting rid of my split ends. I had people from all races touching my hair and saying, "Omg! It looks amazing!"
I stopped using Biotin, however, because in addition to allowing for thicker hair growth, it stimulated some of the dormant hair follicles on my body and I had thicker hair growing in places I did not want! So people, be mindful of this because Biotin can be both a blessing and a curse! This wasn't the case for everyone, but for those like me, it could be a problem.
When I first big chopped I started taking biotin supplements. It constipated me like crazy. And I started getting the worst painful cystic acne of my life! I'd rather be bald than have my face affected. That bottle went in the trash.
I've been taking Biotin off and on for years. I was "off" whenever the hair grew longer. I was back "on" when I realized my nails and hair was breaking.
So, I've decided to never get off again.
But here is the key: find the best quality biotin and take enough of it.
For me, and maybe not for everyone, and I'm not a doctor, I take Biotin 5000 mcg. I shop on Swanson's site for mine, as for me, they sell high quality vitamins and herbs.
My nails have never been stronger. I clip my hair often and it grows back fast.
Works for me.
I've been taking biotin and biosil supplements on and off since july or august?- my nails are MUCH stronger when i'm taking them and my hair does seem to be fuller or stronger when I'm taking them… the biosil (silicon/choline) is supposed to be good for hair, skin, nails, and joints.
I'm not sure if it's the combination or one or the other but I have definitely seen a difference with my hair and nails… I've also heard/read from others about oily skin and some hyper pigmentation w/biotin. One post mentioned that if you're drinking enough water the oily skin should be less of an issue.
I have not had any real problems with oily skin (drinking water helps) but I've started taking the biotin supplement only every other day due to some slight hyper pigmentation… when I'm not taking it at all any of that effect goes away.
FYI- there are some multi vitamins that do already have biotin in them (read the labels) -rainbow light/Women's One is a multivitamin i like that has choline and biotin in it.
Never experienced acne breakouts with biotin, I did notice stronger nails which probably meant stronger, thicker hair which help to retain growth. I don't think I truly needed it so I decided to save 8 bucks every few months and stopped buying it.
A couple of years ago I took biotin supplements. Though I experienced some faster growth, the horrible acne that came with it was not worth it and I quit after 3 months.
I started taking Biotin supplements a year ago after getting Sisterlocks. My hair is growing like wildflowers but I'm not sure if it is the locs or Biotin. I have noticed my nails are stronger since using Biotin.