Biotin is a vitamin in the B-complex vitamin family and it plays many important roles in the body. One of these roles is to help proper protein formation and repair, including cells that create the outer sheath of hair follicles. Thus, it makes sense to wonder if supplementing your diet with biotin can help regrow lost hair.
Exactly why it works to stimulate hair growth isn’t fully understood, but there is evidence that biotin plays a role in protein synthesis and cellular metabolism—both essential for healthy follicles. The recommended daily dose for older adults ranges between 30–100mg per day, nisim.com recommends.
What is Biotin?
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that the human body needs for the process of absorbing certain nutrients as well as healthy, lustrous hair. Biotin is not stored for long in the body – most of yours are from the foods you eat. In order to be effective, it needs to be consumed through a balanced diet. It helps with keratin production in hair and can increase the rate of follicle growth.
Most of the biotin in your body is made by bacteria in your large intestine. A small amount comes from the vitamin B7 that you get from food, such as eggs, beans, nuts, and dark green vegetables. It’s necessary for cell growth and red blood cell production. Studies have shown that biotin deficiency can cause hair loss.
It may seem like there is no rhyme or reason when you lose hair naturally – but this might not be the case! Biotin supplementation may be helpful for people who are truly biotin-deficient, but biotin deficiency is quite rare amongst the general population.
What Does Biotin Do?
Biotin is a B-complex vitamin that helps with the metabolism of fats and amino acids, which process includes growth and energy production. It’s necessary for normal cell function and is often found in multivitamins.
Biotin has been linked to improved skin health and water-soluble B vitamins like biotin may improve blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.
Does Taking A High Dose Of Biotin Improve Hair Regrowth?
This study was done to determine whether taking a high dose of Biotin supplements could improve hair regrowth in a normal population or if it’s just another fad. This review is important because Biotin supplementation may actually be promising for people who have genetically thinning hair and could allow them to regrow their hair and not lose anymore.
Many of the studies did show that biotin was helpful, however, only 2 of the 13 studies had statistical significance showing that biotin does promote hair growth. 6 other studies showed positive results but were not statistically significant. Many of these trials are very small and don’t study a large enough number of people to provide evidence that high dose biotin supplementation can possibly help with excess hair loss or alopecia.
There are two studies that have looked at the potential effects of biotin on healthy people and their results indicate no benefit in terms of hair growth or thickness. A study in 2010 used 23 milligrams per day for three months in a group of women who were experiencing hair loss at the start of the study.
In this group, the researchers found no increase in thickness or diameter, as well as no changes in self-reported assessments on how shiny, soft, manageable, thinning, or thick hairs, appeared after taking the supplements compared to before.
Another study in 2006 was conducted using 40 milligrams a day for 24 weeks in a group of men and women. The results did not show any effect on hair diameter, rate of growth, or cosmetic properties such as manageability.
Biotin is sold as a dietary supplement in various forms. Any biotin you take orally has to be chemically transformed in your body into its active form known as coenzyme R-5P. Some people claim that this coenzyme form of biotin helps stimulate hair growth. And while there have been studies on the use of biotin for hair loss, evidence supporting this claim is conflicting at best.
If Biotin Doesn’t Actually Work, Then Why Is It So Popular?
Biotin is extremely popular among individuals who wish to regrow hair. It’s successful for many people, but also might not work for everyone. However, there are a number of reasons why it remains popular.
The first reason is the fact that Biotin is included in so many hair care products. These companies have made it their job to make sure that they include biotin as a part of their product because it can have a great impact on how one’s hair can be maintained and grow.
Along with this, the cost can also be affordable to some people and those with financial restrictions may not have any issue with the price tag.
Finally, Biotin has been around for a while now and there are plenty of studies behind its usefulness when dealing with hair loss or growing healthy hair. This leads individuals who want new hair growth to believe otherwise that perhaps biotin will work for them because it worked for so many other people just like them.
The bottom line: While biotin might be linked to better skin health, there’s no scientific evidence that it helps with thinning hair or regrows lost hair when taken orally, but many claims have been made throughout the years of its effectiveness.
What Is The Alternative To Biotin Supplements?
Hair loss is more than just a cosmetic issue. It’s an indication of possible health issues as well. Hair loss can be caused by many things, including thyroid disorders which are linked to abnormal hair shedding.
Some people try to use castor oil or flaxseed oil as a possible hair loss alternative to biotin supplements. These are great options to be considered for mild hair loss treatments.
But for extreme hair shedding, organic herbal remedies are the way to go. They’re natural and they work. And if you really want something that is inexpensive, herbal remedies will be a great choice for you.
Along with these, take supplements for deficiencies if indicated but remember that many vitamin levels are replenished by simple dietary choices. You can even fill your diet with natural sources of biotin. It can be found in lentils, eggs, peanuts, and bananas. It’s also present in some types of cheese.