Why Biotin Is Good for Your Hair

Find out once and for all whether biotin—a mainstay of most hair growth supplements—is actually good for your hair, with this guide from Nioxin.

If you’ve ever seen a social media post of an influencer discussing their improbably long, glossy hair, you might have already heard of biotin and its reputed benefits for hair. Online, biotin has a glowing reputation, with numerous people claiming it helped transform their stressed strands into fuller, thicker hair.

Understandably, if improving the health or appearance of your hair is a priority for you, you may be wondering if biotin is indeed the magic bullet it seems to be. Keep reading as we delve into all things biotin, including what it is, what it does, and whether biotin really is as good for your hair as it appears.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Biotin is a critically important nutrient, as it is essential to several bodily functions. Among other things, biotin contributes to healthy hair growth, and a deficiency can result in thinning hair or even hair loss. For support from within for healthy-growing hair, try our Hair Growth Supplements, which have been formulated to promote thicker, fuller, and resilient hair.

While biotin deficiency is rare in the U.S. population, some groups of people are more susceptible to developing it. Deficiency can be confirmed by your doctor with a simple blood test, and the treatment is typically biotin supplementation.

It is not clear whether biotin supplements are beneficial for people who aren’t deficient. While the prevalence of positive anecdotal evidence is encouraging, the scientific evidence is inconclusive.

WHAT IS BIOTIN?

Also known as vitamin B7, biotin is an essential nutrient (meaning that the body can’t produce it on its own) that supports the normal functioning of various bodily processes. For example, like all its siblings in the vitamin B category, biotin helps our bodies convert food into energy,⁶ and it also supports the health of mucous membranes, nails, skin, and the nervous system⁷.

While the body can’t make biotin, it is naturally found in various different foods, including:^8,9

Cooked eggs
Salmon
Sardines
Some nuts and their derived nut butters
Avocados
Whole grains
Pork
Soybeans
Bananas

Due to the wide availability of biotin in various kinds of food, most people consume an adequate amount of biotin in their daily diet¹⁰ without even realizing it.

WHAT DOES BIOTIN DO FOR HAIR?

Along with supporting the health of the nails and skin, biotin also contributes to healthy hair growth. This is because biotin is involved in the process of protein synthesis—and the production of keratin, more specifically—within the body.¹¹

So, the answer to the question of whether biotin is good for your hair is a simple one: yes, it is. However, the issue of whether you should supplement your intake of biotin is a bit more complicated.

It might seem to follow that, as biotin is good for your hair, taking a biotin supplement would help you achieve the enviable locks of your dreams. Unfortunately, this might not be the case. As previously mentioned, most people get enough biotin in their diet, and there is insufficient evidence to conclusively prove that then supplementing with biotin is beneficial.

On the other hand, hair loss and thinning hair are both potential symptoms of deficiency, for which a good dose of biotin might be (literally) just what the doctor ordered. Though certain groups of people are more susceptible to deficiency, it’s important to remember that biotin deficiency is rare in the U.S., and that hair thinning and loss can both be caused by other conditions.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BIOTIN DEFICIENCY?

Besides the aforementioned hair loss and thinning, symptoms of biotin deficiency include:^12,13

Dry and scaly skin
Dry eyes
Brittle nails
Cracks at the corners of the mouth
A magenta-color, swollen, painful tongue
Loss of appetite
Fatigue
Insomnia
Depression

Some groups of people are more likely to experience biotin deficiency than the general population. It’s not clear why, but approximately one third of pregnant women develop a mild biotin deficiency, despite adequate intake in their diets.¹⁴ People who’ve been receiving intravenous nutrition for a long time, people on a long-term regimen of antibiotics or medication for seizures, and people with conditions that inhibit the absorption of nutrients (e.g. Crohn’s disease) are all more likely to be deficient in biotin than the average person.¹⁵

As with any other unexplained change in your health, if you develop any symptoms that you suspect indicate a biotin deficiency, you should consult your doctor. They will be able to test the level of biotin in your blood, and—if necessary—prescribe supplements to address a deficiency.

ARE BIOTIN SUPPLEMENTS SAFE?

You should talk to your doctor before electing to take any kind of supplement, and it’s no different with biotin. It’s important to take precautions against any foreseeable interactions or adverse effects. Biotin ingestion, for example, has been linked to false lab test results, including falsely low levels for troponin, an important marker for heart attack diagnosis.¹⁶

Biotin itself, though, is generally considered to be safe. It has not been shown to be toxic in humans, even with high intakes.¹⁷ And as biotin is a water-soluble nutrient, any excess that the body can’t make use of will be excreted through the urine,¹⁸ rather than hanging around and building up in the body.

In short, if your doctor signs off on it, taking any supplement is a matter of personal choice. And as for biotin—while the scientific evidence of its potential benefits is currently inconclusive, the positive anecdotal evidence leaves room for optimism.

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Our Roots

It all started 40+ years ago when Eva Graham created Nioxin.

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