Biotin Challenge: Month 1 Update!

Last week, I reached the one-month mark in my biotin hair challenge. For the past month, I have taken a one 5000 microgram supplement of biotin in conjunction with my regular daily multi-vitamin, One-A-Day Women's. So far, this biotin supplement is definitely looking like a keeper. Although I wasn’t planning on formally doing a length check until I finished the entire bottle of biotin, my hair has noticeably grown.

The length of my hair in the front now.

The length of my hair in the front a month ago.

Additionally, I have noticed that my skin is better than it has been in years. For about the first week and a half, I experienced some unusual skin trouble. (I should note that I’ve gotten maybe one or two full blown pimples in my life, but I do get the occasional small zit.  With that being said, I didn’t break out at all; my skin just looked a lot grungier than it ever has and was a lot drier than normal). I guess it was just an “adjustment period” to rid my skin of its impurities. Since then, my skin has been great. It seems brighter and retains more moisture.

I really haven’t noticed any severe side effects since I’ve started taking biotin supplements. I do find that I need to shave slightly more often and that I get extremely hungry (like so hungry it hurts) if I skip a meal or eat later than I usually do, but other than that I haven’t experienced any difficulty. If all goes well over the next few months, this will definitely be a staple.

My Biotin Challenge!

Last week, I looked into what hair pills are supposed to do and whether they really work. (Check out that post here). After finding that most of the vitamins needed for hair growth are encompassed by most, if not all, multivitamins, I decided to forego using a hair pill and just use my multivitamin. I checked out my own multivitamin, One A Day Women's, to see if it included all of the necessary vitamins. 

From the bottle, it seems that all of the essential vitamins for hair growth are accounted for in full, except for biotin, which is only supplemented by 10%. This made me curious as to whether it was necessary to supplement my multivitamin with biotin.

Biotin, Vitamin B7 and often referred to as Vitamin H, is one of the 8 essential vitamins for the body. It aids in the metabolism of fat and amino acids, and is an essential element in cell growth. Biotin especially plays a critical role in the health of hair, skin, and nails. Dermatologists often recommend biotin supplements to their patients to treat and slow down hair loss, as well as promote new growth. Although the recommended dosage of biotin is 300 micrograms daily, a higher dosage will not do any harm to the body. Biotin is water soluble, meaning that the body will only intake and make use of what it needs. Any excess is broken down by water. This makes it essential to drink lots of fluids when supplementing with high doses of biotin. If not enough water is consumed daily, biotin can clog the pores causing acne.

As a result of taking biotin supplements, many people have seen their hair grow anywhere from 1/2 an inch to a full inch of hair each month. Curious to see what this would do for my hair, I decided to give it a try. Last Thursday, March 10, I began supplementing with 5000 micrograms of biotin. I will continue to take one pill, containing 5000 micrograms of biotin, in conjunction with my multivitamin until I run out of the bottle. At that time, I will remeasure my hair to see how much it has grown. The bottle has 120 capsules, so the experiment will last for 4 months. (I purchased my biotin supplement from Walmart for only $7!!!)

Beginning new growth length: 4.5 inches (not too bad for 10 months!) 

Feel free to join me in this challenge!