Many women have hopped on the biotin bandwagon in hopes for hair like Rapunzel. I even at one point was heavy into the biotin craze. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say there is anything wrong with it. I just think everyone should be aware of the pros and the cons.
Biotin is an awesome B complex vitamin that has proven to be a facilitator of your metabolism. As far as its beauty benefits, it has also gotten much attention for its claims to help grow healthier and stronger hair and nails. Dr. Richard Scher, dermatologist and nail disorder expert says that it isn’t totally clear what role biotin plays. However, he believes taking the vitamin does improve the keratin infrastructure.
Dr. Susan Stuart, Board Certified Dermatologist, argues that, “Biotin deficiency is rare and low levels may result in brittle nails and hair loss. However, hair loss and brittle nails may have multiple causes and taking biotin supplements may actually halt this process and even help to reverse it.” Like with anything, everyone’s body will react differently to a supplement. Here are some proven pros and cons of biotin that I can attest to.
Pros:
1. On it’s own, biotin is responsible for the production of fatty acids, metabolizing fats and amino acids, and cellular growth. Essentially, biotin helps us to digest, grow and heal.
2. Average hair growth is stated to be about 1/2-1 inch per month (depending on the person), and with additional biotin intake your hair is said to grow faster, fuller and healthier. I can attest to this. My hair grows 1/2 inch per month. When I was heavy into my relaxed to natural transition I took biotin daily and saw remarkable hair growth. I went from growing 6 inches of hair per year to 12 inches.