Hair

Best Biotin Supplements For Hair Growth 2022


Best Biotin Supplements For Hair Growth
Structural model of Vitamin B6 (Biotin) on the blackboard.

Getting the biotin you need from what you eat should always be your goal. However, sometimes getting enough biotin from your diet isn’t always possible. In these cases, you need to get biotin from a supplement of some kind.

There are numerous biotin supplements out there to choose from, though, most of them all looking the same. So, knowing what the best ones are and how to choose a biotin supplement might be the difference between it having no effect at all for you and it helping your health immensely.

About Biotin

Biotin is not one of the most popular vitamins out there. On the other hand, biotin is also not exactly among the least known either. Knowing biotin’s other names and more about it can be useful, especially if you are looking at supplements.

Though usually you will find it under the name of biotin, you also may find some supplements that call it by its other names. These names being Vitamin H or Vitamin B7, the latter name being more commonly used in B complexes.

Like most B vitamins, this one gives you energy, but it does so much more. Biotin helps with digestion, especially with the metabolism of proteins and fats. It also helps with carbohydrates and with your glucose, among other things.

Biotin also is great for your nerves, sometimes being given to people who have nerve problems. For hair growth, biotin helps your body make keratin, which is a vital part of the strands of your hair. Not enough keratin leads to thinning hair, hence why it is a hair growth supplement and included in hair vitamins. As for skin and nails, biotin gives health to the former and strengthens the latter.

Considering all biotin does, it is clearly important to get the right amount of biotin you need. What’s more, biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that you cannot store it up for later. In turn, this means biotin must be eaten every day in order to get the amount you need.

Biotin is found in a long list of different foods, many of which you probably already eat some of daily. Things like eggs, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and more are all things that have biotin in them. This is why biotin deficiencies are very rare, but still possible to have.

The Top 5 Biotin Supplements

Best Biotin Supplements For Hair Growth

While I’ll happily tell you about how to choose a biotin supplement and why you might need to be taking biotin, you may not have the time to go through all of that. So, here’s a list of top biotin supplements of various types and a couple of forms.

Maybe one of these biotin supplements is just the one you are looking for. Each supplement is picked for its quality, its reputation, and its price.

#1. Folexin

While all of the supplements on our list have at least 5000 mcg of biotin per serving, what sets Folexin apart is that it contains a long list of other micronutrients, some of which also support hair growth. Folexin’s proprietary blend of micronutrients includes PABA, horsetail extract, Fo-Ti, Bamboo Extract, Stinging Nettle, Chinese Peony, Spirulina, Saw Palmetto, Alfalfa, and Barley Grass. In additional to these less familiar ingredients, Folexin also functions as a multivitamin since it contains vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B6, B12, , Pantothenic Acid, iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese, and potassium.

Though Folexin is slightly more expensive than some of the other biotin supplements on our list, the additional ingredients can make it worth the extra cost.

The Folexin company also gives you a good warranty, which is not something that many biotin supplement companies offer. Folexin also offers many deals, discounts, and subscriptions which I didn’t see for any other biotin supplement. For further details please read our full Folexin review.

 

#2. Sports Research Biotin with Coconut Oil

This biotin supplement has a lot going for it. It has 5,000 mcg of biotin, which is typical for most biotin supplements. Sports Research Biotin comes with 120 soft gels, which is enough to last you four months. This means less thought needed about buying more every month, and the bottle is not very big either. The small amount of coconut oil included is great too. Coconut oil is actually good for your digestion, meaning that it should help you absorb the biotin better.

It is also moisturizing for your hair, which is good for many hair types. However, too much coconut oil will make your hair and skin potentially more oily. So, you may not want even the small amount of it that is with this biotin.

Also, this Sports Research supplement is Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegans, and Good Manufacturing Practice certified as well. And those are just the main certifications that they thought worthy of printing on the bottle.

Finally, this biotin supplement is a very fair price. There are thousands of reviews on this biotin supplement. More than that, Sports Research offers a 90 day Money Back Guarantee on this as well as all their other products.

#3. Nature’s Bounty Biotin 5000 – Quick Dissolve Tablets

This biotin supplement option is in a tablet form. Tablets like these are placed beneath your tongue and left there to dissolve for about 30 seconds. Though this is not as quick as simply swallowing a pill, taking biotin this way allows the biotin to be absorbed into your bloodstream faster.

These particular tablets have strawberry flavoring, which most people enjoy but is not for everyone (some people do have strawberry allergies). It also comes in 60 tablets per bottle, which lasts a fair amount of time.

Nature’s Bounty has been selling supplements of all types for well over 50 years. This length of time would not be possible if this company had poor quality or other issues. Though tablets are slightly more expensive than pills are, you may want to have these.

#4. NutraChamps Biotin Gummies

These strawberry-flavored biotin gummies are a bit more expensive than even the tablets are. You also have to take two gummies instead of the one pill or tablet. However, the taste is nice, and the one month’s supply per bottle can be more convenient than carrying around one bottle that has enough for several months.

What is nice about these NutraChamp gummies is the many certifications it has. It is Non-GMO, Vegan certified, Lab Tested Verified, Professional Grade certified, Consistent GMP certified, and it has a Made With Love certification as well.

These biotin gummies even have a small amount of black carrot extract, which is fairly rich in nutrients. So, though gummies aren’t for everyone, these are the best if you are looking for the best biotin in this form.

#5. Spring Valley – Biotin 5000 mcg

Best Biotin Supplements For Hair Growth

Spring Valley’s biotin supplement is one of the least expensive and still has good quality. It doesn’t have a lot of certifications, but it does have one or two. This includes the Climate Pledge Friendly certification that is a sign that they use as little packaging as possible.

That is partially why this biotin supplement has 240 soft gels in one bottle. This is enough biotin to last several months, which is one less thing to think about. Considering the minimal packaging, this all fits in a surprisingly small bottle.

Unfortunately, it does have soy as an ingredient in the capsule part of the soft gel. Those avoiding soy should, therefore, avoid taking this biotin supplement. However, Spring Valley has good quality and is still a good price, so it is worth considering.

Why You Might Need A Biotin Supplement

Not getting enough biotin intake, though rare, is probably more common than you might think. There are many reasons biotin might be somewhat lacking in your system. You may even have more than one reason.

First, your digestion could be lacking. With so many stomach disorders around, most of which prevent you from digesting food properly, this should be no surprise. Any inhibition in your digestion can easily lead to deficiencies in all sorts of things, including biotin.

Those most at risk of biotin deficiency, besides those with digestive issues, are alcoholics and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Alcohol inhibits the absorption of biotin, and women in those cases need more biotin to support their growing baby.

Even eating more foods that have biotin in them may not be enough in this case. Therefore, supplements that can give you more concentrated biotin can let you at least get what you need, even if you can’t absorb all you have ingested.

Second, you may have a medical condition that is preventing you from accessing the biotin, or that interrupts part of the process. Diabetes, for example, is thought to cause low biotin levels.

More to the point, biotinidase deficiency is a rare disorder that prevents biotin from being used by you. This disorder is something that almost all newborns are screened for. Treatment with this B vitamin is started immediately and continues for the person’s whole life.

Along with medical conditions, some medications prevent biotin absorption as well. This includes anti-convulsants and a few other things. So, biotin supplementation might very well be needed by you for these and many other reasons.

Too Much Or Too Little Biotin

Considering how much biotin is in foods people tend to like, having too little of the biotin vitamin is rare. However, those with biotin deficiencies can have depression, aciduria, lack of energy, numbness in your hands or feet, or hallucinations. With extreme deficiencies, ataxia and/or seizures are also a possibility.

More to the point, biotin deficiency also can cause hair loss, redness, or even rashes around the eyes, nose, mouth, or genital area, brittle nails that struggle with growth, and other things are more obvious signs of biotin deficiency.

Too much biotin is even more rare, but high doses of it combined with a diet rich in it can cause this. It is more likely that biotin will build up on your system if you aren’t able to get rid of it. This can happen when one’s kidneys and urinary tract are not functioning properly.

Some signs of too much biotin are lower Vitamin C levels, lower Vitamin B6, and, more noticeably, skin rashes and other things. As you potentially noticed, the skin rashes are on both sides. Too little biotin is just as likely to cause skin rashes as too much is.

Of course, these types of rashes are somewhat different, and they are caused by different factors. This is why looking at the other factors, like your nails, skin, and for healthy hair is much more likely to work.

What To Look For In Biotin Supplements

For starters, look for a biotin supplement that has the amount of biotin in it that you want. Taking about 30 micrograms (mcg) or so is probably the minimum amount of biotin you want to take daily. Depending on your reason for taking a biotin supplement, you may need to take more than that.

For example, if you need to take biotin to make sure you get enough due to poor digestion, you will probably need to take more than a normal daily amount of it to make sure that you actually absorb the amount of biotin you need on a daily basis.

Pregnancy and other things are also reasons you should take more than 30 mcg of biotin. However, many biotin supplements, especially ones with the name of biotin 5,000, have 5,000 mcg of biotin in them. This is far more biotin than you technically need, but a great amount for hair growth and other things.

Next, biotin supplements come in all types of forms. Biotin gummies are fairly popular, almost as much as taking biotin in pill form. For those who enjoy gummy bears or other things, biotin gummies give you a healthier version.

However, biotin gummies, in order to taste good, do have other ingredients that are there just for their flavor. This means that the pills allow for a bigger concentration of biotin in them. Then, biotin tablets are

Besides the amount and the form, biotin supplements should also have phrases that you look for. ‘Third Party Monitoring’ or ‘Third Party Testing’ means that a company has a good reputation and is a good sign that they are not cheating you.

Meanwhile, Risk Free Money Back Guarantee is a good sign as well, showing that the company is confident that their supplement will work for you.

How To Get The Most Of Your Biotin

Best Biotin Supplements For Hair Growth

If you are taking a biotin supplement, it is only natural that you should want to get as much of a benefit as possible from taking it. There are two or three ways to maximize how much of the biotin you absorb. These will help biotin get into your system better and give you the best results when taking it.

First, there is the time of day you take biotin. Considering biotin is one of the B vitamins, it should come as no surprise that the morning is best. Biotin can give you a little energy, for starters, and that is not something you want right before bed.

Also, there is the small factor that digestion slows somewhat at night while you are sleeping. That makes for a poorer absorption rate, which is the opposite of what you want. This is why the timing of taking your biotin can help you get the most out of it.

Along with this, taking your biotin on an empty stomach is also a wise idea. So, take your biotin supplement 30 minutes to 1 hour before you eat breakfast for best results.

Second, probiotics and good gut health can also be helpful for letting you absorb more of everything, including biotin. In fact, almost anything assisting your digestion will help you a little in this area. Conversely, anything that weakens your digestion or prevents absorption of nutrients is going to prevent you from getting the most out of the biotin you take.

Thirdly, and finally, I’ve already mentioned that certain medical conditions can prevent proper biotin absorption. So, working with your doctor to cure, or at least treat, these conditions will help. There are more ways to improve your biotin levels, but these are the most common.

A Word Of Caution

While everyone needs biotin in their bodies, not everyone can handle it in the form of a supplement. In fact, biotin intake can cause an allergic reaction in rare cases. These symptoms include the usual ones associated with allergies, such as swelling in the face, lips, tongue, or throat, difficulty breathing, or hives.

On the inside, biotin can give you slightly milder reactions, such as an upset stomach and diarrhea. If this last side effect is a problem for you, then it can be reduced by taking it with food.

Finally, biotin may interfere with certain things medically. This is both tests and medications. As for lab tests, biotin interferes with the results of a lot of these. The results of blook work in these can sometimes be the opposite result of what you should have gotten.

While this error might not be the most terrible thing when it comes to testing your Vitamin D levels, other tests are often much more serious. Measuring the hormone that shows heart damage and the ones that indicate liver disease are two of these examples.

It’s easy to see that errors on tests for these two things can cause a whole host of other problems. You can have a heart attack because of this with no warning, or you can start taking thyroid medications for a thyroid disease you don’t even have.

And that is not getting to biotin’s effects on certain types of pregnancy tests, which can cause a lot of confusion as well. Certain cancer tests have the same problem too.

This is why biotin shouldn’t be taken within 24 hours of getting blood tests done. You can take your biotin supplement directly after having your blood drawn if you wish. Just don’t take biotin before your tests.

Final Thoughts

Biotin supplements can be extremely important to your health. They are an easy way to help your hair grow just a little better without any extra time or effort. Overall, biotin supplements tend to be pretty inexpensive as well, meaning that you aren’t going to shell out too much money to try it.

So, get a biotin supplement for your hair to help deal with hair loss and to help your health and energy levels. Whether you take a biotin gummy, pill, or tablet, it can only help your hair regrowth. Folexin is certainly the best of these, even though it isn’t pure biotin, and it is the one I recommend as a great hair supplement you should take.



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