The word ‘biotin’ might make you think of biotin vitamins, or maybe even the powdered supplements you take with water. But this isn’t a supplement used in isolation. Biotin is actually a type of vitamin B, and it’s one of the most important ones for hair growth.
If you’re starting to notice patches of thinning hair, or even hair loss, your diet may be to blame. Biotin — also known as vitamin B7 and part of the B-complex group of vitamins — helps your body produce keratin, which is essential to healthy hair, skin, and nails.
What Is Biotin?
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that’s naturally present in some foods and is also available as a dietary supplement. It plays a key role in the body by helping convert food into energy.
Biotin is also known as vitamin H (the “H” comes from Haar und Haut, German words for “hair and skin”) because it’s often used to treat problems with brittle nails and thinning hair.
Biotin is found in many foods that we eat every day, such as eggs, nuts, seeds and bananas. However, many of us don’t get enough biotin in our diet, making supplementation necessary to prevent deficiency symptoms like hair loss or dry skin.
In addition to helping with digestion and energy production, biotin also plays an important role in maintaining healthy hair and nails. This is because biotin helps your body produce keratin — a structural protein that makes up your hair follicles.
Is Biotin Good For Hair Growth?
Although there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence surrounding the benefits of biotin for hair growth, research on the topic is relatively limited.
The theory behind this hair growth supplement lies in the fact that biotin deficiency can cause brittle nails, hair loss and other skin issues. Thus, taking a biotin supplement can help correct these problems, thus promoting hair and nail growth.
