Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that belongs to the group of B vitamins, specifically, B-7. It’s known for helping improve the health of your hair by adding shine, strength, and protection. It’s a vital nutrient for hair growth because it produces keratin, which is a key protein that’s involved in the formation of hair. A deficiency of biotin can give rise to various skin and hair problems such as brittle nails, thinning hair on the head or eyebrows, and dandruff. Learn more about how biotin improves your hair growth and the best ways to consume this important nutrient.
What is biotin?
Biotin is one of many water-soluble vitamins that are in the B-vitamin category. This vitamin helps with numerous processes in the body including those that impact the hair, nails, healthy metabolism, and even heart health. It’s a natural component of foods such as oats, vegetables like spinach, and even rice. You’ll find biotin in other foods like eggs, almonds, and yogurt.
It’s also known as vitamin H or B-7, and it plays an important role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
What happens when you are deficient in biotin?
A deficiency of biotin can give rise to various skin and hair problems. One of the most common is hair loss, with brittle nails and scaly skin also being linked to biotin deficiency. Low biotin levels can also lead to a number of concerning health issues. Anemia, depression, and fatigue are just a few. Additionally, people with prolonged low biotin levels can experience digestive issues. Low appetite, stomachaches, and even nausea are common. Because of the importance of biotin for the cells, it’s critical to eat foods and/or supplement with products designed to increase your biotin levels.
The body needs biotin to produce fatty acids and energy from food. Without it, the can’t convert your food into usable cellular energy. This creates problems in almost every system in the body.
Biotin Improves Hair Growth
One of the most visible effects of low biotin is hair loss. Being deficient in biotin can cause embarrassing bald spots, brittle hair, and even a lack of luster. Hair devoid of biotin looks lifeless and dull. But supplementing with biotin gummies or eating biotin-rich foods can help you have healthier hair. One of the ways that biotin helps is at the scalp level. It stimulates the production of keratin and also hair follicles. This helps more strands of hair come through. When the scalp is healthy, the hair follicles are healthier, and you may even get more follicles to produce more hair strands.
Biotin Reduces Breakage
Not only does biotin help more hair come out, but it also strengthens each hair. The strands are no longer as brittle which makes them less likely to break. Biotin also improves the thickness of the hair. So not only is it stronger, but your hair will be thicker with more body as well. Hair can be prone to breakage for numerous reasons including damage from hair treatments, heat, and of course nutrient deficiencies.
Biotin Enhances Hair Shine
Another indicator of healthy hair is shine. While greasiness is not desirable, having shiny hair that looks beautiful is something that most people want. Taking biotin supplements and eating the right foods can improve the shine of your hair without causing that greasy gooey look.
Biotin Helps You Grow Longer Hair
If you’re struggling to grow long hair it can be for many reasons. Genetics certainly plays a role in the length your hair can grow. But there are other factors like nutrient deficiencies that can also impact how well your hair grows. Nutrients like collagen and biotin are critical for hair growth and when you don’t get enough of them, your hair will suffer. Because biotin improves the strength of your hair and reduces brittleness, your hair strands can grow longer and healthier.
Some Compounds Interfere With Biotin
Antibiotics reduce the effectiveness of biotin supplements by killing the good bacteria in your digestive tract. These bacteria help your body break down foods and supplements so they are more bioavailable for your body and cells. Sometimes people who struggle to absorb biotin need to also add more healthy bacteria to their gut microbiome. If you’re taking supplements and eating a biotin rich diet, and you are still deficient in biotin, you might need to also take steps to create a healthy gut.
Best Foods For Biotin
Eggs are one of the best sources of biotin because they contain lots of protein and good fats as well. They also contain other B vitamins, which can help you maintain healthy hair. Another option to help you get more biotin is to eat bananas, sunflower seeds, and sweet potatoes. All of these are rich in biotin and are great for people on a plant-based diet. Salmon, pork, and beef liver are also great for hair growth because they contain high levels of biotin as well as other B vitamins. These foods are nutrient-dense and are great for your overall health, not just your hair health. One of the best things you can do for your hair is to enjoy foods full of nutrients.
Conclusion
Biotin improves hair growth by making your hair stronger and less brittle. It also improves the texture and hair follicles so your hair can grow in thick and healthy. The good thing about biotin is that it’s a B vitamin that can also improve your health in other ways. From cardiovascular health to improving mental health, this incredible nutrient is powerful.
Biotin can also improve nail health and boost your joint health as well. While there are many great supplements out there for biotin, you’ll want to ensure that they have the ingredients you need. It’s important to use quality supplements that don’t contain a lot of fillers as those can interfere with your body’s ability to uptake the key nutrients. You can also add in biotin-rich foods like eggs, salmon, fresh cauliflower, walnuts, bananas, and beef liver to help you vary your sources of biotin.
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