Biotin vitamins: good, bad, or flush them down the toilet and forget about them?

I take a biotin supplement regularly and have yet to sprout a second head. The FDA doesn't officially approve of a lot of the things I take, such as hawthorn and yarrow for my heart (which are taken in combination for heart issues in Europe). What biotin does is improve the *health* of skin, hair, and nails. That means fewer split ends (when the new, biotin enriched growth reaches the bottom of the strand).   Everyone's hair grows at a different rate, but the healthier your diet, the closer to optimum speed you're likely to achieve; that said, the average person (eating well) will only see about half an inch per month. Of that half inch, about a quarter of an inch should be trimmed because of those dreaded split ends. Which is where the logic of biotin comes in: if the ends aren't split, you don't have to snip them off.In addition to eating right, getting lots of fresh air, drinking plenty of water, and getting a little exercises, all of which will benefit your overall health (and therefore your hair), you should get into a weekly deep moisturizer routine. I use egg yoke, yogurt, and honey, sometimes avocado when I can find a nice one.  Any left overs get turned into a face mask  ;-)If at all possible avoid blow dryers, curling irons, hot rollers, and at all costs avoid chemical hair dye. I recommend switching to an all natural shampoo, something that is devoid of  harsh detergents. The less you wash your hair the better, but I've found that the longer mine has gotten, the longer I can go between washes (once or twice a week, unless I've been doing yard work and gotten grunky).  You should avoid chlorine pools (or at least put your hair up and try not to get it wet; wash immediately after swimming). Wearing your hair up two or three times a week will also help slow down splitting ends. And yes, it's a lot of work. 

Now your saying you dont trust the supplement vitamin Biotin to help your hair skin or nails grow, because ITS NOT FDA APPROVED? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! OK FIRST OF ALL WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE (FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION)? THOSE 2 WORDS SHOULD NEVER BE IN THE SAME SENTENCE. FIRST OF ALL THE FDA APPROVED ONLY ONE SO CALLED DIETARY DRUG OVER THE COUNTER CALLED "ALLI" LOOK IT UP, AND SEE HOW THAT TURNED OUT! COUGH "LIVER DAMAGE". THE FDA IS IN BED WITH THE PHARMECUTICAL COMPANIES HELPING AMERICANS BECOME ADDICTED TO PAIN MEDS, TAKE MEDICINES THAT FOR THE LONG HALL WILL KILL YOU. IF A VITAMIN (NATURAL SUBSTANCE) COMPANY TRIES TO MAKE A CLAIM OF HELPING TO CURE PROBLEMS WITH ONES HEALTH, THAN GUESS WHAT? THEY GET SHUT DOWN. THE FDA AND PHARMACEUTICAL CO. WANT US SICK. HOLISTIC MEDICINE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS WELL BEFORE PHARMACEUTICALS MADE THERE WAY IN SOCIETY. THEY ARE GETTING RID OF WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU WITH A SYNTHETIC REPLACEMENT. THE PERFECT EXAMPLES, SUGAR IS NATURAL, BUT SWEET AND LOW, AND EQUAL ARE NOT. READ UP ON ASPERTAME. I DID WHEN I DRANK A DIET DRINK AND ENDED UP VIOLENTLY SICK. CHINESE MEDICINE KNOWS THAT MA HAUNG CAN HELP OPEN ONES RESPRITORY, BUT THE FDA STOPPED IT FROM BEING ON THE MARKET. CLAIMED IT WAS BEING MISUSED. BUT INSTEAD IF YOUR ASTHMATIC HAVE SOME SYNTHETIC ALBUTERAL. THEY ALSO MONITOR OUR FOOD SUPPLY, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE POULTRY FARMS OF AMERICA. THE FARMERS ARE MADE (YES MADE) TO FEED THEIR LIVE STOCK (CHICKS) GROWTH HORMONES. TO MEET SUPPLY AND DEMAND! THE CHICKENS GROW SO FAST THERE BONES DONT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT. SO THEY FLOP ON THE GROUND IN FECES AND URINE. AND WE GET TO EAT THEM. YUMMY!! GO TO PETA THEY WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ANIMALS GO THROUGH THAT WE EAT. YES I EAT MEAT, GREW UP ON IT. AND RECENTLY BECAME ENLIGHTENED TO ALL THIS. I THINK YOU MY DEAR, SHOULD SPEND YOUR TIME WORRYING ABOUT THE STUFF YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING INTO AND LESS TIME GIVING ADVICE ON STUFF YOU ARE CLUELESS ABOUT. AND MORE TIME GETTING EDUCATED ON THE FDA AND WHY WE ARE NOT ENCOURAGED TO GO MORE NATURAL IN OUR DEFECIENCIES. AND WHY OUR FARMERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GROW CORN INSTEAD OF NATURAL VEGETATION. FIND OUT AND THAN REWRITE YOUR ARTICLE WITH SOME HEART.

Biotin vitamins have no known side effect. I originaly took them for the metabolic reasons and soon found that my nails were longer and stronger. The only thing i've experienced is that I get more hungry faster.

Thank you everyone! In that case, I'm going to take them! Case closed!

They work! I take them when I want to grow out my hair. Unless you're pregnant, I think there's little harm in taking them since your body flushes most of it out.

So I've been using biotin for ages.  Not only do my hair and nails grow faster, but my nails are stronger. Combined with the fact that my medication leaches me of b vitamins, it's a good thing to take. I tried not taking it for a while and my nails started breaking all over the place.  Most of us don't get enough b vitamins anyway and if you do, I believe they aren't a fat soluable vitamin so your body flushes them out.  It will take about 3 months for you to notice a difference.

But I do know that FDA approval doesn't mean everything - for example, pretty much nothing in any GNC store is FDA approved nor are most holistic remedies, Chinese herbs and so on. Doesn't make them bad. It basically means the FDA hasn't reviewed the efficacy claims which have to be proven with all sorts of mandated testing.

(Meanwhile, Olestra was FDA approved. So...there's that)

That said, Nature's Bounty is a fairly respected brand and I'd be comfortable with it in terms of purity.

If you're really concerned, the best bet would probably be to get Biotin naturally from you diet. How do you feel about liver?

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