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Fun fact: we generally lose up to 50 hairs per day. While this is normally nothing to worry about, you may have noticed the amount sometimes increases with the change of season. This so-called “seasonal alopecia” is caused largely by autumn’s dwindling sunlight and can last for weeks.
Luckily, adopting a good hair habits will keep hair looking as healthy and full as possible—regardless of the inevitable seasonal shed. Like: drying your hair with a microfiber towel, using a boar bristle brush, and opting for hair products with gentle, natural ingredients.
The benefits of biotin for hair
It’s also a great idea to take care of the hair from the inside out. Diet can help—especially since certain nutrients are essential for healthy hair. One vitamin we all hear a lot about is biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H. It’s found in bananas, sweet potatoes, egg yolks, avocado, and more.
Biotin—which gets its name from the Greek prefix bio, meaning “life”—helps the body make energy from food. Like other B vitamins, it’s essential for healthy skin, nails, and hair. Some studies suggest that biotin may be helpful for stimulating hair growth and preventing hair loss.
How to use biotin for hair loss
While scientific evidence is limited, many people anecdotally swear by biotin supplements—and most experts say that because biotin is water soluble, it’s relatively safe to take as a supplement. However, it’s important to note that most experts also agree that additional research on biotin’s true efficacy for hair loss and hair growth is still needed.
With that in mind, there are things to consider if you plan to take a biotin supplement—or any over-the-counter supplement, for that matter. Be sure to look for supplements that are third-party lab tested to ensure high quality. And, do your due diligence by doing a quick search for other potential risks. For example, a few years ago, the FDA released a warning that taking biotin supplements can interfere with certain lab tests. The daily recommend dose for biotin ranges from 5 to 35 micrograms, but “many dietary supplements promoted for hair, skin, and nail benefits contain biotin levels up to 650 times the recommended daily intake of biotin,” the agency reported. “Biotin in blood or other samples taken from patients who are ingesting high levels of biotin in dietary supplements can cause clinically significant incorrect lab test results such as falsely high or falsely low results, depending on the test.”
Viviscal
Hair Growth Supplements
$35 $30
AMAZON
Vegamour Gro
Biotin Gummies
$36
AMAZON
Women's Hair Growth Supplements
$88
AMAZON
ReTress
Hair Rejuvenation Kit
$109
RETRESS
The best biotin for hair
With all this in mind, it’s probably a best to amp up your biotin intake the old-fashioned way: via the foods you eat. “Many foods contain some biotin,” the National Institute of Health’s info page states. “Foods that contain the most biotin include organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, and certain vegetables such as sweet potatoes.”
If you eat a well-rounded, healthy diet—one that includes healthy fats, lean proteins, whole grains, and a wide variety of fruits and veggies—you are probably consuming adequate levels of biotin already. However, if you want to consume an extra-effective hair-healthy diet, consider focusing on the following specific (and delicious) biotin sources: avocado, sweet potato, eggs, salmon, tuna, sardines, broccoli, spinach, almonds, mushrooms, legumes, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
Can biotin shampoo help hair growth?
You may have noticed that biotin is also found in a ton of hair treatments, including shampoos, conditioners, and serums. However, there’s very little evidence to support the idea that applying biotin topically to hair can improve hair quality. “While appropriate consumption of biotin in diet leads to healthy hair, little data support the role of biotin in healthy individuals,” one scientific analysis states. “Many of the OTC hair loss treatments found in the best seller lists of the online retailers website were natural products with very few evidence about their efficacy,” it concludes.
Hair treatments enriched with biotin
That said, many biotin-enriched treatments include other high-quality, hair-healthy ingredients that can enhance fullness, volume, and shine—which, let’s admit—can be a savior during high hair-shed seasons. If you would like to try a shampoo, conditioner, or other hair product containing biotin, these are some worthy options to try:
The Coco & Eve Boost Therapy Shampoo-Conditioner Duo
Coco & Eve
Hair Volumising Shampoo & Conditioner Set
$56
COCO & EVE
Coco & Eve’s Boost Therapy range is formulated to increase volume, strength, and thickness with a combination of biotin, hydrating panthenol, coconut oil, and of the brand’s proprietary complex, Biovolume 128™, which is clinically proven to increase hair volume after three months.
JVN Embody Daily Volumizing Conditioner
JVN Hair
Embody Volumizing Conditioner
$24
AMAZON
Dedicated to damaged hair, this conditioner is beloved for the bounce and vitality it gives to flat hair. The recipe for success? Bamboo extract, biotin, and squalane.
Ouai’s Fine Hair Duo
Ouai
Fine Shampoo and Conditioner Set
$64
AMAZON
Specially designed to protect fragile hair that sheds easily, this shampoo and conditioner duo acts directly on the scalp with a formula that includes hydrolyzed keratin, biotin, moisturizing hemp seed extract, and chia seed oil.
Grow Gorgeous Scalp Care
Grow Gorgeous
Scalp Tonic
$27
DERMSTORE
A cocktail of algae, caffeine, biotin and plum extract revitalize hair from root to tip.
Olaplex Bond Maintenance n4 Shampoo
Olaplex
No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
$30 $15
AMAZON
Like other treatments in the Olaplex range, this best-selling shampoo works wonders on weakened hair, split ends, and broken strands.
Virtue Full Shampoo
Virtue
Full Shampoo
$42
AMAZON
$42
BLUEMERCURY
A synergy of biotin, hydrolyzed quinoa, and alpha keratin 60ku™ protein provide shine to the hair while making it more supple, stronger, and repaired.
Augustinus Bader Leave-In Hair Treatment
Augustinus Bader
The Leave-In Hair Treatment
$86
NORDSTROM
$85
AMAZON
$54
BLUEMERCURY
It took more than 30 years of scientific research to develop this hair treatment which was formulated to protect hair from heat styling, UVA and UVB rays, and chemical treatments.
Oribe Serene Conditioner
Oribe
Serene Scalp Balancing Conditioner
$193
BLUEMERCURY
$193
AMAZON
$193
DERMSTORE
The composition of this conditioner includes several active ingredients with super-hydrating properties (eldelweiss, shea butter) and fortifying properties (biotin, panthenol, quinoa).
Rahua Enchanted Island Shampoo
Rahua
Enchanted Island Shampoo
$36
BLUEMERCURY
$10
DERMSTORE
This shampoo has an irresistible guava and coconut scent and includes carefully chosen active ingredients such as biotin, vitamins B6, A, C and E, and rahua oil—the brand’s flagship ingredient.
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Shampoo
Briogeo
Scalp Revival Charcoal & Biotin Dry Shampoo
$25
AMAZON
$25
DERMSTORE
A combo of biotin, charcoal, bamboo, and witch hazel extract formulated to absorb excess sebum while promoting hair growth.