# First Time Using Biotin! (Week to Week Pics)



## livinthevida (Jan 21, 2012)

*First Time Using Biotin! (Week to Week Pics) - Cancelled!*

Hi LHCF! I am very new to the LHCF community and thought I start by sharing my first journey here to healthier hair.

Starting TODAY! I finally decided to do something about my thinning hair. I have no idea what is making my hair thin these past few months yet it is getting worse. I read many reviews here and on other forums including videos on YouTube. I settled on trying NOW Foods Biotin 5000mcg available on Amazon to help with my thinning hair. It is thinning right at the very top and front center of my scalp (see images).

A Little About Me
I take no vitamins or medications and am not prone to acne (I've read reviews where others had major acne issues). Many reviewers recommended drinking lots of water (more than usual) and this will be a BIG part of my regimen too. I plan to take 1 single 5000mcg capsule every evening after a light dinner. 

How I Take My Biotin
I purchased a 24-pack of 16.9 fl oz bottled water (on sale at CVS for $4.00!) and opened a single capsule (these from Amazon come in a clear capsule that can be opened - just be careful nothing spills!) I then poured what is in the capsule into a single bottle of water and shaked it up pretty good. The biotin is completely tasteless! 

Now that it is almost 2 hours after dinner I have no side effects at all, no headache, no upset stomach. Just feels like I had a nice bottle of cool water. 

To keep track on whether the Biotin is really working??? I will be posting pictures like these every week (Saturday evening). Hopefully Biotin will help my thinning hair 

***********EDIT 1.24.2012***********​Ladies I thank you for your encouragement and advice however I am cancelling this my very first LHCF journey. In case this thread stays up for others to view here are my reasons for cancelling:


Day 1 - started journey by taking one 5,000mcg capsule with plenty of water after dinner, no side effects, slept well

Day 2 - continued drinking plenty of water, I already drink 6 (16oz) bottles a day yet reading how important water is when taking Biotin I increased my intake to 8 (16oz) bottles a day. I decided to lower my dose to 2,500mcg based on member comments in this thread, no side effects, slept well

Day 3 - up early Monday, while getting ready for work I suddenly felt dizzy, it took me sometime to get back on my feet and I felt sick to my stomach as if I was ready to hurl. I slowly sipped on room temperature water and ate most of my oatmeal. Continued drinking water all day at work, toughed it out yet felt sick to my stomach and very very very sleepy (I yawned all day even after heading out to lunch with a co-worker!). I believe my appetite also increased even though I went to the bathroom often

Day 4 - up early Tuesday, dizziness and sick to my stomach again, toughed it out at work while continuing to drink water, I still headed outside to run errands at lunch, yet I yawned all day and am so ready for nap time now. My appetite has definitely increased snacking pretzels and drinking water all day. I felt like I could not eat enough
Overall no acne issues at all, I never felt thirsty, only dizzy, sick to stomach, and very hungry. I rather not keep lowering my dose until I find a level that works for me. Simply put - taking Biotin is not worth taking with risk while enduring these issues. I know others have bared well while taking Biotin yet my body does not agree.


So...I am moving on to a safer and more natural approach to heal my thinning hair! You can catch me with other LHCF members on NikkiQ's AP 2012 Challenge thread. I'm sure I will come up with some very safe and creative ways to improve the health of my scalp and hair


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## Foxglove (Jan 21, 2012)

Get some proactiv while you're at it. Biotin broke me out so bad, it turned me off hair vitamins completely


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## blueberryd (Jan 21, 2012)

Sounds like a plan!  
1. biotin does break some people out (not me) so make sure you up your water intake.
2. don't get discouraged if you aren't seeing weekly progress...weekly progress is often sooo subtle, you may think the product isn't working.  I generally take progress pics 1x a month...that way, i'm more likely to see more obvious progress.
3.  As far as your thinning hair--look at your iron levels--you may need a iron supplement.  MSM is also another great supplement.  Nioxxin is also good--it is a DHT blocker/vitamin that helps with hair thinning/balding.
HHJ


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## HighHeels (Jan 21, 2012)

Try taking it with a B complex and you will stop breaking out, I used to look like a pepperoni and sausage pizza when I took it alone, I had cystic acne and red bumps allll over my face. I had to go to the derm and drink water by the liter for 3 months to get rid of it all and the scars...

Then while researching it, (because the growth was just too good to let go) l I read if you break out take it with a b complex, I did it and now I can take 5,000 mcgs with no problems. I still drink a lot more water because I need to keep my skin hydrated in this cold weather. 


Ps. start from 1000 mcgs and work your way up.


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## Ms. Tiki (Jan 21, 2012)

I agree with blueberryd. You will not see a difference overnight but it will come. I noticed my nail strength increase before I noticed anything else. You do need to stay on top of your water intake. If you do that you shouldn't have any outbreaks. I take 10,000mcg without a problem. Also, make sure you take a b-complex with it for it to work better. MSM is also a good supplement as previously stated but take vitamin c with it. You might also want to try black tea or coffee rinses. That may help slow or stop the thinning. I know it help me a ton when I was having shedding issues. 

Last but not least, Welcome!!!


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## livinthevida (Jan 22, 2012)

Foxglove how much Biotin did you take? and how long was it before acne started?


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## livinthevida (Jan 22, 2012)

blueberryd how long have you taken Biotin and how much Biotin? I am not sure I want to take 5000mcg Biotin for too long


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## livinthevida (Jan 22, 2012)

TurquoiseBlue what B Complex brand worked for you? I am thinking of picking up a local brand at Walgreens or CVS

were there any side affects while taking the Biotin and B Complex together?


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## livinthevida (Jan 22, 2012)

Ms. Tiki Thank You for the Welcome!!! 

I agree improving my thinning hair will take time. Likely not too see any real difference week to week yet possibly at the end of 4 weeks there might be improvement?? (*crossing my fingers*)! I am definitely on top of my water intake I see members above also recommended how important this is while taking Biotin. 

What brand of B Complex and MSM worked for you? I have read of MSM yet still have no idea what it is. What dosage of MSM did you take? I see the dosage range from 500mg to 1500mg on Amazon. 

Glad you mentioned shedding too, this may have been a warning to me before I realized how bad my thinning hair was getting. In the past few months my hair started to shed a lot more than I could handle and then the top of my head started to thin! Do you have instructions posted on trying a black tea or coffee rinse? The rinses will be another first for me!


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## Meritamen (Jan 22, 2012)

Ms. Tiki how are you splitting the 10,000 mcg of biotin? Half a dose twice a day or a third three times a day? And what b-complex do you use.

I also wanted to add that you might not see results until a month or two after consistent use. I take biotin (3,000 mcg), MSM (2,000 mg), and a b-complex. First, I saw results in the strength of my nails after a week or two. After a month, month and a half, I saw results in my hair. This is on top of better diet and exercise so I don't credit the vitamins completely.
Hope that helps some. Good luck.

ETA: Don't freak out if you find yourself shaving more often!


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## Ms. Tiki (Jan 22, 2012)

@Ravengirl Most times I don't split it b/c I'm lazy. However, if I do I take one in the am and one in the pm. I take the CVS brand of Super B Complex & C


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## sunnieb (Jan 22, 2012)

I've been taking 3,300 mcg of Biotin (GNC Hair, Skin, & Nails; GNC Women's Ultra Mega) daily for almost a year.  I think it attributed to my hair finally being able to get to BSL.  

You have to be consistent above all and drink plenty of water.  I drink an average of 100oz a day.  I noticed my newgrowth changed after about 3-4 weeks.  I was so baffled that I made a blog post about it on here!

I'm lucky that this level of Biotin did not break me out, so I think I'll stay here.


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## Ms. Tiki (Jan 22, 2012)

livinthevida said:


> Ms. Tiki Thank You for the Welcome!!!
> 
> I agree improving my thinning hair will take time. Likely not too see any real difference week to week yet possibly at the end of 4 weeks there might be improvement?? (*crossing my fingers*)! I am definitely on top of my water intake I see members above also recommended how important this is while taking Biotin.
> 
> ...



I started out taking 1000mg of MSM. I've moved up with the MSM I'm taking now to 1tsp of the Source Naturals brand from Vitacost. It's about 5.2g/5200mg. I see the difference in my NG from the increase dosage and my joints are much happier. However, when this container runs out I'm going back to the TriMedica brand. I had better results. 

As for my tea rinse, I use earl grey black tea (from Wal-mart), horsetail, and nettle. If I'm using a small 2quart pot I use two bags of earl grey, 1 of the horsetail and nettle. For a large pot I double it. I bought a box of burdock to add but it has disappeared. The last time I used my rinse I added 1/4 C of ACV. I pour it over my head, cover with a plastic cap, and let it sit for at least 20 mins then rinse. However, there are times when I just leave it on and don't rinse.


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## regina07 (Jan 22, 2012)

I had major shedding in Sept from birth control pills.  I started taking 30,000 mcg a day along with B-complex and MSM.  The biotin stopped the shedding immediately and now I'm sheddding at a typical rate (10-35 hairs a day).  Can't say my hair's growing faster because I wasn't tracking it.  

I didnt' break out and didn't up my water intake.  OTOH, the biotin has done nothing for my nails ... go figure!


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