What Works For Some (LONG)...

[azul11]

May not work for others. We have discussed that countless times and I think finally I have to LISTEN to that. I have been taking Puritan Pride Biotin since April yet I nothing to show for it. I got the itchies but I havent seen a surge in new growth like some people proclaim. Maybe I was getting enough biotin naturally I dont know. My nails arent any longer, I mean they always were long but this hasnt sped that up either. So either I got a placebo or Puritan Pride Biotin isnt for me.

What this all tells me and reminds me is that only I know what my body needs and wants. I have been following what I assumed to be a great regime but my body doesnt like it. I was at this point a year ago when I had gained weight because of the pills I was taking which increased my appetite therefore making me eat more which made me weigh more. so when i stopped taking them i lost the weight. everything was back to normal. BUT then here I go again. doing another vitamin regime and now its creeping back again. at least the last time my hair was reaping some of the benefits but this time I dont think its worth it for me.

Its not even about diet because even if i eat candy and soda all day i still dont have a problem with weight or hair and nails. i think adding the multi vitamin with all the B vitamins and the biotin along with the B5 is what did me in. Again I can only speak for my body which is why I said what may work for some may not work for others.

I took biotin out of my regime for 2 weeks because I didnt have the time to worry about taking pills. I didnt exercise or anything and I ate sweets and soda and the ocassional takeout. I lost weight. before when I never took any vitamins and i ate healthy and worked out i lost weight. or when i ate candy and junk and worked out i lost weight. all without the pills. when i introduced the pills along with these same factors i gained. its a sign for me. so at the ending of july i will stop taking the biotin. i may continue with the b5 and just get take the ultra hair thick shake until its done and then stop taking vitamins all together. the only supplement that ever WOWED me was msm. that transformed my hair made it stronger and shiny. if i ever try to introduce another pill again that would be it. and it alone.


I think what needs to be remembered is you have to listen to your body. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you you must take these pills or your hair will never grow. its tempting with all the testimonies but your body chemistry and theirs are completely different. so just because it works for sue doesnt mean it will happen to you.

if your body is saying no no no no no listen to it.

i keep ignoring my body in hopes that i can will the product to work. if it doesnt work it doesnt work. I have decided that if i am going to make a decision i have to be firm about it. i cant get swayed by pictures and regimes. if body says no it has to go.

Msm is the only supplement i have taking that i can say i would reconsider taking again.

i love what B5 has done to my skin or maybe its all just an illusion but i think i will keep taking it and finish off the ultra hair thick shake and once i finish those i will take a break from pills. its tempting but only you know your body. msm worked for my hair and nails. they both were stronger and longer. puritan pride doesnt do that for me. this is my body telling me no.

So what I hope some of you ladies do if you havent already is review your regime and see if maybe something you have been doing may not be working. for some the solution is simple for others it isnt. elimination usually is the only way to remedy the problem. and this goes for regimes, products, supplements, whatever. i just had to say this because only you know your hair best and you know what your hair needs and wants.

God bless you all.

 

[debyjay]

Hi azul11,

you are so right, I do atkins so gaining weight would only happen to me if I stray from my diet of veggies and protein.
I would love to try the ultra thick hair shake but it's full of carbs so that's out for me. You say you noticed an increase in appetite. I'll have to pay close attention to that but I don't think it'll be a problem for me because even if I do eat more it won't be carbs so I should be fine.
Thanks fo posting this as I was seriously considering the shake which has sugar and I only do sugar on birthdays!

 

[azul11]

yeah i know i have to keep reminding myself of this. seriously. some days i sit and say hmmm maybe i should give it another try and then i end up right where i started. the only supplement i am seriously considering adding to my regime is msm. that worked well for me and i was pleased with the results. God bless you all.

 

[candycane]

Azul,

I am so glad that you posted this. I know that I have, and sometimes continue to be, one of those ladies who jumps on the latest bandwagon. I have put on at 15lbs lately and cannot quite pin point where it came from. I wondered if the weight gain was caused by the supplements, but because I did not read others indicating their supplements were causing their bodies to gain, I continued with my supplement regimine.

I found out quite some time ago that I cannot take biotin. It made my periods go haywire and made me feel like I was pregnant. My periods would be super late and I would retain a lot of water and just felt really crappy.

Your post has made me realize that perhaps I should reassess my vitamin and supplement intake. There are tons of women who successfully grow and maintain their hair by not taking all of the supplements that I take.

I am on:
Alive Veggie Multi Vitamins (4 per day)
Flaxseed oil (2 per day)
MSM (2 per day)
Ester C (2 per day)
B-5 (1 1000mg per day)

Perhaps that is too much supplementation. Perhaps I should increase my intake of healthier foods for overall health.....hmm....something to really consider.

Candycane

 

[azul11]

For me it was trial and error. I did times without the pills and times with them and compared my reactions. i made a mental note of when things started changing for me. i dont believe the supplements themselves were making me gain but more so the effect it had on my appetite which caused me to eat more which cause me to weigh more. so i said listen i want my hair healthy but its summer and i want to look cute lol

so something has to give. i did an assessment on how my body reacted when i was taking x, y and z and whether i felt it was worth it for me. looking back the msm was the only thing for me that really stood out and really made a difference. that is the only pill besides the b5 that i will take and everything else i will just try to get from my food.

i just sat down and was like something isnt right here and i evaluated the situation and came to this conclusion. God bless you all.

 

[jetcitygirl]

Azul, you are not the only one! In the 2 years since I decided to return to natural hair I've tried a lot of things that people have reported having grown hair faster. Ok, I'll be honest- I've tried ALL of the things

!! And you know what? My hair still grows at the same rate that it always grew without supplementation. What has really helped me most is in learning how to handle and care for my hair in a way that retains the length that is achieved normally for me.
Along the way I learned that too much Biotin makes my blood sugar level drop too low for my overall health(and also makes me VERY hungry). And while the extra B vitamins don't make my hair grow faster, it does eliminate a lot of my PMS symptoms. Silica makes my skin glow and MSM makes my hair stronger but not grow faster. My hair still grows at about 7inches per year which is nothing to be discouraged about. Supplements may or may not improve your rate of hair growth depending on other factors. For me I just decided to experiment to see what would happen, and at least the interest in growing my hair BWO supplements has educated me in the functions of various herbs and vitamins so I do not consider it a waste of my time. But I no longer rely on "quick fixes" to achieve long hair. I believe the real answer is to take very good care of your hair and the rest will happen naturally.

 

[candycane]

Jetcity,

Since you realized your hair grows the same with or without supplement, will you continue to take some of the supplements you mentioned?

Candycane

 

[hairfanatic]

I definately agree Azul. I have said it many times and have experienced it for myself...Not everything works for everyone. I have learned to stick with my tried and true products. I don't even take vitamins the way I use to and still get good hair growth. I may experiment with different techniques for doing my hair but when it comes to products and vitamins, I've just learned to keep it simple and consistent.

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

Do you think its possible for some that taking a combination of supplements at a time isn't good without the advice of their physician? Also, the amount taken? It seems to me as if some make their own dosage amount instead of the instructions that are marked on the supplements package. For example, I noticed in someone's signature line at one time that they were taking GNC Ultranourishair 2x daily. I have this supplement and on the bottle it says to take 2 pills daily. I don't know if someone was spreading out the pills by taking them separately in the day or what, but, I think it is important to know if you should take a higher dosage of something as well as in conjunction with other supplements or meds you may take.

For me if I take the Ultranourishair, I don't take my multi that day because the Ultranourishair covers it or vice versa if I decide I just want to take my multi I don't take the Ultranourishair.

 

[Guest]

Fortunately, I learned this lesson about a year ago. I tried that Hair Formula stuff and my heart raced so fast I thought I was going to die.

THEN, I said to myself "am I really that desperate that I would take up to 15 pills just to make my hair grow?" The answer was obvious.

Also, I decided to go with hairengerzer vitamins, against the masses, and with 2 pills a night, I have gotten tremendous hair growth. My hair probably would be down my back if I took the pills every night. I take them when I feel like it and still the hair is about 3 inches past the shoulders (in a year)

 

[jetcitygirl]

I apologize if this is a double post. I wrote a response to Candycane but I think I clicked the wrong button or something.

Anyway what I said was that I continue to take a lot of the supplements that I originally took for faster hair growth because of the other positive effects on my health,appearance and well-being. But am careful with Biotin because out of all of the supplements that I've taken that one has had the most dramatic effect on my body chemistry. I think that I'm past the point of believing that a supplement will increase my rate of hair growth, but I'm still kind of fascinated by the other positive effects that I've discovered from supplements.

 

[Longhairwanted]

After lurking around for sometime, I purchased every vitamin that was raved about and I did notice a significant change,

,in my appetite and weight. Grant it, I don't eat the way that I should, but at least I was maintaining my weight. I just stopped taking my vitamins on Saturday after reading another post that related to this subject because I want to see if the vitamins are the culprit. (Maybe it was the red velvet cake,

,o) Well anyway, it was easy for me to stop because I did not see any real changes in the rate of my hair growth. The growth that I did receive, I credit it to the conditioner washes and the extra care that I have been giving to my hair.

 

[azul11]

see thats the thing i dont jump on things without waiting them out. usually i am broken down after months of raves

I dont just hear this is good and run out and get it the next day. So I wait to see what people are saying and whether they continue. With the supplements I hear people say the benefits and then I do my own research before i purchase. I dont expect overnight to be rupunzel(sp?) but at least for these pills to be worth it for the price i am paying. i dont want to spend all this money without reaping the benefits. i seriously wondered if the pill was a placebo or i was an alien because the results people were having were not happening for me. so i am just going to stop and just use what i know has worked FOR ME. I will redue my research again before I reintroduce anything even if it had worked for me. God bless you all.