Waiting for a beard to grow can feel like watching grass grow, which can be frustrating if you want a full beard. If you are younger, it may take longer to attain your beard goals. Men start having facial hair during puberty, and they will sport strands of a mustache and chin hair long before a beard begins to surface. Some see a full beard as early as 18 or 19, while others may still have sparse beard growth until their mid-20s.
Some men never really get to have their dream beards. Hormones and genetics play a significant role in determining how fully and quickly your beard will eventually grow. Lifestyle and health can also be determinants. The hormone testosterone primarily drives facial hair growth. Testosterone levels vary, and they can negatively impact beard growth when low. Men with clinically low testosterone may need supplements through doctors’ advice to help accelerate beard growth.
For those asking does biotin help beard growth, supplements will not help your beard grow if you have normal testosterone levels. You may also be genetically predisposed to a scant beard despite having normal testosterone levels. This is mainly due to heredity, ethnicity, and genetic variations.
What is Biotin?
While looking for ways to enhance your beard growth, you will find references to biotin for beard growth. Biotin has been used to treat women’s hair loss for many years; however, men are considering it for beard benefits.
Growing a healthy beard takes more than taking biotin supplements. You require an entire beard care regime that moisturizes the skin and nourishes hair follicles. Biotin can help care for a beard in a vibrant way by looking at what you apply to the beard and what you eat.
Biotin is a naturally occurring substance alternatively known as vitamin B7, which the body produces in small amounts in the small intestines. You can also obtain biotin by consuming food like cooked eggs, seeds, nuts, and bananas. Egg yolks contain about ten mcg of biotin, but they also have high cholesterol levels, so you should include them in your meals but do not overeat and anticipate faster results.
Biotin is also a significant player in the body’s production of keratin. This protein is responsible for healthy nails, skin, and hair, all components of the integumentary system. People with biotin deficiency can take supplements to improve beard growth and strengthen brittle nails and hair. Biotin is also crucial to human survival; it affects carbohydrate metabolism, cell energy production, and the breakdown of fatty acids.
Even though biotin improves your nail and hair’s general integrity, no substantial scientific evidence supports external consumption for lasting results. This is to say that you need to consume biotin to obtain the most remarkable effects. So, various biotin-infused shampoos available on the market may be effective as claimed.
Biotin Hair Benefits
If you want to accelerate beard growth with vitamins, then biotin may be one of the most viable solutions. Here are some biotin benefits for hair you can obtain from using the B vitamin.
1. Stronger Beard
One appealing characteristic of biotin is that it thickens your hair follicles. The thickness goes all the way to the hair roots. This is incredibly beneficial in strengthening facial hair, which also prevents breakage. Biotin also promotes a more substantial beard because it nourishes the skin from the inside and outside. Therefore, include vitamin B7 in your grooming kit as it guarantees a strong foundation for your follicles for beard growth.
2. Healthy Skin
Remember that biotin deficiency may trigger several skin disorders, such as rashes, dermatitis, acne, and itchiness. You can use biotin to nourish your skin from deep within, thus preventing harmful effects from exhibiting through your nervous system and showing themselves through skin conditions. Vitamin B7 is essential as it provides the skin beneath the beard with all crucial nutrients. Therefore, you will have healthy skin leading to healthier facial hair.
3. Minimizes the Risk of Hair Loss
People who want to avoid hair loss can significantly benefit from biotin. You can experience hair loss if you have a biotin deficiency triggered by poor diet and genetic disorders. Start supplementing or using biotin and combine it with a balanced and healthy lifestyle and diet. When you do that, you supply your body with sufficient nutrients to strengthen your facial hair and strengthen it.
Does Biotin Help Beard Growth
Considering that biotin is involved in keratin production, it may be unclear if it aids beard growth. While data specific to beard growth is limited, some studies imply that biotin supplements may improve hair thickness for people with health conditions that affect hair growth, like alopecia. However, beard growth is not particularly mentioned.
Healthy people taking biotin supplements have not significantly improved beard growth. You may only benefit from biotin supplements if you lack this vitamin. Biotin deficiencies are rare and typically occur due to insufficient amounts of enzymes regulating biotin levels. A biotin deficiency may also emanate from intestinal malabsorption because of raw egg ingestion, excessive alcohol, or chronic antibiotic use. Some initial signs of vitamin B7 deficiency are unusual nail, skin, and hair changes. A more advanced deficiency affects your central nervous system, possibly causing impaired vision and seizures
What are the Consequences of Taking Too Much Biotin?
Although biotin supplements may not be required for a significant part of the population, it is reasonably safe, and toxic levels have not been established. The reason is that biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, and your body generally disposes of any excessive amount in your urine.
Although side effects are uncommon, you should not take biotin without research or precaution. Monitor your intake closely, including biotin from diet and supplements, to avoid symptoms such as high blood pressure, skin rash, kidney problems, and vitamin deficiencies. Remember that supplements consumed filter through your body so that they can have long-term effects. The risk of most supplements, more so the ones promoting miracle beard growth, are far greater than the alleged benefits. Use biotin supplements wisely and consult a doctor or research before taking them.
Biotin Supplements vs. Biotin Shampoos
You must ingest biotin for it to affect keratin infrastructure. Since shampoos are not consumed, they are unlikely to offer significant outcomes. While there is sufficient research to prove that biotin intake improves keratin production, there isn’t enough evidence proving that biotin-infused shampoos or supplements work for people without underlying conditions affecting nail and hair health. Although some biotin shampoos improve beard hair density and scalp hair texture, they do not promote sufficient growth to reverse hair loss or fill bald spots.
You can improve beard hair thickness with suitable hair products, such as high-quality wash. Balms and oils can help you attain a rich texture and greater volume that’s strong without being brittle, wiry, or dry. While biotin consumption is one component of healthy hair, it is not everything. You will need to observe your vitamin B levels in your diet, get sufficient exercise and concentrate on minimizing stress and improving sleep quality.
Biotin-Rich Foods
Biotin is a vitamin that aids the body to change food into energy and supports liver function. Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that the body does not store. Therefore, you need to consume biotin regularly to have adequate levels. There is no Estimated Average Requirement or Recommended Daily Allowance for biotin as its deficiency is rare. But biotin’s Daily Value is usually 30 mcg daily. Despite biotin being available in supplement form, you can get all you need through various foods, such as:
- Egg yolks
- Legumes
- Seeds and nuts
- Liver
- Sweet potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Yeast
- Avocados
- Whole grains and cereals
- Salmon
- Dairy
Who is at Risk of Biotin Deficiency?
Biotin supplements are usually unnecessary unless one has a biotin deficiency or another risk factor that may increase your risk of biotin deficiency. You are at most risk for biotin deficiency if you have the following:
- Malnutrition
Insufficient nutrient and food intake can result in low biotin levels.
- Biotinidase deficiency (BTD)
This is a genetic disorder where the body cannot recycle and reuse biotin.
- Chronic alcohol use
Alcohol inhibits biotin absorption, so long-term alcohol use is linked to significant reductions in biotin levels.
Breastfeeding and pregnant women can also obtain low biotin levels despite taking vitamin B7 as required. This may be because of enhanced use of the vitamin or impaired absorption.
Certain medications such as retinoids and antiepileptics may also cause a biotin deficiency. Antiepileptics treat bipolar disorder, nerve pain, and seizure disorders. Retinoids are a group of compounds obtained from vitamin A, commonly for treating psoriasis, acne, and other dermatological conditions.
Summary
If you think you are not obtaining biotin in your diet, you can look for biotin supplements to get your daily dose. It is essential to pick a high-quality biotin supplement brand. You can also buy biotin oil bulk to apply to your beard to moisturize the skin and nourish hair follicles. Biotin can increase beard growth rate while making the hair healthier and thicker.