WHY BIOTIN IS NOT PART OF MY HAIR JOURNEY (hair story)

Like every lady starting their hair journey, I made a lot of research about growth aids in order to regrow my hair quickly. Because I was used to longer hair than a pixie cut, I was ready to try and implement everything (within reason, of course!) to help accelerate my hair growth. I was doing the inversion method, using coconut oil as hot oil treatments and for scalp massages, going to the sauna and incorporate healthier food in my diet, taking my multi-vitamins daily, drinking more water, decreasing the amount of heat I use on my hair and stretching my relaxers... almost everything one could think of to grow their hair faster, I was doing them.

I was nervous about taking biotin supplements, but so many ladies raved about it and their results... I decided to start with the smallest amount I could find, 1000 mcg. I had stopped taking my multi-vitamins to better observe my results. Here is how it went the couple of days I took biotin:

Day 1: I took one pill of biotin after eating my breakfast. It made my stomach a bit heavy but it was tolerable. The pill made me drink more water throughout the day. I was able to eat my regular meals that day.

Day 2: I took one pill around the same time. I drank even more water that day. My stomach felt heavier than the day before and I skipped a meal because I didn't feel hungry.

Day 3: I took one pill around that same time. I was feeling nauseous by then. I kept drinking water and had to force myself to eat more than my breakfast because I just didn't feel hungry. After day 3, I stopped taking the supplements altogether and eventually threw the bottle away, for one just can't live off biotin and water alone.

What went wrong? Why did it work for other ladies but it didn't work for me?

Not only because our bodies are not built the same way (some ladies claimed taking 5000 or 10,000 mcg a day with no problem), but also because my body was already getting the daily amount of biotin it needed through the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and my multi-vitamins I was consuming, which is between 30 to 35 mcg. Unfortunately, I didn't take it long enough to find out if I would break out or if the hair in other parts of my body would grow faster.

I recently stumbled upon liquid biotin on YouTube and asked myself if I should take a chance with it. I would have more control over my daily intake with the dropper. But then I changed my mind as the liquid form of biotin will most likely be absorbed faster in my body and I honestly don't want to relive what I've experienced the first time I took biotin. Besides, I'm already eating healthy and have grown my hair out without additional biotin supplements.

Moral of the story: you can jump on a bandwagon, but don't stay on it if it's not working out for you just to have a sense of belonging or fitting in. If biotin doesn't work for you, it's most likely your body already has enough to help you grow long and strong healthy hair.