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Sometimes taking biotin internally is not something you want to do. Whether this is because you already take vitamins and other things and simply don’t want to take yet another pill every day, or because you can’t take biotin for medical reasons, having another option is nice.
Then again, you may want to apply biotin topically even if you are taking it as a supplement. Applying something directly to your hair can make sure that your hair follicles actually get some of it. Otherwise, your body might decide that the biotin is better used elsewhere.
What Is Biotin
Biotin comes in many different forms for you to use, as you have likely noticed. It almost has as many different names as it does forms. The second most popular name for biotin is Vitamin B7, but biotin is also known as Vitamin H. There are even lesser-known names than that.
Biotin also has a lot of different uses as well. Besides hair, skin, and nails, biotin also does a lot for certain enzymes you need. Enzymes do countless things for your body, but the ones from biotin break things down in your body.
These fats and other cells that get broken down is why biotin is sometimes used for weight loss. Meanwhile, as a B vitamin, biotin will also help with your energy, meaning that you should get extra help exercising, which will also help with weight loss a little.
Perhaps more important than even your energy levels is the fact that biotin can help with your nerves. The communication of your cells with each other is vital to many different things. Nerve damage and diseases that damage your nerves are both things that biotin can help with.
There are many other biotin benefits, a few more of which we’ll get to in a moment. Because all that biotin can do for you, it is easy to buy it in a variety of forms. Biotin can be bought in pills, tablets, gummies, oil form, liquid form, and either by itself or with other ingredients.
However, biotin is also in many familiar foods you likely already eat. Things like eggs, mushrooms, nuts, peanuts, sweet potatoes, milk products, and many more foods have biotin in them. With this many common foods having biotin in them, it is hard to avoid getting the amount you need.
What This Does For Hair Growth
The main reason biotin is able to help with healthy hair growth is because of the assistance it gives with keratin. When the biotin makes it to your hair root, your hair follicle uses it to make keratin. The keratin is then used to make the strands of your hair.
If your hair follicles don’t have enough keratin, you end up with thinning hair as the strands of your hair become thinner themselves. Hair loss is possible if the follicles on your scalp decide to ‘turn off’ and wait until more nutrients are available.
The same is true for your nails. The proteins that make up your fingernails and toenails are also made up of something your body needs biotin for. Therefore, brittle nails that break far too easily may be a sign of not having enough biotin.
On the subject of breaking, weak hair strands that don’t have enough keratin do tend to break more as well. As for skin, rashes and skin diseases are more likely to take hold on skin that doesn’t have enough biotin.
You could say that the skin has tiny breaks in it due to biotin’s absence which makes it easier for these to take hold. Basically, biotin can be considered a strengthener, but it can also be considered the glue that holds your skin, hair, and nails together no matter your hair type or your hair color.
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Top 3 Biotin Oils
There is a variety of biotin oils to choose from. Unfortunately, you will find many serums and liquid biotin supplements if you look for biotin oil. Worth noting is that biotin oil is not quite the same as liquid biotin. Liquid biotin is a biotin supplement that you take with a dropper.
Biotin oil, on the other hand, is an oil that is meant to be applied topically. There are comparatively few true biotin oils to choose from, but here are the ones I think are the best.
#1. Ethereal Nature Biotin Oil
This biotin oil has a few other oils in it. While the soybean oil may not be one you want, the castor oil certainly is. Castor oil is about as good for your hair growth as biotin is, making it a good addition to this hair oil.
Ethereal Nature has a wide variety of other oils as well. Some of these are coconut oil, castor oil, argan oil, and several others that are all good for hair growth. There is even a Scalp Care and a Pro-Growth that they offer.
Each oil, like this one, is a very reasonable price. In fact, the biotin oil from this company is one of the cheapest, which is why, when combined with the fact that it is a good product, it is at the top of this list.
#2. OGX Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Weightless Healing Oil Treatment
This hair oil treatment has biotin as the first main ingredient. Besides that, this OGX product has collagen and hydrolyzed wheat protein. Collagen is great for your hair, and the wheat protein less so, but this is a good mix.
It is very inexpensive, comes with actual instructions – not many biotin oils do – and has one or two other ingredients that help it not make your hair too oily.
Wheat protein might not be good to put in your hair if you are allergic to it. However, wheat protein is still a type of protein, and it is proteins that make up most of each hair. So, though this ingredient is not for everyone, it is still a good ingredient to have.
OGX has other biotin products as well, including a shampoo and conditioning set that have biotin in them. These other OGX products are fairly good and can be used in addition to their oil treatment.
#3. Difeel 99% Natural Biotin Premium Hair Oil
Difeel’s biotin oil has many of the same ingredients as the one from Ethereal Nature. They have a small bottle of biotin oil that is the same size as the first as well. However, their larger, 8 oz bottle of liquid biotin is only slightly more expensive, making it cheaper per oz than the smaller size.
It does have jojoba oil in it, avocado oil, and Vitamin E, which are all good hair growth oils. In fact, Vitamin E is a great hair growth vitamin as well all on its own. Like the others, Difeel also has other biotin products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and a dozen or so other oils.
How To Use Biotin Oil
Using biotin oil on your hair can be done almost any way you wish to. As an oil, it does tend to make your hair a little oily. However, that is to be expected. Therefore, applying it to your hair in a hair mask or some similar thing not long before washing your hair works.
Taking a steaming shower or wrapping your head with a hot towel is a good idea when wearing any type of hair mask or when putting anything beneficial on your hair. This is because the heat opens up your pores while moisture in the form of steam softens things.
These both allow more of the biotin to be absorbed by your scalp and the strands of your hair. Since the biotin, once absorbed, is then used for the keratin of your hair, this is a very good thing.
If making a hair mask or adding the oil to your hair before you shower is something you don’t have time to do, there are one or two other options. For starters, the oil can be added in a small amount to your shampoo.
Any excess biotin will then get diluted with your conditioner. You can put biotin oil in your conditioner as well, but only a few drops or so if you want to avoid oily hair. There are also a few other hair products that you can add biotin to, but shampoo and conditioner are the easiest.
A Few Tips
Using biotin oil on the outside of your scalp may not give you the same energy boost from the B vitamins as taking it internally does. However, the biotin does soak into your scalp a bit and can get into your bloodstream, especially when using heat.
So, to avoid getting fresh energy right before you are supposed to sleep, use biotin oil only in the morning. Of course, doing this in the morning is not necessary at all, it is simply a precaution. That same precaution should warn you not to use biotin oil right before blood tests.
As some of the biotin will get into your bloodstream, this can interfere with blood tests. Laboratory tests that measure certain hormones in your blood can give false results when there is extra biotin there.
Though it is unlikely that applying biotin topically will be enough to affect blood tests, it is better to be safe than sorry. Many of the lab tests that biotin effects are ones that can have detrimental consequences if they give incorrect results.
Final Thoughts
All in all, biotin oil can be a nice alternative to taking biotin supplementation internally. Unless you are lacking in this Vitamin B, taking biotin internally is not really going to help your hair anyway. However, even in this case, biotin oil on top of your hair can help with your hair.
Using biotin oil, or any other oil, tends to work best for people who have dry scalps and brittle hair. Those with oily hair can still use biotin oil on it, but it will only increase this problem.
Still, biotin oil can do so much for your hair that it is worth a try. Split ends and the like are often sealed somewhat by oils, meaning that your hair may look nicer even if it doesn’t actually grow thicker.
