Unlisted Brand • Biotin (All brands) • Treatments

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aryu on 5/21/2013 5:28:00 PM more reviews by aryu

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I take vitamins for my hair and nails: biotin (Thompson) and Horsetail grass (Nature's Way or Nature's Answer). My hair is now in very good condition and long. The Thompson Biotin ($2.87 for 90 tablets, it's cheap) has 800mcg biotin/tablet. I take one tablet/day. More biotin can break your skin out, but 800mcg is enough.
I buy my vitamins from iherb dot com. They ship worldwide. I have a coupon code for this site if you want order the first time: VIK284 and you have 5$ off.

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beautybrehyn65 on 4/28/2013 12:31:00 AM more reviews by beautybrehyn65

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Dark   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

My first review ever! So I bought 1000 mcg Biotin tablets a month ago and started using them. I bought mine from the Target Up and Up brand (100 tablets). I usually take 2 tablets per day with 2 glasses of water. At night. I started religiously taking them this week after a break at the beginning of the month. I started taking them again because I was getting eczema on my neck. And me taking these religiously for the eczema has helped TONS. It doesn't itch anymore and I can't even feel it! This is a miracle! As for my hair, it's stronger and my natural root color is starting to show again and they are getting a bit kinky! As for breakouts, I have oily acne prone skin and when I first started taking these at the beginning of the moth, yes I did get cystic acne. But, my skin is now brighter, more supple, and smoother! Love this! Oh and my biotin was just $2.72!

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lucybucy on 4/27/2013 7:34:00 AM more reviews by lucybucy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I did A LOT of research prior to purchasing this. The reviews were so mixed I decided to just take the plunge. What did I have to lose? (Apart from my money, but then again I managed to get 2 bottles in a buy one get one free offer!)

I have now been taking these since the end of January (1000mcg). I definitely noticed an increase in hair growth very quickly and in the nearly 3 months of taking biotin my hair has grown substantially. PROOF this works: I have had a 'bald patch' on the right side of my hairline for as long as I can remember and I never used to like wearing my hair up/straight back because my hairline was 'wonky'. Since taking biotin the hair there has been filling in for the first time *ever*. In fact there are new baby hairs all along my hairline, about 2 inches long, nearly as long as a fringe/bangs! That's proof enough for me. Friends who usually (playfully) tease me about having slow-growing hair have commented on the fact my hair is getting long and my boyfriend, who is a hairdresser has said my hair seems stronger. I took off one lippie because if I take the amount it says on the bottle (says to take up to 2 a day) I get bad headaches, which apparently is a common side effect of biotin... I now take one a day which is fine. My advice would be to try it out for yourself and see if it works for you, you really don't have that much to lose.

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beautycalls09 on 4/13/2013 2:35:00 AM more reviews by beautycalls09

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

I have 1000 mcg tablets which I began taking twice a day, spaced out to prevent losing all the vitamin in my urine. I did this for maybe 4 or 5 days and then forgot for a few days...suddenly I'm breaking out on my cheeks and back. I normally have no acne at all other than around my period, but it's definitely not that time of the month and I have at least 4 pimples. Sadly, unless I can figure out why exactly biotin causes breakouts and figure out a way around it, I won't try this again.

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arisibelle on 4/8/2013 4:14:00 PM more reviews by arisibelle

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

I buy Nature's Bounty brand at Wal-Mart for $7 for a bottle of 100 tables with 1000mg each. I started taking one tablet every day and broke out horrible. Scaled it back to one tablet every 3 days, worked up to every day and gradually worked up to 5 tablets or 5000mg every day. Take this with a regular multi-vitamin or it will break you out. I always had thin and bendy nails. They're now quite a bit harder and are still bendy but less prone to breakage. So make them grow longer make sure you get your heart rate up several times a day to get your blood flowing.

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Neelaaaa on 4/5/2013 10:55:00 PM more reviews by Neelaaaa

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Just started taking a couple of days ago. I purchased the Spring Valley brand from Walmart (I believe it's distributed only by Walmart) for $2.94..
My hair is very fine, kinky asian straight, and naturally black!
These pills I bought are really small like the size of an Aleve tablet and is a gel capsule which makes it easier to swallow too!! It comes with 150 pills 1,000mcg (or 1mg) each. I started off with a low dosage because I've read that many people get breakouts from taking higher dosages and want to avoid that route

Will update later!!!

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Danyw on 4/4/2013 10:00:00 PM more reviews by Danyw

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

All I have to say is that for me this was acne in a bottle! Holy cow, it caused the biggest acne breakout that I've ever had! It started to clear up the day after I stopped taking it. Take at your own risk if you are sensitive. I've researched and some say that if you take a B vitamin it will stop the acne, I'm not trying it but that may help some!

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Mysticmme on 3/31/2013 7:27:00 AM more reviews by Mysticmme

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

Add me to the group of reviewers who developed acne from taking Biotin ...

I never get cystic acne, I rarely break out and I have dry-normal skin. My skin care routine is simple: Purity Cleanser, PTR Unwrinkle Cream, PTR Unrinkle Peel Pads 5-7x week, manual/chemical exfoliation 2x week, and SPF30 with Vitamin C every morning.

I've been on Biotin for 4 days and have 2 large cystic bumps. :/

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valtan1 on 3/28/2013 11:16:00 PM more reviews by valtan1

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I use the Eu Natural Biotin 5000 mcg (search for it on Amazon) and it has been working great. Much healthier and fuller hair, and my nails have also become stronger. I take it every day with lunch and a full glass of water. Right now, I'm growing about an inch to my hair length every month.

There are quite a few different brands out there so it may take going through a few to find the one that works for you. They aren't all created equally! Some aren't potent enough, others can make you break out, and a lot of them are made in China.

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*TOP REVIEWER* littlemj on 3/25/2013 5:43:00 PM more reviews by littlemj

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

NC25 Chinese, acne prone.


I bought a bottle Nature's Bounty from Costco after seeing a blogger rave about it for stronger nails (mine were bendy and starting to peel without understanding why at the time). Took the bottle home, read the MUA reviews and saw the potential acne trigger but figured you never know til you try so only did low dosage of 1 pill per day....


Used it for about 3 weeks, and cystic city! Took a few weeks to clear up. So yes it's true, can trigger acne. No bueno for me.

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morgann on 3/23/2013 5:00:00 AM more reviews by morgann

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I've been using Biotin for about 4 months now, starting on 2,500 mcg and now I'm on 10,000 after gradually working my way up. My nails are super strong and my hair is growing faster than usual and in better condition (not so thin and less split ends). I did experience some acne at the start but not anymore, however I have been using Sweet Almond oil and that was what cleared my skin up. I have now advanced onto Paula's choice and that is sorting out blackheads :) If you want to see results you need to up the dosage and be prepared to wait about 2-3 months to see results as that is about how long it takes for most supplements to starting working in the body.

I buy my biotin online at iherb.com as it is way cheaper than trying to find it in New Zealand, you can use my discount code for $10 off a $40 purchase... DWQ834

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getsexy on 3/18/2013 7:20:00 AM more reviews by getsexy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Medium Brown   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

18th March 2013 i bought biotin after reading reviews on here. i have naturally curly hair that usual grows no longer than underarm level.
i trimmed my hair in july and its hardly grown back since..so i bought biotin!! (10,000mcg)

ANYWAY ive been taking it for about a month now and there is noticable growth, my hair is back to its usual length (under arm length) so im hoping it will continue to grow.
i do get acne from taking it, but i found that if i take if with meals, the acne is not as bad.

i havent noticed that my hair has become thicker but definately longer!

ill keep on posting and let you know if theres any progress...but so far all good news and worth buying..i would 100% recommend.

3rd april 13 havent noticed any other changes since i first reviewed this product hopefully there will be more results in 3 weeks.

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bluesnotspeed on 3/9/2013 6:36:00 AM more reviews by bluesnotspeed

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I originally started taking these because I heard great things about this vitamin stimulating hair growth so, I went out and bought a bottle of 1000 mg at Target. I've been taking these for about two weeks. The first week I only took one and everything seemed fine however, by the second week of still only taking one 1000 mg tablet, I noticed my skin erupting in tiny whiteheads and a large pimple on my forehead and four on my chin. I am acne prone but I usually only get one or two before or after my menstrual cycle. Since biotin had been the only change I had made I decided to do some research and I found out that this may indeed be the cause of this whitehead eruption I am experiencing. I know it is said to drink a lot of water when taking this vitamin, but I normally drink 2 liters of water daily and I still got breakouts. I strongly do not recommend anyone who is acne prone to take this vitamin. I'd rather have my hair grow at it's normality, which will require me to be extra patient, then have to deal with acne. Who's with me? I'm definitely throwing these out in the trash.

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jamie_amber on 2/28/2013 6:12:00 AM more reviews by jamie_amber

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium Brown, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I've been using 10,000mcg of biotin daily for about 4 months now, in conjuction with a prenatal for healthy hair and nails. I've noticed that both are in much better shape, and have luckily not had the facial acne many others discussed.

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DLNelson27 on 2/27/2013 2:21:00 PM more reviews by DLNelson27

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I bought a Rite Aid brand Biotin 1000 mcg for my hair and nails mainly. My nails tear and my hair falls out in my brush and in the shower, and pretty much all over my house. I started taking these pills a little over 4 weeks ago. The first couple days, I had cystic acne on my cheek, but just 1. I didn't think anything of it, and it went away in a couple days. I haven't had any breakouts since. I take only one a day with food and lots of water, and I have started to notice a difference in my hair, nails, and skin. My nails aren't pealing at all, and my hair isn't falling out as much. I know this sounds weird, but the skin on my elbows is totally soft.

I work at a skin care company, so I get facials a lot. My face is already soft and mostly clear, but I have even noticed a difference in my skin. It doesn't break out anymore right before my period, and I use less makeup, if use any cover up at all.

I haven't noticed that my hair or nails are growing any faster, but they are definitely growing stronger. I am thinking about taking 2 pills a day to see if I notice a difference.

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kecola on 2/27/2013 2:03:00 AM more reviews by kecola

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

If you have acne prone skin take biotin at your own risk! After just two days of taking biotin I could feel all of these hard lumps forming on my face and they were very very painful. A week later they had turned into full on boils. The worst was one right between my eyes that I had to have lanced by a dermatologist. It took two full months to get my face back under control. I still had massive scarring but the boils eventually went away. Mind you, I was literally drinking 9+ bottles of water while taking the biotin and it still didn't help. Beware of this stuff if you have reactive skin. I would hate for anyone else to go through with I did just to get longer hair or nails!

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GiGiQue on 2/14/2013 11:11:00 PM more reviews by GiGiQue

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Upon the suggestion of my doctor, I purchased some Nature's Blend Biotin, 2500 mcgs. I had read the skin care board so I was prepared to NOT overdue the dosage and to drink LOTS of water. Also, because I have hypothyroidism (the reason for my hair/nail issues), and because I had a Non-Elective, full hysterectomy a couple years ago (as soon as my ovaries were removed my life-long cycstic acne cleared up in mere days) I thought I would escape the hormonal acne that had happened to others who took Biotin. I eat a plant-strong, very clean diet. I took 1 tablet with breakfast, drank a ton of water all day and worked out/performed skin care as usual. I thought, those poor other people had problems, but I won't.

WRONG!!! The third morning I woke up with 2 painful, large cycsts emerging on either side of my chin. I'd forgotten how much those suckers hurt! I thought that maybe they'd actual stop growing and go away if I perservered. NOPE!! I skipped a day, the cysts continued on, so I continued taking it for 3 weeks. More cysts emerged, and now I had painful (and weird) pimples/cysts appearing around the base of my nose and around my mouth, and then backne appeared. (I've never had backne!) I called my doctor and said I was unwilling to go through the cystic acne issues, and asked if the hair/nail results would be worth it. I was told that I shouldn't be having the acne issues because I had no ovaries. I offerred to drive in and show the gross, painful cycts to her in person. She declined.

I have ordered Swanson's 1000 mcg & 300 mcg Biotin, and will give it a very limited try (AFTER my face clears up from this round). I'm praying it will work, as I have limited options for help with my hair & nails. However, I'm not willing to battle cystic acne all over again. Sorry to have posted TMI, but, I thought it may help other women who have had total hysterectomies to know that even w/o their ovaries (and w/o estrogen replacement) they can still get cycstic acne from Biotin (if they are sensitive to it, which apparently I must be). I put "yes" I would buy it again ONLY because I am hoping that the 300 mcg tables will be tolerable--and if they are, then I will continue to use it. I gave it a 3 rating because it didn't get used long enough to help me, and I didn't want to pan it w/o trying a lower dosage first. YMMV.

UPDATE: New cysts stopped popping out on my face 2 days after I stopped the 2500 mcg of biotin. They have been very slow to heal, and are still red & are leaving marks. I took 1 week off, then tried a 1000 mcg tablet. As soon as I updated this review a new round of breakout/cysts started. I've still seen no change/increase in hair/nail growth, except that my sparce eyebrows have grown thicker (hmmm... not exactly what I'd hoped for, LOL). I have stopped using Biotin and won't be using it again. I wish it had worked for me. : (

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LoveKnits on 2/12/2013 11:21:00 PM more reviews by LoveKnits

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I was initially interested in biotin, because my hair has been shedding for years. The initial brand I bought at the local health food store was 1000mcg per pill. I'd read about acne stemming from usage, so I was ready going into it. Literally over night I woke up to 3-4 little whiteheads. I rarely get pimples. Just to test, I took two more pills that day and the next day there were more. I stopped using them, and decided to order a different brand from iHerb dot com. They arrived last week, 5000mcg pills. I haven't had a pimple with this new brand. I'm not prone to acne anyway, but I wonder if even different brands have different temperaments?! I haven't been using it long enough to notice results on hair or nails, but as far as acne goes it might just take some shopping around?! I'll come back in a few months to discuss results of my long term biotion use...

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*TOP REVIEWER* Popcornshrimp on 2/12/2013 9:47:00 PM more reviews by Popcornshrimp

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

Cons-
Higher dose made huge, blotchy, welt looking pimples.(I've never had a problem with acne...or pimples that look this scary)
Pills are big and have an after taste (Spring Valley Hair, Skin and Nails)

Pros-
Lot's of good stuff comes with it like collagen (the brand I got)
Made dry skin/ psoriasis look better
Inexpensive





I bought the Spring Valley Hair, Skin and Nails from Walmart for around 6 dollars. It has 1000mcg (3mg) of Biotin in 3 pills. I started taking 5 pills a day because I read an article on how higher doses are suppose to help with a whole bunch of other conditions. Luckily, I happened to see this page just browsing. I rarely ever get big red spider bite looking pimples...One popped up the other day, didn't think anything of it, thought I maybe got bit by something or my new towelettes were doing it...Couple days later, another one....today a huge one sprouted in a two hour span at a salon. Anyway, lots of reviewers are having the same problem so I'm 89% positive this may be the cause. It only started doing it when I upped the dosage (I hope/think). I've been taking it for about 2 weeks and the only difference I've noticed is that dry skin looks less crunchy around the elbows. I'm a nail biter and I just chopped off 3 inches of hair today so I can't really say if it works for nails or hair. I will probably buy it again because it's cheap and has other goodies in it, IF the giant red splotch pimples go away.

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snitchlit on 2/8/2013 1:03:00 AM more reviews by snitchlit

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I bought the whole foods brand of biotin (1000 mcg) and I've been taking it for about a week so far. I was really nervous about taking it because of all the things I'd heard about it causing acne, but as someone who has struggled with severe skin issues her entire life (I used to have really terrible cystic acne: had to go on Accutane for it), I can say that I've seen a HUGE improvement in my skin since I started on biotin. I went from having breakouts all over my face to having clear skin within days (seriously, not an exaggeration).
I started taking biotin to try to help grow out my hair faster (I got a pixie cut in early September and I've been growing it out ever since). I haven't seen a huge, drastic change in terms of hair length, but I've only been taking it for a week, so we'll see what happens long-term. Even if this supplement doesn't do anything for my hair, I'll probably keep taking it because it benefits my skin so much.

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