I'm getting to the point where I need to order more vitamins. I have been using them (Maxi-Hair and a huge Biotin supplement) for 2 years now, so maybe I've just forgotten what my hair was like before, but I'm beginning to question the need to spend so much money on supplements.

So what do you all think? Do you grow beautiful hair naturally? Are they just placebos? Or are they necessary for long hair?

I know it eventually will come down to my particular hair and diet and biology, but I thought I'd get your input since I seem to be putting off making the decision.

ETA: If you do take vitamins, what do they do for you? More length/thickness/shine? Tell us!

ohhh the cheese was tempting but
I say theyre definately worth it.
My hair and nails love it, never mind that your body
loves them too! Stronger nails and hair!

love the vitamins ! :hollie:

There are two kinds of supplements: the kind you can tell whether they're working, and the kind you can't. I know Vitamin E gets rid of hot flashes and leg cramps for me. Most other vitamins have no apparent effect, though I am willing to reserve judgment for a few months on the biotin.

As far as hair growth is concerned, I expect I'll be able to figure this out through monthly measurements.

I put that I could take them or leave them.. where my hair is concerned anyway... meaning hair specific vitamins, such a as biotin, etc.

However, just a regular multi is something I can't live without! It helps all facets of me, and that includes my hair, nails, skin, and mood!

Yeah.. like that was helpful! :silly:

When I was taking a womens multivitamin and flax,fish and borage oils I notice my nails felt stronger and grew faster. I need to buy more of both supplements so I have taken any in a few weeks, but any difference I notice could just be my imagination.

As far as hair growth goes, I can't comment because I only started measuring when I started supplements. But I figure if my nails were growing faster than my hair is too.

They'd better work :mrgreen:

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I took about 1000mcg biotin, 12mg of silica, cod liver oil and a multi. I ran out of most of it and am waiting for my puritans pride order to arrive, but I noticed stronger and quicker growing nails, and quicker growing hair (1" per month instead of the regular 1/2"), and less shedding.

Now puritan's pride was having their 'buy one, get two for free' promotion again (still up til May 10, I believe), so I got myself 600 tablets of biotin (1000mcg), 180 MSM tablets (1000mg), 180 multi tablets, and 300 protein tablets for a lousy $42 :lol: I'll have enough for six months now, so that's a pretty good deal.
For your reference, here in Europe, you pay $10 for 100 tablets of 300mcg biotin.

are vitamins worth it?

you bet, they are.... :rockerdud .. when i took them religiously 8-9 months back, they

- increased my hair growth
- decreased hair fall
- no more brittle hair
- shine
- nice nails that didnt need any polish... almost looked like french manicured nails :bigeyes:
- no more dry skin and infact a nice skin
- less need for moisturizer

now if only someone could make a vitamin for me, so i'd remember to take them again :smirk:

Vitamins did nothing but make me sick to my stomach! :(
Even the chewables which my dr. recommended to get around
that problem. So I just try to make sure I eat enough fruit
and vegs and protein. My hair and stomach seem to do OK with that. :)

i don't take hair vitamins any more. i took them for about a year and noticed no difference.

i do take vitamins for general health.

i notice that taking 1000 mg of Citracal calcium does make a huge difference in my nails.

I take a multi, C, E, Calcium, MSM, and Biotin. It is hard to tell if they affect my hair but they very obviously make a difference in my nails, so I beleive they help my hair too.
Daneille

I take a regular mulitvitamin (generic Centrum), E, fish oil and lecithin. Also cranberry pills at certain times. I don't take hair or skin specific vitamins.

Yes, vitmans are worth the money AND so is cheese :wannabe:

I began a small vit routine before I became interested in growing my hair long. I have been healthier since. I take them for overall health and it just so happens there are some pretty good benifits such as: better nails, skin, and growth.

HTH
Angel Hugs and Love

i think it depends how healthy are your general eating habits.
I'm a very picky eater ao i take multivitamins&minerals just in case. Havn't noticed much difference but can't hurt either.
I have been taking biotin for a month so i have no idea if it's working yet, besides, i don't take a lot-I'd if I could but the only biotin supplements I can get have only 150mcg (you are supposed to take two, one in the morning and in one the evening). If they were cheaper I'd take more of them but 30 tablets cost about 4$ and I run out of them in two weeks.

I take a multivitamin with herbs, Vit C, Calcium supplement and Biotin. I have noticed an increase in growth of both my nails and hair (and not just the hair on my head, I swear I've been shaving more often!) since I added the Biotin to my regimen.

I took 500 mcgs of Biotin for several weeks, and didn't notice any different in hair or nails.

What other vitamins do y'all recommend? I thought about just buying a prenatal vitamin. Though I read someone's doctor told them it wasn't healthy to take them long term. Can't remember where.

i think it depends how healthy are your general eating habits.
I'm a very picky eater ao i take multivitamins&minerals just in case. Havn't noticed much difference but can't hurt either.
I have been taking biotin for a month so i have no idea if it's working yet, besides, i don't take a lot-I'd if I could but the only biotin supplements I can get have only 150mcg (you are supposed to take two, one in the morning and in one the evening). If they were cheaper I'd take more of them but 30 tablets cost about 4$ and I run of them in two weeks.
If I had known I would have ordered for you as well :neutral:

Yes, I do feel like I get slighter better growth from taking vitamins...I take GNC UltraNourishHair, some extra biotin (1000-2000mcg), an extra 1000 mg of MSM (it's already in the GNC vitamin), Shen Min (might not continue with this as it's really expensive) and have just started taking EFA pills...I tried the liquid EFA's and just couldn't get used to the taste...oh well...I've been taking these for 8-10 months now (well, no so long for the MSM and Shen Min)....

For me I think it's worth it. My hair doesn't grow any faster. I get a half inch pretty much every month. SOmetimes a little less. But that could be from extra S & D missions. But I know my hair is BETTER. It's thicker and the quality of each strand is better. That makes it worth it for me. The 2 things that have made the most difference are biotin and MSM. I'll keep on taking my vits. I may pare the list down a little from time to time or add a new one.

Hi!
Now darnit--you had to put that cheese option in there!! Cheese is so worth it (not sure it contributes a whole lot to hair growth, though); however, I voted thumbs up for vitamins. My hair grows without them, but taking vitamins & other supplements has helped maximize the growth (& *really* so for my nails).
I've taken Ultra Hair (sans MSM) for 3-4 years or so; I consider it the "base" of my supplement regimen. I tend to lose more hair than I'd like, so I've experimented with various additional supplements. I've found the best for me was to cut back to 1 Ultra Hair instead of 2 per day (I eat well, so maybe too much vitamin A??). I also take 1000 mg MSM separately, a horsetail capsule, L-Lysine (an amino acid; also good for the immune system), and add flax meal to my morning cereal (also substitute it for oil in baked goods). Last October I started taking Shen Min to see what it would do (says it takes about 3 mos. before results can be seen). Since around the beginning of this year, my growth rate has increased from 1/2" per month to over 3/4" (not bad for near-anklelength hair--unless you're Diane Witt). I only take 1 per day (once in a while 2) instead of the recommended 3--it's not cheap.
-Denise

I did take GNC HairNourish vitamins for a while. But the one consistent thing I've taken during the entire growing process has been Viviscal. I might not have had as much growth without it.

I voted for CHEESE, becaue I am still not sure whether taking vitamin supplements have benefited my hair "quality" or growth, yet.

At the moment I am taking a multivitamin, msm, a "hair" multivitamin (can't remember the name and am too lazy to go to the bathroom and look :)) and silica.

When I first took msm, I had a growth spurt for the first month and than it was back to the half inch a month. Right now (actually for a few months now) my hair has been in a resting and shedding phase, with no growth whatsoever. I decided to start msm again to see if it would encourage my hair to start growing and have seen no results yet.

Mind you, I haven't even been taking it for a month yet, so maybe I will post here again with a different answer :).

Take care,
Angela

I took MSN and biotin for three months last year with no apparent change in my hair growth or quality. So I stopped taking them. 8)

My vitamin and supplement routine made me go from a Mii to a Ciii, so I’ll have to say
YES
:cloud9: :rockerdud 8)
(I am now even able to grow my nails longer than what I find comfortable, which I never even though was possible!) :grin:

I used to swear by my vitamins, I use to take 10,000 of Biotin and two Ultra Nourishair. About six months ago I had problems with my period so I stopped taking them. Guess what, my hair is still growing at the same rate and I'm not losing any more hair than before.

Guess what, my hair is still growing at the same rate and I'm not losing any more hair than before.

OK, and that's what makes me wonder... Maybe I should do an experiment, and if it seems that my hair isn't as healthy I could always take them again. Hm...

I don't think vitamins have helped my hair at all. All it did was break me out, and it was terrible. I have taken soooo many kinds of vitamins together, so that could of been it with the break outs. LOL no more for me though hehe and they are very spendy too, my poor wallet!

While the mention of cheese confuses the issue greatly for me (yes, cheese is *always* worth it) and reminds me of what I used to say to people about lottery tickets (which was I spent that money every week on chocolate - and always won), I also have no doubt that vitamins benefit my hair (helping me past a non-growth phase and reducing fall out) and my general health too.

I take a daily high dose multi-vit (Holland & Barrett Super One), 2 x 750mg of MSM and horsetail silica. Have been hearing good things about shin men too... :)

Chris

I voted can take or leave them, reguarding my hair anyway. I did my own little experements a while back to figure out if biotin, or msm were actually making a difference for me. I decided that too much biotin makes my skin break out. The funny thing about the msm, was while I was taking it I had the worst shedding ever! I took it for nearly a year, and when I stopped taking it my shedding stopped I wish I would have stopped sooner. The really anoying thing about me is I always have to give things a second chance(just in case), :rolleyes: Yup, almost immediately when I started taking it again my hair was falling out in boatloads! I guess I'm just weird :silly:

I definately think taking vitamins is important...if not for your hair, for your overall nutritional needs. If you want to cut down on how much money you spend, even just a good multi-vitamin is better than nothing. You can find a good-sized bottle for a decent price at most drugstores... :flower:

i agree with smiles. my nails look real shiny too. quite surprised me. im taking
msm
codliver
epo
multi vit
h&b vits for hair (only one a day)
brewers yeast
avon hair and nails.
echinacea
lots of baked beans and marmite.
i was taking all of this at the start of the year and stopped in may? my depression came back with a vengeance. i got constipated and all sorts. i cant say it makes my hair grow quicker but a heck of a lot healthier. i think i benefit all over. yay vits. :cloud9:

My guess is that your success or lack thereof with vitamins probably depends on what you are naturally lacking in your diet, or whether your body "needs" a certain thing vs. another. We're not all the same!

I have had great success with my vitamins. I posted what I took awhile ago (and I'm too lazy to type amounts) but now it's somewhere near:

10 mg biotin (upped it when I found out it was water soluable :smile: )
EPO
Glucosamine
MSM
Vit E
Hair Amino Acids from Hairtopia
Flaxseed Oil caplets
Multi

I've seen great improvements in my hair growth (and yes, legs and armpits are getting hairier faster too), skin quality and overall feeling of health. If I remember I also take a Slow FE iron pill, but I also forget that one a lot.

My body likes the extra vitamins, and I don't always have the time to eat right. I have two jobs, a professional Project Management job at a major university and I teach riding lessons 3 nights a week, as well as show and train other horses. I have 3 children...all boys. I figure that I'm giving my body every chance it can get to recover from all of those stresses as well as replenish and strengthen!

I only added biotin and MSM a couple of months ago, so I can't really say for sure whether they're helping my hair yet, but I have noticed that my nails are stronegr and smoother, so I figure they probably are also helping my hair.

However I started taking an excellent multi (nutrishield) about three years ago, and I have noticed that it made an amazing difference in both my hair and my overall health. I was always sick with some minor virus or other. I asumed it was because I was a heavy smoker, but after six months on the multivitamin I started noticing that I was getting far fewer colds and flues even though I was smoking as much as ever. After a year on the vitamin, my menses started being regular (after 10 years amenorreah [sorry, TMI, I'm sure]) and I inadvertently got pregnant - -at my age!

I have always been a healthy eater -- prefer unrefined and unprocessed foods -- but the soils are so depleted that i think food is no longer able to supply the nutrients it once did.

So -- I expect that vitmains contributed to the growth and health of my hair, yes! Immensely.

Cheese. definatly cheese. :twisted:

I voted CHEESE simply because I take vitamins not just for my hair. I find I need them to fill in the gaps where my healthy diet falls short. I have a *very* sensitive system and while I sometimes notice a difference in my hair, it's my overall body where I really notice the difference. Biotin helps me to be able to eat and digest beef, which otherwise I would not be able to do. MSM helps my joints and muscles be smoother so I don't experience as many cramps when I go for epic bike rides. Calcium helps my depressive moods and lessens my PMS symptoms. My multi has extra B vitamins which also helps with moods. I don't swear by vitamins per se, but they do make me feel alot healthier than I would without them.

What's "MSM" and what are its particular bennies? I've tried searching on that term here and the system returns a void answer. :(

Thanks!

Pardon my ignorance, since I am relatively new to these boards, but what does "cheese" mean in these posts? :flower:

Pardon my ignorance, since I am relatively new to these boards, but what does "cheese" mean in these posts? :flower:

cheese is just that - Cheese

I have mixed emotions about vitamins but for the most part, I believe they help. When I was taking a nutrition class in college, the prof and book said that vitamins only help if there's a deffeciency and it doesn't help to overload vitamins. So I guess most of us don't know if we have a deffeciency, hence our hair/nails might not look up to par. So taking a vitamin would definately benefit, in particular, a multi.

Although knowing this, I buy into the taking hair vitamins program, working or no. I think it's a mind thing for me.....
:rolleyes:

For me I've never seen a difference whether I've been on or off vitamins. My hair grows its consistent 0.5" per month, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Fallout is about the same. Hair quality is about the same.

I'm also wary about the large doses of vitamins added to whatever you already get through diet. In my personal opinion whatever you overdose on, whether it's supposedly beneficial or not will add additional strain to liver/kidneys/other internal organs that have to process out the excess.

/Fia

I think that cheese is very good for your hair. I eat lots of cheese, and all that fat, protein and calcium have to do SOME good! :wink:

Oh, yes, vitamins! I take GNC Ultranourishair, with some flax seed oil and biotin. My hair started growing in thicker, and my nails got harder too. :inlove:

I take the following daily

Optivite (multi with extra goodies for PMS-extra Bs)
E (400 extra) (I have very dry skin)
C (1000 extra) (I work for a college and dont' want to get sick)
Calcium (1200)
Evening Primrose Oil (PMS/depression)
Glucosamine/condroitin/MSM (joint problems)
acidopholus

As needed I take echinacea tea (if I get a cold,) Raspberry Leaf tea (PMS,) and tension tamer tea.

GoldenTresses- MSM is for joints mostly.

When I am religious with my vitamins, my mind, body, hair, skin, nails and energy really improve!

Vitamins really work for me. I am taking 500 mg silicea, 1000 mg MSM and 2 mg Biotin. My hair is growing about one inch a month, and my nails got really strong too. I also take Clacium/Magnesium, but that is only because I dont get alot of milk and so on. :wink:

Vitamins are worth it for overall health, not just hair health.

Meg

But I know my hair is BETTER. It's thicker and the quality of each strand is better. ... The 2 things that have made the most difference are biotin and MSM.

I just started taking biotin 1000 mcg yesterday, so what a coincidence to find this thread.

I want my hair to be better too, even if it doesn't grow faster.

I didn't know what MSM was, so I put on my google hat and found this link:

http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip904.htm

There is an entire book written about MSM at that link, and they claim, "MSM is the 3rd largest ingredient found in the human body."

The link also states,

"MSM is a natural form of organic sulfonyl sulfur compound that is found in the fluid of all living organisms. It is present in a variety of foods, including most fresh raw fruits and green vegetables, milk, meat, seafood, and some grains. It is also found in many common beverages such as milk, coffee and tea. It is, in essence, a pure white, odorless, essentially tasteless, water-soluble crystalline solid sulfur powder.

"Why does MSM help with the development of longer and stronger hair? Various scientific studies have proven that MSM contributes a definite normalizing effect on body functions.

"The sulfur normally provided to the body by MSM is required for healthy collagen and keratin which are essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. MSM also has proven antioxidant benefits which can disrupt or alter damaging chain reactions of lipid peroxidation in the cell membranes.

"MSM is considered to be one of the safest substances in biology, similar in toxicity to water. MSM and its related compounds are the source of 85 percent of the sulfur found in all living organisms. Many researchers believe that sulfur, is a sorely neglected mineral nutrient and plays an indispensable role in human nutrition."

~~~end quote

I just started taking Natrol's Skin, Hair and Nails. I am not taking it just to grow my hair but because my skin has been breaking out lately and I think my nails could use a little help. I was ordering from Mothernature.com and if you order $49 in products you get free shipping so I decided to try some vitamins. I think a months supply was $11.99. It has Biotin, MSM and other stuff I cant remember because the bottle is in my kitchen and its 1:30am.:silly:

I haven't voted as I'm about to start a vitamin regimen. I usually take a multi vitamin but I'm adding in biotin, silica and flax seed oil. Fingers crossed for increased growth but I be happy with same rate but healthier hair growth :)

I don't take any vitamins but my hair keeps growing :rolleyes: And I could save money to go to concerts :gabigrin:

correct me if Im wrong, but arent hair specific vitamins very slow in results? I heard it takes at least a month or 2 for the nutrients in the pills to course its way entirely through your system before it starts to effectivley change hair rate growth..

I just take women's one a day.. and thats it ^^; Ive been wanting to get back into hair an nail vitamins, but not sure what to go with.

also.. curious about how much do you ladies spend on vitamins and how long do they usually last? I cant imagine keeping up with some of your lists *__*;

Vitamins/supplements definitely help. Especially silica.

But if I can't afford them at the time, then it's no big loss, as long as I eat healthy.

~Slava

I've just started taking a women's multivitamin, figured it was a good idea to start! Thats about it tho, and the occasional more vit C if I feel Im starting to get sick (it really helps!) Ive fended off 3 possible colds/flu from it, and didn't come down sick.

I always start to take vitamins, but i have never noticed that they actually made a difference to my hair and hence I always stop.

The one that does make a difference to my skin is Vitamin E, but only in large doses, and I know that this can be toxic.

I voted Cheese! One of my favourites! :)

I voted yes! After reading a thread somewhere on this board a couple months ago about GNC Ultra Nourishair, I decided to give it a try... and my hair has never grown faster! It's been a couple months and my hair would not be this long right now if it wasn't for that supplement.

I don't take a regular multi right now, but I want to try out the GNC women's ultra mega. I'm waiting for the first week of the months to get the gold card, because I'm becoming a GNC junkie and that's not a very cheap habit... :P

Other supplements I currently take:

Vitamin E. I take 2 caplets daily, once in the morning once in the evening, 200 IU each. I'm thinking of going up to 400 next bottle.

Evening primrose oil twice a day, 1000mg each time. I've noticed it's helped regulate my period somewhat... as for symptoms I get PMS so bad that it's nearly impossible to notice any results with any product.

Flax seed oil, although I'm currently on a break from that. I didn't notice much difference when I was taking it, although I probably should have waited longer.

5-HTP - it's the only thing that keeps me from killing myself. Best OTC anti-depressant I've tried to date!

Any suggestions for products that help PMS would be much appreciated... lol. :lol:

I voted that I could take them or leave them because after talking to two holistic doctors, they both told me that a vitamin may be good for one person but not necessarily good/beneficial for another. I wondered if I was taking all of those vitamins for nothing.

I used to do the entire Bargello vitamin/mineral routine but after awhile I stopped. I have as much growth as I did then and my hair seems to be in as good condition. My hair doesn't seem to have suffered because of discontinuing them.

I voted I could take or leave them but that's because I haven't been taking them long enough to swear by them.

From November till the end of January I was taking 1000 - 1500 mcg of Biotin daily.

As of January 28th my daily regimen is

1 - Biotin pill of 1000 mcg
1 - MSM pill of 500 mg
1 - Silica pill of 500 mg (500mg Horsetail / 35 mg Silica)
2 - Natrol / Skin Hair Nails pills which contains 500 mcg of Biotin, 250 mg of MSM, and Silica (I emailed and they said each capsule contains 41.8 mg of silica so 2 would be 83.6 mg)

I'm doing a vitamin regimen to "take some" not "lots"
I'm not trying to speed up growth. I'm just trying to toss in a few extra building blocks in case I wasn't getting them.

I hope they work but I'm not really looking for something to swear by.

I think my body really needs them - if I go without them for more than a week (I'm pretty absent-minded sometimes, lol) I'll get little cracks at the corners of my mouth - read somewhere that these are a sign of vitamin deficiency. If lack of vitamins shows up so quickly on my skin, I'm sure it can't be good for my hair.