Biotin is a water soluble vitamin and helps your body convert certain nutrients into energy. This essential vitamin is also necessary for maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails. Scientists know that biotin will improve your body’s keratin efficiency and your skin, nails, and hair is made up of keratin. While it is well known that biotin leads to improved keratin infrastructure, it is not as clear exactly how the biotin plays a role in our overall hair, skin, and nail health.
It is known that a biotin deficiency will result in hair loss. However, we receive most of our needed biotin in the foods we eat and it is quite rare to have a biotin deficiency. If you suspect that this may be your problem, your first step is to be evaluated by a physician. He or she will be able to tell you if you do have an actual deficiency and will most likely recommend an increase in biotin rich foods. You will want to include more foods like:
- organ meats, such as liver or kidney
- egg yolk
- nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, and walnuts
- soybeans and other legumes
- whole grains
- bananas
- cauliflower
- Mushrooms
Not only do these foods contain biotin, they are considered healthy for many reasons. A good diet full of minerals and nutrients is important for overall body health, which includes your hair.