Biotin vs Keratin For Hair Loss: Which is Right for You

Ever found yourself staring at hair care products and wondering what biotin and keratin actually do? You’re not alone in wondering about the benefits of biotin vs keratin. 

Biotin is a vitamin (specifically vitamin B7) that plays an important role in healthy hair growth. Keratin, on the other hand, is the structural protein that gives you hair its strength. They’re essential for maintaining your hair’s health, but serve different purposes. 

Below, we dig into how biotin and keratin help support a healthy hair growth cycle, how to incorporate the right hair care products into your routine, and what to do if you’re noticing thinning hair.

Your body naturally produces biotin and keratin. One is an essential vitamin, the other an essential protein.  

Think of them as the building blocks of healthy hair.  

Let’s dive a bit deeper into each.

What Is Biotin?

Biotin is a B vitamin (AKA vitamin B7 or vitamin H). Your body needs this water-soluble vitamin to build keratin, the protein that forms your hair, skin, and nails. 

B7 also has antioxidant properties that help maintain hair’s elasticity and strength. This means less hair breakage and damage, giving you more resilient hair overall. 

Vitamin B complex is essential for healthy hair. The B vitamins — riboflavin (B2), biotin, folate, B6, and B12 — support cell growth, gene regulation, and hair growth.

Very low biotin levels can result in thinning hair. If you’re deficient, which is rare, you might experience:

• Hair fall

• Cuticle changes

• Skin rashes

• Frizzy hair 

• Vision changes

The good news? Most people get plenty of biotin through a balanced diet. 

What Is Keratin?

Keratin is a fibrous protein that, along with elastin and collagen, keeps your skin and hair intact. 

While elastin and collagen maintain skin firmness and elasticity, keratin acts like armor plating. It takes the brunt of sunlight and other external damage, sparing healthy cells. It’s also what makes your nails strong, and is often lacking in brittle nails. 

The same goes for your hair. What you see is hardened keratin. Underneath, the hair shaft is a bustling keratin factory. 

Hair care products that enhance overall hair health, thickness, and strength do so by supporting the production of keratin and promoting healthy hair growth. 

Struggling with hair loss? It’s not about choosing between biotin and keratin. You need both to grow healthier hair.

Keratin is the foundation. Without it, there’s no hair. But biotin also plays a key role in producing keratin. No biotin, no keratin. And you guessed it, no hair.

The best way to get more biotin (and keratin) is through a balanced diet, but supplements can help if you’re not getting enough. 

Adding biotin and keratin supplements to your hair care routine can support healthy hair growth and overall wellness.

Generally, taking biotin multivitamins or keratin supplements is safe. There are no real side effects to worry about and you can’t overdose on keratin. 

Biotin is also safe in high doses, with the Office of Dietary Supplements noting that supplemental doses of 10mg to 50mg don’t cause toxicity. For context, that’s twice what’s in our biotin gummy vitamin supplement. The ODS recommends about 30 mcg of biotin daily for adults.

Word of caution: High biotin levels can potentially interfere with lab tests, leading to inaccurate thyroid hormone level readings. In some cases, this can trigger a false positive, indicating conditions like hyperthyroidism or Graves' disease. 

And while there’s a lot of information out there on the effects of biotin for hair growth and health, the data on supplements for hair growth isn’t conclusive. We know that too little biotin can trigger hair loss but extra doesn’t necessarily boost hair growth.

Forget about futuristic keratin or biotin injections. Those won’t improve your hair health. If you’re looking for proven ways to boost hair growth, finasteride and minoxidil are your go-to options — and they both have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.  

Finasteride (Propecia^®)is a daily pill that lowers dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels by about 70 percent. Since DHT is a major culprit in hair follicle damage and androgenic alopecia (AKA male pattern baldness), finasteride can help if you’re genetically prone to hair loss. 

Topical minoxidil (Rogaine^®), on the other hand, works for various types of hair loss. Studies show it can increase your total follicle count by up to 18.6 percent by increasing blood flow to your scalp. It’s available as a foam or liquid solution. 

People have trusted these hair loss solutions for decades, so if you’re looking for an effective hair loss solution, they’re your best bets. Get the benefits of both in our topical finasteride & minoxidil spray.

Before you buy dermatologist-recommended styling and hair health products, take a moment to understand what’s really happening with your hair.  

Here’s what matters:

• Healthy hair growth is just one piece of the puzzle. Hair strength and durability determine how long, thick, and frizzy your hair type can be. For strong, durable hair, you need biotin and keratin.

• Keratin and biotin can’t prevent male pattern baldness. While your hair needs both to grow, changes in hormones, age, and autoimmune conditions can kill your follicles even if you’re getting the nutrition you need.

• Medications like minoxidil and finasteride are a better choice for addressing thinning and balding. Plus, these hair loss treatments are FDA-approved. If you’re seeing the signs of hair loss, you should turn to them, not hair health supplements. 

If you’re worried about hair loss, consider talking to a healthcare professional about your concerns. 

They can help address your questions about hair health and hair loss, determine the root cause of thinning, and recommend treatments to help protect your hairline and prevent future hair loss.