Silica vs Biotin for Hair Growth

by Vorst Canada July 13, 2022

Disclaimer: This content has been produced purely for informational and educational purposes only and is never intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical guidelines including diagnosis, advice, and treatment.

You can evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of everything from bread to supplements if you are a health enthusiast. You are probably eager to know the products you are using are safe for you or not. Choosing a good product will help you get a vibrant life without compromised health conditions. Selecting the best products from a list of options available in the market is an overwhelming task. One of these decisions is to choose biotin vs silica to promote hair growth.

Many of us complain about hair thinning, breakage, and hair fall resulting from climate conditions, water quality, and other factors, and we want to seek help for hair or skin. When comes to vitamins and minerals for hair growth, biotin and silica are the most widely used supplements to promote hair growth and prevent thinning of hair.

Biotin Vs Silica

Vitamins and minerals are essential for providing nutrients necessary for body functioning. They are found naturally in food and available in supplement forms that help people to promote hair growth, prevent hair thinning and reduce hair fall. Both these supplements boast health-promoting abilities used by many to get shiny voluminous hair. This article will help you choose a supplement that is best suited for you.

Biotin for Hair Growth

Biotin also known as vitamin B7 is a water-soluble vitamin widely used in shampoos, conditioners, and hair care products. There is a lot of research conducted on biotin effects on hair, nails, and skin. Studies showed that vitamin B7 is essential in transforming food into energy and helps the body to produce keratin. Keratin is a protein necessary for making up hair, skin ad nails.

This vitamin is naturally found in various foods including meat, eggs, fish, mushrooms, avocado, cauliflower, and legumes. Biotin deficiency is rare and occurs in people who do not eat a healthy balanced diet. Low biotin levels may result in skin rashes, brittle nails, thin hairs, and hair loss due to less keratin production.

All the biotin supplements and hair products with added biotin are claimed to promote hair volume, growth, and hair thickness.

According to a study, women with thin hair were instructed to use multi-ingredient hair growth supplements with added biotin or a placebo for 6 months. Results revealed that individuals who received biotin supplements experienced a significant improvement in hair volume, thickness, and scalp coverage.

How Does it Work?

Biotin is also named vitamin H “haar and hout” meaning “hair and skin”. Dermatologists suggest consuming the biotin to improve keratin infrastructure. It is not only beneficial for hair growth but also improves skin and nail health. Biotin supplements are either administered orally or applied topically to enrich and nourish the hair. Low levels of biotin may result in discoloration and thinning of hairs and needed to take through a diet or in supplements form.

Pros and Cons of Biotin

Pros

Biotin supplementation results in the stimulation of hair growth.
It may strengthen the hair and make them more voluminous.
Biotin may prevent hair thinning, breakage, and hair fall.
May assist in clearing dandruff and prevent dry scaly patches.
Biotin may restore the lost hair shine making them more glossy and radiant.

Cons

Biotin, when consume in moderate quantities, promote hair, nail, and skin health and does not cause any serious side effects.
However, when used in high doses, it may cause cystic acne, increased risk of miscarriages, and allergic reactions like chest pain, rashes, chest pain, and throat, and face swelling.
Biotin may also cause nausea in some people, also cause insomnia, excessive thirst, and urination.
Research revealed that it may interact with some medications including antiepileptic and hypocholesterolemic medications.

Silica for Hair Growth

Silica, also known as silicon dioxide is a trace mineral naturally found in leafy green vegetables and various grains. Silica deficiency is common because many foods contain only limited quantities of silica resulting in symptoms like thinning of hair, brittle nails and hairs, hair loss, and weaker bones.

Silica can improve hair health by providing essential nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles.

Silica supplements can prevent hair breakage and do not reverse hair loss. According to a study, consumption of silica supplements 10 mg for 9 months resulted in strengthened hair strands.

Silica deficiency occurs when people do not get enough from the diet, this mineral does not accumulate in the body and is flushed through the kidney. Taking vitamins and supplements is the best way to get enough silica to promote hair growth.

Besides improving hair health, silica stimulates the production of collagen, a protein that can increase skin elasticity and texture. According to a study, supplementing with silica for 20 weeks resulted in improved skin, nail, and hair health.

Some of the studies show conflicting results demonstrating that silica does not promote hair growth but only provides strength and prevents hair thinning.

Pros and Cons of Silica

Pros

Silica supplements promote collagen production which boosts skin, nails, and hair health.
It provides strength and nourishment to hair and prevents thinning of hair.
Silica is safer and gentle without causing adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract.

Cons

Silica is a trace mineral that can prevent hair thinning but it does not promote hair growth.
Supplementing with silicon dioxide does not reverse hair loss.
Silica does not accumulate in the body and is less likely to produce any side effects.

What Should You Take for Hair Growth? Biotin or Silica

Biotin and silica both possess health-promoting abilities and provide nutrients essential for metabolic functioning. Biotin supplements stimulate keratin production, promote hair growth, prevent hair thinning and have the potential to reverse hair loss. Silica, on the other hand, helps collagen production, provides strength, and prevents hair thinning.

Bottom Line

Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients and are essential for the optimal functioning of the body. They help promote hair, nail, and skin health and prevent hair thinning and hair loss. Biotin, a water-soluble vitamin help promote hair growth, provides strength and thickness to hair, and reverses hair loss.

Here you can check out Vorst’s premium supplement Hair Growth Formula with Biotin 60 Capsules.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554493/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5582478/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509882/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4938278/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17960402/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4938278/