Can Biotin Help Men Grow Hair?

Biotin, or vitamin B7, is a water-soluble vitamin that belongs to the vitamin B family (1).

It’s responsible for many metabolic functions in your body — particularly for converting food into energy (1).

Moreover, it’s important for maintaining healthy hair, skin, and nails. In fact, it’s also known as vitamin H, which stands for “Haar und Haut,” meaning “hair and skin” in German (2).

Biotin is found in many foods, such as egg yolks, liver, cauliflower, mushrooms, soybeans, beans, lentils, almonds, nuts, and whole grains. It’s also widely available in supplement form, either by itself or combined with other vitamins and minerals (3, 4).

In addition, it’s naturally produced in your body by intestinal bacteria, making it easy to attain healthy levels (4).

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Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that belongs to the vitamin B family. It’s responsible for many functions in your body and is well known for its role in hair and skin health.

Biotin deficiency is extremely rare since the nutrient is found in a wide array of foods and can be produced in your body by intestinal bacteria (4).

Certain groups may be at higher risk of mild deficiency of the vitamin, such as children and pregnant women, those who misuse alcohol, and people with a biotinidase deficiency — an enzyme that releases free biotin into your body (3, 4).

Furthermore, regularly consuming raw egg whites can lead to secondary biotin deficiency. Raw whites contain the protein avidin, which prevents biotin absorption. Therefore, be sure to cook egg whites before eating them (5).

Signs of biotin deficiency include hair loss and a scaly, red rash around the mouth, eyes, and nose (3, 4).

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Biotin deficiency is rare among healthy individuals since the nutrient is widely found in foods and is produced by your body. Pregnant women, children, people who misuse alcohol, and those with a biotinidase deficiency may be at higher risk.

Many people swear by biotin supplements to promote hair growth, though this connection is controversial.

General hair growth

Biotin plays a key role in hair growth due to its role in keratin synthesis. Keratin is the main protein that makes up hair structure and contributes to a strong, healthy hair shaft (6).

Biotin levels that are too low can lead to poor hair growth and hair loss. However, considering that most people have adequate levels, adding more to your diet through supplements likely won’t help (7).

In fact, though advertisements may claim that these supplements promote hair growth, limited large-scale studies support this (7, 8).

In a 2017 review, biotin supplements were found to increase hair growth in those with an underlying deficiency of the nutrient. However, due to the rarity of this deficiency, the authors concluded that these supplements aren’t effective for the general population (9).

Beyond this, there’s no evidence to support that biotin supplements promote hair growth.

Male pattern baldness

Male pattern baldness, or male androgenetic alopecia (MAA), is the gradual loss of hair on the scalp. With 30–50% of men experiencing some degree of MAA by the age of 50, many are looking for ways to prevent further hair loss (10).

In a 2019 review, researchers found that men with MAA had slightly lower levels of biotin than those with no hair loss. However, the difference wasn’t significant enough to indicate a direct link between biotin and MAA (11).

Besides this review, there appear to be no clinical studies on biotin supplements and male hair thinning, though there are some studies in women (12).

One double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 30 women with perceived hair thinning found that supplementing with a marine protein supplement containing an undisclosed amount of biotin significantly improved hair growth and volume after 90 days (13).

Though promising, it’s unknown if the participants had an existing biotin deficiency and if the same results would be found in men (13).

In addition, the supplement contained other nutrients known for promoting hair growth like amino acids, zinc, and vitamin C, so it’s unclear if biotin affected the results (13).

Therefore, it’s likely that supplementing would only be warranted in those with a biotin deficiency, though more research is needed.

If you’re experiencing hair loss, it’s best to speak with a healthcare professional to determine if there are any underlying causes.

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Limited research supports that biotin supplements aid hair growth, especially in those without an existing deficiency of the nutrient.

Though there are no known side effects of excess biotin, there are other significant concerns with biotin supplements.

False laboratory tests

Biotin supplements are known for interacting with certain diagnostic tests that use biotin-streptavidin technology, and this can lead to incorrect results (14, 15, 16).

This technology is commonly used in tests that measure vitamin D, hormone, and thyroid levels. In fact, biotin has been found to interfere with the diagnosis of Graves’ disease and hypothyroidism (14, 15, 16).

Excess intake of this vitamin has also been linked to the measurement of false troponin levels — used to indicate heart attacks — leading to delayed treatment and even death (14, 15, 16).

Therefore, if you’re taking a biotin supplement and receive any diagnostic tests, it’s important to tell your healthcare provider.

Drug interactions

Biotin is known to interact with certain medications. For instance, seizure medications like carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), primidone (Mysoline), and phenobarbital (Luminal) may lower levels of this vitamin in your body (1).

Though there aren’t many known drug interactions with these supplements, it’s best to disclose any supplements you’re taking with your healthcare provider.

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High levels of biotin can interfere with numerous diagnostic tests, leading to false results. Be sure to speak with your healthcare provider if you’re taking these supplements.

Biotin is a popular supplement advertised as a way to grow healthy hair.

Though hair loss is a side effect of biotin deficiency, the majority of the population has adequate levels of the nutrient because it’s widely available in food and is produced in your body.

Though sales are skyrocketing, only limited research supports taking biotin supplements for hair growth — especially in men.

Therefore, if you’re looking for a solution for healthier hair, it’s best to skip these supplements and opt for biotin-rich foods instead.