Biotin for the health and beauty of skin hair and nails

Biotin is the best known vitamin for the health and beauty of skin hair and nails

What is Biotin? Biotin is a type of vitamin B complex and it is sometimes known as vitamin H (H for hair). Biotin is particularly for anyone who is interested in promoting hair growth and growing thicker hair. Besides, it also ensures the overall health of skin and nails, assisting in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein and maintaining the health of mind and emotional well-being of a person.

Sources of Biotin:
· Natural sources: Nuts, egg yolk, wheat bran, oat, barley, soy, cauliflower, liver and brewer’s yeast. Biotin is also naturally produced in the human body by the good bacteria that lives in our digestive tract.

· Supplements: There are many brands of biotin supplements available in the market. Some supplements include biotin with other vitamin supplements. The recommended daily intake (RDA) of biotin is 300 mcg. However some experts recommend a daily intake of more than 1000mcg per day to get the result in strengthening nails, preventing hair loss and promoting thicker hair. Although this high dosage exceeds the recommended amount, it is not consider as toxic or dangerous as biotin is a water soluble vitamin and can be safely pass out from our body. So far, there is no serious toxicity due to high consumption has been recorded.

Is biotin deficiency common? The answer is no, but there it is a possibility that it can happen. An example of the occurrence of biotin deficiency is when one consumes a lot of raw egg whites. Raw egg whites contain avidin (a sugar and protein-containing molecule (glycoprotein)) that binds with the biotin, thus, preventing biotin to be absorbed by the body unless the egg is fully cooked. This usually happens to body builders as they consume lots of raw eggs in their daily diet.

Some of the common symptoms of biotin deficiency are rashes, dryness or itchiness of skin, brittle nails, grayish skin, muscle ache, depression and lethargy. Lack of biotin will also results in dermatitis and hair loss.

Also, biotin is not easily absorbed through the skin. It needs to be taken internally, rendering biotin shampoo as quite useless.

What are the benefits or effects by taking biotin supplements? Biotin helps the health of our hair by increasing the elasticity of the hair’s cortex to prevent breakage, thickens the hair cuticle and diameter of the hair shaft and promotes hair growth. After taking biotin supplements, one may notice stronger hair and nails, faster growing hair and nails, thicker hair, increase energy and healthier looking skin.

Foundation of Skin Care (Part 4) : Sunscreen

Do you know that with the increasing global warming, the ozone layer that protects us from the harmful UV rays is depleting? Therefore, this makes even the shortest amount of time being exposed to the sun rays very damaging to our skin. The solution? Always remember to apply sunscreen after you moisturize. Luckily, there are some moisturizers which include sun protection in them, thus making them very convenient and a real time saver.

Everyday exposure to the UV radiation can cause sun damage to the skin such as sunburn, photoaging and increases the risk of skin cancer. This sun damage usually happen beneath the skin surface and happens so slowly that rarely you’ll notice until it is too late. Besides, sun damage can happen even if you are not directly under the sunlight. Even indirect sunlight such as reflection from the ground, snow, water, etc. also adds up over the years and can cause wrinkles and dark spots. So the next time you see some dark spot appearing on your face, think agaib whether you have really been protecting them from the sun rays.

Sunscreen should not be taken lightly but should be make as a compulsory daily routine. As mentioned before, sun damage may not be noticeable in the early stage and its effect is cumulative. Some experts recommend you use sunblock with UVB protection of at least SPF 15, and also include UVA protection with titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or avobenzone.

Do you know that fair skin people are more susceptible to sunburn compared to darker skin tones? The reason is because dark skin has a natural SPF of about 8. Also, childrens and infants have higher risk of getting a sun burn due to their thin and sensitive skin.

The term SPF is quite common nowadays, but do you know what does it indicates? Well, SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor” for UVB rays. The SPF number is the number to indicate the time of delay for sunburn to happen. For example, if a person takes about 20 minutes to get sunburn and had applied sunscreen with SPF30, the total time a person can be protected from the damaging sun rays is as calculated below:

30(SPF) x 20 minutes (time taken for sunburn) = 600 minutes

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, SPF-85 is one of the sunblock that I found with the highest SPF number for longer protection under the sun. It is smooth, soft and can be easily applied on face and body area.

So, make sure you do some calculations to estimate the number of SPF required for full protection. Also, areas such as back of the knee or leg, top of the feet and hand and back of the neck are some of the places which are commonly forgoten to be applied with sunblock. So put them in your check list especially if you plan a day out under the sun:)