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When it comes to everything from boosting your natural hair growth to reversing damage from heated styling or chemical hair treatments, it seems like you can’t escape a mention of the wonderful powers of biotin. Biotin is included in everything from hair growth supplements to hair care serums and specialized shampoos and conditioners, and it is clear that it is a valued ingredient in the hair care community. But what exactly is biotin, anyways, and what are its benefits for your hair? Read below for more information on this incredible ingredient! What is Biotin? Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is an essential vitamin, meaning the body cannot create it on its own, and thus requires it from our diet. Aside from boosting cardiovascular health and enhancing the body’s ability to break down amino acids and carbohydrates, biotin is a crucial component in helping the body produce energy and sustenance for nearly every biological function. How Does Biotin Help Your Hair? By being able to help break down amino acids and other vital energy-producing ingredients, biotin helps to also boost the production of keratin, which is the essential building block of our hair, skin, and nails. By improving the production of keratin and boosting protein growth, biotin can theoretically boost the growth of the hair, skin, and nails, allowing for healthy growth cycles. When added to one’s diet, biotin can potentially aid in boosting one’s overall hair growth while helping to curb hair loss, along with helping to create stronger, thicker hair.  What Foods Have Biotin? Since biotin is an essential vitamin, the body can’t produce it on its own and thus needs to obtain it from diet and supplements. When it comes to diet, some of the best sources of biotin are also some of the most nutritious, protein-rich foods imaginable, providing an all-around boost for your physical health. Egg yolks, for instance, contain a significant amount of biotin within its protein-dense structure, making them a perfect addition for boosting hair growth. Other biotin-rich sources include salmon, avocado, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), nuts, seeds, and sweet potatoes, among other food options.   What Happens When You Don’t Have Enough Biotin? Because biotin can only be obtained from diet or supplementation, it can be far too easy to become biotin deficient. But how does one know if he or she is biotin deficient? Some symptoms of biotin deficiency in the hair include rapid hair thinning, shedding, and decreased hair growth. In the skin and nails, this can be seen in random skin rashes and skin thinning, along with thinning nails or brittle nails on the hands and feet. While many of these symptoms can be ascribed to other conditions or causes, one must always ensure he or she is properly supplementing with adequate biotin in his or her diet to prevent any chronic or long-term issues from flaring up in a variety of physical avenues.

Few things can change up your overall look than changing the color of your hair, and these days there are no shortages of wild colors from which to choose from. However, oftentimes these coloring treatments can be extremely harsh and damaging to the hair, causing breakage and excessive moisture loss. To go a step further, the process of lightening one’s hair is even more destructive, as the excess bleach and chemical compounds involve can prove disastrous to one’s overall hair health.  Thankfully, there are a number of all-natural methods by which one can lighten his or her own hair to bump up one’s color tone without causing damage to the hair strand or negatively impacting one’s hair health. Read below for some creative, all-natural recipes for getting a lighter hair color from the comfort of your own home while saving money and sparing your hair from harmful chemicals! Lemon Juice Using lemon juice to lighten one’s hair is one of the oldest and most popular all-natural remedies for at-home hair care. Lemon juice contains a large amount of citric acid, which is a natural bleach chemical that has an extremely low pH value. This low pH value causes the cuticle of the hair to lift when in contact with the sun, allowing for the lemon juice to deeply penetrate the hair strand. The best way to use lemon juice is by squeezing a full lemon in a cup of water and spraying your hair. With the hair full of lemon juice and water, spend the day in the sun and allow the hair lightening to begin! Apple Cider Vinegar Also known as ACV, apple cider vinegar contains a large amount of acetic acid, which is a natural lightening ingredient and contains an extremely low pH value to better penetrate the hair strand and raise the cuticle. Even better, apple cider vinegar is incredibly potent antifungal and antibacterial ingredient and can prevent dandruff and other scalp conditions. Additionally, apple cider vinegar helps to cleanse and clarify the hair strand for boosted hair health. To use on your hair, pour one cup of ACV with one cup of water and rinse your hair with it after showering. Allow to sit before rinsing out with water and finish with a conditioner to prevent dryness. Chamomile Tea Aside from being a delicious, relaxing tea to enjoy before bed, chamomile tea is a fantastic hair lightening ingredient in its own right. Chamomile contains numerous flavonoids including quercetin, which inhibits the production of pigment in our hair and skin and helps to naturally lighten the hair tone. It is also a soothing, relaxing chemical, helping to calm the scalp and prevent irritation. To use this as a hair lightening ingredient, brew several bags of tea in hot water and allow to sit and cool off. Once cool, soak the hair in the brewed tea and expose the hair to the sunlight for at least one hour. Once complete, rinse and condition the hair for optimal hair health.   Featured in Watch our Video