I was hesitant to try this product, but I know how much biotin can do for my hair and nails so I wanted to give it this product a try. Back story on me and biotin: A couple years ago I took a biotin supplement that made my nails grow fast and strong, and my hair start to get more thick and lush, but right as the hair effects started kicking in I began to notice that the product was causing my skin to dramatically increase oil production and break out - badly. I am a little older for acne, so my oily/slightly-sensitive/acne-prone skin usually only graces me with clogged pores, tiny (but annoying) occasional hormonal breakouts and the very, very, very rare "something didn't agree with my cyst". For example, I did a cleanse awhile back and I got three teeny tiny cysts at the beginning, which did eventually clear up, but which were awful. The biotin supplement I took (This one: Natrol Biotin 10,000 mcg Maximum Strength Tablets, 100 Count (Pack of 2) ) actually made my skin thick with oil I could scrape off three times a day with my nails, a dozen or more pimples and some cysts. It continued to get worse, rather than better like my skin did with the cleanse, until I realized it was the biotin which was causing the issue. I stopped taking it - drank a ton of water because biotin is water-soluble - and my skin began clearing literally within a day or two. The thing that made me sad was that the biotin was indeed making my nails grow long and super strong. It was almost as notable a difference as the oily breakouts on my face, except that was for the positive. It also had just begun to take effect on my fine hair when I had to stop for the sake of my skin, but it had been allowing my hair to grow strong and shed less. But having a horribly oily and broken out face was not worth the boost to my nails and hair, so I stopped taking the product, quickly losing the effects on my hair and shortly there after the effects on my nails. :-( For a couple years I was too scared to try biotin again. That is how bad it made my skin in the short time I took it. But when I saw this product, read the label to see the dosage was lower and that there were other vitamins mixed in the blend that supported the effects of the biotin, I thought I would give it one more try. So far I am very pleased with this product, and I have been watching my skin vigilantly for any sign of the issues I experienced before and haven't seen anything worrisome yet. Here is what I have to say about this product for the two weeks I have been taking it: 1. The gummies taste pretty great. It's not candy, but better than a pill or a powder for sure. Be sure to chew them up well for best effects, per the manufacturer direction. 2. This bottle is going to last you about a month and a half (135 pills, 3x a day = 45 days of doses). At ~$26 a bottle, I think it's a little pricier than some supplements, but this isn't just biotin as it has other vitamins as well, which support health skin, hair and nails. I think the value to cost ratio is going to depend on how the product works for you and what your budget is like. 3. The effect on my nails was swift. I've included a photo of my nails showing how far my gel manicure has grown in 20 days. My right hand actually shows a stronger growth effect, but I had trouble taking a clean shot of my right hand, being right-handed. 4. My hair has begun to shed less. With fine hair, we often have lots of tiny hairs, lots of oily sebum producing follicles - which I have both - and so I get oily scalp and I shed a lot of hair. It's annoying, but I've already noted that there are fewer hairs on my shirt throughout the day after the past week or so of use of this product. 5. Again, I've been watching vigilantly for signs of increased oil production or pimples, and I've seen nothing of the sort. I suspect the 10,000 mg dose was simply too high for me, and this lower dose is effective but not so high as to cause my skin the issues the other product did. Bottom line: I think this is a little pricey but seems a good way to get beauty vitamins and minerals in your system to support your hair, skin and nails. I am already seeing the effects at 2 weeks, and I will watch for more positive signs of this products effects on me. I will also obviously look for signs of bad things happening to my skin. For now I recommend you try this, and pay attention to your body's reaction as I do, as it seems effective but supplements can cause different reactions in different people. I will be sure to update my review within the next month or so to let you all know if it is working the same, better or worse! I also want to remind you that if you have a problem with biotin making you oily or break out: Drink a LOT of water, and stop taking the product of course, because it is water soluble you can easily flush it from your system. And as this experiment has proven so far - you might just need a lower dose, but always pay attention to your body's signals and...
