Biotin is in every hair growth gummy, every shampoo label, and every TikTok supplement stack for people worried about shedding. And look, we get it. The marketing is convincing, and it sounds marvelously simple: just take this one vitamin and grow gorgeous locks. But here’s the thing nobody tells you. Biotin deficiency is actually super rare. Most people eating any kind of varied diet are not deficient in biotin. Which means… supplementing more of it probably isn’t doing much for your hair at all. So pull up a chair, because we’re about to get into what actually drives hair growth. 

The Three Pillars of Healthy Hair Growth 

Hair follicles are some of the most metabolically active tissues in your entire body. They’re basically tiny little factories (the powerhouse of the cell, anyone??) running 24/7 and, like any factory, they need the right raw materials, the right infrastructure, and enough energy to keep the machines running. When any one of these things is missing, production slows. Strands thin. Shedding increases. Three interconnected pillars determine whether your hair grows thick, strong, and fast, or… not at all.

1. Structural Support 

Your hair itself is made of keratin, a tough structural protein. But what many people don’t realize is that the hair follicle itself (the dermal papilla and the surrounding connective tissue sheath) is built on a collagen scaffold. Without this collagen matrix holding everything in place, follicles can’t function properly and the hair they produce may become thinner or more fragile. Collagen also supplies the amino acid precursors (like proline and glycine) that your body uses to build keratin in the first place. Think of collagen as the foundation that your hair is quite literally constructed on. 

2. Nutrient Sufficiency 

Okay, here’s where we will give biotin a little credit. It IS a B vitamin, and B vitamins do matter for hair. But biotin is one player on a very large team. And it’s not even the MVP. The micronutrients that most commonly drive hair thinning and shedding when they run low are:

• Iron (especially ferritin, your stored iron)

• Vitamin A

• Zinc

• Copper

• B12 and folate

• Selenium

Hair follicles grow quickly and require constant cellular turnover, which means they burn through nutrients at a rapid pace. When these nutrients are even slightly depleted, the body often prioritizes more essential body systems over hair growth. This is one reason why shedding is more common after periods of stress, illness, birth, or rapid weight loss, when nutrient reserves are temporarily depleted. 

3. Mitochondrial Health

This is the pillar that gets almost zero airtime in the hair health conversation, yet we think it’s one of the most important. Hair follicles require an enormous amount of cellular energy to cycle through their growth phases (anagen=growth, catagen=transition, telogen=rest). And, this energy is produced by your mitochondria. So when mitochondrial function is compromised (by chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, toxin exposure, poor sleep, or the natural aging process), follicles simply don’t have enough fuel to sustain a full, robust growth phase. The result is shortened anagen (or growth) phases, more shedding, and finer strands that feel like a small portion of what your hair used to be. 

Supporting your mitochondrial health requires the same nutrients your body relies on for energy production: B vitamins (all of them, working together), minerals like magnesium and copper, and antioxidants (like CoQ10) that protect cells against oxidative stress. This is exactly why focusing on the whole system, rather than supplementing with a single vitamin, is what actually moves the needle.

Who This Matters Most For

Honestly, anyone noticing changes in their hair! But there are a few seasons of life where hair health hits especially close to home:

Postpartum – after birth, estrogen drops dramatically and a wave of follicles that were paused in the growth phase during pregnancy suddenly sheds all at once. This process is called telogen effluvium, and it’s incredibly common (and equally alarming when you don’t know what’s happening).

Chronic stress & burnout –  cortisol can disrupt follicle cycling while also burning through B vitamins and minerals at a rapid rate. If you’ve noticed an uptick in shedding during a difficult season, your follicles are likely feeling that strain.

Aging – collagen synthesis declines steadily with age (at a rate of about 1% per year starting in our mid-twenties), and so does our ability to efficiently absorb and utilize nutrients. If your hair doesn’t have the life, thickness, or growth rate it once did, all three pillars may need some extra support. 

A Holistic Approach to Hair Nutrition

Our newest formula addresses all three pillars of healthy hair growth at once (structural support, deep micronutrient nourishment, and mitochondrial fuel) in a simple daily ritual. Just three capsules made with two whole-food ingredients your body recognizes and knows how to use.