The One Serum Ingredient Experts Swear By For Stimulating Hair Growth

Whether you just gave yourself quarantine bangs you now regret or want waist-length hair by summertime, many of us are trying to grow out our hair efficiently and healthily. To do this, it’s important to consult haircare experts to know what the right products are— we took care of that for you!

We spoke with hairstylists and cosmetologists to find one vital serum ingredient to help you grow out your hair healthily.

Biotin, also called vitamin B7 and vitamin H, is water soluble, meaning the body does not store it. Daily intake is necessary for healthy skin, eyes, and liver and of course, hair. While biotin can be obtained through foods like egg yolks, nuts, soybeans, etc., our expert sources also recommend using serums with biotin as a main ingredient for healthier and longer hair.

“Vitamin B7 is an essential nutrient found in the body that takes part in bringing oxygen to the hair through red blood cells,” says Rodrigo Galvao, hairstylist at GEM House in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. “This can be taken in a vitamin form or as a serum topically applied to the scalp and massaged in to promote even more blood flow to the scalp.”

Biotin serums, Galvao explains, can help in the fight against hair thinning since biotin deficiencies are often a contributing factor of hair loss.

Hair expert and cosmetologist Ghanima Abdullah adds that whether you’re taking it as a supplement or using it topically, biotin is “bringing nutrients to the hair follicle where they are needed most.” There are a lot of biotin shampoos on the market, and while these will help, she says, only a limited amount of biotin will actually reach inside the hair follicles (where hair grows) because you’re going to wash it off.

“It’s better to use a water-based serum with biotin, as water-based products reach inside the hair follicles and are going to stay there and do their work, at least until the next wash,” says Abdullah.

Another benefit of biotin is that aids in improving the structural integrity of keratin, which Abdullah notes makes up the outer layer of our body’s cells including hair, nails, and skin. “Hair health may be improved by using it regularly for several months,” she says.

Now that you know the benefits biotin can provide for your hair, we asked our experts about other popular serum ingredients as well.