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Biotin, zinc and selenium contribute to the maintenance of normal hair, and copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation. Here you will find hair complexes and single-nutrient products, plus products with millet, bamboo and collagen. Read the guide ↓
If your hair is 30 cm long, the ends are roughly two and a half years old.
Hair grows slowly, about a centimetre a month. Every strand runs on its own schedule: some are growing, some are resting, and 50 to 100 a day simply let go. You notice them most after washing, when loosened hairs come out together.
So this page starts with the biology, then moves on to the four nutrients that carry an approved EU statement about hair, and finally compares the hair complexes we stock. Plenty of numbers, no miracle promises.
Symbolic image: AI-generated
Growing, switching, resting: the hair growth cycle
How long your hair can get depends on one thing above all: how long its growth phase lasts. For some people that is two years, for others six. Which explains why one friend can grow hair down to the waist while another never gets past the shoulders.
An average scalp carries around 100,000 hairs. At the end of the resting phase the old hair falls out and a new one starts in the same follicle. Only the root under the scalp is alive. Everything you can see is made of hardened cells, mostly the protein keratin.
Hormones help set the pace as well. During menopause, many women notice changes not only in sleep and skin but in their hair too. If you want to understand what oestrogen does around the body and how the stages unfold, our topic page Menopause in Balance explains it in plain language.
Four nutrients with an approved hair statement
EU law is strict here: a food supplement may only say what the European Commission has assessed and authorised. For hair, that is exactly four nutrients.
Zinc
"Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair."
Recommended per day: 7 to 10 mg (women), 11 to 16 mg (men)
Found in: pumpkin seeds, oats, lentils, cheese
Plant-based? Phytate in wholegrains reduces uptake. Soaking, sprouting and sourdough lower it.
Biotin (vitamin B7)
"Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair."
Recommended per day: about 40 µg
Found in: egg yolk, oats, nuts, mushrooms
Odd fact: raw egg white contains avidin, which binds biotin. Cooking switches avidin off.
Selenium
"Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair."
Recommended per day: 60 µg (women), 70 µg (men)
Found in: Brazil nuts, fish, eggs
Odd fact: a Brazil nut's selenium depends on the soil its tree grew in and varies many times over.
Copper
"Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation."
Recommended per day: 1 to 1.5 mg
Found in: nuts, cocoa, pulses, wholegrains
Worth knowing: zinc and copper partly share absorption routes, so many complexes include both.
These four products combine several hair nutrients in one capsule. The boxes show at a glance how much biotin, zinc, selenium and copper a daily dose provides.
Optiolex Basis X is a multivitamin with all four hair nutrients: 150 µg biotin, 10 mg zinc, 55 µg selenium and 1 mg copper, plus 20 µg vitamin D. Two capsules a day, one tub lasts 30 days.
Prefer one nutrient at a time?
If you know which nutrient you want to top up, a single product is the cleaner choice. You take exactly what you need and avoid doubling up.
About 40 µg of biotin a day is recommended. Higher amounts are a matter of preference.
Millet, bamboo, collagen: the other names on the label
Many hair products list plants and compounds you will not find among the four nutrients above. Several have a long history of use.
Millet
Panicum miliaceum, Pennisetum glaucum
An ancient grain that naturally provides silicic acid. Pearl millet is in Optiolex Cutis, millet also in the Cosphera and Robert Franz complexes.
Bamboo and horsetail
Bambusa, Equisetum arvense
Both are rich in silicic acid, in other words silicon. Bamboo shoot extract is the base of Optiolex Silicon and also features in Optiolex Cutis.
Collagen and MSM
Structural protein, sulphur compound
Both are popular. If collagen interests you, our collagen guide covers the basics clearly and in detail.
Our take: you may like these ingredients, perhaps because you know them from tradition. If you want what is backed, look for biotin, zinc, selenium and copper in the ingredients list.
Covering it with food first
Hair is mostly keratin, a protein, so protein on your plate is the starting point. The four nutrients above are easy to find in everyday meals:
Breakfast
Porridge with pumpkin seeds and walnuts
zinc, biotin, copper
Lunch
Lentil dhal or grilled fish
protein, zinc, selenium
Snack
One or two Brazil nuts
selenium, copper
Dinner
Boiled eggs with mushrooms
protein, biotin, selenium
Over 65, portions often get smaller. On a vegan diet, eggs and fish are off the menu. In both cases it is worth checking how much of these four nutrients actually ends up on your plate.
Practical tips before you start
✓
Add up before you combine
Biotin, zinc and selenium often appear in multivitamins too. EFSA sets the tolerable upper intake at 25 mg of zinc and 255 µg of selenium a day, from all sources together.
✓
Mention biotin before a blood test
High biotin intake can distort certain lab results, thyroid values among them. The US FDA has warned about this since 2017. Let the lab know you take biotin.
✓
Check for soy
Cosmoterra Hair Vital contains soybean extract, and soy is one of the 14 allergens that must be declared. Full ingredients are on every product page.
✓
Tie it to fixed times
Optiolex Cutis is taken twice a day with plenty of fluid, Cosmoterra Hair Vital at breakfast and the Robert Franz Hair Complex with a meal. Keeping the tub next to the kettle helps.
Myths worth dropping
Myth 1
"More biotin means better results."
Fact: about 40 µg a day is recommended. Extra biotin brings no extra statement, but it can interfere with blood tests.
Myth 2
"Regular trims make hair grow faster."
Fact: growth happens at the root, well out of reach of the scissors. Trimming removes split ends, which is why lengths look neater afterwards. Anything already grown needs care from the outside, and you will find shampoos, treatments and oils under hair care.
Myth 3
"A full hairbrush means something is wrong."
Fact: 50 to 100 hairs a day is the normal turnover from the resting phase. Many people notice a little more in late summer and autumn, a seasonal rhythm that research has described too.
About a centimetre a month, or roughly 12 cm a year. The growth phase lasts 2 to 6 years depending on the person, and that sets the maximum length your hair can reach.
Which nutrients have an approved statement for hair?+
Biotin, zinc and selenium contribute to the maintenance of normal hair, and copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
Can biotin affect a blood test?+
Yes, high intakes can distort some lab tests, including thyroid values. Tell the lab you take biotin so the result can be read correctly.
How much biotin do adults need?+
The German-speaking nutrition societies estimate 40 µg a day as adequate for adults. Labels use a reference value of 50 µg.
Can I take hair vitamins alongside a multivitamin?+
Yes, as long as you add up the amounts. Zinc and selenium matter most: EFSA's tolerable upper intakes are 25 mg of zinc and 255 µg of selenium a day from all sources.
The short version
Hair runs on a slow, steady clock. Food comes first, and if you want to top up, this range shows you exactly which nutrients are backed.
TAKEAWAYS
Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal.
Approved for hair: biotin, zinc, selenium, plus copper for pigmentation.
Millet, bamboo and collagen have tradition.
Add up your doses and mention biotin before blood tests.
Note: health statements refer only to the nutrients named and comply with Regulation (EU) No 432/2012. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Keep out of reach of young children.
