Grocery store shelves are lined with shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products that promise shinier, thicker, and stronger hair. Unfortunately, the results on your own hair tend to fall far short of the promises on the bottle. Even many of the choices that are “salon quality,” including the expensive ones from your favorite hairdresser or beauty store don’t deliver the results you’re looking for.

One of the main things that hair products miss is adding nutrients that help hair to remain strong and healthy. Biotin is one of the most important ones to look for on an ingredient list, as it helps to prevent breakage and leads to faster growing hair. Instead, most of the products you’ll find are damaging to the hair follicle, because the chemicals used are harsh and drying to both hair and skin, and can be pointed at as a contributing factor in many chronic diseases today.

If you want to give an extra boost to your hair, choose a vitamin and mineral supplement that includes biotin, or take biotin on its own. Your hair will grow in much stronger and faster than without it.

So what are some of the biggest chemicals that are in your hair care that are damaging? Here is a short list of some of the top offenders to avoid.

• Parabens – Parabens are absorbed through the skin, and mimic the actions of estrogen, which is an important hormone for female health. Having too much estrogen and estrogen-like chemicals has been linked to obesity, reproductive health problems, and cancer.

• Silicones – Silicones are synthetic chemicals that coat the hair follicle. These compounds are heavy and coat the hair shaft, and are difficult to remove even with the most clarifying of shampoos. This can leave hair flat, dull, and lifeless.

• Sulfates – Sulfates are harsh detergents that strip hair of all its natural oils and layers of protection. This exposes the core of the hair strands to the environment, leading to dry, frizzy, thin hair that is prone to breakage.

In addition to these, preservatives and ingredients derived from petroleum and those that include formaldehyde are significant risks not only to the health and beauty of your hair, but also increase your risk of various cancers.

Avoid these toxic ingredients in your haircare routine, and instead choose natural, nourishing products that will help your hair grow more healthy and beautiful, and keep your health safe. Get started with biotin and grow your way to all-natural, gorgeous hair!