I have been taking G.N.C.'s hair vitamin, Ultra Nourishair, for about 3 months.  It includes biotin, MSM, silica, etc...  I think my hair has been growing faster, about 1/2 inch a month faster.  I have always been highly cynical about vitamins, and I've never taken them very consistently in the past.  I have to say, though, that since I've been taking Nourishair, my nails have gotten really hard.        Yaaaay!   I've always had problems with weak, flaky nails, but now they're so hard that it's like I've put nail hardener on them.  I assume that the vitamins have to be doing SOMETHING good to my hair!  Anyway, for a two months supply it's $16.99 so it's something I can actually afford.  Oh, I also take some flax seed oil with my vitamins, too.  Has anybody else out there in Long Hair Land tried Ultra Nourishair?

Glad to hear you're getting good results.  Out of curiousity, what are the amounts of MSM, biotin and silica for a daily dose?

I was taking the Ultra Nourishair, but they were really
upsetting my stomach , so I  started cutting down on
the dosage and my upset stomach went away and
my breakouts,too.  (that may be due to the drier winter
weather)Now I cut them in half and sometimes take
them every other day.   I don't know if that's enough
to make any difference but I figure that some is better
than nothing at all.  I take a good multi every day and
eat a good diet (lots of fruits, vegetables and protein)
so I think I'm pretty well covered in that dept. (except
I'm a caffeine junkie, trying to quit.)

I just bought a bottle at GNC.  They expire in February so the price was only $4.24.  Even with only taking them for 30 days, they will be very affordable. 

I didn't like how big they were though, so I don't know that I'll be able to keep up on them.  I'm not great at taking pills, and these definetly have that vitaminy smell/taste. 

Bikerbraid--I think I've seen you post that you take MSM and silica, what amounts are you taking or where I should I look for recommended doses?

After looking around a bit I finally decided to try the "One Source Complete Hair, Skin, & Nails" .  It is at Wal-Mart and was $5 for 75 caplets (2/day). 
That gives me Biotin 2500 mcg (I'm trying to dredge up my metric here so I think that would be 25 mg), MSM 100mg, and Horsetail extract 2 mg.  Lots of other stuff in there too. 
Since I am also taking a multi the only thing I'm concerned about is the amount of the fat-soluble vitamins since taking both will give me well over the 100% "daily value".  Maybe I'll check with one of the dieticians at work to see if I'll grow an extra arm or ear or something if I take too much of those
Hummmm...silicon dioxide.....remembering my chemistry....isn't that sand?     And horsetail extract -- is that the animal or some marsh plant? Maybe going to the saltmarsh with a horse would be the best place to grow long hair .   My iconoclastic tendencies are getting the better of me tonight!

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Was it cheap? It doesn't look like a balanced formula. Yes, 2500 mcg (which is 2.5 mg) is a huge amount of biotin, probably lots more than you need, even if you had a severe deficiency. The MSM is really low, though. A study I saw online that supposedly tested MSM and found it to help fingernail strength used 3 grams per day. They saw results within a month.

I didn't see results at all, so after a couple of months I stopped completely.

2 mgs of horsetail extract is almost nothing.

What fat-soluble vitamins are you referring to? You didn't list any that are contained in the hair vitamin ingredients list. A, D, & E are fat-soluble, biotin is a B vitamin, water-soluble, and MSM is not a vitamin.

Silicon dioxide is sand, yes, but in this case it's probably serving as an inert filler. The active ingredients don't add up to the size of a pill, so they need to extend it. Standard procedure.

I recommend that you find a natural foods store that has MSM in bulk in jars, so you can get enough to have the possibility of making a difference.

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indeed. i bought myself 2.5 mg biotin tablets (cuze they had nothing else). but i cut them cuze i figured around 1.25 mg is more than enough. i saw the effects immediately (i think i would have even stopped taking them cif not cuze i just don't belief in effect for which you have to wait six months). i shed indeed a lot less. i tried to take 2.5 mg daily as well to see the difference (and i wanted the extra boost cuze i was going to dye my roots). all i got was a major breakout and no extra reduction in shedding so i am back to cutting my tablets in half 

Actually, it's a good idea to take vitamin D in the winter if you live in a northern climate (which most of us do). The dosage you find in over-the-counter vitamins is in no way dangerous.

I take vitamin E for leg cramps at night. If I stop, they come back.

I don't take vitamin A.