Ability to grow long hair and nails...

[diggem]

Hi All,

I have a few questions about hair and nails:



Does the ability for you to grow your hair long and mean that you can grow long nails?
If your hair grows at more than 0.5 inches (1.27cm) per month, do your nails also grow fast?
Does thin hair and thin nails go together?


I know hair and nails are pretty much the same thing, biologically, I was wondering is the characteristics of one also found in the other.

Thanks,

diggem

[Angelica]

Hi, well I am the same hair type as you if the hair typing is anything to go by. I am unable to grow my hair very long, and believe me I have tried for a long long time (I am 50 now) and still have the same hair length I could grow as a child. My nails however appear better. My mother on the other hand, suffers from a lack of calcium, is losing her hair :( and also her nails are breaking off and very thin also. She takes supplements of course, but nothing is helping.

[missblueeyes]

My hair is fine but I got lots of it, which makes it quite durable. My nails are not very flexible but I remember taking Biotin to strengthen them years back. They don't break that easily but they like to peel off, which is just equally annoying.

[DreamSheep]

I feel my hairgrowth is slow but it is probably average.
My hair is very fine, and there is tons and tons of it.

My nails I feel grow very quickly in the Summer. They are very soft though, and bend a lot. I only tried growing them longer recently (before I couldn't stand the feeling of nails poking over the edge of my finger), so it is hard for me to say. My nails don't really feel that strong, but I do fiddle with them a lot more than I should do.

Personally, I feel my body invested more in my hair than in my nails :p

[M-L-E]

Interesting questions! I've never thought to link the growth of my hair and nails together, even though they are both made of keratin. Both my hair and nails grow quite fast- my hair grows about 1in per month. However, my nails are quite brittle and often break off, whereas the virgin (unbleached, non-dyed) parts of my hair are strong, not dry or brittle at all... Growth and thinness are probably predominantly genetic factors, although supplements have been demonstrated to improve both if you don't get enough of those vitamins/minerals already :)

[Johannah]

My hair and nails grow average. If I eat bad, my nails are thin. If I eat healthy, they are strong.

[Stormynights]

My nails grow fast and are really strong when I use Man and Tail conditioner on them. My hair grows slowly and is fine.

[aleighkatz]

My nails have been brittle and peely in the past but started to get stronger when I started taking vitamins a year ago. I haven't noticed a difference in my hair yet.

[furnival]

I have incredibly strong, fast-growing nails and thin, slow-growing hair.
My sister has incredibly strong, thick, fast-growing hair and weak, slow-growing nails. :shrug:

[jacqueline101]

I have fast strong nails that are great my hair doesn't grow as fast or as strong as my nails.

[lindsayhv]

My nails are very strong and I think they grow pretty quickly. I think my hair grows at an average rate and it's hard to say about its strength since I've always colored it. Now that it is on its way to dye free I will be able to say more about its strength.

[Enrapture]

My nails and hair seem to be from two different worlds. My nails grow like weed. However, my hair takes all the time to slowly sneak out of my head. :rolleyes:

[Avis]

My nails have always been very strong and grow pretty quickly. My hair growth is just a touch above average (about .60" a month) but I've always thought I had fairly strong hair. It takes a while for damage to appear. So I guess my nails and hair aren't too different. Interesting idea.

[Chocowalnut]

My nails grow super fast and strong (when I can stop biting them) but my hair is very fine and average or slow growing.

[Nique1202]

My hair grows fast (0.75in/month) and thick and strong. My nails grow fast but are incredibly weak, once they're as long as the tips of my fingers they start flaking and breaking off all over the place, so I have to keep them very short.

My mom's hair is just about exactly the same as mine but a bit coarser, same growth rate, but her nails grow so slowly she only has to clip them once a month and they're very thick and strong.

So, no, there's probably not any real relationship between hair and nail growth rate unless you happen to get the genes that make them grow similarly. They're made of the same stuff, but they grow from different places so all bets are off. I also don't think that thin hair and thin nails are necessarily linked, because of this.

[lapushka]

My hair grows slowly but steadily along at half an inch a month - steady growth. My nails, different story. The nails on my left hand are all nice, the ones on my right are dry and brittle and they tear and break easily. It's to do with a condition I have - long story. But yeah, that's how it is.

[JenniferMN]

My nails are strong and grow quickly, but my hair... NOPE!

[diggem]

My nails grow fast and are really strong when I use Man and Tail conditioner on them. My hair grows slowly and is fine.

You use Mane and Tail on your nails? I'm not quite sure how that works. :cool:

diggem

[diggem]

Interesting responses. Thanks.

It seems there is no real correlation between hair and nails, as far as growth rate and type (thin/thick/strong).

Sort of follow-on questions:

How many of you actually have long nails, say more than 0.125 inches (3mm) beyond the end of your fingers, and how long are they?
If you have long nails:
1) how long?
2) do you use them like handy combs?

A bit of background on this, I always thought there must be a correlation between hair and nails, at least as far as the original question posed. I've know a few people with long hair (longest I've ever seen was mid-calf length), but very few of them had long nails. I've known a few people with long nails (longest I've ever seen were 4 inches (10cm)), but very few of them had long hair. They few that did have both, only about 3 people, tended to use their nails like a comb, to constantly detangle. The one I actually had the guts to ask (I've very shy by nature), said that as long as she kept her nails well manicured, they were the best for combing out tangles, as they never got caught in her hair and cause potential breakage.

Thanks again,

diggem

[Chromis]

My super power is keratin growth! My hair grows fast and my nails grow faster! (Well, it feels like it grows slow now, but then it has a long way to go!)

I don't wear my fingernails super long, but I also don't like them trimmed down to the quick. Usually I just have a couple of millimetres of white showing like a natural French manicure. I like to keep my sides rounded and smooth though and I feel like I am constantly having to cut them. My trollnails on the other hand, I cut as short as possible because I don't want them snagging socks or hose.

[Robot Ninja]

My hair grows at a totally average 1/2 inch per month, and it must be resilient because it's at classic despite years of chemical dye. My nails are super strong and grow too fast, although the actual growth rate might be totally average; I just don't like them too long and they take forever to file down because they're so strong. I'd say they grow about 1/4 inch per month although I file them down to 1/16 inch every week or so.

My daughter, on the other hand, has my hair but her father's paper-thin nails.

[shola-faye]

My nails are thick and inflexible and grow quickly. My hair grows the average .5 a month and I have thick strands.

[summergreen]

My nails are strong and grow really quickly, hair average growth and not strong. I don't wear my nails long because I hate the way it feels.

[Anabell]

My nails are suck. They do grow fast when I took hair vitamins (and so do my hair) but they break and split very quickly so I keep them short. My hair is on the thick side of the spectrum. I don't think it splits that easily, and even if it does, I also did grow it out for very long length (tigh length) while I can't do the same with my nails. I think that it depends a lot on genetics. And you can get all sort of combinations. But your always can get you optimum by eat healthy/take vitamins/work out and etc.

[Zebra Fish]

I have fine and thin hair, but my nails were never a problem, strong and pretty fast growing. If I eat bad, lack of some minerals (mostly calcium), I get what dots on nails. Sorry, I'm not much help for your other questions, sorry.

[LauraLongLocks]

My hair grows a bit slower than average, 1 cm a month, and my nails prior to taking biotin always were peely and thin and did not grow fast. Since I started supplementing with biotin my nails are much better, stronger, and grow faster. My hair, on the other hand, has not changed at all that I can tell from the biotin supplementation.

I like to keep my nails on the short side, never past my fingertips. I don't cut them down to the quick though. I play viola, type, milk a cow, and plunk around on the piano. Short nails are a must for most of these activities.

[Agnes Hannah]

My nails are strong and grow quickly, but my hair... NOPE!

Yep same here. I'm a good scratchpad!

[AmethystLily]

My nails grow "high-average." So does my hair. But if I take poor care of them, both my hair and nails are prone to breaking. That said, I think my nails have more strength. My hair strands are very fine. I'd like for my hair to be stronger. I don't grow my nails often because I play the guitar.

[Longtale]

My nails use to be strong and grew what I considered normal growth. Now they are paper thin and hardly any growth. I am fine that they grow slow because if they get any length they break. I just started trying wearing a base coat, applied everyday. It hasn't been much help. Even without long nails, I still am able to detangle, finger comb with my fingers, don't need long nails for that. I think my problem is just I'm getting old. As far as how fast or slow my hair grows, I've never measured it until I joined here, but, I think it's slow, or average. It would be nice to have both nice hair and nails. I just do the best I can.

[luvlonghair75]

My nails used to split, crack and peel and were so brittle all the time. Ever since I've paid closer attention to my diet, vitamins and increased water intake, I've noticed improvements in the past year or so. They get weaker I've noticed at that time of month. Also, I'll get a hangnail sticking out which can really hurt! The hair, I think is about average. Taking the time now to pay extra attention to it and see what kind of results I'll achieve throughout the year. :)

[purplevickie]

Both my nails and hair grow a little faster than average - hair is about .75 of an inch per month, and I've never measured my nails' growth but it does seem quite quick.

My nails are pretty strong - some on my right hand do flake, which I think is damage from using that hand more, but I've never struggled to grow them. They just spout away on their own! I love nail polish and nail art, so wear them quite long to show it off. My longest nail is currently *gets ruler* about 8mm past the tip of my finger. The shortest are about 4mm past, and I don't like them any shorter than that. Broken nails are quite traumatic!

My hair is kind of medium - definitely not thick or plentiful, but not super fine or thin either. I'd say it's towards the finer end of the scale though, as my ponytail circumference is about 2.5ins (though I'm hoping that will increase a little as my trich damage grows out). It's quite pouffy when freshly washed, but compacts down to almost nothing in buns and braids. I would definitely say I'm more genetically blessed for my nails, while my hair is pretty average.

[momschicklets]

My nails are terrible and always have been....but I have pretty good hair! :o My nails are thin, brittle, and the ones on my left hand grow faster than my right :confused: Thank God my hair doesn't grow like that!

[Springs10808]

I'm new to the whole hair-growing thing, but I have a friend from high school whose hair has always been at least classic length (for as long as I've known her, at least) and her nails are also incredibly long. I always figured it was a function of how much protein she consumed (her lunch in high school every day was a peanut butter sandwich, and she LOVES steak).

[Nadine <3]

I don't think the two are related. My hair is super fine and very thin and grows fairly slow, my nails on the other hand...those grow like weeds and they're super thick and strong. I regularly break toe nail clippers trying to cut my fingernails, especially my thumb nail. My toe nails are the same.

[DreamSheep]

I'd say it seems more like there is a trade-off - clearly the body chose to invest in one area and not the other. :) Maybe the super-clawed people can fend off attackers that way, and the super hair growers can whack a braid at any intruder.

(ok, this is probably not the case, but I enjoyed imagining that!)

[cathair]

Nope. Nothing special in the hair growth department or thickness hear. Nails grow thick and fast though. I wear them as long as they will grow and the longest has been just over an inch.

[Kome]

No idea, but my nails and hair both grow fairly quickly.

[Five of Five]

Hair > Nails for me.

My hair grows at an average pace, and is very strong, even though it is ultra fine.

My nails grow very fast in Summer but slowly the rest of the time. They are flexible but quite weak - in fact they most often break while I'm washing my hair (my hair works a little bit like a cheese slicer on them).

I don't like long nails on myself because I wear contact lenses, and also don't like the feel of them.

[dancingrain91]

I always thought they were connected because my brother and I both have fast growing nails and hair.

[diggem]

My nails grow "high-average." So does my hair. But if I take poor care of them, both my hair and nails are prone to breaking. That said, I think my nails have more strength. My hair strands are very fine. I'd like for my hair to be stronger. I don't grow my nails often because I play the guitar.

That's interesting about not growing your nails because you play the guitar. When I was younger, a friend of mine kept her nails pretty long (0.25-0.50 inches, 6-13mm) on just one hand because she played the guitar.

diggem

[monaaa75]

i recomend nailtek II (clear) for nails, works amazingly

[3 Cat Night]

My nails are strong and fast-growing. My hair is strong and grows at an average rate. I wish my hair would grow as fast as my nails.

[Doreen]

From my personal experience, my hair grows at an average to maybe slightly-above-average rate, 0.5-0.7" per month, while my nails are extremely fast. In a week I can see sometimes 2 or up to 3 mm of growth and I am constantly having to keep them trimmed to the quick. I have to cut them 2 times a week at least. They are also very strong and thick, which I guess would be an advantage if I wanted to have them long, but since I keep them short it is really just a hindrance and more stuff that I have to cut through! I go through nails scissors so fast... Wish my hair could be like my nails, if only...

[mothcub]

My hair seems pretty tough and able to grow but my nails are awful, especially my thumb nails. They split really low. It's a bummer, but not enough of a nuisance for me to bother trying to do anything about it.

[Anje]

My hair has so far grown to about classic length. That's about where my nails are too. ;)

In all seriousness, my nails don't grow very long, they don't look very nice at even sorta long if I can get them there without bending them backward or breaking pieces off trying to pry things apart. And I'm just rediscovering how much better I like it when I can feel everything with the very tips of my fingers. So no long nails for me. :)

[neko_kawaii]

I would think your nails closer to FTL, mine are. *looks innocent*

[gwenalyn]

My nails grow decently fast, too, and I hate them long (I have long nailbeds, so they look longish even without letting them grow past the fingertips). I'm another wishing my nail growth could be transferred to my hair growth!

[endlessly]

My personal hair growth and nail growth are not very similar. It takes ages for my nails to grow long mainly because they constantly chip or break, but my hair grows very quickly - about one inch per month, sometimes more - and my hair is pretty durable, too.

[lapis_lazuli]

My nails grow fast and strong but I'd call my hair growth average (only about 0.5 an inch a month).

[battles]

My hair grows about average, unless I'm really focusing on protein, water and exercise. Anywhere from .5" - 1" per month. My nails grow slowly and they snap off very easily, so I keep them short.

[Anje]

I would think your nails closer to FTL, mine are. *looks innocent*

Little bit shorter, and there's actually not much difference on me when my hands are in that relaxed curled state.

[kganihanova]

I have fast growing nails and fast growing hair. I guess they correlate for me.

[hannabiss]

my hair strands are thin and my nails tend to be thin and flexible. i do take biotin which seems to help. i dont take insane amounts of biotin though. i take a 5000mg biotin/hair skin nail vitamin break it in half and take one every other day. i was taking one everyday and while my hair and nails liked it my skin broke out quit a bit. so theres my happy medium.

[BroomHilda]

My nails grow fast and strong. Can grow pretty damn long. My hair on the other hand...naahhhh

[diggem]

I'm new to the whole hair-growing thing, but I have a friend from high school whose hair has always been at least classic length (for as long as I've known her, at least) and her nails are also incredibly long. I always figured it was a function of how much protein she consumed (her lunch in high school every day was a peanut butter sandwich, and she LOVES steak).

I would have probably been so attracted to your friend, I would have made an @$$ of myself and ruined any chance I could have had (my looks won't help me here, because I have none -- I look very close to my avatar).

diggem

[KwaveT]

My hair growth is influenced by the annointing. It is not my natural growth rate. My nails have always grown strong and very fast.

[prettigurl]

Great question! I don't think the 2 are related. My nails have always been thin and weak. On the other hand, my hair has always been thick and strong. Both my hair and my nails grow slower than average :(

I guess my kids take after their dad, because they have super fast growing and strong nails.

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

I am not sure about numbers 1 & 2, but I have fine hair but my nails are by no means thin... they are actually very healthy and I am able to grow them long fairly fast at will. But because I have a baby, I keep them manicured very short with rounded edges.

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

my hair strands are thin and my nails tend to be thin and flexible. i do take biotin which seems to help. i dont take insane amounts of biotin though. i take a 5000mg biotin/hair skin nail vitamin break it in half and take one every other day. i was taking one everyday and while my hair and nails liked it my skin broke out quit a bit. so theres my happy medium.

WOW- you looked really great buzzed. I don't think many people can pull that off, but you certainly did. Beautiful face & noce, bold brows. STUNNING!!!!

[Radiant]

I've never had any issues growing my hair, which is currently around hip length. My nails aren't so great to say the least though. I've always envied those with natural long nails, but I've never been able to achieve that. My nails seem to be too thin and will rip and then peel off once they get beyond my finger tips. So, in my case at least, no, I don't think hair and nail growth is necessarily connected.

[Knifegill]

My nails were weak when I was younger. But I was pretty malnourished, so IDK. Now I eat mainly meat, eggs and vegetables - and my hair and nails are both freaking great.

[Nedertane]

My nails grow pretty quickly, and seem to be decently strong. I get a lot of comments/compliments on them. In fact, I keep them long because they seem to grow too fast for me to keep them short lol.

I'm not really sure if my hair grows quickly or not, but everyone else seems to think it does. I think I was able to grow it fairly well before LHC care too, so I guess there's that.

My diet isn't always wonderful from a day-to-day basis, but I think overall, I keep it pretty balanced.

[Shibe]

I can grow very long nails, but my hair has been tricky. My nails have been much stronger since I've been on my prenatals.