Long hair... Long nails?

**Éowyn_GreyEyes** · July 6th, 2014, 04:31 PM

I've been growing my hair out from between shoulder and arm pit length for about five or six years now and it's just a little past my waist. My hair gets trimmed one or two inches between every six and nine months and it's gotten healthier since I've become more conscious of it's up keep.

Anyway I've heard that growing long hair can come with having really nice long nails (proteins and other vitamins that help with hair growth also help with nails)... So I guess what I'm asking is what do your nails look like relative to your hair?

My nails don't seem very healthy though they are approx. two centimetres long (from the cuticle), any thoughts?

**HairFaerie** · July 6th, 2014, 04:43 PM

I don't take vitamins or anything, but my nails grows really fast and they are quite strong. (Which can be a disadvantage when they break because if they break, it's usually way down on the bed. Ouch!) Right now they are pretty long. I wait until one of them breaks off, then I trim them all back.
So, I think hair and nail growth are related. If your hair grows fast, your nails usually do too. If your hair is strong and healthy, your nails usually are too.

Why do you say your nails are not healthy? Are they thin or brittle?

**sourgrl** · July 6th, 2014, 05:11 PM

My nails have always been soft and tear easily. They don't grow too far beyond the tip of my fingers before they bend/tear and my nail beds are fairly short to begin with. I've tried vitamins, special polish, you name it. Nothing works. My hair, on the other hand, grows like a weed and is pretty resilient. At least it was when I used heat on it every day. I haven't used heat in a year. I don't do anything special to it and it feels great, looks shiney, and doesn't really have any splits that I can see.

**tigereye** · July 6th, 2014, 05:12 PM

My nails don't grow very long. They get bendy and break. Probably partly to do with spending so much of my time in latex gloves or water, but what's a science student to do? Islso have a dry scalp and skin in general so that and all the water means my cuticles tend to get dry and crack.

**Éowyn_GreyEyes** · July 6th, 2014, 05:34 PM

Thanks you three

my hair grows fairly fast I think and is strong but each hair is thin so if I'm not careful they break... My nails grow fast but my cuticles get very dry and cracked sometimes, in addition to that the nails can get dry as we'll and seem to crack and flake on the surface. I guess I could also say they're soft it flexible, they rarely brake unless I really slam them on something hard by accident :/

**ARG** · July 6th, 2014, 05:50 PM

My nails have a changed a lot over the last three years, mostly thanks to hormones and nutritional changes. I don't grow them long, but they tend to grow quickly (needing a good filing once a week to maintain shape and desired length). My hair, on the other hand, is slow but steady.

Just a side note: When my nails were thin and prone to tear and peel it was when I wasn't properly hydrated for long periods of time (and going through a giant hormonal change), I used Orly Nailtrition because it doesn't contain formaldehyde, and I switched to a crystal nail file. Changed my nails for sure.

**cathair** · July 6th, 2014, 05:55 PM

I wish my hair grew like my nails

Generally the white part of my nails is at least as long as the pink part, usually a fair bit longer.

**Éowyn_GreyEyes** · July 6th, 2014, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by ARG

My nails have a changed a lot over the last three years, mostly thanks to hormones and nutritional changes. I don't grow them long, but they tend to grow quickly (needing a good filing once a week to maintain shape and desired length). My hair, on the other hand, is slow but steady.

Just a side note: When my nails were thin and prone to tear and peel it was when I wasn't properly hydrated for long periods of time (and going through a giant hormonal change), I used Orly Nailtrition because it doesn't contain formaldehyde, and I switched to a crystal nail file. Changed my nails for sure.

Hmm, I'm not one for drinking lots of water during the cold months (which are basically seven months of the year here in Canada) so that might explain some of it. I've been drinking water now that it's summer so maybe I'll be seeing a change. I usually keep my nails short in the winter too so here's to hoping they stay long and strong!

**ARG** · July 6th, 2014, 06:07 PM

Yup! Your body needs water for overall health. You'll probably see a big difference in your hair, too.

**CurlMonster** · July 6th, 2014, 06:24 PM

My nails are quite thick and grow fast. I keep them a bit shorter now than I used to (Now I like to keep them about like this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--DeIfFiNru...0/IMG_2506.JPG) because as someone else mentioned, if you have strong nails, when they do break they tend to break far down the nail bed and it is very unpleasant. So now I keep them well within the 'safe zone' where I am sure they will not break.