Nail and hair growth.

[Mrs-M]

My hair and nails grow at such a rate. Way faster than most people I know, and my nails are like iron.

What's the rate of your nail and hair growth? How about the hardness of your nails?

Do you think it's the result of a good healthy lifestyle/diet, or simply genetics?

[Float On]

My hair grows sloooooooooooow and my nails grow slow and are thin and break easy. Wish I had nails like iron! I have to keep mine cut very, very short.
I'd say genetics my mom and grandma were the same way.

[Kestrel]

When I was young my hair grew very fast, which was OK because I had long hair. Fingernails -- not as fast as I'd have liked, because I had "long" nails then too. NOW ... very short hair, and it grows slowly, which is great! and saves me money! Fingernails -- now I keep them pretty darn short, and they grow too fast for me. They seem to be pretty strong, I guess, but the "ring" fingernail on my right hand (I'm right-handed) is always snagging on something and I have file it all the time. I figure it's because that nail is always getting scuffed or something when I'm "working". Hmmm.

[Simpler at Fifty]

Both grow fast. I used to get my hair cut every 4 weeks but have stretched it to 6 weeks due to cost. I quit wearing nail polish almost a year ago and my nails are really strong now.

[reader99]

Probably genetics, and diet. My fingernails were so tough I could use my thumbnail as a screwdriver, until I did a liver cleanse [The Liver Cleansing Diet, Dr Sandra Cabot]. Now they are still strong, but not as hard as they were.

[Wildflower]

My hair and nails have always grown fast, but seem to be slowing down some as I age. My hair seems to be thinning a little too, but that's ok because in my opinion it's always been too thick. My mother and sister were the same, so must be genetics, more than anything, although I eat a good diet and take alot of vitamins and supplements....

[Mrs-M]

Good morning ladies. I'm quietly chuckling to myself right now. I can't tell you how many times I've chipped, cracked, damaged, and broken my nails (which I prize and dote over) for my husband, over silly little things, like putting spare or extra keys on steel key rings for him. Then after breaking or chipping or cracking a nail I say to myself- "no more", "never again", yet the very next time he requires me to use my nails as tools I'm right there again, right back at it, like a sucker! :laff:

Reader99. I wonder if the liver cleanse disrupted an enzyme of sorts resulting in the less hard nails you speak of. I wonder if there's a supplement you could take to get that loss back.

I've always worn my nails long but as I get older I'm finding that I'm slowly reducing the length of them all the time. Simplicity, low maintenance, and practicality being the biggest factors!