The Hair & Nails Growth Story

Several factors affect the health and growth cycle of our vanity points; read on to know more about your hair and nails' life cycle

Throughout recorded history, our hair and nails played an important role in signifying who we are and our social status. You could say they separate the caveman from businessman. It was no surprise then that many of us found a new level of appreciation for our hairdressers and nail artists during the COVID lockdowns. Even Taylor Swift reported she cut her own hair during lockdown.

So, what would happen if all this hair and nail grooming got too much for us and we decided to give it all up? Would our hair and nails just keep on growing?

The answer is yes. The hair on our head grows, on average, one centimetre per month, while our fingernails grow an average of just over three millimetres.

When left unchecked, our hair and nails can grow to impressive lengths. Aliia Nasyrova, known as the Ukrainian Rapunzel, holds the world record for the longest locks on a living woman, which measure an impressive 257.33 cm.

When it comes to record-breaking fingernails, Diana Armstrong from the United States holds that record at 1,306.58 cm.

Most of us, however, get regular haircuts and trim our nails—some with greater frequency than others. So why do some people's hair and nails grow more quickly?

A biology crash course
Hair and nails are made mostly from keratin. Both grow from matrix cells below the skin and grow through different patterns of cell division.

Nails grow steadily from the matrix cells, which sit under the skin at the base of the nail. These cells divide, pushing the older cells forward. As they grow, the new cells slide along the nail bed—the flat area under the fingernail which looks pink because of its rich blood supply.