Hair and Nails Grow Faster in the Summer

October 11, 2010 at 2:00 am Broken Secrets

By Chad Upton | Editor

Actually, your hair and nails grow faster in sunlight, and we generally have more daylight available and spend more time exposed to it in the summer.

This is because your body produces more vitamin D in daylight, which is important for nail growth. In fact, hair and nails are just a basic form of skin. The epidermis layer of skin is made up of a few types of cells, hair and nails are made from one of those types of cells: keratinocytes.

Fingernails also grow faster on your dominant hand, due to better blood flow. Also, on your dominant hand, the finger nail on your middle finger usually grows the fastest and slowest on your thumb. Fingernails grow about five times faster than toenails.

Despite popular belief, hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after death. As a dead body dehydrates, the skin retracts, which gives the appearance that the hair and nails have grown. But, even while you’re alive, hair and nails are made from dead cells, which is why it doesn’t hurt to cut them.

Broken Secrets

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Photo: Ibrahim Iujaz (cc)

Sources: Straight Dope, Wisegeek, KidsHealth, eHow, Wikipedia

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Entry filed under: Despite Popular Belief, Health and Beauty. Tags: body, growth, hair, nails, vitamins.