Nails and hair growth speed

[Emeira]

I have few questions.
On only fruit + fish/meat diet my nails and hair grows extremely slowly, sometimes I even think that it does not grow at all
and only 5 of 10 nails has visible lunula.
Could this be a sign of mineral/vitamins deficiency? And what influences the speed of nail/hair growth?
I am afraid to use supplements because not always more is better.

[RRM]

Indeed, more is not always better, as all is about balance in our body.
Too much of any nutrient goes at the expense of others.
The best thing you can do, is to offer everything in moderation.
That way the body can adjust the absorption and excretion rates as appropriate.
A diet of fruits and animal food supplies you with all nutrients required, certainly in comparison to the average 'normal' diet.
A supplement is only likely to throw your body out of balance.

The tricky thing about nails is that between fingers growth rates are not similar, but depend on bone length; the nail on your little finger does not grow as fast as the nail on your index finger, for example. And toenails grow much slower. Additionally, growth rates vary per person, per season, physical activity, and also depend on diet, indeed. Low protein intakes may be related to low nail growth rates.

Are your nails dry?
Brittle?
Flat?
Dark?
Any nail splitting or flaking?

[Emeira]

A diet of fruits and animal food supplies you with all nutrients required

in theory yes, but in practice it is much harder I think.
it depends on many things: budget, living location, fruit nutritional value (as example, local apples are more nutritious and healthier than imported), calorie amount and etc. You can be on a raw food diet and still have mineral or some kind of vitamin deficiency

Are your nails dry?Brittle?Flat?Dark?Any nail splitting or flaking?

they are fine, just grow really slowly, too slowly and hair too.
in the past I was cutting my nails more often and I had all visible lunulas, now only 5 are left. How many lunulas do you see on your fingernails?

[Aytundra]

I eat a reduced amount of cooked foods, not 100% yet.
Currently my nails are:
- smooth, no horizontal or verticle lines,
- all nails are pink like a seashell
- 4 visible lunulas, on both thumbs and index fingers. I don't remember if I had lunulas on the other fingers. A quick wikipedia search yield info, that everyone has lunulas, just that the eponychium (skin around finger nails) are covering them.

I remember I use to trim my nails every 2-3 weeks in 2003-2008. I used to play the piano and my fingernails would grow ~1mm each week and I liked to keep it near the pink with 0.5 mm.
Right now I don't remember trimming my nails much but they look the same, pretty healthy, maybe I trim it once every 6 weeks. But I don't play the piano either less exercise to the hands and fingers, hence maybe less nutrients to the finger tips currently, I also had deeper wrinkle lines on the hands from playing the piano, they are thin lines now. The tips are currently 1.5 mm long.

I know some medication can damage nails, my friend's nails went dark, rippled, and thickened, with reduced nail growth from the medication, it took about 4 months to grow back like half of the normal looking nails.

[Emeira]

Aytundra, what about hair? Have you noticed any difference in growth speed?

[beehappy]

Hi Emeira, may I chime in?
My nails are definitely growing slower but they are stronger and smoother. Number and visibility of the lunulae hasn´t changed. Body and facial hair is fewer and finer (a little less testosterone, I suspect). My head hair is growing slower as well and what is weird: its getting curlier! So much that I was asked if I had a perm! I like it though, it does very well reflect the often rebellious state of my mind .

[Emeira]

Hi Emeira, may I chime in?
My nails are definitely growing slower but they are stronger and smoother. ... My head hair is growing slower as well...

So I'm not the only one here with the same symptoms

[Aytundra]

Aytundra, what about hair? Have you noticed any difference in growth speed?

Right now my hair is pretty long, so I am not worried about it growing. My hair grew about 25 cm in a year. I had my hair cut around the same time last year. It is a bit dry because I only use regular shampoo, without conditioner to wash it every 3-4 days. Since it is dry, sometimes the comb snags the hair, so it seems like more fall out, but then I get more split ends. A few drops of olive oil can hide the split ends and make my hair look nicer and less tangled, but I don't really bother doing that.

[RRM]

A diet of fruits and animal food supplies you with all nutrients required

in theory yes, but in practice it is much harder I think.

No, the opposite is true.
We are not talking about theory (RDAs), but actual diets.
You should compare this diet to other diets / diet regimens, not to RDAs.
Do you really think that a SAD diet more readily gives you all required nutrients?
We are talking about this diet in comparison to other ways of eating.

it depends on many things: budget, living location, fruit nutritional value

No, budget has nothing to do with it.
If you have little money to do this diet, you will be less strict; a greater part of your diet will consist of SAD foods instead of Wai foods.
That does not affect how effective this diet is; if you eat more SAD foods, you cannot blame tha Wai diet.
If SAD foods cause you to lack nutrients, it is caused by eating SAD foods, not by Wai foods.

Living location and availability of fruits have also nothing to do with it. If for you it is hard to find fruits, you cannot blame the fruits or this diet.
"A diet of fruits and animal food supplies you with all nutrients required", but not if these fruits are replaced with SAD foods.
Of course not!

as example, local apples are more nutritious and healthier than imported

Actually, that depends on storage time, temperatures, maturity when picked, ripening etc., but not on import vs local.
Apples in general are very low in nutrients, by the way.

You can be on a raw food diet and still have mineral or some kind of vitamin deficiency

Only if uou eat local apples or pears as a fruit source only.
If you combine the right fruits (oranges, mangoes, clementines etc) with animal food, there can be no lack of nutrients.

Are your nails dry?Brittle?Flat?Dark?Any nail splitting or flaking?

they are fine, just grow really slowly, too slowly and hair too.[/quote]
Then what makes you think that growing slowly is bad?

How many lunulas do you see on your fingernails?

Only on my thumbs.

[Emeira]

Do you really think that a SAD diet more readily gives you all required nutrients?

No, I don't think so, just people around me is criticizing me and the raw food diet. Sometimes it sucks

you cannot blame the Wai diet.... you cannot blame the fruits or this diet...

I am not blaming anything RRM
What I was trying to say is, you are lucky if you have access to right and nutritious fruits and good quality of animal food.
... but not everyone has that access. For expl: I was in Sardinia few month ago and I had an opportunity to taste good quality of raw mackerel or olive oil. The taste was absolutely amazing! To comparison what I am eating here (where I live now) its like night and day. It is impossible to get such fish or olive oil here.

what makes you think that growing slowly is bad?

hmm... so you're saying it's fine? I thought maybe it's a sign of nutrients deficiency or something like that

Only on my thumbs.

ok

[Oscar]

Slower growth is better. Less cell turnover = longer cell lifespan = slower aging

[Emeira]

Slower growth is better. Less cell turnover = longer cell lifespan = slower aging

Great
p.s despite the slow growth rate, they are super strong!

[panacea]

get some pure food grade diatomaceous earth. put it in an acidic drink like OJ (dont leave it in forever but for a good few hours). drink it. continue to do so. you'll have faster hair/nail growth , and the nails will be really strong.
it contains the "weakest link" nutrient in building nails/hair that our body needs, in abundant supply, so the body goes into overdrive. only is bioavailable when subjected to acidic substance before consumption.

[RRM]

Actually, her nails are already very strong, she wrote. (as are mine)
So, it is not a lack of nutrients.
Btw, are you referring to silicon?