All answers are taken from the article “Structural characteristics and permeability properties of the human nail” which appeared in the November/December 1999 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science.  (That’s the same article we cited in our post on Coconut oil and nails.)

1. Toe nails grow about 50% slower than finger nails.

True, but 17% of you thought this was the fake. (Unfortunately, there’s no online link to the article so you can’t read all the explanations but trust us, it’s true.)

2. Finger nails grow faster on longer fingers.

True again even though a whopping 41% of you said this was false. According to the study, growth occurs in a definite order in relation to the length of the fingers; in general, the longer the finger, the faster the growth.

3. If you’re right handed, nails grow faster on your right hand.

True, but this one fooled 23% of the Beauty Brains community.  Research shows that nails of the dominant hand (i.e., right vs. left) exhibit a faster rate of growth.

4. Thicker finger nails grow more slowly.

False but only 19% of you guessed that correctly.  It surprised us too to find out that the growth rate of the nail is usually independent of nail thickness.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Kudos to the brainy Beauty Brainiacs who got the answer right. And to the rest of you, better luck next time!

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