Are there any ways to make hair and nails grow faster besides patiently waiting?
October 6th, 2011
I play the classical guitar, and Classical guitarists spend a lot of time shaping their fingernails, because fingernails are naturally grown guitar picks. By keeping their nails the right length and shape, classical guitarists are able to get a loud, yet melodious sound to issue forth from the plucked strings.
One semester in college, one week before my final performance, I broke one of my nails. I was trying to straighten out some grass netting, and my ring finger nail got caught in it, ripping off well below the tip of my finger. It was quite painful, but worse yet, I needed that nail for my guitar recital.
My next guitar lesson, I showed my injured finger to my guitar professor. He told me two things. First, I would have to get through the guitar recital without my nail, and second, I could help it grow back in if I massaged the base of my nail every now and then.
My fingernail, at this point, was still lower than the tip of my nail groove (the spot where the side of the nail is covered by skin). It hurt when I played, but I had to play anyway; and I massaged it, a lot.
To my wonderful surprise, by the time my recital came around, my nail had actually reached the tip of my finger. It wasn’t enough to help me play the guitar as usual, but it made it comfortable to play. It didn’t hurt anymore. In just about a week’s time, my nail grew about 1.5 millimeters. That’s about twice the speed of normal nail growth.
Massage is a great way to stimulate fingernail growth. I later found out it also helps to stimulates hair growth. Now I have another reason to play with my wife’s hair.
Related posts:
Posted in General | 
Tags: classical guitarists, fingernail, guitar, guitar recital, ring finger nail
