Nail growth hormone???

He plays guitar if anyone has a raised eyebrow, or is questioning why a boy would want to grow his nails.

How fast does the nail grow?

The overall growth of the nail within one month is approximately 3mm. However this does vary from person to person. To completely out grow a nail can take up to 6 months. As mentioned, growth rate does vary from person to person, there are many contributing factors such as; weather, health, age and a well balanced diet. The nail tends to grow faster in our early years, reaching its peak around the age of 10-14 and then the nail growth gradually slows down, as we get older. Growth is accelerated in the summer, during pregnancy and during sleep. Poor blood circulation, malnutrition, certain illnesses and some medications can slow down the growth rate. Each nail grows at a different rate. The smallest nail that we often refer to as our “pinkie” is the in fact the slowest, then the thumbs. The index finger generally grows at an accelerated rate in comparison to the others.

Brittle nails tend to have a low water content. The water content will effect the flexibility of the nails. Water content can vary from 10% to 30%. Nail varnishes and oils will prevent loss of water and encourage flexibility.

Nothing wrong with wanting strong nails: if I had strong nails perhaps I'd bite them less.

I am, however, a little concerned about your postcount.. it's a sign

I don't know about hormones, but I think salt water helps growing and strengthening of nails. I only say this since, when I was a kid, we used to go on family holidays down south and I used to spend a lot of time swimming in the sea. After a few days my nails had grown a lot, and felt stronger too. This may just have been a coincidence, but I think there's some truth to it!