Long, well-groomed nails are an indispensable element of the unforgettable image of many representatives of the fair sex. However, some of them abuse the opportunity given to them by nature by growing their nails, making them incredibly long. Moreover, so much so that seeing them can bring not only amazement or delight, but also physiological disgust.
Interestingly, there are also men in the world who grow their nails to incredible lengths. For the most part, these people are driven by the desire to achieve fame in such a strange way and become on a par with other Guinness Book record holders. And many of them achieve their goal.
We present to you a list of 10 people with the longest fingernails and toenails in the world.
Elena Shilenkova
The unusual list opens with Russian Elena Shilenkova, who became famous on YouTube after, having argued with a friend, the girl decided to grow very long nails. In four years, she managed to increase their length to 12 centimeters (the longest is 15 cm).
The owner of the “original” manicure runs a YouTube channel on which she talks in detail about her life, demonstrating how she cooks food, opens cans of sparkling water or gives a massage to her boyfriend.
The only thing the girl limits herself to is wearing mittens and gloves, swimming in the pool or playing tennis. But she doesn’t suffer from this at all, and her huge nails don’t cause her any discomfort in everyday life.
Interesting facts about nails
In addition to the fact that this is one of the most powerful women's weapons (sometimes in the literal sense of the word), there is other interesting information about them:
- They require regular care as they grow approximately 1-2mm/week. The nail plate is completely renewed within about six months;
- In women they grow faster than in men, and especially during pregnancy;
- The speed of their growth is also affected by the season - in summer it is higher than in winter;
- It also increases after a person recovers from an acute infectious disease;
- Once a person reaches the age of 20, the intensity of their growth decreases somewhat;
- The nail root, which is the invisible part of the plate, accounts for about 30% of its total length;
- When it is in normal condition, its thickness is 0.3 mm;
- The nail on the longest finger of the hand grows faster than on the others. It grows slowest on the little finger;
- There is an opinion that they continue to grow when a person dies, but this is not true;
- Some inventions used in manicure art belong to dentists. The first of them is false nails, the prototype of which is the idea of Maxwell Lappe, which consists in creating plates covering a person’s own nail plate in order to wean him from the habit of biting his nails. The second invention is acrylic manicure, which owes its appearance to dentist Frederick Slack, who decided to fix a broken nail using acrylic, a material popular in dentistry. Perhaps, thanks to these inventions, someone managed to grow the longest nails;
- The birthplace of French manicure is the USA, and it owes its name to French actresses, among whom it enjoyed enormous popularity;
- Lunar manicure, which many modern girls love, was popular in the 20s and 30s. last century, because in those days women believed that by painting the nail plate completely, they would not allow it to “breathe”;
- The first manicure polish was red.
Anna Mikhailova
Another representative of Russia on the list, Anna Mikhailova, has “advanced” even further in growing her nails.
Despite their fairly decent size (14 cm) , the girl says that they do not interfere with her profession at all. Oh, she works as a hair stylist.
According to Anna, at first clients were wary of such an unusual look from the master, but then they got used to it and consider the extravagant natural decoration a “fashion accessory” that adds a stylish twist to its owner.
By the way, the native of St. Petersburg did this unconventional act to spite her husband, and then, unexpectedly for herself, she became interested in further “cultivation.”
Louise Hollis
If the previous “record holders” distinguished themselves in growing fingernails, then the next extravagant person on our list was able to surprise by the fact that she also grew them on her toes.
She was awarded the title of owner of the “longest nails” in 1991. The total length of the impressive lady's nails at that time was 250 centimeters . Moreover, the size of the largest of them was 24 centimeters .
Louise was able to grow 15cm toenails, which forced her to stop wearing closed shoes. To preserve “her property,” for which the woman was included in the Guinness Book of Records, she wears open sandals with a high platform.
Interesting: To make “natural jewelry” look aesthetically pleasing, Louise carefully cares for it, polishing it and painting it in bright colors. In one procedure, all this “beauty” takes about two and a half bottles of varnish.
The California resident developed an unusual hobby after her husband left, but today she does not regret it at all, because it has made her popular all over the world.
Wen Zhan
Despite the fact that manicure is considered a typical female hobby, there are many men in the world who pay attention to their nails no less than women. True, everyone's motivation is different. For example, an expressive resident of China named Wen Zhan began to grow them to tame his hot-tempered character. Due to the fact that the man preferred to resolve all disputes with his fists, he periodically had problems with the police. Then he decided to stop cutting his fingernails so that it would be impossible to clench them into fists to fight with offenders.
44-year-old Wen Zhan has been growing his nails for 14 years, which has brought him fame and glory not only in Fujian Province, where he is from, but also throughout the world. True, for such popularity he has to “pay” with discomfort in everyday life. To avoid damaging “his treasures” while sleeping, he keeps his hand in a shoebox all night. The length of a man's nail plates is 35 cm .
A few lesser known records
We didn't tell you about all the records. Several other people had a passion for long nails and tried to grow them to incredible sizes. For example, Wen Zhan from China did not at all pursue the goal of getting into the Guinness Book of Records. According to him, long nails are just an attempt to calm down his excessive temper. They help him curb his love of fighting, since with such nails it is simply impossible to clench his hand into a fist.
Another man from India, Sridhar Chilal, as a teenager, decided never to cut the nails on one hand again. He kept his promise to himself and managed to practically break all records. The longest nail has grown to 130 centimeters! The Hindu is truly proud of his achievement, but says it cost him a lot. First of all, health. Gradually, the nails began to deform, and due to their impressive total weight, the nerves on the left hand were damaged. This resulted in deafness in one ear. In 2000, the man decided to cut his nails, but kept them as a keepsake. When he happens to attend various talk shows or other events, he certainly takes them with him.
These amazing records are shocking, but at the same time arouse genuine interest . The life of such people seems mysterious and incomprehensible. In this article, we introduced you to strange individuals who decided to experiment on their appearance by growing incredibly long nails. In conclusion, we invite you to watch an interesting video about a woman from Russia who has the longest manicure in our country.
Ayanna Williams
The owner of her own nail salon in Texas, Ayanna Williams, dreamed of having her name on the page of the Guinness Book of Records. And she succeeded. True, it took the ambitious American woman 28 years to claim the title: “the person with the longest nails.”
- In 2022, their total length was 576 centimeters , and the size of the longest of them reached 63 cm .
- In 2022, another length record was recorded. In total, it turned out to be equal to 733 centimeters . The length of the largest nail on the thumb was already 70 cm .
To get her nail plates in order, Ayanna needed three or four tubes of polish and more than 20 hours of time.
Interesting: The 2022 measurement was the last for the record holder, who decided to part with her long nails. To remove them, a Dremel brand hand engraver with a cutting wheel was used. The woman donated the object of her pride to the Florida State Museum in Orlando.
Lee Redmond
American Lee Redmond has been growing her nails since 1979. The total length was almost 8 meters . Compared to other celebrities in the field, Lee's nails were very neatly shaped—none began to curl, darken, or thicken.
Lee Redmond lost her pride in a not so pleasant way. In 2009, she was driving a car in which her grandchildren were sitting. Losing control of the SUV, Lee crashed into the car in front, which provoked an accident involving 3 more cars.
The car accident resulted in no casualties, but all of Lee Redmond's famous nails were broken off. Representatives of the Guinness Book of Records expressed their regret for Miss Lee, considering her one of the most interesting record holders.
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Loretta Adams
Another American woman on the list grew her fingernails for twenty-four years. However, she was never able to obtain the coveted title of “the woman with the longest nails in the world,” although the length of the largest one was 89 centimeters.
Loretta admitted that she was very tired of caring for her “property.” In addition, long nails made her life very difficult. There were constant problems doing small chores around the house. Now she simply keeps the cut nails in her house and sometimes shows them to journalists who come to interview her.
Lee Raymond, 89 cm (850 cm - total length)
Lee Raymond is sometimes asked how, with such long nails, she manages to cope with everyday tasks, including delicate ones related to personal hygiene. To such questions, Redmond replies: “With caution.”
In order for the giant nail plates to be strong and not thin, the woman performs certain healing manipulations once every two weeks. The rest of the time she cleans her nails with a special brush and carries out other hygiene procedures.
For thirty years the woman did not shorten her nails. Unfortunately, having been injured in an accident, the woman also lost her nails, although she later admitted that she herself had long wanted to get rid of them. In addition, Lee's husband is seriously ill - he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and his wife's extremely long nails prevented him from fully caring for him.
Chris Walton
American singer Chris Walton made the decision to grow her nails in 1993. And the record for their length was recorded in 2011. At that time, their total length was 730 cm , and the size of the longest of them was 91 cm .
According to Chris, she did not seek to gain popularity in this way, she simply always loved manicure and from time to time wore “extended” nails, because it always seemed beautiful to her.
The 48-year-old woman drives a car herself, plays musical instruments (piano), and even writes SMS to her grandchildren and works on the computer. She carefully takes care of her nails, covering them with varnish, doing hygiene procedures to strengthen them and claims that they do not interfere with a full and active life.
Recognized record holder
History knows several similar records, but the most outstanding of them belongs to Las Vegas resident Chris Walton. The forty-five-year-old singer, better known under the pseudonym Countess, became a recognized Guinness Book record holder back in 2011, having grown her nails to a length of 91 centimeters! And their total length on all fingers is more than 6 meters.
The woman herself is happy with the way her hands look. She claims that her nails don't bother her at all. She does not trust any professional to take care of her hands; she carries out all hygiene procedures and manicures on her own. She uses about 5 bottles of polish at one time! Despite her very long nails, Chris leads a full life - she dresses herself, applies complex makeup, does housework and even types SMS on her phone.
According to the singer, she is not going to part with her nails, because she had to spend almost 18 years growing them! Chris says some people are scared of her hands, thinking she's holding a ball of snakes. But most treat her appearance with humor. In the photo you can see what Chris Walton looks like and her longest nails.
Melvin Booth
This representative of the stronger sex was not included in this list by chance, because the length of his nails at the time the record was registered in 2008 was 985 centimeters !
What prompted him to such a feat is unclear, since Melvin led a reclusive life, did not go out into society and did not particularly like to show off his extravagant “manicure” to strangers.
It is known that he was born and lived in Michigan, had a medical education and communicated with few people. In 2009, he died suddenly at the age of 51. The man grew his nails for 30 years.
American fetish
And again an American is on the list.
Loretta Adams, a Dallas native and resident, could also become a leader. But she never got the title “Miss Longest Nails of the World”. In 1997, a woman cut off her nails. They say that she was simply tired of them. Loretta has been growing nails for 24 years. And their total length reached 3.8 meters. The longest was about 90 centimeters. Another resident of China who stands out from the crowd. Li Yang Ping, 43, is from Shishi City, Fujian Province. He has been growing his nails for over twenty years. But how much they eventually grew is unknown. But experts know for sure that the man did not take care of his nails at all. Together with his goods, the man even starred in documentaries.
Lee Raymond
This woman wore “the most famous nails in the world” for a long time, stopping cutting them starting in 1979. At the time of the Guinness World Record in 2003, the total length of her nails was 753 cm, which is a full meter longer than the current title holder.
The Salt Lake City native was a frequent guest on various television shows, where she was often asked: how does one live with such huge nails? To which she stated that she did not experience any problems in hygiene or everyday life, except for difficulties in putting on outerwear in cold weather.
The American woman decided to grow such huge nail plates out of curiosity. She wanted to understand to what size they could grow in length, and how ugly or attractive they would look.
Lee took special care of her long nails, giving them strengthening treatments with valuable oils and covering them with polishing and protective compounds of the highest quality. By 2009, their value was 865 centimeters, but she was unable to set a new record, since the woman had to part with her “wealth” on an emergency basis. Due to a car accident in which she and her grandchildren were involved, part of her nails were broken. Therefore, Lee Raymond was forced to cut them off.
Interesting: Currently, the 79-year-old woman still lives in Salt Lake City. And she grows her nails again, the length of which is now 10 cm.
Anti-record
A certain girl Beasley from America became an anti-record holder. But her record is in short nails.
She started biting her nail plates so hard and often that she shortened them to two millimeters (the distance from the cuticle to the end of the plate). Perhaps the girl had some kind of psychological disorder (she herself compared her passion to drug addiction). But still, she made her record, albeit in a unique way.
At the age of twelve, Beasley decided to get rid of her addiction in an original way: by starting to play the piano. Her anti-record remains only in photographs.
Sridhar Chillal
The honorable first place on our list belongs to another man, Indian photographer Sridhar Chillal. You can see the incredible length of his nails by looking at the photo. Sridhar stopped cutting the nails on his left hand at the age of 14, and by 2016 he managed to grow them to 909 cm . The longest of them measured 197 cm .
The reason for this behavior was a remark from his teacher, whose long nail the young student accidentally broke. In response to this, the teacher noted that only a person who has tried to grow long nails at least once in his life can understand the “bitterness of loss.” Then Sridhar simply stopped cutting them, despite the resistance and discontent of his relatives. While working as a photographer, he designed a special device for holding a camera, which compensated for the “inoperability” of his left hand.
In 2022, after 66 years of growing it, the record holder decided to cut his nails due to health problems. The large mass and length of the nail plates pulled back the shoulder and arm, did not allow it to be clenched into a fist, and weakened the muscles of the hand. The man donated his “treasure”, which made him famous, to the New York Museum “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” as an exhibit.
Guinness World Record: longest nails (7 records)
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Longest nails on one hand
The combined length of the longest nails on one hand according to the Guinness Book of Records is 909.6 cm (358.1 in). All nails were on the left hand of Shridhar Chillal (India), as measured in Pune, Maharashtra, India, on November 17, 2014.
The nails have the following dimensions:
Little finger: 179.1 cm Ring finger: 181.6 cm Middle finger: 186.6 cm Index finger: 164.5 cm Thumb: 197.8 cm
Sridhar first appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1979, when his nails had a total length of 219.7 cm (86.5 in). His most recent appearance was in 2022 in Science & Stuff, which details nails and how they grow.
When asked by Guinness World Records in 2015 how his nails impact his life, Sridhar said they are extremely fragile and he needs to be careful while sleeping.
“I can’t move freely while I sleep, so every half hour I wake up and put my hand on the other side of the bed.”
Sridhar Chillal planned to become a photographer at a young age
At a young age, Sridhar faced opposition from his parents. He claimed that he could work with one hand, and would become a photographer with a customized device that would allow him to use the camera even with long nails.
Sridhar only grew nails on his left hand. Due to years of restricting his fingernails, his left hand has atrophied - he is now unable to open his hand or bend his fingers.
“I'm in pain. With every heartbeat, all five fingers, my wrist, elbow and shoulder are very sore, and there is often a burning sensation at the tips of my fingers.”
Sridhar Chillal's Longest Nails at Ripley's Believe It or Not!
As a result, the owner of the longest nails ever recorded on one hand had them cut after 66 years of growing them. Sridhar's nails are now on display at Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Times Square.
Longest nails on two hands (men)
The longest nails on a man's hands belonged to MELVIN BOOTHE, USA, whose nails had a total length of 9.85 m (32 ft 3.8 in) when measured in Troy, Michigan, USA, on May 30, 2009. Melvin died in December 2009. Little is known about his life, since he did not lead a social lifestyle and did not communicate with the press.
The Longest Fingernails (Women's) Ever Existed
The longest fingernails belonged to Lee Redmond (USA), who began growing them in 1979 and carefully protected and cared for them to reach a total length of 8.65 m (28 ft 4.5 in), as recorded in measurements on the set of the Lo show dei record in Madrid, Spain, February 23, 2008. Lee lost her nails in a car accident in early 2009.
Lee Redmond and her longest fingernails in history
Lee Redmond is known for her active participation in various types of entertainment television shows and charity events. Despite the unusual nature of her manicure, she claimed that it did not interfere much with her cooking, cleaning, driving and caring for her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, although she complained that in cold weather it was difficult for her to put on warm clothes, and those around her were more negative about her features .
Lee Redmond and Melvin Booth pose showing off their world's longest nails
However, on February 10, 2009, 68-year-old Redmond was involved in a car accident while driving home with her grandchildren, resulting in not only severe injuries, but also broken her famous nails. At the time of the accident, the total length of the nails exceeded 8 meters (at the time of the last measurement on February 23, 2008, the length was 8 m 65 cm), and the nail on the right thumb was 89 centimeters long. Representatives of the Guinness Book expressed their condolences, noting that Lee Redmond was one of the most interesting record holders.
A Huffington Post article published on September 3, 2009 stated the following: “Leigh Redmond, who lost her nails in February, says she now has a much easier time doing daily work and her hands seem to fly without the heavy, long nails. The 68-year-old woman is no longer growing her nails, saying it took her 30 years the first time and she may not live another 30.” Her nails are currently about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long.
The longest extended nails
The Guinness record for extended nails belongs to the American Odilon Ozare. Yes, oddly enough, the Guinness record for nail extensions belongs not to a woman, but to a man. Odilon created 10 identical nails, each 1.21 m (4 ft) long. The record was recorded in Tampa, Florida, USA, on August 26, 2018.
Odilon mentions that he first got the idea for the longest nail extensions while doing “bird yoga” exercises while his pet cockatiels sat on his hands.
His favorite bird accidentally dug its talons into his shoulder, and he realized how long they were. After this, Odilon came to the realization that the longest nails were his next record. Yes, we forgot to mention that Odilon has already received one record - the tallest hat. But today about nails.
"I knew I wouldn't have the patience to grow real nails for 60 years, so I decided to get excited about acrylic nails right away."
“Typically, to make your own acrylic nail, you use a sheet of paper, apply acrylic paint, and then remove the paper. I found that if the nail is longer than 15 cm, the paper cannot support the weight of the acrylic. I ended up using sheet metal laid over metal pipe.”
“The next problem was the nail itself, which bent under its own weight. The previous record was one meter, which is exactly where I could comfortably keep the nails stiff. The larger the nail, the more it bends.”
“So I bought a huge amount of acrylic powder and applied about 30 coats to finally achieve the extra length needed to achieve the record. Finally, I sanded my nails until they were smooth and painted them with an airbrush. It took hundreds of hours to do all this."
Odilon was a fan of Guinness World Records from a young age and mentions that unusual records have always fascinated him.
Longest toenails
Since 1982, Louise Hollis (USA) has been growing her toenails and during this time she has achieved significant results. When measured in 1991, the total length of all ten toenails was 220.98 cm (87 in). After that, Louise cut off her nails and began to grow them back. She takes care of all the cut nails.
Hollis, from Compton, California, USA, was inspired to grow her toenails in 1982 after watching a television program showcasing the longest fingernails.
She rarely wears shoes, but when she does, she must wear open-toed shoes with soles at least 7.62 cm (3 inches) thick to prevent her nails from dragging on the ground.
Currently, her toenails have grown to approximately 15.24 cm (6 inches) in length.
Other Guinness World Records for long nails
2011-2017 Christine Walton
from Las Vegas, USA, in 2011 was recognized as the new record holder for the length of nails: their length was 309.8 cm on the left hand, and 292.1 cm on the right - a total of 601.9 cm. We wrote about her in 2014 year.
Chris, 45, who is also a talented singer and goes by the stage name The Dutchess, has not cut her nails since 1990.
“I never made a conscious decision to grow my nails, but with all my kids and music, I think at some point I just forgot about them. Then one day I looked and they had grown 23 centimeters!”
Christy says her nails don't stop her from living a normal life; She braids her hair, cooks and drives, but she admits that clothes are a bit of a challenge: "I look at cute blouses with very thin sleeves - my nails would pierce right through them."
Despite this, Christine was very happy to receive the record: “To be recognized for my record-breaking nails is truly an honor for me. It’s a blessing to be different.”
You can see how well Chris Walton copes with everyday tasks in this video:
Walton inherited the Guinness World Records title for longest nails from Lee Redmond, who lost her nails in a car accident in early 2009. However, as of 2022, Walton is not listed as the record holder for the longest fingernails. Even more - in 2022, this title was won by another woman, whom we talk about below.
2017-2021 Ayanna Williams
from Houston broke the Guinness record for the longest fingernails (female) with a total length of 733.55 cm. Ayanna has devoted more than 28 years to nail extensions. In a sense, this feature became a key part of her personality.
Even as a child, she always loved nails and manicures. She has fond memories of asking her mother to measure how long her nails were and if she could paint them certain colors. From that early age, Ayanna lived out her childhood dreams.
Ayanna was first officially recognized as the holder of the title of “longest nails” by Guinness World Records in 2022 and became one of the record-breaking stars listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2018.
At the time, her nails measured 576.4 cm long and it took her more than two bottles of nail polish and 20 hours to get her manicure done. But as her nails grew, about 3-4 bottles of polish were required, and Ayanna had to complete this task over several days.
Ayanna faced daily difficulties with her long nails and was unable to perform certain activities such as washing dishes and making beds.
Ayanna Williams cuts her nails
“I have to be very, very careful in my movements. Usually in my mind I'm already preparing for the next step to make sure I don't hurt my nails or break them. I'm looking forward to cutting my nails because it will make my life so much easier."
Before cutting her nails, Ayanna said she received many different reactions from strangers, but most of them were positive and supportive, especially from children.
"It makes me so happy when kids come up to me and say, 'Are these real nails?!' and I answer “Yes.” And then I ask: “How old are you?” to which the answer follows: “I am ten or seven years old.” And finally I tell them: “Guess how old my nails are? They are 28 years old! They are three times your age!”
As you may have guessed, Ayanna decided to cut her nails and did it in April 2022. Her nails will now be on display at Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Orlando, Florida. The latest measurement showed that Ayanna's longest fingernails had a total length of 733.55 cm.
Today, the holders of the Guinness Book of Records records for the longest nails are Lee Redmond and Melvin Booth. No new record holders have emerged yet.
Some owners of the longest nails are in this video:
