World's Longest Toenails Ever Recorded: Fun Facts You May Not Know

There are quite a few weird Guinness world records like the stretchiest skin, longest mustache, and many more.

You would have definitely come across the news about a parrot setting the Guinness world record for opening the most number of cans. To join the weirdness, we have a world record for the longest fingernails and toenails record too.

We have always been told that clipping our nails when it reaches a particular length is a must. But these rule-breakers have gone for years without clipping or even trimming their nails.

Some of them have also spent a good fortune on manicures and pedicures. Growing nails is not as easy as it sounds. The longer it grows, the higher the risk.

Apart from breaking and causing severe pain, long nails can also cause several infections. As they grow, nails would also curve.

The combined length of the longest nails, which was measured in March 2021, is 24.7 ft (733.5 cm). Louise Hollis, Ayanna Williams, and Lee Redmond are some of the most famous people in this category. We bring to you a number of interesting facts about the world record for longest fingernails and toenails, along with stories about these people.

Continue reading to know more. You can also take a look at our other related articles on longest living dog breed and longest living cat.

List Of People With The Longest Toenails

As shocking as it sounds, we do have a category for the longest nails in the Guinness world records. Ever since this category has been introduced to the Guinness, people are more eager to know how the record-holders manage to grow nails to such great lengths.

It is not easy to walk around and do your daily chores with 24.7 ft (7.5 m) long nails. It is even hard to picture. But there are some people who prove us wrong.

We have Louise Hollis who had the longest toenails in 1991. She is from the USA and had been growing her nails since 1982.

The combined length of her toenails was 87 in (220.98 cm). She is a mother of 12 who keeps all her broken nails with her. Currently, each toenail of hers is 6 in (15.24 cm) long.

This is hard to believe. She had to wear shoes that were at least 3 in (7.64 cm) thick.

Since her toenails were long, they apparently formed a curve after a few years. To prevent the curved toenails from crashing with the ground, she had to choose open-toed and thick shoes. Why did she grow her nails?

After seeing a show on the longest fingernails, she had the urge to break the record by growing her nails longer. She even tried growing her fingernails, however, they were not long enough to make a record.

The World Record For The Longest Toenails

As of now, Ayyana Williams holds the Guinness world record for longest nails.

Guinness also has a category for the longest fingernails. Ayanna Williams holds the record for the longest nails in the world.

She started growing her fingernails at the age of 24. The length of her fingernails was 24.7 ft (7.5 m). A few years later, her obsession with growing toenails began.

This woman, despite being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, was still hell-bent on growing her toenails. She sleeps on her back most of the time and cannot wear socks or shoes.

She started growing nails as a part of a bet. One of her friends had challenged her to grow her nails longer than 3 in (7.6 cm).

Her toenails are over 15 in (38.1 cm). Her longest toenail is 4 in (10.4 cm) and the shortest is 2 in (5.2 cm).

She even said she had to spend $200 each week on manicures and pedicures. Ayanna said her last manicure required half a bottle of nail polish to paint each nail and at least two days to paint them all. She cut her nails for the first time after 28 years.

She still plans to grow them after a few years, not to her previous length though. Her nails are now displayed at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Orlando (Florida).

What is the length of the longest toenails?

The length of the longest toenails that were measured in 1991 is 87 in (220.98 cm). Did you know, if toenails start getting thicker over time, it is due to a fungal infection known as onychomycosis?

There are many interesting reasons behind why people grow such long nails for years without even trimming them. Here is some of the weirdest news about people with the longest nails.

Wen Jian, a 42-year-old man in China, said that he has been growing the nails on his left hand to avoid getting into fights and control his anger. He says this prevents him from clenching his fist and delivering a punch.

His longest nail is 14 in (35 cm). Another record-holder, Christine Walton, gave up traveling as she was afraid of breaking her nails.

After holding the record for five years, she decided to cut her nails. She said this decision was very crucial, and that she wanted to travel and live without the fear of breaking her nails. Next on the list, we have Li Jian Ping, a 43-year-old man from Shishi city, China.

This man went to great lengths to become famous. He was desperate enough to grow his nails for 17 years, only to catch up on the trend created by the 'Jackass' movie.

A Hong Kong businessman was willing to pay $20,000 for his nails. Li Jian Ping wanted to become famous through the Guinness world records, so he turned down the offer.

Fun Fact: Lee Redmond holds the record for the longest fingernails on a pair of hands ever for a woman category. Lee Redmond is a woman from Utah ( USA) who started growing her fingernails in 1979.

Every nail was carefully manicured. The length of her fingernails was 28.5 ft (8.6 m).

Unfortunately, Lee lost these carefully manicured long nails in a car crash in 2009. She said that she spent two days a week in maintenance. The longest nails on a pair of hands ever for a male stands with Melvin Boothe from the USA.

In 2009, his nails measured right before he died were 32.4 ft (9.8 m) long. Shridhar Chillal holds the record for the longest fingernails ever reached on a single hand.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for longest toenails then why not take a look at the longest nose or longest river in the world facts pages?