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Do Hair and Nails Continue to Grow After Death?

Reading · 5 min read · First published 2005 · Updated November 2026

A pocket watch hanging from a chain above a path of fallen leaves
Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash

Many people believe that a person's hair, fingernails and toenails keep growing after death. Despite what you may have read or seen in the movies, this is a myth. Once a person has died, all growth of the hair and nails stops. After death the body loses moisture, and the skin around the hair and nails dries and pulls back a little, which makes it look as if the nails and hair have grown. It is only an optical illusion. The hair and nails stay the same length as before, but more of them is exposed because the tissue has shrunk.

Doctors explain it this way. Growing hair and nails takes a steady supply of energy and new cells, and both stop when the body's systems stop. As Dr. Doris Day, a New York dermatologist, put it to Live Science, "skin cells, hair cells and nail cells no longer turn over and produce new cells."

If you have noticed this in someone you love, please know it is a natural change and nothing to be alarmed about. If you wish, you can ask the funeral home about grooming your loved one's hair and nails before a viewing.

Other Common Myths About the Body After Death

Hair and nails are not the only things people wonder about. Here are a few other beliefs that come up often, and what is actually known.

Myth: A body can spread disease. Many people worry that a person who has died is a health risk to the family. After natural disasters, this fear has led to rushed mass burials that were not needed and that made it harder for families to identify and say goodbye to their loved ones. The World Health Organization and the Red Cross say that bodies "almost never pose a health danger to communities." The main exceptions are deaths from certain infectious diseases, such as Ebola or cholera. If your loved one had an infectious illness, follow the guidance of the funeral home or hospice. Otherwise, you do not need to be afraid to touch, hold or sit with someone you love.

Myth: The law requires embalming. According to the Federal Trade Commission, no state law requires routine embalming for every death. Some states require embalming or refrigeration if a body is not buried or cremated within a certain time, and in most cases refrigeration is an acceptable alternative. Many funeral homes have their own policy of embalming when there will be a public viewing, but that is not required by law in most states. Direct cremation and immediate burial do not require any form of preservation. If you are planning a funeral, you have the right to ask what is required and what is simply the funeral home's policy. funeral planning and your rights

Myth: If a person moves after death, they must still be alive. Doctors have documented movements in people who have been declared brain dead, such as twitching fingers, curling toes, or a brief motion in which the arms lift, cross over the chest and settle back down. This is sometimes called the "Lazarus sign." In one study of 38 people declared brain dead, 15 showed such movements, most often finger jerks. Neurologists consider these movements mostly spinal reflexes, coming from the spinal cord rather than the brain, and they do not mean the diagnosis is wrong. Even so, they can be upsetting to see. If this happens, ask the care team to sit down with you and explain what you saw. It is a very reasonable thing to ask.

Why These Myths Last

Death is something most of us see rarely, and it can be frightening to talk about. Stories and movies fill the gaps with dramatic details. Learning what is true can take some of the fear away and make it easier to be present when someone you love is dying or has died. If you have more questions, hospice nurses, funeral directors and your own doctor have answered them many times, and they will not think any question is silly. interesting facts about death

Sources

Written by Words to Comfort

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