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Original poster

Nail biting help

73 replies

Nailbitinghelp · 14/03/2023 09:15

Posted in general health, but moving here for more traffic!

Hi all.

Has anyone managed to successfully stopped biting their nails, and stuck at it?

I am mid 40s and have bitten my nails, and the skin around them, since I was a young child. I am constantly getting infections, or causing my skin to bleed where I bite it away.

I have tried the paint on stuff, which didnt work, as it tainted food when I ate with my hands (sandwiches for example) but I am fed up with my nails looking shit!

I have managed to lose weight and keep it off, and stop smoking but I cant stop chewing my bloody fingers. Its often absent mindedly, so I don't even realise I do it half the time.

I do it when I am bored, hungry, nervous, agitated, driving, watching TV and I just want to stop!

I am not even sure if my nails would grow back beyond the fingertips, given how fucked the skin is, would they even recover?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

NoShitHemlock · 14/03/2023 12:59

PPs upthread mentioned gel nails - I stopped biting mine many years ago by using just ordinary nail polish in the brightest colour I could find. I don't know about you, but it was an automatic action - I didn't think about where my fingers were in relation to my mouth and all of a sudden I had a finger nail in my mouth and was biting it. So to break the habit, the bright nail polish caught my eye when my hand was rising to my face and made me catch myself on. You will need a certain amount of will power but the recognition of your actions (hand to gob!) will help you break the cycle.

Good luck!

DorritLittle · 14/03/2023 13:03

The only thing that stops me is frequently using really nice handcream and hand wash, and taking vitamins to make them stronger. I use L’occitaine Shea butter and their soaps but Nivea soft is pretty good too. When I use crappy soaps they get bad again and I start wanting to bite them.

Scoobydoobydoobydoo0987 · 14/03/2023 13:14

I'd start with Sally Hansen's hard as nails, really marks your nails strong, and wouldn't taste great when biting! I've used this and then when they're stronger and non bitten you could go and get a gel polish

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Beauty

Original poster

Nailbitinghelp · 14/03/2023 13:35

Thank you all for the advice. Might try the clear polish and go from there.

OP posts:

Tryingtogetitright · 14/03/2023 13:44

This is the link-stop biting nails with tapping. It seems a bit hmmmm and says about biting being caused by spite towards your parents - just in case that's a shock to you - I wasn't expecting it and I'm not aware of harbouring any spite! But I haven't bitten for a couple of days so could be worth a try. Hope it helps you.

Thanks for handcream idea - I always forget! Interesting about the anxiety medication helping too - I definitely lean towards anxious.

I had gel polish done once - didn't work for me - was so determined to bite I cracked a tooth. And managed to peel it off eventually with my teeth.

iloveyankeecandle · 14/03/2023 13:45

I'm the same. It helped me getting my nails done. So I started getting gel nails, I didn't want to bite them as they looked nice and they were to hard to bite. I still had a go at the skin a bit. But now, several years later, I don't bite the nails. Only the skin.

Original poster

Nailbitinghelp · 14/03/2023 14:33

Tryingtogetitright · 14/03/2023 13:44

Thanks for handcream idea - I always forget! Interesting about the anxiety medication helping too - I definitely lean towards anxious.

I had gel polish done once - didn't work for me - was so determined to bite I cracked a tooth. And managed to peel it off eventually with my teeth.

Thank you. I dont have any spite towards my parent either, very odd, but will take a look!

OP posts:

Tryingtogetitright · 14/03/2023 14:52

BTW I didn't read and agree to the disclaimer, the video just played. Good luck!

Catspyjamas17 · 20/03/2023 12:04

I enjoyed the video, thank you for the recommendation. I think it is much more frustration than nerves in my case and the video explained it well. The tapping has been useful and does seem to release feelings of frustration and/or anxiety.

I'm keeping Avon footworks overnight treatment (I find it a brilliant general hand and nail cream for hands and feet) on my desk along with a file and a gentle cuticle stick. I have been picking my thumb skin a little with my forefinger but it isn't sore and have hardly put my fingers in my mouth at all since watching the video. Whenever I feel like it I do the tapping instead, squeeze a stress ball or put some more moisturiser on my hands/nails.

It may not look much, but my nails have looked so much worse recently and it really is progress. They feel quite hard as well.

Tryingtogetitright · 20/03/2023 12:48

Well done! Your hands look lovely! Glad video was useful. I have only bitten one thumb nail since watching too. I am going to watch again soon to keep the idea fresh. I keep telling myself "you don't need to do this anymore"

My nails are still ugly but they aren't sore anymore. It's such a relief!

YellowMonday · 20/03/2023 13:10

It's very early days, about 3 months in.

I'm like you, mid thirties bitten my nails since I was a child. It sounds strange, but I went to bed one night and told myself "you're done with this, it's dirty and disgusting". Woke up and haven't bitten since.

Especially at the start, I used nail oil about 6 times a day. As soon as I could, I had a SNS manicure, helped me understand when I would try to bite.

The before pic was a few weeks of growth (I was too horrified to take a pic day 1).

Now to go and solve all my other issues lol.

Tryingtogetitright · 21/03/2023 13:12

Your nails look gorgeous, YellowMonday! Well done! Love the colour too, I'll be thrilled if mine end up looking that nice!

DuchessOfSausage · 21/03/2023 13:14

Acrylic nails. If you bite them, you will break your teeth.

Catspyjamas17 · 21/03/2023 13:16

Yes, but they damage the nailbed massively.

Catspyjamas17 · 21/03/2023 13:17

Well done @YellowMonday and @Tryingtogetitright

Catspyjamas17 · 24/03/2023 07:45

More progress - actual white nail!

Tryingtogetitright · 24/03/2023 12:45

They look great catspyjamas17! Well done! They look in great condition too. I haven't bitten mine either! They don't look any different to the last pic though. Have been coating them in footcream and wearing gloves while I work - hands feel very nourished so thank you for the tip!

Catspyjamas17 · 29/03/2023 11:32

The weird thing is, I'm not even putting my fingers in my mouth, mostly. Or when I do, it's more of an "Oops!" thing I notice rather than something I do unconsciously. Then if I'm on my own I do the tapping and try to notice if I'm feeling frustrated and think why I did it. Even when I had acryllics or gel nails or any natural nail growth previously I was always nibbling at and under them and gradually weakening them, and felt it was only a matter of time before I was back at square one, so knew I hadn't really kicked the habit.

Today I've painted them, which I'm not great at (though it is easier when they are slightly longer than this and used Rimmel Stronger Nail - Nail Nurse - as a bottom and top coat. Also bought myself a decent nail brush as dirty nails often encourages me to nibble (ugh) and when the weather is better I'll be making up for lost time in the garden. Nail varnish is also a test, it usually tempts me to bite it off.

Tryingtogetitright · 29/03/2023 11:57

Love the purple!

Yes, totally agree! It's so weird it, I am not "testing" my nails with my teeth all the time like I used to looking for imperfections... I am kind of just ignoring them! Not sure how the tapping works but it has done ~something~ !

Fingers crossed we keep it up! I keep meaning to rematch the video.

Here's my progress...

Tryingtogetitright · 29/03/2023 11:58

Trying photo again...

Catspyjamas17 · 29/03/2023 12:50

Well done!

Sharon Smith seems a nice person and is pleasant to watch and listen to. I've been exploring her other videos as I like the tapping technique.

Notstrongandstable · 29/03/2023 12:57

YellowMonday · 05/04/2023 08:25

A few months in and second manicure. Actually receiving compliments on my nails now, it's quite strange.

I have however, developed a somewhat annoying habit of tapping my nails on tables.

Tryingtogetitright · 05/04/2023 08:44

They look gorgeous YellowMonday! Love the colour! I wish I could tap my nails on tables!

I have bitten one thumb nail but the rest are still growing albeit slowly!

Catspyjamas17 · 08/04/2023 10:29

Very nice!

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