To ask how to have nice nails??

[bex07]

Chronic nail biter - even when I do manage to not bite them they are so weak they break almost instantly

Any tips for how to stop biting them and strengthen them?

I know IABU as I'm an adult and it's a horrible habit but struggling to get them to grow!

I used to bite mine all the time I find if I keep them painted I don’t do it but every now and again I relapse lol

I've never been a nail biter so not sure what would help with that but I have always had really weak nails and then I had acrylic nails done last year. Big mistake as my poor weak nails couldn't cope. I've tried to use oil on them every night, sometimes rose hip sometimes olive oil. Seemed to help a bit. 3 months ago I bought a supplement that is supposed to be for hair and nails, not sure if I am allowed to name it? Just seeing the benefits now, my nails are growing fast and do seem stronger. I'm hoping I've cracked it.

Oil your nails and cuticles every night, any oil will do. Never file down the sides either.

You can get nail polish that strengthens nails. You could also try having a shellac polish or gel polish to see if it stops you biting them?

I had a thread about this not too long ago...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3781850-Anyone-managed-to-stop-biting-their-nails-How

It’s going well and now the acrylics have grown out, and it’s my own nails with gel polish on. Obviously can’t keep having the gels done indefinitely but hoping it will have broken the habit and I can paint them myself.

The only way I don’t bite them is by doing my own gel nails. As @lhmurray2 says, every so often I relapse but only for a short time.

I was a nail biter and I still lapse now and again if I'm stressed. I broke the habit and grew lovely strong nails by making a point of really looking after them every day.

I started by filing the ends as smooth as possible - tricky I know when they are so short - and then I used a buffer to make the surfaces smooth and shiny. I gave them a couple of coats of clear polish (or strengthening/hardening polish if I was feeling flush) and then applied cuticle oil and hand cream. Then daily I would file any rough edges and apply the oil and hand cream maybe 3 times a day or sometimes just to distract myself if I noticed I'd started to chew them. I'd repeat the whole process weekly and I really did see a difference quite quickly. Good luck!

See, better than they were!

My mum stopped being a life long nail biter. She booked in a manicure every 2 weeks and like others have said, oiled and massaged her cuticles and hands.
Shellac is slightly thicker than regular varnish and can help. Another option is a powder they can put on your regular nail (I cannot think of its name) they dip your finger into a little pot of coloured powder, to build up a thicker layer. It too is slightly thicker than normal varnish, but not as thick as acrylics.

There are also silk wraps, which I think are thin sheets of silk which get glued onto the nail. I've never had it done, and unsure how this differs from acrylics though.

@elouera it's called dip powder! :)

I have a gel manicure every 2 weeks. My nails are always lovely!

Another vote for gel nails 😊

My sister has gorgeous nails and I've always been envious
We're now in our late 60's but years ago she told me her 'secret', a cube of jelly a day.
I only told her recently that it hadn't worked but made my fingers horribly sticky.
She said (50 years on) that I should have eaten it
She still has lovely nails and mine are still rubbish.

@sharky thanks for linking the other thread - lots of great tips there too!

Ok so gels and then cuticle oil?

I have had them grow reasonably long with gels before but then I always have a 'little nibble' eventually and boom I'm back to square one

I have Gelish hard gel and polish every three weeks. At £32 a pop you don't bite it off!

I do gels myself at home using the sensational kit. Stops them breaking and they look nice.

Carry an emery board everywhere. One in every pen pot, one in your wallet, everywhere. Any little bump or irregularity smooth out with the board. Don’t ever noble them “just to tidy up” it will only lead to disaster.

It’s like the “don’t touch your face” rule of skincare. Not One Bite. I have beautiful nails now but I had the habit for 30 years before I broke it.

Yanbu to ask.

Opi Nail Envy always gets good reviews. You paint a new layer on every other day for a week then remove and star the process again.

I am unsure about how good gel nails are for your actual nails, but I think the jury is out on that one. What everyone is definitely clear on is that once they start to break down (a couple of weeks wear?) do not start nibbling and pulling at the gel - get straight down to the manicurist for them to properly remove it. If you tear strips off, you’ll tear layers of nail off leaving you with worse problems!

Cnd keratin Rx is amazing.

I have to say I'm not a fan of gels as they file the surface of your nail first to help the polish bond. My nails always feel weaker in the long run.

I use regular polish and give my nails a couple of days break in between to use the CND Rescue Rx.

I also take Collagen powder in juice and have seen a big difference in skin and nails.

I used to bite my nails but then became a nurse. I wear gloves and wash my hands a lot but still never want my hands near my mouth. Think of the germs.

I don’t bite my nails but do pick at them .
Have managed to grow them quite long now but still weak.
Tried a Nails inc repair polish , cost me 30
Quid and it’s done fuck all ! So dh bought me a sensationail kit for Christmas and find that having gel nails is the only way I can have long nails but then the gel itself is harsh so it’s a vicious circle .
A lot easier (and much cheaper ) being able to do them myself at home though

Have to add I also remove them myself but warming the acetone polish remover that’s in a smaller bowl over a bigger bowl with hot water in.
Warm remover definitely makes removal quicker

Another one for gel polish. I've been having mine done regularly for around a year and now that my nails are stronger I can go 3-4 weeks with one manicure, they start to look a bit rough by the 3 week mark but still healthy and strong underneath.
The more you pick them off the weaker your nails will be underneath though; professional gel is a lot harder to pick off than sensationail but the whole sensationail kit costs the same as about 2 professional manicures so it might be a good starter if you like painting your own nails?
And always take them off properly with acetone, don't pick them off.

I’m not a nail biter, but I started getting gel polish because i usually break my nails at work, just because I have a lot of carrying things to do.

They don’t break as easily and I’ve been getting them done every 4 weeks... tbh I could leave it longer if it wasn’t for the gap where my nails have grown, the actual gels are still fine after 4 weeks.