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Original poster

Nail biting

5 replies

fairtradefloozy · 10/02/2011 07:53

Ok, I am all grown up now mid 30's and have always bitten my nails. I think it must be some kind of OCD or something - anyway, would love to stop. Have never found anything that works (I quite like that bitter paint stuff .... lifelong habits are hard to break.

Any suggestions?

OP posts:

jenroy29 · 10/02/2011 11:43

You could have falsies welded on. That way your nails will grow underneath and by the time the acrylic ones are taken off you'll hopefully have a set of real nails that will look so good you won't want to bite them.

shodatin · 10/02/2011 14:40

I chewed mine until my twenties...
Someone suggested cutting them right back for a month, no filing except to finish off, then start to let them grow. ( No nail-polish either, as the remover dries them out)
It was not easy to keep shortening them,(too short to nibble on) but must have made them much tougher when they were finally allowed to grow again, as they were no longer attractive to bite.
Nowadays, they are so strong and long I have to find time to keep them short enough, and no-one can tell I used to bite them.
Hope it works for you.

cyb · 10/02/2011 14:41

Think about all the filth under your nails you are ingesting

Skin cells, pooh flakes, food bits, yuck yuck yuck

Still want to bite them?

paint them a really pale colour, rub cuticle cream in everynight while you are watching telly

they will look better in one week

MsFaithless · 10/02/2011 14:42

I used to bite the falsies within a few days jenroy!

Some therapists/hypnotherapists/CBT practitioners etc claim to be able to stop 'lifers' like you and I although I've not personally tried any. Maybe look into that if you're serious?

I'm mid thirties and still hoping to grow out of it

moragbellingham · 10/02/2011 16:24

I had extensions whilst I wanted mine to grow. They were particularly bad when it came to removing them and wrecked the whole of the nail underneath i.e peeling layers of new nail off. so back to square one.

IMO it is all in the mind. Boredom and stress starts me off.

Impractical as it sounds, I used to wear cotton gloves in the evening on top of handcream. Couldn't do any damage then whilst watching TV.

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