Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Help me grow my nails....

27 replies

FabMum1 · 01/11/2011 20:24

I need serious help. My nails are very short and bitten to within an inch of their life. They sometimes bleed and sting plus I bite the skin. YUK!!! sounds horrible doesn't it.

Well now its time to stop, but what can I do.

What do you recommend I use, where do I begin, which products are best Smile xx

OP posts:
redlac · 01/11/2011 20:31

I'm exactly the same - my nails are terrible and the skin on my thumb looks awful

I have started using malava stop which is very good (just need to remember to put it on)

Original poster
FabMum1 · 01/11/2011 20:36

Do you use a nail hardener or cuticle cream too?

OP posts:
Geordieminx · 01/11/2011 20:39

A square of jelly eaten every day will help them grow much stronger. I know it sounds a bit wack, but it works!

maybunny · 01/11/2011 20:41

I often bite my nails but have managed to grow them before, which stops me biting them! I just need to get them to grow a little bit then they look so much nicer that I don't want to bite them. In order to get them to grow just that little bit to start off I get a manicure. Once I have spent the time to make them look pretty and paint them (preferably in a dark polish which is more high maintnance!) then I'm not tempted to bite them. The incentive is even greater if you pay for a proper manicure!

star32 · 01/11/2011 20:46

i was exactly the same. from when i was a very young child til the beginning of this year, i bit my nails til they bled and were sore. was often seen with plasters on my fingers lol, because i had bitten them too short! the only thing that worked for me was going to a nail salon and having acrylics put on , which after years of having absolutely no nails , was a nightmare to get used to at first! but it worked , mainly because i couldnt get to them, i know its not the best thing for your nails , but it worked for me. just having those few weeks with the acrylics on where i COULDNT bite my own nails , was enough to break the habit for me. when i had them removed , they had grown enough underneath for me to have them look half decent & encouraged me to keep going. i now leave them alone and have turned into one of those women that panics when i break a nail!!! something i would never have thought would happen. i usually keep mine painted , just so that they look nice , just to give me that little reminder not to bite them. nail varnish doesnt physically stop me biting them , as i used to bite them whatever was on them , but now that they are a nice length , seeing the colour on them is just a nudge enough for me if i was ever tempted , which to be honest i'm not. probably not much help i know , but just thought it would be reassuring for you to know that one of the worst nail biters ever was able to stop , so i'm sure you can too :) x

Original poster
FabMum1 · 02/11/2011 10:30

Well I'm going to try and do a whole day of 'no biting'.
What products are best to use?
Nail hardener, cuticle creams? Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
FabMum1 · 02/11/2011 15:58

Help me girls Sad

OP posts:
Ryoko · 02/11/2011 16:37

I've never bitten mine, I think the first thing you should do is try that bitter tasting varnish stuff they sell to put you off biting them.

once you stop they should sort themselves out after a bit, so long as you look after yourself somewhat with a decent diet.

I have long nails on my right hand and practically none on the left, I used to play guitar so you need no nails on that hand, but I'm pretty OCD and even tho I hardly play the thing anymore I still file the hell out of em every time I see any white at the end of the nail.

My nails grow pretty fast I have to file them about 3-4 times a week, I have a tendency to stroke them, it's a strange rabbit I rub my thumb over them in turn in circles and then do the same to the thumb nail, I'm pretty sure thats why they grow fast and look like they have been attacked with a nail buffer when they haven't, so you could try doing that, as I've never had to use cuticle cream/pushers or anything.

southeastastra · 02/11/2011 16:38

get a crystal nail file and paint them all the time, concentrate on picking of the nail varnish instead of biting the nails/skin Grin

it worked for me

Original poster
FabMum1 · 03/11/2011 18:21

I've tried not biting them, hasn't worked.

Will buy some Mavala, but I think I need a good cuticle cream and treatment of some sort
HELP Sad

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 03/11/2011 18:33

If biting is a very ingrained habit, go out and buy a set of cheap falsies, trim them to taste, paint them whatever colour tickles your fancy and stick them on for a few days. Admire the effect. Then take them off.

Get a nail file and file them gently so there are no little sharp bits to tempt you. Then wash your hands with nice warm soapy water and rub each nailbed using wither a washcloth or a soft nailbrush. Dry your hands gently. Rub Burts Bees lemon cuticle cream all over your nails. Rub a little antibacterial ointment into the skin around your nails. Apply a good quality moisturiser all over your hands and nails. Do this twice a day after washing and moisturising.

Buy chewing gum and chew it constantly, all day every day. If you hate gum and you spend a good deal of time away from other people, then get a mouth guard, mould it per directions and wear it constantly except during mealtimes. Wash it daily. You will not be able to bite your nails while wearing it. Use it for at least a month, or use the chewing gum, which likewise must be kept in the mouth all day if it is going to work.

mathanxiety · 03/11/2011 18:33

*wither = either

Original poster
FabMum1 · 03/11/2011 21:37

I've tried sticking on false nails, never worked Sad
I thought if I could get them looking OK I might stop

OP posts:
hermioneweasley · 03/11/2011 21:39

Avon strong results is a brilliant strengthener, but won't stop you biting your nails.

Original poster
FabMum1 · 03/11/2011 21:45

I thought if I tried a strengthner and cuticle oil, got them looking tidy plus some Mavala, it might make me think
'Hey they can look nice' and stop biting them and picking them

OP posts:
cerealqueen · 03/11/2011 22:16

I think the tip to get some falsies might work for you?

How about a pic of your hands as they are and as you'd like them to be on the fridge door?

PJFanClub · 03/11/2011 22:17

have you tried this

Tastes revolting like the Mavala stop but is really quick to apply. It's a pot which contains a sponge soaked in yukky tasting liquid and you dip your fingers into it. Only downside is that it gets on your fingertips too you have to be careful eating.

Also agree with the advice to keep them filed and smooth so there are no bits you need to trim off with your teeth.

mckenzie · 04/11/2011 14:33

hypnotherapy stopped me picking the cuticles and skin around my nails. That and regularly using decent hand cream and oil (and by regularly I mean about once an hour) and I had gorgeous nails, even if I do say so myself (smile)

moonmother · 04/11/2011 14:58

I bit my nails from very young right up until 2 years ago. I bit them very badly Blush.

The only thing that stopped me( I had tried everything) was false nails. My DM paid for me to get acrylics done at a nail salon, but to be honest my nails were so short they didn't last lon because there was nothing much to stick to.

I ended up buying a box of 100 false nails in superdrug and doing them myself . The secret I found was to keep the nails on till my own nails had grown over the tops of my fingers. It seemed this bit was the bit that irritated most. I'd change the nails once a week, and file any loose edges on my nails before I put new ones on, straightaway. I also carried nail glue around with me in my hand bag- that way if one came off I could glue it back on before I nibbled it again.

Putting the falsies on once a week, painting them etc made me get into the 'habit' of looking after my nails, so when my own ones grew it didn't seem like a lot of work.

Everyone told me that if I grew my nails they'd break easy after biting them for so long, but they aren't, they grow really fast and really strong. I hate it now if I break a nail Grin.

Sally Hansen Maximum growth is really good too, I used to put some of that on then stick the falsies on over the top.

Teds77 · 04/11/2011 15:21

Not sure this will help but for me it was will power that worked in the end... at the grand old age of 33 after about 30 years of biting...

Best tips I can offer are:

  • Try to go cold turkey when you go on holiday/have time off work. I must bite my nails more when either stressed or anxious at work or possibly just in moments of being absent minded. On two attempts this year I managed to get a week's worth of growth without trying on holiday. The second go seems to have 'stuck'.
  • Err, allow yourself some treat nails... I haven't bitten my finger nails since July but it was only at the start of October that I gave up bitting my thumb nails.
  • Enjoy and admire the growth you get! Nothing fancy but I love my nice nail file and once you get in to admiring your nails/fancying them up I think it's less tempting to bite them.
ThePathanKhansWitch · 04/11/2011 15:24

I was a terrible nail biter in my teens, and someone told me only the self absorbed bite their nails, it sounded so awful i just stopped. Good luck.

.

VivaLeBeaver · 04/11/2011 15:29

I bite mine badly. I've tried all the painting on stuff and it doesn't work. I just lick it off and carry on.

I can't wear false nails or acrylics at work. Nor can I paint my nails.

I've weakened my front teeth and damaged them by nail biting.

Stilla · 04/11/2011 20:21

My mum was a nail biter , she now has great nails and swears by Nail Envy .
You can get it in Boots or QVC have a duo .

MadamTwoSwords · 04/11/2011 21:37

I was a biter for 20+ years. I tried everything, acrylics, the lotion stuff you name it. The only thing that stopped me was getting the gelicure nails. Or shellac it's also known as. It's basically gel nail polish, they paint it on your nails a few times, stick it under a UV lamp and it lasts two weeks plus.

Cost me £20, I had it on once and have never bitten them since, I definitely recommend it.

Yadagi · 08/11/2011 23:32

Shellac is a power polish that requires no buffing of the nail plate , therefore no damage over time, as can happen if a nail tech is too aggressive with the buffer.
This is what makes it different from Gelicure , Gelish and others called gel polishes , which are thin paint on gels that require buffing to adhere to the nail plate.
I am a nail technician and I think it is a very useful and elegant way to protect your nails as well as allow them the protection to grow out stronger .
Good luck growing them out .