Nail biting and manicure?

[workwoes123]

I’ve bitten my nails on and off for most of my life. ATM they are not super short, but they are very uneven, ragged, lots of hangnails. I’ve never really looked after them, even during spells when I want biting them much.

If I went to a nail place, Is there anything they could do to improve the look? ATM most of them have a small line of white at the top, but they aren’t looking at all.

And do any former nail nibblers have any tips for improving the condition of my nails which doesn’t involve a big commitment of time?

Try Nailtiques formula 2 if you definitely have stopped biting. Get a nail file to keep them smooth/tidy any hangnails and give them time to grow out.

I am also a lifelong nail biter. The one thing that stops me biting is going to a nail salon and getting gel/shellac polish on them - it gives them a chance to grow and my temptation to bite disappears

@FuncaMunca

what is that? What does it involve? I’m totally clueless re. Nails.

It's a style of nail varnish that hardens under UV light and is very strong and long lasting. It doesn't chip or peel for roughly 2 weeks and very difficult /unappealing to bite! You can ask for it at any nail salon, it's widely available. The only drawbacks are that it can be pricey (I pay £25-40 depending on the salon) and when it starts to grow out/peel off after 2 weeks you really need to have it removed by the salon because it's hard to remove at home.

I don't do it all the time - usually just for special occasions/holidays or when I need to break a bad nail biting cycle!!

Getting gel nails done regularly is the only thing that has worked for me to ditch (99%) my nail biting habit.

I used to bite my nails til they bled. Got extensions with sns for a couple of months until they were a reasonable length, then I've been having sns on my natural nails ever since. Sorted me right out.

(sns is dipping powder with vitamins that hardens your natural nails).

I'm a lifelong nail and cuticle biter too.

Keeping my hands and nails moisturised helps, partly the softening but also it becomes a habit, when I go to bite I moisturise instead.

As PP suggest gel nails really help me, the toughness means it's pretty hard to bite and having paid for them and enjoying how nice they look I really want to keep them looking good for as long as possible.

Worth a try and the home uv kits are a cheaper and easier option ( although I find it doesn't last as long).

A basic manicure will help especially if you pick at the cuticles as well as they cut those all back.

I’m also a lifelong nail biter and agree that having gel nails done really works. You can have them put on very short bitten nails and in about 3 weeks you will have decent length nails. You need to keep to having them done though because as soon as mine are off I start biting again.

I bit my nails to the quick and further as a child. When I started work I was deeply ashamed of my nails. Made an appointment with a manicurist and had acrylic nails. This was decades ago and acrylic nails weren't really a thing then.
I kept going back to have them redone as there wasn't much nail for them to attach to.

After about 6 months I had long natural nails and by keeping my nails tidy stopped biting them.