Nail biting - advice please

[AVFC4eva]

Don't know if this post is in the right area but I bite my nails and I'm dreadfully ashamed and embarrassed. No judgement please.

I'm too embarrassed to go to a professional for advice 😭 so can a nail tech give me some genuine advice please.

I know ultimately I need to stop picking and biting but how and where do I start?

I stopped biting my nails as an adult. I was around 35 when I cracked it.

I dud it by buying those cheap stick on false nails. They only last a day or two, but kept replacing them. Plus I kept them cut quite short, so the nails were functional.

As my own nails grew, I kept them cut to top of finger length (which is in itself quite an achievement when you bite your nails). But kept up three sick on falsies. Once I was used to the nails having a white bit at the top, and out the habit of biting, I stopped using false nails and just grew mine. Took around 3-4 months of diligence all in.

Thank you. I think this is what I may try.

Nail biting to this extent is a deeply ingrained habit, and that issue in itself is not something a nail tech can help with. Having said that, if you came to me I'd advise getting a fidget ring to try to focus your energy on that, and having weekly cuticle work done to remove the dry skin that you're biting. I've had success with a lot of nail biters with these things. I've also found that having builder gel or gel polish on nails will stop someone biting while it's on, although it sometimes takes a few weeks to get the nails in the right condition for this.

Loads of people do this so please try not feel embarrassed or ashamed x 💐

Thanks for being understanding I really appreciate that. I just don't have the courage to go into a nail salon and show my hands. But I desperately need someone to support and advise.

I understand that, even I would hate to go and get my nails done in a salon! Fortunately though there are a lot of qualified nail techs who work independently away from salons in their own private studios, or even mobile. It's definitely worth a Google to see who's close to you.

I managed to stop in my 50s but I think it was because I started taking anti anxiety medication, which worked well for me. So curing the anxiety cured the nail biting. I appreciate this may not be relevant for you.

That looks painful, @AVFC4eva!

I don’t want to state the obvious but have you not found the anti-nail biting stuff you paint on nails any use at all? Decades ago I used (probably) Stop n Grow - Google offers several others.

I nail bite but have adhd and apparently it can be symptomatic of that and cured by ADHD meds! Obviously this may be of no use to you but thought I’d mention it.

Mine looked like yours a few months ago, I've bit and picked at them all my life. It's an anxiety thing for me.
I made the conscious effort to stop biting them a few months ago. The picking, as you can see from the pic, is still a work in progress, I do it subconsciously in the car when I'm motorway driving.
I know they're not pretty nails, and my polishing skills leave much to be desired, but honestly they were gnawed to bleeding a few months ago so I'm happy with progress.

I work in beauty and I promise you if you had a classic manicure each week for four weeks you will be surprised. You need to concentrate and rub hand cream in every night. I have made the shortest nails look good. It does take determination.
Personally I wouldn't use builder gel until the nail shows a free edge (the white bit). If you have any skin issue (eczema or psoriasis give gels a miss). And keep your hands busy. Knitting works for some people.

I absolutely second this advice! That's what I did and I was a serial nail biter up until my early 30s, did this exact same thing and it worked a charm, I would add once my nails grew to around the end of my fingertips I started painting them as well which made me much less inclined to bite them!

I find that when I file and paint them in a neutral colour , I want I to maintain them and I use hand cream to keep skin and cuticles soft. They grow quickly when I do that.

I too am a nail biter, way worse than yours. I would often have less than a millimeter on my nails. The only time I can stop is when I have a 'white bit'. I have no idea why this makes a difference, but as soon as I have a bit of length in then I am just not tempted at all, it just doesn't enter my head at all. The only way I can achieve length is to have the horrible Chinese acrylic nail extensions done for a couple of months. Anything other than those don't stay on more than a day or so. They are welded on to my mm! When I see my nails underneath I know they can come off and I can go it alone. I had nails put on at the start of Dec for xmas, I think they came off in Feb and I haven't bitten my nails since. I have done this about 6 times in my 43 years, and this time I am determined. I

I stopped biting mine this year and followed the advice here:

They're not perfect but I no longer feel the need to hide my hands.

It’s anxiety isn’t it? I’ve started keeping a nail biting diary, noting down what happened just before I went to bite them.
ive noticed I bite after a social occasion, like just after friends have gone home I’ll flop on the sofa and bite my nails.
ive noticed I don’t bite them when I’m pregnant because pregnancy makes me calm and happy.
i’m hoping to crack the habit using this sort of self awareness

hope that helps