Anyone stopped biting their nails successfully?

[LeFromage]

Have always been a Terrible nail biter all my life - except a side effect of chemotherapy was rock hard nails and a mouthful of ulcers so I had no urge to bite them during cancer treatment and they grew amazingly (bald but with talons 😝 felt like an American eagle).

I’m about a month into no biting again (once chemo was out of my system they went brittle and the urge returned to nibble ) - I’m eating a lot of walnuts which seem to make a difference to nail quality and have trimmed my cuticles and used bio oil on them and they are slowly improving but …. Any tips to keep going and improve the strength ? Are any of the nail and hair supplements worth it?

Sorry to hear about your cancer, to manage to stop biting with the stress you’ve been under is a huge achievement. I stopped aged 44, and found the best help short term was having gel polish put on, long term was rosemary oil which also promoted hair quality.

Second vote for gel polish
I stopped biting my nails at 49 due to a nice manicure. The nail texture stopped me anytime I absentmindedly tried.

I still bit mine with gel. Then discovered BIAB. Total game changer.

Yes! I started taking calcium tablets when I developed a lactose intolerance and my nails got stronger than ever. Also invested in some lovely neutral nail varnish and diamond files and now my nails are beautiful

Some good tips here I will try thank you - calcium tablets, gel polish and BIAB. I enjoyed my nails for scratching my dog behind the ears most so it’s as much for her as me !

I used nail varnish and then the gel stick on nails to stop biting mine. Cuticle picking has been trickier, I’ve only managed that by trimming it all off when I do my nails so there’s nothing for me to pick.

I used to use a sally hansen mail strengthener a few years ago, that worked well at the time.

You can get hair and nail vitamin supplements . My DD says her nails get stronger and grow with this one but check out Holland & Barret website for more information on others.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/vitabiotics-perfectil-tablets-60013790

BIAB nails here too. Only thing that’s worked. Dipping powder and gels too, to a lesser extent.

I hope your cancer is behind you now.

I bit my nails from childhood until I was in my early 40s. Not sure how I stopped in the end, just trained myself out of it. I keep a nail file to hand so that if I get a slightly jaggedy edge I file it immediately, so I don’t have the urge to pick at it.

I take collagen supplements daily which seem to help and I rub a nail oil in most days. Any cheap almond oil would do the trick.

I’ve bitten ,y nails my whole life, right down to the quick and chewed the skin around my nails. They were red and swollen and very sore. I stopped about fifteen years ago when I started getting gel nail polish (not actual gel nails). My nails are lovely now and I’ve not bitten them for years. I would highly recommend it. I get my done religiously every three weeks. Contrary to urban myth it hasn’t weakened my nails as I have BIAB and then a colour.

Same, it hasn’t weakened mine. But mine were dreadfully weak anyway from a whole lifetime of biting and cucticle chewing and tearing. Bravo to all of us who’ve overcome it!

And best wishes for your continued recovery, OP.

Me.

I bit my nails all my life until I was about 40. What changed was at that point, nail varnish technology was such that they made a varnish I was not allergic to.

It turns out I bit my nails because they were thin. That led to them:

a) bending back easily whenever there was any pressure on them, which stressed the point at which they joined the nail bed and it became sore
and
b) they felt very thin and sharp whenever they happened to touch the rest of the hands, like tiny paper cuts.

Once I could put nail varnish on them (just clear) this thickened them up and now when they get pushed back they don't bend and the force is evenly distributed across the nail bed, which is more comfortable. Plus, they feel niced (less sharp edges) whenever they brush up against me.

As soon as I skip the varnish, the biting creeps back (the need to keep them very short). Varnish on and I stop biting again.

Yes. I bit my nails for 53 years!! For about 30 of those I wore stick on nails and then developed an allergy to the glue.

I found somebody somebody that did glue free extensions just using Builder gel and within a year, I had beautiful nails!

I did try to add before and after photos but it never works well for me on here! Happy to share tho!

Just coming back to say I am scoffing a lot of walnuts (high calories but loads of omega fatty acids) and purchased some relatively cheap (£8) Max Factor 7 day gel nail varnish after the advice on here and am keeping them stronger with several coats on at once, topping up every few days and it’s definitely working to prevent me biting. Im about 7weeks in to no biting and my dog is loving the ear scratches. Am also using my beloved Bio Oil on my cuticles at night. It’s so nice to not constantly being aware of my cuticles hurting and ripping all the time I must continue! Thank you again - posting and the advice kept me going so far you lovely nest of vipers 😍

Another one here who got out of the habit of biting and picking at my nails after getting gel nail manicures. My nails are very thin and break easily too, so the gel stops that happening. I occasionally still pick at the polish if it gets chipped or rough as that's the trigger for me messing with my nails. When they are smooth it is easy to leave them alone.

i agree with everyone on this thread about builder gel / BIAB. I bit my nails for 53 years and have tried everything to try and stop the horrible habit. i then discovered builder gel and it has changed my life. i also get religious 3 weekly manicures and in 3 sessions i had nails i can tap a table with and they feel so strong. I bought myself a couple of cheap but fun blingy rings today to celebrate. As up until now i have not wanted to wear rings apart from my wedding and engagement rings. Its the only thing that has worked for me!

Llly and Fox nail wraps, I have completely stopped biting and picking and my nails are lovely for the first time in my life. I love them and am completely addicted to them!!

only 1.99 and free postage so it’s my cheapest addiction ever and I’m delighted with myself. I only buy sparkly glitter ones now. They make so happy every time I look at my hands.

I stopped biting my nails when I stopped drinking alcohol. I was obviously chewing absentmindedly after a glass of wine!
I always keep a nail file close to hand and during (Teams) meetings at work I use a nail oil pen around the sides/cuticles. I find this an easier habit than paint brush application.

What is biab

It’s the builder in a bottle products. They’re very good.

Great news. I stopped when I made myself look at my finger nails under the microscope. 🤮

Sorry you had to go through chemo!

I stopped biting my nails at the age of 40, after getting dentures in place of my lower incisors. I worry about wearing them out/make them fall out (which would make me look just like the idiot I feel I am for getting dentures that early, but that's a whole different thread).

Watch some of those gross YouTube videos where they show what’s under your nails under a microscope…you will never bite your nails again!

I'm sorry to hear about your cancer, @LeFromage .

Retiring made me stop biting my nails. 40+ years of teaching and my nails always grew during the holidays. It was the boring bloody meetings.

The point of this is, is there particular situation where you bite them? Thanks for staring this thread anyway as my nails, though no longer nibbled, are rather thin and the advice here is very helpful.

Also a long term nail biter and cuticle and skin picker. I have stopped briefly in the past with acrylic nails.

How does BIAB work is it different to acrylics and would it work with severely bitten nails and picked skin/damaged cuticles?