After biting my nails for 50 years…

[rickyrickygrimes]

… I’ve managed to stop and let them grow a bit.

I’m just not very sure what to do with them now. They are kind of wide and quite weak, especially round the edges. I don’t think I want them much longer. But what shape should I be aiming for? And how to achieve it? How do I stop them getting too long but keep them in a nice shape?

i know I sound clueless, but honestly after 50 years of nibbled nails I am!

Amazing!! I can’t answer your question, but can I ask how you managed to stop biting them?! I am a serial nail biter!

I, at the grand old age of 47, stopped biting mine in April and they grow so fast and are so strong (who knew?) that I am having to regularly file them down as they are too long! I hope I never go back. Not having to hide my hands is such a joy but my keyboard and phone typing are taking aaaaaaages.

Well-done @rickyrickygrimes . I just try and keep mine rounded with an emery board as they do grow square. I've only broken one so far!

Two things.

I kept reading about how it’s best to make small changes rather than embark on a big lifestyle overhaul and not biting my nails seemed like one of the easier and smaller things to change!

Also, something that my mum and MiL both do, and they have lovely nails, is to keep a little pot containing emery board, cuticle pusher, nail file etc right beside where I usually sit in the evening. So if I feel a raggedy edge I just grab an emery board rather than nibble it off and end up taking the whole thing off.

Well done for finally stopping! Why not treat yourself to a proper manicure and make the most of your super nails!

What do I ask for? Just ‘a manicure’?

Congratulations OP, I've also in the last few years managed to get a hold of a 40 year nail biting habit, my nails grow fast but are weak and I'd love for them to get stronger.

Good call with having an emery board near by, I also have an issue when they start getting too long and I don't know what to do with them. I've been using a growth product on them but while they grow fast they don't seem to get thicker and I'm not sure what the answer is!

I'd invest in a Leighton and Denny glass nail file and a pot of jojoba oil. You can keep them filed to a nice length with the nail file and sit rubbing the oil in when you're watching TV. Well done, they look lovely being left natural

I just decided to stop one day (I had A LOT going on in my life and it felt like the only thing I could control in my personal life. I thought about not biting them all the time which prevented my thoughts in the other areas of my life spiralling. Worked for me, anyway).

I don't do any beauty type things so it's literally an emery board for me. There will be no manicures or cuticle treatments, but I was so used to clenching my hands in a fist at all times out of embarrassment, that it's a real joy to like my hands! Just need to sort the rest of me out now 🤣

Fellow ex nail biter here. Keep your cuticles well oiled and use Rimmel stronger clear polish (its a thick pink in the bottle). Book yourself a manicure for a starter to get the nails shaped and cuticles tidied, just ask for a manicure no polish.
Don’t be persuaded to have gel paint.

Wow... well done!!
I am 56 and still a nail biter. I do it when I don't even realise it and would love to stop.
I have no desire to have long nails, because I hate the feel of them... and the idea of pushing back cuticles makes me feel a bit sick.😬... but if I could just stop and have normal looking nails I'd be so happy!

Me too! I've discovered the joy of quick dry nail polish (too impatient for anything else!).
Biotin is cheap and good for nails, skin and hair.

That pic is terrible, sorry! 😀

I’m a 49:year old life long nail biter. This is inspiring.

I bought something that has a very soft rubber cuticle pusher on one end, it’s very gentle and I don’t mind using it. It does make them look neater and longer.

i do tend to get split cuticles , quite high up as the top / side of my nails are quite exposed (after biting them for so long), so they get dry. I try to moisturise them rather than start nibbling… I keep pots of moisturiser in every room!

Bit mine regularly from 4-16, and even now struggle if there is a chips or a snag.

A complicating factor is that I also have psoriasis, so my keratin is generally buggered, and especially that of my fingernails leading to large ridges that look like vertical lines. Either way, I keep them REALLY short otherwise I can really screw up the plaques of Psoriasis on my elbows, arms and hands. It’s quite absentminded and often even at night, so short nails really help.

I DREAM of having nails like yours OP, and the other posters, but it would do more harm than good.

Well done OP. I stopped biting my nails last year. It’s lovely not having to hide my hands anymore. I really recommend Manucurist Active Glow.

I’ve recently managed to stop biting them as they became harder which I think is due to collagen supplements! After about 3 months I may add.

I now paint them with Rimmel clear polish and really like the way they look! Keep them daily short but they’re now in good condition for the first time ever.

Well done! I’m another reformed nail biter, and I definitely recommend Opi Nail Envy for weak nails.

Ooh thanks all, you are so encouraging.

tbh like a pp I just decided to stop. I can’t instantly lose weight, or change my job, or cheer up my depressed DH - but I can stop biting my nails, goddammit! Like I say, it felt like a small positive change that I could control.

Well done OP! You'll find as an ex-biter your nails will grow faster and may be stronger than average (I forget the exact science but something to do with the constant trauma stimulating growth). A glass file kept in your handbag or near where you usually sit to watch TV is perfect for any little rough bits. Keep your cuticles oiled, I like cuticle pens. And OPI Nail Envy is great stuff. Your nails look lovely.

What helped me to stop after 50 years was getting false teeth !
A bit drastic maybe 🤔 ? LoL
I always thought someone could invent plastic coverings for teeth to help stop biting them.

I’m a life long nail biter but no more!

You queried above about what to ask for regarding having your nails manicured.

Find a beauty salon, not a nail bar with foreign operatives wearing face masks, and explain you’d like a standard manicure.

Cuticles, file & shape, base coat, polish, top coat. I get this for about £20. It’s uplifting and cheers me up.

If you want more than that you can have hand massage, exfoliation, warm mitts, nail soak etc. More expensive so why not start of with a “basic manicure” and see how you like it.

Im similar, crap nails until I hit my 50s, now I regularly use OPI Nail Envy, take Biotin and marine collagen and have noticed a massive difference.

My advice would be avoid gel/BIAB manicures and acrylic extensions, both ruined my nails

Well done! I’m a severe nail biter too and have managed largely to keep my finger nails long. I get into bad habits sometimes but know how to manage that now.

Congrats that’s fab

defo gwt a manicure if one is cheap and nearby.

Just don’t go for any polish that needs a uv lamp.