Nail Biting Quitting Help

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  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
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    Typical insecurity issues by bad family portrait when I was really little, parents always fighting etc. so I had that habit all through my childhood and teenage years. Finally, I quit by making myself obsessed about how ugly my hands looked when I bit my nails. That and I started carrying a nail file since I discovered that I bit my nails more often when I noticed even a tiny chip.
  • iron_jj
    iron_jj Posts: 446 Member
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    I used to, not anymore! I quit smoking cold turkey and the same day I decided to stop biting nails and just did it. I guess all it took was some willpower.. :wink: I tried a lot before, like the nasty stuff to put on nails, fake nails, didn't help.
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
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    *holding a candle* I.....was a nail biter.
    The time to quit for me when I was at work biting my nails and a piece of my tooth came off. Small piece but enough where I had to get it fixed.
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
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    Gum? No?
  • jennifer52484
    jennifer52484 Posts: 888 Member
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    I got through cycles of nail biting. Stress makes me bite my nails. I find if i get a set of acrylics put on my nails, it gets me out of the habit. If the nails last 1 month, my real nails have time to grow and I just have to always remember to keep them polished and filed. I've been a nail biter for as long as I can remember. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me. The longer I can keep my fake nails on, the better chance I have at breaking the habit. Good luck. It isn't an easy task.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    My Mom says to stop biting one finger nail at a time and work your way to all of them. Good luck

    Thats a little like what my MOM did. She only bit her thumbnail till all the rest grew out and then she was able to stop biting that one. She bit her nails for 60 years.
  • kwest_4_fitness
    kwest_4_fitness Posts: 819 Member
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    Anxiety or OCD are two possible reasons for the severity of your nail biting. I know with me, my nails split all the time, so in order to preserve symmetry (that’s my compulsion), I used to bite at them, peeling off the layers. But, as all nail biters know, there is no way to get nails symmetrical and smooth by biting them. I finally redirected my need for order from my nails to other areas of my life and very seldom am tempted to bite. I always carry clippers and an emery board in case of breakage or snagging. Check with your doc and see if it might be more mental than physical and find out some of the ways to redirect or modify the behavior.
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
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    I used to bite my nails constantly and now have nice nails; my suggestions won't help folks who don't want to or can't wear polish or those on a super tight budget, but it worked for me.

    I started taking an interest in my nails; I wanted them to look good. I thought about all the hands I shake and how gross it had to be for people who shook my hands when I had red, irritated cuticles (from biting the nails for so long) and jaggedy nails. Once I thought about that, and how I didn't want to be gross, I decided to upkeep my nails myself; I went out and spent money on products, and I wouldn't want that to go to waste. It's sort of more expensive than no spending, but definitely less than the salon.

    Once I started researching my nails, I really got into it and now try to keep my nails and toenails neatly manicured at all times. Make sure you do a minimum of 3 steps - treatment, polish, and top coat. If you're really into it, you can also add buffing and oils. Those three steps make the nail thick and harder to bite (plus, the polish is so pretty, who would want to bite that?) My three steps are a hydrator (some people might not need this, but instead will need a strengthener), polish, and then top coat. I also moisturize my hands a lot during the day; the lotion makes my hands/nails even prettier, and tastes funky - another way to stop the biting.

    I also really got in to all the new nail polish colors they release for seasons and movies. It's something fun, and again, painting with all that pretty stuff makes me a lot less likely to bite (because honestly, I paid $$ for that polish, and set aside a hour to do my nails and toes - I'm only ripping myself off by ripping the nail). I will say, I get A LOT of comments on my nails; it's nice to hear those vs. thinking of how gross it must have been to shake my hand when my nail bed was all inflamed from the biting.

    Hope this helps!
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
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    I used to always bite my nails... The first time I stopped is when I got intestinal worms (gross I know).. Then I started back a few months in thinking it would never happen again... and it didnt, because a few years after I graduated high school and college, I finally realized how nasty it was and MADE myself stop. Its all in your mind.. I tried the yucky tasting stuff, chewing on ice and other things instead of my nails and still nothing.. Finally after I graduated college I decided that my nails needed to look nice in the workplace and that having my fingers in my mouth could not be healthy. I made it a mind over matter thing and I have long pretty (still brittle) nails that I love to scratch with!

    ETA: I officially stopped biting my nails in July 2011 when I went and had fake nails put on for my sister in laws wedding. It was expensive but I kept them up until my nails got long enough to where I could start taking care of them myself.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    My Mom says to stop biting one finger nail at a time and work your way to all of them. Good luck

    I have done this...in fact just about a month ago I had 2 full hands of nails. I hadn't bitten a single nail in weeks...and then for some reason I bit one...and then 9 more.

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