Ex nail-biters: how did you quit!?

noobletmcnugget
noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
edited November 22 in Chit-Chat
I've bitten my nails for as long as I can remember (so 15+ years) and I've tried countless times to quit. The longest I've lasted is a couple of months. I usually do better when I try and quit during holidays, when I'm less stressed, but find as soon as I go back to uni and I feel stressed I cave really quickly.

I've tried that distasteful nail varnish before, but I just grow accustomed to the taste so it doesn't bother me any more, or just end up peeling it off. I might try using it again though - more as a reminder than a deterrent.

I know there are loads of people out there who have successfully quit biting their nails... just hoping for some tips! Thanks!
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Replies

  • MrsBooBear
    MrsBooBear Posts: 12,618 Member
    The nail varnishes didn't work. Just decided that it was embarrassing how bad my nails looked as a grown woman. Haven't bitten them for twenty years. Like most things, if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way. Good luck!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Boot camp. It was impossible to bite my nails and the few times I could get away with touching my face were times when my hands were nasty.
  • unrelentingminx
    unrelentingminx Posts: 231 Member
    My nails used to be really thin and would break easily so I would bite them when they were starting to split. When I started eating a better diet, my nails started growing stronger and stopped splitting. So I stopped biting them :-)
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    I used to sit on my hands if I got the urge. It looks silly but it worked. Haven't bitten my nails in years.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    GothyFaery wrote: »
    I used to sit on my hands if I got the urge. It looks silly but it worked. Haven't bitten my nails in years.

    Thanks for the tip! Surprised I never thought to try that - it's so simple! :)
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    unrelentingminx wrote: »
    My nails used to be really thin and would break easily so I would bite them when they were starting to split. When I started eating a better diet, my nails started growing stronger and stopped splitting. So I stopped biting them :-)

    That's cool that eating better enabled you to stop :) My nails are pretty strong when they do grow, so unfortunately it's simply lack of self control that's the issue for me :p
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    I wish I knew, I just moved from biting my nails to biting the skin around them when I was 11. I'm 33 now and still do it! :/
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    MrsBooBear wrote: »
    The nail varnishes didn't work. Just decided that it was embarrassing how bad my nails looked as a grown woman. Haven't bitten them for twenty years. Like most things, if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way. Good luck!

    Wow, 20 years biting-free is impressive! It is pretty embarrassing any time someone sees them. Plus bitten nails make it harder to play the guitar...

    I guess it really does just come down to self-control. Thanks. :)
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    paulaviki wrote: »
    I wish I knew, I just moved from biting my nails to biting the skin around them when I was 11. I'm 33 now and still do it! :/

    Haha, well I do both so you're still in a better position than me if that makes you feel any better.
  • Char231023
    Char231023 Posts: 700 Member
    I had acrylics put on for a few months. Couldn't bite those. After I saw how nice my nails looked all painted and purty. I stopped and let my natural nail grow.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    well, it's totally stress related for me. but it was either chew my nails, or smoke, so i'm okay with the current state of my finger nails.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I stopped taking one of my asthma medicines and it seemed to have curbed the nail biting for me. sounds strange but the medication was a stimulant and for some reason it caused me to have a nervous disorder that made me bite my nails. its been more than 10 years and havent bitten my nails in that time. my nails are still so brittle and break easy no matter what I do or what I use. I did a lot of damage to my nails(I was on that medication for more than 20 years). are you on any medications? its just a thought. but I would find something to occupy your hands, take up a hobby(knitting,cross stitch,crossword puzzles,rock climbing,anything that uses your hands the most.
  • MondayJune22nd2015
    MondayJune22nd2015 Posts: 876 Member
    I use to be a nail bitter as a child & a habitual gum chewer as an adult, I stopped both because my mouth/teeth became too painful; to deal with & I am a sissy, when it comes to pain; which is why I unfortunately don't have any tattoos either but I also stopped biting my nails because every time I touched something, it hurt; like static electricity & after proofreading this comment before posting, it's obvious that I have a major problem; with creating run on sentences.
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    I stopped smoking cigarettes one day about 16 or 17 years ago. A few weeks later, I noticed that I had not been biting my nails at all since that decision. Up until that point, and for as long as I could remember, I had always bitten my nails down to the flesh. Yuck.

    Now I have little kids and I am aware of what people touch with their hands all day and I am grossed out by people that put their fingers in theirs mouths constantly. Just think about it - eurgh!
  • LessofPenny
    LessofPenny Posts: 53 Member
    Natures bounty has a vitamin called HAIR SKIN AND NAILS it can be bought just about anywhere and it cost very little. This is my secret weapon. Everyone that knows me, knows I was nail biter until they bled and hurt so badly/nerve induced.....but I got busy with this vitamin and saw results very quickly. People always ask me how I quit and that is how I did it. I don't have to take them anymore, I broke the habit. If I am really stressed, I have been known to chew one nail (my thumb nail) and I recognize that it happens after I am freshly bathed and they are soft. Taking the vitamin is also a daily reminder that I have a goal to grow nails. Kind of like logging into mfp.....even when I am not eating healthy....continually logging is my reminder that I have a goal within my sight. I hope this helps....
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    I stopped taking one of my asthma medicines and it seemed to have curbed the nail biting for me. sounds strange but the medication was a stimulant and for some reason it caused me to have a nervous disorder that made me bite my nails. its been more than 10 years and havent bitten my nails in that time. my nails are still so brittle and break easy no matter what I do or what I use. I did a lot of damage to my nails(I was on that medication for more than 20 years). are you on any medications? its just a thought. but I would find something to occupy your hands, take up a hobby(knitting,cross stitch,crossword puzzles,rock climbing,anything that uses your hands the most.

    Thanks for the reply! That's interesting how your biting stopped when you came off medicine! It's a shame they're not very strong, but I'm sure they still look 1000x better than being all chewed up. :) I'm not on any medication so that's not it for me. I'll try picking a hobby that requires me to use my hands a lot. :) It's always bad when I'm studying, or watching tv or online, etc. I might get something like some putty or something to fidget with to try to replace the habit in those situations. :)
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    LessofPenny wrote: »
    Natures bounty has a vitamin called HAIR SKIN AND NAILS it can be bought just about anywhere and it cost very little. This is my secret weapon. Everyone that knows me, knows I was nail biter until they bled and hurt so badly/nerve induced.....but I got busy with this vitamin and saw results very quickly. People always ask me how I quit and that is how I did it. I don't have to take them anymore, I broke the habit. If I am really stressed, I have been known to chew one nail (my thumb nail) and I recognize that it happens after I am freshly bathed and they are soft. Taking the vitamin is also a daily reminder that I have a goal to grow nails. Kind of like logging into mfp.....even when I am not eating healthy....continually logging is my reminder that I have a goal within my sight. I hope this helps....

    Hey, that's cool to hear you found a solution! I'll look into it :)
  • blueyellowhorse
    blueyellowhorse Posts: 708 Member
    I get my nails done every two weeks. Having your nails look nice and makes me want to keep them like that. At first it will look kinda weird if you have bitten off your nails, but if you leave the gel on, they will eventually grow and look super nice! It's worth it. :)
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    It's always bad when I'm studying, or watching tv or online, etc. I might get something like some putty or something to fidget with to try to replace the habit in those situations. :)

    I would suggest that if you work with your hands a lot, you will find that you try to 'clean' your nails a lot with your teeth. I would also suggest that biting nails has something to do with diet or anxiety and you will always be tempted until you work out what it is that makes this a compulsion.

    Keratin is a type of protein, perhaps diet variation would change the way you crave whatever you are getting out of your nails, if this is indeed a possibility.

    Another approach would be to submit to a manicure. Don't stop reading, it sounds insane for a lot of men, but consider that you would be spending about 30 minutes every few days quietly looking after your physical body in a sort of meditative state. This would do wonders for your respect of your body, the appreciation of the marvel that is your hands and of course this 'quiet time' would possibly help solve anxieties you may have, if this is indeed the cause of your compulsion. You can look at this as a project, if you wish, buying some tools such as a small manicure kit and taking to the task as you would any DIY project or you may pay somebody to do it for you or your partner/significant other might do this for you too.

    I do judge people by the appearance of their hands and feet (I'm not alone, don't hate me) - it's easy to get a good idea if somebody is hard working, stressed, anxious etc. by looking at or shaking their hand, so I consider this to be a good area to 'work' on.

    Good luck.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    GWehsling wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    It's always bad when I'm studying, or watching tv or online, etc. I might get something like some putty or something to fidget with to try to replace the habit in those situations. :)

    I would suggest that if you work with your hands a lot, you will find that you try to 'clean' your nails a lot with your teeth. I would also suggest that biting nails has something to do with diet or anxiety and you will always be tempted until you work out what it is that makes this a compulsion.

    Keratin is a type of protein, perhaps diet variation would change the way you crave whatever you are getting out of your nails, if this is indeed a possibility.

    Another approach would be to submit to a manicure. Don't stop reading, it sounds insane for a lot of men, but consider that you would be spending about 30 minutes every few days quietly looking after your physical body in a sort of meditative state. This would do wonders for your respect of your body, the appreciation of the marvel that is your hands and of course this 'quiet time' would possibly help solve anxieties you may have, if this is indeed the cause of your compulsion. You can look at this as a project, if you wish, buying some tools such as a small manicure kit and taking to the task as you would any DIY project or you may pay somebody to do it for you or your partner/significant other might do this for you too.

    I do judge people by the appearance of their hands and feet (I'm not alone, don't hate me) - it's easy to get a good idea if somebody is hard working, stressed, anxious etc. by looking at or shaking their hand, so I consider this to be a good area to 'work' on.

    Good luck.

    Hey, thanks so much for the help!

    I'm actually a girl... I'm sorry, I know my profile picture makes it seem like I'm a guy haha, should probably change it :p

    In the past, whenever I've let them grown a bit, I always fail because I end up 'cleaning them' with my teeth etc. which makes them break so much easier, and then it's all over. Biting my nails is probably to do with anxiety for me. Not really sure how to solve that though. I think I'm going to try doing manicures and taking care of my nails - then I'll hopefully stop biting to avoid ruining all that effort.

    Thanks :)
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »

    I'm actually a girl...

    I'm embarrassed for making that assumption, thank you for being cool about it.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    GWehsling wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »

    I'm actually a girl...

    I'm embarrassed for making that assumption, thank you for being cool about it.

    Haha, you're not the first, don't worry about it :D
  • efink85
    efink85 Posts: 19 Member
    The taste of nail varnish didn't deter my nail biting, but if I put color nail polish on my nails (green or blue were my favorite colors), I stopped biting my nails since getting flecks of nail polish in my teeth was not a good look and super embarrassing.
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
    Char231023 wrote: »
    I had acrylics put on for a few months. Couldn't bite those. After I saw how nice my nails looked all painted and purty. I stopped and let my natural nail grow.

    I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I had bitten mine so badly that I couldn't stand it anymore and just got acrylics put on this past weekend. Planning on keeping them for a few months to get out of the habit and let my nails grow a bit. After that I plan to get regular manicures as I don't bite near as much when my nails are polished.
  • saraleighb90
    saraleighb90 Posts: 20 Member
    Put on fake nails.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    Char231023 wrote: »
    I had acrylics put on for a few months. Couldn't bite those. After I saw how nice my nails looked all painted and purty. I stopped and let my natural nail grow.

    I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I had bitten mine so badly that I couldn't stand it anymore and just got acrylics put on this past weekend. Planning on keeping them for a few months to get out of the habit and let my nails grow a bit. After that I plan to get regular manicures as I don't bite near as much when my nails are polished.

    I heard that wearing acrylics damages your nails underneath? My mum used to wear them all the time, and whenever she got them off her real nails were always in a bad way...
  • MondayJune22nd2015
    MondayJune22nd2015 Posts: 876 Member
    edited July 2015
    I heard that wearing acrylics damages your nails underneath? My mum used to wear them all the time, and whenever she got them off her real nails were always in a bad way...

    Did she always wear gloves, while cleaning and/or using other chemicals because not doing so, is often the culprit; the mixing of those chemicals?
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    MondayJune22nd2015 wrote: »
    I heard that wearing acrylics damages your nails underneath? My mum used to wear them all the time, and whenever she got them off her real nails were always in a bad way...

    Did she always wear gloves, while cleaning and/or using other chemicals because not doing so, is often the culprit; the mixing of those chemicals?

    I'm not sure. She used to go and get them professionally done.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I learned to manicure mine at home. Keeping them nice has made them more healthy and strong which prevents me from wanting to gnaw them.
  • DianaLovesCoffee
    DianaLovesCoffee Posts: 398 Member
    I found that if I carry nail clippers and a file with me I don't bite them. I tended to bite them when I got a snag or chip and ended up ripping them off.
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