Stopping OLD Nail-biting Habbit - HELP

Could be worse. For example; I stopped biting my nails in my early 20s when I started smoking. See?

That was 28 years ago. Nope, haven't bitten a nail in 28 years.

Sigh.

Behavioral changes are so difficult.

(Don't you feel better about it now?)

:(

Fortunately, your son probably won't care if he doesn't have beautiful nails. Nail biting is worse for females.

I've never been able to kick it, but I do notice that I bite more when I'm tired or stressed. And once one or two of them break,they are all different lengths anyway so...

If I cared, at this point in my life, to have pretty hands, I would start wearing clear nail polish. Nail polish tastes terrible, so I don't usually bite my nails when I'm wearing it. Also it makes them stronger.

Good luck from a fellow biter.

I used to be a bad nail biter. The only thing that helped me was keeping an emery board and nail clippers with me constantly, if they chip or get ragged, I can immediately fix so I don't chew. I also keep them painted. When I can, I like to do the shellac, where they cure the polish under a uv light and it lasts for a couple of weeks. If I do it french, it's not even noticable when it starts growing out and lasts longer. I find that it actually helps make my nails stronger, and keeps me from picking at them. Without polish, I pick at the edges until they rip down to the cuticle and bleed. With polish, I want them to stay pretty so I have a better chance of leaving them alone.

I have never been able to fully stop. The only permanent solution for me is to apply artificial nails but I don't care for what they do to my real nails.

I have bitten my nails my whole life. I come from a long line of nail biters in fact. Growing up I believe my mom's sole purpose was to break me of this habit but in spite of her ruthless attempts to shame me I never stopped.

My current strategy is to chew tons of gum. I only bite at work because of stress and/or deep thought. All of that means during the week I chew lots and lots of gum so I suppose I look like a cud chewing cow. Charming, eh. As an aside because I chew gum I notice I pick my cuticles ruthlessly so my hands are invariably a bloody mess. I am about to the point where I'd rather have ragged nails than bloody cuticles.

My four year old bites his nails and I'm convinced it's monkey see, monkey do. Even then I can't seem to stop. At least I don't shame my son because I hated that as a child. Sigh. I can offer you oceans of sympathy for what that's worth.

I keep a nail clipper on my key ring. If I notice a rough edge, I clip it off.

But why do you care? All my life I've wondered why people say that biting nails is a bad habit. Why? What makes it bad? No one really notices. I just don't see it as a big deal. So you bite your nails. Big deal. At least you don't pick your nose like my 5 year old.

I think there could be much, much worse "bad" habits than biting your nails, but that's just me and I've never had a habit of biting my nails.

The only way I've been able to stop is getting nexgen nails. No tips as the powder makes my nails very strong but tips would do the same thing

I come from a family of nail biters, in particular, my dad bit his down to the nubs..... I know yuck and a niece of mine and brother did the same.. however, my mother never bit hers.. That said, when I was younger, especially VERY young and into my teens and early 20s was when my nailbiting was at its worst and not so coincidental when my life was the most stressful.. I had a vicious habit... while I definitely think stress plays a role which can then turn into habit, I also think in part, it's a learned behavior.. I have also read that it's akin to that of when people pull their hair out by the cuticles, piece by piece which could be a result of an ocd disorder..
scroll ahead to me now being 50.. while I don't bite my nails, If nervous, I might pick at a hangnail... However, I have since discovered that a lack of vitamins/minerals in the body may contribute to a person biting their nails, it's on the lines of having pica... Recently I was diagnosed with anemia and since taking my liquid iron.. what a HUGE difference in my not wanting to pick at my fingers. I am not cured completely, but.... there is definitely a difference in not only my not picking at my fingers but also my cravings... thing is, when I would get cravings, in my case for dry pasta, I would become nervous and with that so would go the picking at my fingers.. since taking iron, WOW............. my cravings are gone by 80% at least.. and the picking at hang nails has dropped off significantly. .now some might say, what the H does iron have to do with it.. well I believe it all relates in part to our body chemistry... you aren't just picking at your fingers because it's a habit and even if it is.. it began for a reason.. I believe now I have been deficient in certain vitamins and minerals for sometime.... if you don't believe me.. check out the net and look at nailbiting, pica and other related things.. as you delve into it, you ll probably begin to see the correlation ... do you have insurance and if so, if you do a physical, why not ask the doc to do a blood and hormone count..
what also contributed to my nailbiting in my case was when I began perimenapause.. in that as my estrogen dropped, my cortisol (stress hormone) level rose and that caused me ti become even more anxious.
again, it's all about body chemistry.. could be something else is going on on the inside.. my husband used to think I could just stop the habit, but no matter how hard I tried I failed...... again, it wasn't until I began the iron that I was able to stop the nail picking.... and stop the dry pasta cravings.. I really think it's something worth getting checked out. oh and don't be surprised if the doctor laughs and thinks you are crazy (so many of them don't study much nutrition) so if you tell them you think it's hormonal, nutritional based, they might ignore you. but get the blood/hormone tests anyway. it's your body not theirs.. when I told my doctor, I think I have pica.. she smirked.. turns out.. I was anemic and one of the big things that can happen are weird cravings...... so she was wrong for smirking..

good luck.. keep us posted..

Ask your local pharmacist to recommend a product like the one you mentioned - I'm sure there is something out there even if it's not the same brand name you remember. I wonder if you just painted clear polish on them if that taste/texture would remind you about this.

Keep a nail file with you at all times - I keep one in the visor of my car along with the usual pencil and pad. It's great to filing down rough edges while I'm stuck in traffic. Keep one in your desk, in your purse, and in the "junk drawer" in the kitchen so you always have one handy. I find I often get a break or rough edge while I'm doing stuff in the kitchen. Put something else in your hand while you are reading - even if it's a nail file (!) or a bookmark so you have something you can fidget with.

You might consider wearing rubber gloves when you do the dishes too - dishwater can be tough on weak nails.

You might also consider doing something about the anxiety - talk therapy, hypnosis, relaxation techniques are all useful in getting rid of negative habits that stem from stress or other issues.

I am terrible about biting my cuticles. I have found that getting a regular manicure does help with this habit. My fingers and nails looked nice, and that deterred me. And also, mainly due to avoiding the pure shame of having to show my mangled fingers to another person. I honestly don't have time to go and get manicures much anymore, so I've gotten back into my old habit- esp when nervous or concentrating.
Also, wearing lipstick helps. I don't want to get "ruby red" all over my fingers and everything I touch. So, I have found I avoid my habit when wearing lipstick. It's not a complete catch-all, but it does help deter me from getting my hands near my mouth.

i'm a nail-biter. i think i've got a version of pica.
the only thing that works for me is to keep 'em in gels. i'm sure it's doing dastardly things to my natural nails, but they were never any good to start with.
and even if they had been, i'd never know because i never let 'em grow.
khairete
S.

I bit mine when I was young (late elementary school) and it took a few tries to eliminate the habit. I tend to pick at my dry cuticles now. :(

What helps with BOTH is to paint the nails. Doesn't matter so much if you use a wrap (like Jamberry) or not... but putting something colorful on them helps. You can visibly SEE what you have done. And if you keep applying it, it will eventually help you curb your habit.

Good luck.

Try the nail wraps like Jamberry. Good luck!

clear nail polish (Hard As Nails) .... also, I started taking "Hair Nails & Skin" a vitamin supplement from WalMart and/or Gelatin. I DO believe that part of it is a deficiency. Even so, I have a couple that split and/or break. If they are any length at all, I file ALL of them down so they look more alike. I used to be a horrible nail biter, but don't anymore. I think it's the combination. Good luck!

Do something that keeps both your hands busy (take up knitting) and keep your mouth busy (chew gum).