Nail Biters Gather Here

[Smurfysmiles]

Tonight marks the beginning of learning to not bite my nails so they will be healthy and beautiful for the wedding! Helps, suggestions, advice all welcome

When I was in high school I tried that stuff that makes your nails taste bad but it didn''t really help so I''m looking for something stronger lol. Also I am gonna find some magnesium vitamins to help strengthen them next time we go grocery shopping That''s all, thanks for reading!

 

[missjaxon]

I find that if I can put dark polish on my nails at least until they are a decent length it keeps me from biting them or even putting them near my mouth. I can go for long periods of time not biting them at all and then as soon as I''m stressed out they are all gone. Good Luck! I also really like to use Nail Envy by O-P-I. I find it works really well.

 

[redfaerythinker]

I second painting the nails. If they look really pretty, you''ll be less likely to bite them as it will ruin the color. Also I usually bite my nails when they''re uneven or rough. So keeping nail polish on them keeps them from breaking as often and me from biting them. I also use a strengthening nail polish, like that diamond strength. I think it''s by Sally Henson.

 

[honey22]

Hey Smurfy! I am a big fan of healthy natural nails. I try to give myself a manicure at home every week and I always carry a nail file in case I break one. I detest fake nails (sorry girls, don''t mean to offend, I just don''t like the way they look or how bad they are for your nails!).

I used to bite my nails until they bled for years and years, and then one year my New Years resolution was to grow them and I have never looked back. I always get comments on my nails. You will need patience though in the first stages, it will take a while for them to get strong and beautiful.

To stop biting them, I used to paint my nails with two coats of clear nail polish, and if I had to bite, I would bite the polish off which isn''t easy, I tell you. After a while, they would start to grow and look nicer, then I wouldn''t want to bite them anymore. Now, I can''t stand the feeling of biting my nails, yuk!!!

Every weekend I would tak the polish off, file my nails, tidy the cuticles (don''t cut them off, just push them back, they are there for a reason, to keep your nails healthy). I put some cuticle oil to push them back and tidy them up. Then I clean underneath them, and buff and polish the tops. I use a Sally Hanson product most of the time, like Hard as Nails or No More Splitting etc to keep them healthy. I find that these products can go yellowy a bit quicker than normal clear polish, so if you are extra OCD, you may want to reapply this more than once a week.

You will be amazed at how lovely they will look and how strong they will be. When doing dishes, make sure you wear gloves and don''t soak your nails in hot water too much, it makes them softer I believe. I really think having a coat of polish on them helps to protect them too, if I don''t use my Sally Hanson stuff, my nails get softer in water and split.

Good luck!!!!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

wow thanks for all the suggestions you guys!
ill have to go buy some polish since i never use any on my tiny nails

 

[Pandora II]

Ex-biter here:

1) Buy a nice manicure set with all the frills - include Sally Hanson Diamond Strengthener.

2) Have professional manicure to start them off - a decent manicure, not a 10 minute one where you end up going home and redoing the whole thing...

3) Religiously manicure your nails every week

4) At all times carry with you: A really nice nail file (I like the crystal ones), some of that nail glue for breaks.

If I break or catch a nail I find it very hard not to bite it even now, but if I get to it with a nail file quickly I won''t.

Good Luck!

 

[Elmorton]

Current biter - still struggling

Before my wedding, I was doing weekly or bi-weekly manicures. Since I was shelling out $, I was less likely to chew.

I carried gum around with me at all times. It''s hard to chomp on nails while you''re chomping on gum.

The times where I really go to town are while I''m watching TV - so I got stress balls, play-dough, anything to keep my hands busy.

And I hate, hate acrylic nails, but I got out of the habit for a long time when I had them. Maybe see if your manicurist can put a gel coat on your nails? Try anything hard that you can''t bite through.

Ditto to the nail envy - it''s great stuff to repair nails. Whenever I wanted to bite, I''d coat ''em in that instead.

The hardest part is that when you try to grow out your nails, mine end up being thin or uneven. If you can file instead of bite and keep them short, that might help.

 

[KatyWI]

I was a terrible nail biter MY WHOLE LIFE until I thought I was getting engaged soon... then between self-polishing and the occasional pro manicure I made sure they looked too pretty to bite!!! It''s been a couple months now, but the impulse to bite my nails never even strikes, it''s amazing!

It really has everything to do with just not doing it long enough to actually break the habit

 

[LauraBabe08]

I am a terrible nail biter - I only have little tiny finger nails. My goal is to also quit biting them before the wedding so that I can paint my own nails a beautiful shade of light pink. I don''t particularly like the look of artificial nails.

I plan to use the spicy nail polish as well as paint them a dark shade, as others have suggested. My problem is that I have bit them for sooooo long, that I don''t even realize it when I am doing it. The dark polish and spicy taste should make me aware, and then I can stop before I bite them all off!

Good luck Smurfy!

 

[zoebartlett]

Smurfy, do you have time to get braces put on and taken off before the wedding?

That was what worked for me. Okay, if that won''t work, the only other suggestion I have is one that was already given. Give yourself a manicure -- it''s fun to do and it might take some of the urge away if you see how pretty your nails are. Or, what about having tips put on? Then you wouldn''t be able to get to your real nails.

 

[kittybean]

Use a nail hardener--I like Sacte or Rejuvacote. Both are meant to be used as a base and top coat, and they really, really harden your nails. When they are hard enough that they won''t break all the time, I am not as tempted to bite or tear them off.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

haha even when i had braces i still bit my nails even through the *shudder*headgear*shudder* 7th grade was tough lol
i am happy to say i have gone an entire 24 hours without biting my nails! and i think i can make it another day now that we know we can pay fi''s car loan lol

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Ditto to keeping a file with you at all times - I also carry a small pair of nail clippers too. GREAT for times with a hangnail or cuticle that is splitting off.

If you just constantly keep this resolution on your mind, you''ll find it much easier as time goes on. I used to do it all the time and can''t stand it anymore. I also became much more germ conscious and now know how much gunk and nastiness and germs you get in your mouth when you start biting up under fingernails!!! Gross.

 

[fieryred33143]

I''m not a nail bitter cause it makes me gag but I will say that after spending a good 8 years with acrylic, my nails were in serious need for some repair. So I did manicures every single week. OPI has a nail strengthner that is really great so I would have them apply that. After about a year, my nails are really healthy and really long so I don''t have to do weekly manicures...they last now for 1.5 to 2 months.

So I would suggest getting manicures as much as you can. Plus, when your nails are painted they feel so pretty that you don''t want to mess them up.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

i got nail polish and painted my nails
no manicures yet but maybe once I get a job I can get one!

 

[Smo]

I am an ex-nail biter but managed to break the habit. I used revitanail which is the best product ever for strong nails. I have tried others and nothing works as well.

I am lucky as I have long nail beds and I religiously give myself a manicure every Sunday night so my nails always look nice (ditto Honey22 on not cutting your cuticiles, just pushing them back is much better). I really enjoy doing it, it is like my Sunday night therapy! I also keep hand cream on my desk at work and in my bathroom to make sure my hands and cuticles don''t get dry (I use Crabtree and Evelyn''s La Source, love the smell and very moisturising).

I regularly get comments on how nice my nails look!

I use revitanail as a base coat and then OPI''s "privacy please" (just one coat, it is a ''your nails but better colour") and then I use setche vite as a top coat and finish by spraying with OPI''s rapid dry spray which ensures they dry super quickly and I can go to bed without waking up with "creases" on my nail polish from my bed linen.

Ditto again Honey22 on fake nails. Sorry I don''t mean any offence to anyone but it seems to me that it is so much easier and cheaper to grow your nails (in the long run). Fake nails look exactly that, fake!

For those looking for cheaper priced nail products I recommend buying online from www.8ty8beauty.com or http://head2toebeauty.com/.

 

[anniee19]

As a former-nail biter, I would have to second every thing Pandora said! Especially keeping a nail file on hand at all times. That really, really helped me. If I get a tiny snag, I file it right away or else I am tempted to bite it off along with my other nails!
I also like to use Nailtiques Formula 2. It''s a protein base that helps with nails that tend to peel, like mine do. I only stopped biting about a year ago, and I still have to to my (at least) weekly manicures to keep them in good shape and to keep me from being too tempted to bite them when I''m not even thinking about it! It''s been a struggle but the results are so worth it!

 

[Clairitek]

I used to compulsively bite my nails. Then I was given my first really nice piece of jewelery- a platinum and diamond band from Tiffany by an ex boyfriend. He made a comment about how I''d have to stop biting my nails to make the ring look nice and that did the trick. Now when they get too long I tend to stick them in between my teeth and run my teeth over them. This weakens them and eventually I end up nipping at a corner and ripping them off. I really need to get a few small nail files and keep them everywhere. Now that I have my e-ring I find it harder to want to ruin the nice nails I''ve grown.

If doing it for the sake of nice jewelery doesn''t work for you then maybe this story will. My father is a true compulsive nail biter. We''re talking his entire life! You can never see any growth on his nails and his cuticles are always bitten up. He has suffered from Giardia not ONCE but TWICE! The second time was only a few weeks ago. If you don''t know what that is, Google it. I don''t want to disgust everyone on the forum with the gory details but it''s pretty nasty. We''re pretty sure he picked it up both times through touching something contaminated and then sticking his fingers in his mouth. Whenever I am tempted these days I remember his illness and it stops me in my tracks.

I''ve also noticed that I get a lot fewer colds in the winter time than I used to. I''m positive this is because I bite my nails far less. I used to have almost two per month! I think my PhD adviser used to think that I was making it up. I haven''t even had a cold yet this season!

 

[AllieGator]

I used to be a horrible nail biter...and I did what all the other people did--paint them a dark color, keep a nail file with you, etc.

Oh, and one more piece of advice...when they start to get longer, I''d suggest keeping them on the shorter side still. I found if I broke a nail, I would want to bite the rest off, and since I keep them somewhat short, they almost never break.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

does anyone know if exercise helps to get healthy nails? I''ve stepped up my exercising as of late, got my first runner''s high tonight, so cool!!

 

[karasue91]

hahahaha clicking on this post as i chew!!! just wanted to say i feel you girl. i quit for about a month before my wedding and my nails looked fantastic on my wedding day and on my honeymoon. however, 4 months later im back to my old habits. maybe i need to follow honey22 and make it my new years resolution. this is pretty gross but i chew on the skin around my nails alot...so gross, i dont know why i do it!! and the more i chew the worse they look, which makes me want to chew more!!

i''ve found that getting a cheap manicure every week really keeps me from biting on them though. I can get one for $20 which is totally worth it to me, but pretty much as soon as i don''t have time to get one im back to chewing them off.

anyway, good post because i never knew there were so many fellow biters around here!! maybe we should start a thread over in healthier lifestyle....i''ve heard so many times that biting nails is bad for your health...i wash my hands pretty obsessively but of course there is no way to wash your hands after EVERYTHING we touch...

i''m the worst while i''m at work or any time i''m at my computer and not typing with both hands. I read a lot on my computer at work, sometimes i sit on my left hand so i don''t chew while the right hand is on the mouse. I''ll ditto Smo on the lotion at my desk, it has really helped me a lot since I don''t want to chew when there is gross-tasting (albeit nice smelling!!) lotion on my hands.

good luck!!!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

i still havent chewed them! just wanted to let you guys know
everytime i start to do it fi is like dont do it, your nails will be ugly lol

 

[JSM]

I want to agree with the recommendations for Sally Hanson''s diamond strength. LOVE what it does to my nails! I am not a biter, but I work in a lab/play softball/am rough with my hands, so my nails would always be broken or crack. As long as I am diligent with my at home manicures, my nails look GREAT!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Slowly but surely
I went cold turkey lol only nail polish
Here''s my progress so far

 

[honey22]

Date: 12/29/2008 7:19:05 PM
Author: Smo
I am an ex-nail biter but managed to break the habit. I used revitanail which is the best product ever for strong nails. I have tried others and nothing works as well.

I am lucky as I have long nail beds and I religiously give myself a manicure every Sunday night so my nails always look nice (ditto Honey22 on not cutting your cuticiles, just pushing them back is much better). I really enjoy doing it, it is like my Sunday night therapy! I also keep hand cream on my desk at work and in my bathroom to make sure my hands and cuticles don''t get dry (I use Crabtree and Evelyn''s La Source, love the smell and very moisturising).

I regularly get comments on how nice my nails look!

I use revitanail as a base coat and then OPI''s ''privacy please'' (just one coat, it is a ''your nails but better colour'') and then I use setche vite as a top coat and finish by spraying with OPI''s rapid dry spray which ensures they dry super quickly and I can go to bed without waking up with ''creases'' on my nail polish from my bed linen.

Ditto again Honey22 on fake nails. Sorry I don''t mean any offence to anyone but it seems to me that it is so much easier and cheaper to grow your nails (in the long run). Fake nails look exactly that, fake!

For those looking for cheaper priced nail products I recommend buying online from www.8ty8beauty.com or http://head2toebeauty.com/.

Smo! I just have to tell you that Head2toebeauty is awesome!! I can''t believe how cheaps the stuff is there and it''s good quality too! I stocked up on files and buffers and a whole heap of stuff that DF was convinced I didn''t need AND a few different OPI polishes - that stuff sells for $30 - 40 a bottle here in Australia!!!! And I am now paying $4.75US a pop, so I am super happy!! Thanks for that linky.

I am actually going to do my own nails for the wedding now with my fabulous OPI shades and save myself some serious $$$$

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Oh man I was hoping this thread wouldn''t come up again haha
I screwed up, I bit all my lovely nails that I had grown over the last 2 weeks, UGH!
*insert profanities here* lol

 

[honey22]

Sorry Smurfy! But this should guilt you to stop biting again!!!