How to stop biteing nails?

[binka_nugget]

Hey Julie, nice sig! LOL

Anywho, braces didn't work for me. If I'm determined, nothing will stop me.

[G.P.girl]

this really works! take a habenero pepper, cut it in half, then push the ends of your fingers in to it for about 10 seconds. then next time you go to bite your nails it will be "unpleasent" so to speak

[Logan]

Have some wonderful man give you a beautiful engagement ring that you want to show off to everyone, but you're embarassed because your nails look so bad! That'll fix it every time!!!

That's what happened to me!! Ha Ha!!

But in reality, when I have tried in the past to stop, I had to use some of the special polishes or liquids that taste really, really bad to make me quit.

I wish you luck! I also found that filing them every day to keep the edges smooth and keeping a coat of clear polish on them helped me to keep from wanting to pick at them too. It is a nasty, but very common habit. I was furious with myself when I did it, and in pain a great deal of the time because of the hangnails and the sore fingernail bed.

[moosmom]

I used to bite my nails years ago. At that time they had something called "Nail-A-Cure". It was nail polish that you put on and it tasted absolutely AWFUL. But it worked. It was taken off the market. I called the manufacturer and they said they discontinued it. they do have something else by Sally Hansen that also helps.

Good luck.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

How about getting an overlay put on your nails so you cant bite them - then your real nails will have a chance to grow underneath. Once the habit is broken you will probably not go back to it. I bit my nails at school for a while, then I stopped (with the nasty stuff you paint on) - now even if my nail breaks I can't stand to bite ot!!

[Edwina's Secretary]

I bit my nails until they bled! Then when I was in college I had a roommate who was...well let's say incompetent but she had beautiful nails. I decided to quit. I put nail polish on which I hated tasting. So in addition to the bad tasting stuff...maybe a competition with a friend!

[2kitties]

I bit mine terribly. I swear I bit them in the womb. I tried all the icky tasting things- bit right through them.

Basically, one day I decided I was ashamed of them, embarrased and too darn old to have hands like that. So I stopped. I kept clear polish on them and carried around a soft file and buffer. When I felt a hangnail, I filed it and repainted. The first two weeks are the toughest. But once they start growing in, it gets easier. Also, I found that having a manicure- even on the nasty stubs, pushed back my cuticals and motivated me. If you can get a manicure, try it. The technicians deal with biters all the time adn can help you feel better about your hands. That's the trick.

[trayi52]

2kitties
I done the nail file and the buffer thing too, it helped for awhile. Its just that I have very weak nails. Maybe because I don't drink milk? I hate milk!!! This reminds me of when I was trying to get my son to stop sucking his thumb, I tried everything, he sucked it so much he had a mark on his thumb. I can't remember what I done, but I finally broke him from it. Hey I even tried the hot sauce thing, now he loves stuff that is hot, you know like chili, LOL. He is 31 now and don't such his thumb anymore. (at least I don't think he does) LOL.

[amoore]

I hate to tell this, but I do that to . The only thing that worked for me was that nail bitter stuff . why did they take it off the market ? So i dont know the answer on how to stop .

[Logan]

I went to www.askjeeves.com and asked about "Nail Biting Solutions".

Here are some links I found:

http://www.stoppicking.com/

http://www.whatshebuys.com/90312.html

http://www.stopbitingnails.com/

Who knows? Maybe this will help. I also saw a lot of articles (thousands of them), some of them menitioning hypnosis and all sorts of other stuff!

I stand by my original suggestion.......having a pretty piece of jewelry that you want to show off!!!

[green_chameleon_girl]

I want to see your nails. I will post mine too

[Logan]

Originally posted by green_chameleon_girl
I want to see your nails. I will post mine too

You don't want to see mine. I'm so good at dishing out advice, but I must admit that two days before my wedding, I went and had acrylic nails put on, and I did that for 9 more months. My family didn't want me to stop because I gave the best back scratches with those nails!!! LOL!! Well, about a month ago, I decided to give them up. The bi-weekly trips to the nail salon and the expense were just too much. So I'm in the "growing" out period, which is very, very ugly. My nails are so weak, and as soon as you see a little white edge, it peels off. I am nearing hte end, though. We'll see how well I do after that and then I'll gladly post a picture of my nails.

Logan

[green_chameleon_girl]

lol!! Im getting a picture of mine lol

[carole]

I confess to being a nail biter, I started this dreadful habit when I was around ten yrs old, my girlfriend used to do it, guess I must have copied her, I have never found the perfect cure, tried all those nail-biting bitter nail polish etc etc, I think pure will-power is the only way.

I go through periods where I Can grow my nails and they get quite long, for instance I grew them for my niece's wedding in Feb this year, but you should see them now, I am going through a particular bad stage again of biting them real bad, my son also bites his, my daughter does not, and has glorious long nails.

I believe it changes the shape of your nails forever, when I can grow them long, they are very small, and have a lot of white nail

I wish I had the magic cure, because I HATE that I bite my fingernails, I feel quite disgusted in myself that I still do this at my age. HELP!!!!!!

[popcornbird]

I *used to* bite my nails..........not exactly a habit in that I couldn't control it........but sometimes, I used to have a sudden urge to bite my nails. That was waaaaaaaaaay back when I was a little girl. Haven't done that in over a decade. My major habit as a child was sucking on my pillow. My mom tells me I had this major obsession with this one pillow of mine as a toddler. I had it with me ALL the time........holding it, with the corner of the pillow AND my thumb in my mouth. My mom just could NOT make me stop. She couldn't wash my pillow because I wouldn't let go of it! I would cry if I didn't have my pillow for one second. I would take it shopping, to the park, to the homes of friends....EVERYWHERE! Since I didn't let my mom wash it, it was dirty, and stinky, and full of germs.............so one day, I woke up in the morning, and my pillow was GONE! Ohhhhh how I cried that day! My mom told me she threw the pillow away, and the garbage man came with his truck and took it away.......and I would never see it again. Poor me. I cried and cried and cried..........but hey, it put an end to my bad habit! Guess it was worth the torture. I don't remember this since I was just 2 or 3 at the time, but this is what my mom told me. How dumb children can be!

(Maybe you can throw your nails away to get rid of the habit? NOT! ) LOL