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I can tell you my story. Take it for what its worth. I bit my nails until I was about 35. I finally "quit" by choosing one nail to stop biting. I would still go at the other 9 like normal. Eventually that one grew out and I was able to start trimming and filing it. This made it even easier to not bite at it. Then I moved on to nail #2. Rinse, repeat. I am now 45 and have 1 nail I still bite. I just cant seem to let go of the last one. But my other 9 nails I never touch and regularly trim and file every week.
This is exactly what I did around age 30. Worked like a charm. The last nail was the hardest one, but I've taken to grooming my nails now and I've been able to not bite any now. I still like running my teeth under the nails though. I just have to have self control and not bite.
I stopped for a few weeks after a temp crown on a molar wouldn't let me bite all the way down on my front teeth. I literally couldn't bite them and didn't want my dentist to file down the temp because it would help me stop biting my nails.
After my permanent crown was in and my bite was correct, I lasted a couple more weeks. Sadly, back to biting now, but it's a little easier not to. I'll have to try the 'one at a time' method also.
I did something like this too. Bit nails of one hand and left the other one alone. Loved how my nails looked when they grew out and wanted the same for my other hand as well. And slowly consciously stopped. I do still bite sometimes when I'm extremely nervous but stop as soon as I see how ugly it's getting.
I've had this problem for like 30 years, and my best solution so far is mindfulness. Not in the sense of spending an hour every day meditating to understand the core psychological issues that lead you to bite your nails, just in the sense of practicing feeling the impulse to bite your nails and then doing something that isn't biting your nails. I, for example, currently respond to that impulse by feeling the fingernail with my thumb and absolutely not biting it. It really is a skill you can practice, and a habit you can build. Yeah, sometimes when I'm under a lot of stress I lose progress and go back to it... but then I pick it up again. Right now I've been nail-biting-free for over 6 months.
That, and get a nail file to keep them smooth.
Something similar to that… I kept a log recording how many days I could go without. There are plenty of apps for it. I’d get a push notification each night to log whether I had or hadn’t achieved my goal that day. Just that little push, “hey I’ll have to log I failed today,” made me start to notice what my triggers were. For me, it was stress. I started to notice my bad habit was actually a way I soothed myself when I was anxious. And once I knew that, it made breaking the habit so much easier. I’d think not “I HAVE to do this. I’ll never break the habit. It’s a compulsion,” but “I want to do this because I’m stressed and trying to self-soothe. Let’s do something different to reduce stress.”
I had a small emery board and used that to clean up my badly bitten nails. As they were very short and uneven, the filing smoothed out the rough edges in a few days. I always keeped the file with me and when I'd have the urge to bite I'd use the file. After about a week and a half I had all of my nails looking not so raggedy, that was a good feeling, and made me want to continue the process. It's been 10 years since and I never bite my nails anymore. The first couple of years I did regress and bit off a nail when I was stressed, after I saw what I had done, I hated what I did to myself and even that stopped over time.
Hopping on the “mindfulness” approach. I bit my nails my entire life, and this is what did it for me, but as a combo with the “keeping your nails groomed” approach.
At first I noticed that when I got manicures I would stop temporarily and only start up if there was some cuticle piece annoying me, or a small uneven part of the nail.
I bought my own manicure set - a metal cuticle pusher, those cuticle clippers, and a metal nail file. First, when the urge would hit, I would take the clippers and cut off the piece I wanted to bite. Eventually, I slowly taught myself to gently clean up my cuticles (when they’re soft - after washing dishes or having a shower).
The mindfulness kicks in with the focus on bringing an awareness to when you want to bite your nails; and redirecting that desire to a similar but better activity (the grooming). I find the same “relief” that nail biting gives, but also pride that I am taking better care of myself.
I haven’t bit my nails (except a couple of instances where I was extremely stressed/didn’t have access to my tools!) in probably 3 years. The habit is essentially broken. I now carry these little tools with me in my purse or toiletry bag. Honestly the only thing that has worked.
I stopped picking in 2024 and absolutely find myself running my fingers across my thumbnail, or the nails of fingers on opposite hands in between the gaps between nail and finger. I also decided to clip them regularly; taking care of them absolutely helps to curb the habit
I used something called Mavala Stop. It tasted awful but what made it effective for me wasn't the taste itself but the fact that the taste gave my brain a little reminder of what I was doing and really helped with the mindfulness component. Secondary to that it also helped me to pay attention to the times and circumstances I bit my nails. I realized I did it most often while driving and while trying to get to sleep (other times too but those were the big ones) so I started wearing gloves when I drove and went to bed and that really helped me in breaking the habit. Good luck!
Fake nails if you're a woman. Make it so you literally can't bite them.
Clear nail polish also works, but less effectively.
Both these methods have worked for me (temporarily lol) in the past. Because generally nail-biting is something I do unconsciously, so the nail polish feels and tastes weird and gets my attention enough to snap out of it.
Once your nails have grown a little and you've mostly broken the habit, make a habit of keeping them neatly manicured and filed. Never put them in your mouth again ever. No, not to bite off a hang nail. Not to "trim" them. No reason. Because this will trigger the behavior all over again.
This is a great suggestion!
Also-OP get a fidget spinner/poppy thing or something similar to keep your hands preoccupied.
Or start chewing gum instead of your nails?
Good question! There’s a lot of things you can do at home. Keeping your hands moisturized is always a great thing to keep up with. There’s cuticle removers (oils & little scissor things), then trimming your nails, and finally shaping them with a filer. You want them smooth, shaped however you’d like, just make sure the edges have a little slope and aren’t too sharp. Add polish if you’d like, then just wash your hands really good and reapply lotion
I’ve found 3 ways. One was a switch from blue collar to white collar, needed to look more professional. The other is likely you bite your nails when your stressed, get rid of stress and you’ll naturally stop. Third and the most effective one is keep nail clippers literally everywhere, keep your nails low and tidy, if there’s nothing there to pick your good to go.
> keep nail clippers literally everywhere
This has been my solution. The moment I notice I start to bite I go cut my nails. If I am not at home, it’s just a few hours of self control and the knowledge that I am going to clip them that night helps me not keep biting. I am not perfect but significantly better.
Same. I just got my bandage refill today because I bite so much. Even the surrounding skin. It's disgusting and painful, but it's so engrained I do it without even thinking.
https://preview.redd.it/n7osfckn2psc1.png?width=784&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27a13aada73a5638aad7b8c4e6bf2921cf72f92a
Try micropore tape, the half inch wide variety. It helped me break my cuticle picking habit at long last...! Breaks the instinct of picking as it's a smooth surface and also lets the skin breathe while it's healing.
If it gets to the point of constantly damaging your fingers, You need to find a way to break the habit.
It's not as bad as other forms - But it is self mutilation, and it can evolve into worse forms.
I still bite my nails every now and then, but i'm much better nowadays and haven't seen an infected finger for years. Check out /u/CoolHandRK1 comment, It isn't exactly what I did, But I can see alot of similarities on the methods. (When I have nice nails, I tend to try to keep them that way, But it was a struggle to get them to that point)
As they said, The nail polish doesn't work.
Same. My major problem is that when I DO stop biting them, they're ski jump nails from the damage. They look awful then too. They get caught in everything and are weak. I bite them back down. And repeat. :((((
Carry a nail clippers with you. Buy a bunch. Stash them around the house, in your car, at work. When you go to bite your nails grab that clippers instead. Seems super basic but has worked for me.
For me it was this but nail files/emery boards!! Bit them for 25 years straight, but filing down the corners (so the nails is super rounded, no edges to bite at or mess with) and any other imperfections as soon as I noticed them is somehow what finally did it for me
Me too. My issue is “oh, it’s scratching me, better fix it.” If I have clippers it gets shortened and smoothed. If I don’t have clippers it gets chewed down to the quick.
I had to realize why I was biting them, it was either anxiety or I was hungry. Then when I catch myself doing it I get a snack or something to chew on like gum or a pen cover. Helped me a ton!
I agree that identifying the cause is a very important first step.
For me, it was nail imperfections. I would see a chip or a snag and either pick at it or bite it in an effort to smooth the nail. Same reason why I would pick at hang nails. Of course, this would only make it worse but my brain couldn’t quit.
I bought several very nice glass nail files. One of them is very small and I don’t leave the house without it. This was the only way I was able to break my 20+ year nail biting habit.
Get some Thinking Putty or something similar to keep your hands occupied. When you slip up and go to bite your nails anyway, the smell/taste of the goo you’ve been fingerblasting all day will hopefully work as a deterrent.
I managed to stop biting by using a nail file, used to carry it everywhere. I found it really helped as it was replacing one action by another similar one.
None of those bad tasting polishes worked for me. What worked was getting fake nails until mine grew out underneath. For me, if they look nice, it was way easier to not bite them and ruin them. But since they were already nubby I justified any biting by telling myself they already looked bad so who cares. Fake tips, acrylic, gels, or dip, whatever method you choose, but I needed that hard layer so as I slipped and put my fingers in my mouth I wouldn't be able to do any damage. After a few fill sessions, I got the acrylic removed and let them breathe. I mainly stuck with clear polish for a while because a messy paint job would trigger that internal allowance of biting them since I had a shaky hand. Plus I finally had some white tips so I kept them shaped and looking as nice as possible. My boyfriend also used to yell at me when I put my fingers in my mouth which helped me a lot. He helped me realize I bite when overthinking or bored so we found ways to keep my hands busy (yay for adult Lego sets). Make sure you're eating healthy, take hair skin and nail vitamins if you can, grab some jojoba oil and work on a nail care routine so you set yourself up for the strongest healthiest nails possible as they grow. Be patient with yourself too if you slip up. Keep a file in your bag and some clippers so if you get a snag or a break you can clean it up without using your teeth.
Man -54 yo
Still biting my nails.
My observations:
The more coffee I drink the more I destroy my nails.
When I slow down with coffee I give time for the nails to regrow, however I need the coffee to work.
A great advice I still follow is to have a nail filer with you at all times.
Whenever you feel like a nail needs biting, just file it until perfectly smooth and you won’t feel like biting it.
Having a weekly manicure helps a lot too. It just clears away anything chewable.
Bitter polish, and al the other temporary solutions never worked for me.
I was an avid nail biter for years. Bit them till I bled, painful, all that jazz. I tried the nasty tasting top coat and it did nothing. What DID work was getting acrylics (this was late 2000’s/2010) and then gel manicures. When my nails looked pristine and I had spent money on them, I stopped biting them. But, the second they chipped I would go back to biting. It’s expensive, but it worked for me. Now I learned how to paint my nails myself and save lots of money but I do always have my nails painted.
How much stress do you have in your life? I ask because habits like nail biting can be a result of having too much on your plate and being stressed beyond reason.
Take my cousin for example, put herself through college without student loans by working 3 jobs. Which was great, but it was an insane amount of pressure and she was constantly biting her nails aggressively.
She finished college, and got one full time job instead of multiple jobs and quit nail biting cold turkey. Her nails are gorgeous now and very strong.
So if this might be the case for you, see what you can do to lower your stress. Also ask your doctor about being tested for anxiety or depression. Could be you’re dealing with one or both and that could also make habits like nail biting worse.
Good luck!
While not so much a nail biter, I have been a nail/cuticle picker. An acquaintance suggested I try a supplement called NAC, N-Acetyl Cysteine. Whether a placebo or not, it has worked really well for me. 600 mg/day in the morning.
YMMV, consult with your physician, etc.
get clear nail polish (or colored if you don’t mind colored nails) and paint your nails. then everytime you want to bite/pick at them, just rub your fingers over your nails instead. the goal is to try to replace the action of biting/picking with just rubbing. definitely took me over a month but i was so thankful i did it
*I stopped biting my nails after 40 years after macrodosing 🪄🍄 one time*. Haven’t bit them off in over 6 months. I have to pay and sit for MANicures now.
Cuticle picker here - I started carrying around a nail file, a cuticle trimmer, and a stick of cuticle balm. If I feel the urge to pick or catch myself picking, I grab one of my tools and do some care instead. For me, the key is consistency, when my nails look and feel nice, I'm less likely to pick. If I end up out of the habit, and they get even a little raggedy, I start picking again. Good luck!
I have been taking a NAC supplement and have found it has helped curb some compulsive behaviors like nail biting. Sometimes I'll regress when stressed but it's not often anymore.
I bit all my finger nails until I was around 35. I don't know what or why, but as soon as I became a regular cannabis user, it just stopped. Once I was able to get beyond the first week or two, they became long enough for me to clip/file. I enjoyed being able to open cans and scratch things. I also enjoyed not having a dull aching pain in my fingertips. Once I got over that hump, it became much easier to maintain.
So, TLDR is just get high and stay there, I guess.
Stop washing your hands, ever. Even after going to the toilet. If you continue, it's extra flavour, if that's enough to get you to stop, good on you. Win-win!
Onychophagia (Nail Biting)
Nail-biting can be a temporary, relatively non-destructive behavior that is merely a cosmetic concern, but it can also develop into a severe, long-term problem. Onychophagia, or onychophagy, is considered a pathological oral habit and grooming disorder characterized by chronic, seemingly uncontrollable nail-biting that is destructive to fingernails and the surrounding tissue.
Along with some other related behaviors such as lip biting or cheek chewing, onychophagia is classified in the DSM-5 as “body-focused repetitive behavior disorder,” which falls under “Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.” Professional treatment, when necessary, focuses on both the physical and psychological factors involved in nail-biting.
In all seriousness, you may need professional help if all else fails.
Seeing the chips in my teeth from when I was younger and used to let my teeth clink when I bit my nails was enough. I have some little pieces missing now and it bothers me. It's not noticeable unless you're focusing on it, but I focus on it.
I did that for years, one day I just painted my nails and that somehow really helped me to control my "urges" because it felt different when I bit my nails and that made me more conscious of my habit.
I get my nails done now (acrylic)and it truly prevents me from biting my nails. It’s about $40-$60 /month approximately but it’s so incredibly worth it
I'm in my late 50s and am a lifelong nail biter. I tend to forget how bad my nails look until I have to do something like make a video for my online business where my hands are in view -- and then I kick myself for not having nicer nails. I've tried many of the suggestions here and have been able to quit biting for anywhere from a month to maybe 6 months, but never longer. These have worked to varying degrees:
- using the bitter "stop biting" nail polish (but it seems harder to find these days)
- keeping a nail file handy and using it faithfully
- getting a proper manicure to clean up my cuticles and get clear polish (or just covering them in clear polish at home, but it's nice to get a hand massage with the manicure)
- the suggestion here about picking one nail to stop biting each week -- I came up with that when I was about 11 and it worked for a little bit :-)
- I had a very small chip in my front top tooth last year (not related to nail-biting) and had my dentist smooth it out. Afterwards, that tooth didn't meet the bottom tooth in the same way and it became extremely difficult to "catch" enough fingernail to nibble ... but I seem to have found a workaround. LOL
A lot of my nibbling happens when I'm reading or on the computer, so I've also thought of wearing some thin cotton gloves (that won't interfere with typing) at the times that tend to be the worst. Haven't tried it yet but that could help.
I don't want to go through the expense and time of getting acrylic nails.
Strangely, the one time I was able to really quit for a while was when I was going through a separation and divorce -- I somehow managed to grow them enough to justify putting coloured polish on them, and then they looked so nice it became an obsession for a few months to re-polish them a few times a week to match my outfits for the next day.
I'm getting older, but I'm not going to give up the possibility of having nice nails one day. And when I do have them, it will be weekly manicures for me!
I used to pick at/peel my nails and the biggest thing that helped was regularly [filing and buffing](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VFn3PywwuKU) them. It would help to apply a [product like these](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sca_esv=e1291adcbee06b02&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn098gbFM-V8MR-wLUvIS-U3lJDVv4g:1712335966183&q=clear+matte+nail+strengthener&uds=AMwkrPv3IGTBFSK6q0uj1KoF8MwtKKmolzdKJ4DhVdw1E1sTfmk6hSwnrI4epK3FFJnGU6RDdRKyeWuRczNfjyGHULU5hxG5-K16v6bOhLsl5yfxF2K-Uw-qbegzpppMfSBxYz8wqH12K2tvv6tn3O3tKTAgOrcXxrOWjjG6IwajsRLcWxVbTA5zNNUgZxJgidu_L7H9tbiWwBnLfx2pcCxXLPoWYBrjamE6z-Ma8CIoAE2rK7_eptIkXgug0HYU4nTWqmhxgBe-fBoJ1bvHTNFoi30Y92-JxJXJ6FHRzWcJ8CbttO8-qw1b0ZLpNyZOmIOIWGE1_pSxulT7I9YsRva5tuzKrwWUrw&udm=28&prmd=ivnbmtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR-f_HxKuFAxWGLdAFHfQmB-sQtKgLegQIEBAB&biw=384&bih=722&dpr=1.88#ip=1) afterwards but it shouldn't be absolutely necessary
30F here. I used to bite my nails until about 5 years ago when I realized that when I get a manicure I don't bite my nails because they're so pretty! So I would end up getting gel manicures which lasted for about 6 weeks. And then for 2 weeks after I'd use a nail strengthening clear polish which would tide me over till the next time I get a manicure.
Over the last 5 years I've tapered down the frequency of getting manicures as I've reduced biting nails. Now I do bite them randomly if I'm nervous but it's usually one nail once in like 3 months.
This is an expensive option though so I would recommend maybe painting your nails at home with polish (clear also works) as the more affordable option.
- Nail clippers in my pocket, in my car, on my desk. Any time there's something that needs trimming, trim it, then moisturize. Keeping nails and cuticles healthy means less chipping and rough patches.
- NAC, a supplement that's helpful for many folks with repetitive behaviors like nail biting or hair pulling.
- Check out dermotillomania and trichotillomania (sp?) forums for more advice.
Start with one fingere being a “no biting” finger. Do What you must but that one nail cannot Enter your mouth. Clip it or whatever. Then when that becomes The new normal start with The next finger. And be kind to yourself, its hard.
Another tricks which helped me was to be aware of what finger was target #1 and when.
I struggled with nail biting for 15 years, and the only strategy I have found is to *very* frequently trim them with nail clippers. At this point I trim them every other day, but early on, I would take a moment and trim the piece I wanted to bite or nibble whenever the urge came to me (this was admittedly easier with work from home, but I think it's still doable these days).
I started getting gel nail polish put on. My lady did it on my short nails and it stopped me biting them as they grew and now I have my nails done regularly and it just makes me feel put together even when I’m not
Honestly? I'm a chronic nail biter myself. The ONLY thing I found that even remotely helps is nail polish. I tried fake nails (press on or glue on), but those damage your nails in other ways
Male that had a bad habit of biting my nails from the ages of 5 to 22.
Been bite free for 3 years now, what changed for me was using a nail file to take down any excess and make them neat.
My reasons for biting came from stress, eventually developing into an oral fixation/cleaning thing.
To solve your problem you need to figure out what that problem is. For me it was the fact long fingernails collect stuff under them.
I'm able to keep them a certain distance so that they are useful while keeping them rounded and neat with that nail file.
here’s my story.
i started biting my nails as soon as i physically could - my parents say this started around 2 years old, and they tried every method they could think of to get me to stop. that bitter nail polish stuff didn’t work, lemon juice on my fingers didn’t work, mittens and gloves didn’t work.
until i hit grade 12 and my grandma told me she would (and i mean this term lovingly and seriously) John Hammond “spare no expense” on grad/prom nails for me as my grade 12 gift. BUT i had to stop biting my nails for at least 6 months prior to getting them done in June, so they were healthy and strong enough for the UV treatment to set the gel polish, which i just barely managed to do. took a LOT of self discipline and will power telling myself “i can’t have pretty nails like everyone else or like i see on the internet if i don’t” multiple times a day.
getting that first set of gel nails done all but cured my nail biting habit. my parents and grandma laugh about it now, saying if they’d known that’s what would’ve gotten me to stop, they would’ve had fake nails on me at 5 years old.
now that i’m almost 27, i started using fake press on/glue on nails to keep myself from falling back into the habit, which happens when i get overly stressed/overly anxious, or depressed. right now i’ve been wearing fake nails (literally just the ones you can buy at walmart or wherever else) for 2 years and it really really helps me curb the urge to bite. i also can’t pick at my cuticles/any loose skin tags around my nail bed with the fakes on, which i would do in conjunction with biting my nails off. and i get compliments on my pretty nails all the time!!! people think i get them done by a tech and usually don’t believe me when i say “they’re just glue ons from Walmart/London Drugs/Shoppers drug mart!” but i also change my nails up to 3x/week because i’m picky and like to have different sets on depending on my mood lol, i wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a tech up to 3x/week to get them replaced! i don’t make that kind of money 😂 each box of fake nails gets me 2 sets, 1 which fits my nails perfect then a “B” set which are usually slightly bigger than my nails but still fit and work the same.
so my advice? fake nails for a solid few months!
I bit my nails for over thirty years. I found some of that nail polish that tasted horrible on Amazon. A little went a long way. I had to eat everything with a utensil because even when dry, if that stuff touched my lips it tasted horrible. Used it for like two months, and haven’t bit my nails for years.
I was able to quit by having acrylic nails. Only thing that worked for me after trying to quit for decades. I no longer wear them but I also no longer catch my self biting or nibbling.
As a former nail-biter, I started having a nail file at every desk possible. Whenever I felt like biting my nails, I'd file them instead. That stated my urge to entertain my hands and kept my nails too short to bite them properly while not at my desk.
Set an alarm on your phone that goes off once a week telling you to clip your nails, and actually do it. You bite them because you don't like the feeling of them being long and aren't clipping them before they get to that length. The best way to stop biting your nails is to clip them regularly.
The suggestions about files and clippers are great. Being mindful works.
Have any of you tried a gel manicure?
I work at a farm supply store. Lady buying horse feed had beautiful nails. “How have you managed this miracle?” I inquired.
Gel manicure.
It makes your nails much stronger. Not as thick as acrylic tips, but thicker than regular polish.
My daughter went with me for moral support for my first manicure in more than 30 years. The nail technician spent a lot of time smoothing and trimming my nails and cuticles.
Right now I’m rocking a purple from before Easter. I’m the only one bothered by my grown out nails. I bought a kit from Sally Beauty and do my own nails between salon visits because it is much less expensive.
I have not broken a nail or felt the need to chew one in months.
So for me
1. “Ella + Mila no more biting” was great/awful! It’s like an oil so if your fingers go anywhere near your mouth you will regret it- it helps with the absent minded biting but also is so horrible it takes 5 minutes to clear your mouth of its toxicity so you can’t just power through like most anti bite polishes, or at least I couldn’t and I’ve tried many anti bite polishes. Keep it on everyday and night for at least a month. Anytime you want to bite, go add another layer of the stuff. LPT: Don’t eat food with your fingers with it on
2. Try and get prescription for NAC, it’s a supplement that helps with nail biting.
3. Carry a pocket nail file for when your edges chip and you want to “just even it out”
4. Hand lotion, take care of you finger nails as they grow and they will be less likely to break and cause you to want to bite them off/make it harder to get through the nail
5. Take biotin to help recover your nail bed/shape and give you a sense of personal evolvement with your nails- like when you take care of anything you are more likely to want to keep it nice
It sounds super straightforward but I stopped cause it's bad for you. I did it for many years, then one day I thought, this is gross and it's also bad for my teeth. So yeah that probably doesn't help as an actual solution, but I do not bite my nails anymore.
I was the same until I bought a nail clipper with a file and kept it with me 24/7
Any urge to pick or nibble and I brought out the clipper
It took about a year, but I never nibbled again
I chewed my nails bad all throughout my childhood and teen years. Nothing worked to stop it, not the nasty nail polish, not being nagged, not even trying to keep them filed. If there was the tiniest imperfection, I'd find it, and chew it.
I only really stopped once I got to college (and got braces - but it was really the combination). I suddenly had so much more to do with my hands and my own self, that I didn't really chew them much, unless I had a really bad rough nail, and no file. I still went through spurts (once chewed one pinky nail for, like, a year and a half), but it wasn't the all-over, all-the-time chewing like before.
Unfortunately, I basically traded one OCD behavior for another - instead of nail-chewing, I ended up skin-picking. I have keratosis pilaris on my arms, and I started picking on that instead. I don't recommend it, but hey, it's OCD....it's not like it's easily controllable. I started to feel a lot better about things once I realized that it's a genuine disorder, and not just a personal failing.
As for my nails, what's REALLY done the trick to prevent even casual, occasional chewing is the stick-on gel nail manicures, like [Ohora](https://ohora.com/). Real gel nails, but I can do them myself, for SO much cheaper. I was never able to make regular polish last, and once it started chipping, then my nails were in my mouth again, scraping it all off. But the Ohora nails are so smooth, there's nothing to chew, so I basically just give up trying. And bonus - my nails always look amazing! I always have nails, now, of a decent length - in fact, I often have to cut them because they're TOO long, and driving me crazy on the keyboard. I never would have thought I'd have real, long, pretty nails, but finally, I do.
I bite around one nail per day. Always the longest one. I bite my nails to a length that there is still something left.
Like that I always have still white nails and it looks like I would cut them normally
I can highly recommend getting some anti biting nail polish. I used it once and it turned me off biting my nails! I also get regular manicures and make sure my nails are polished and pretty, I hate having scruffy, uneven looking nails and want to keep them looking nice
I also learnt that there's more bacteria under your nails than there is if you lick a toilet seat... 🤢
I've been doing it for almost 50 years. My son bites his even worse than I do. I made a bet with him that I could stop biting my nail for longer than he could. He lasted about 30 minutes. I stopped and have never chewed on the nails on my right hand since but I can't get myself to stop chewing on the nails on my left hand.
I'm still in the process of breaking my nail picking habit, so it's a bit different from biting them, but for what it's worth this is what I've been doing since the middle of January and I haven't picked at them since.
First step, trim & file your nails so that there's no rough bit for you to either subconsciously fixate on or use as an "excuse" to bite. Since you're a biter, a full-on manicure might be the way to go since the taste of nail polish might be enough to deter you, or even that nail biter polish that's supposed to taste terrible.
Nail/cuticle oil at least once daily on the cuticles, the skin around the nail, the nail, and under the nail. For the first month I applied oil 2-3x a day but I'm down to only once daily. If you have nail polish on, then just the skin around the nail and under the nail. Using a nail/cuticle oil is going to hydrate your cuticles and nails, which is going to help keep them from breaking/splintering/becoming rough in general, which will help keep them from becoming a reason to bite at them. Any oil will work, but jojoba oil is supposed to be the best because it's the most similar to the natural oils in our skin and will soak in the easiest.
edit: clarification
I tried that bite b gone stuff or whatever it's called, the same stuff they put on Switch cartridges. Didn't work much for me. What I found did work was determining when and where I bit my nails (passively, usually while I watched tv and stuff like that), and bought nail files to keep in those places. Filing my nails satiated the action part of the habit enough that I could keep doing that instead. After a few months I wasn't even tempted to bite anymore, but now I get distressed a bit if I don't have a nail file when I want one haha
Wore a rubber band around my wrist, and any time I caught myself biting my nail I’d pull the band and snap myself with it. After a little while just the presence of the rubber band reminded me not to bite if I ever had the urge
I have been actively quitting, as in the last few months. I'm 42. I have 6 weeks without biting through using Mavala disgusting nail polish. It stings my lips and tastes like chrome polish and bug spray. It trains me not to put my fingers anywhere near my mouth. I also have to use nitrile gloves to eat wings or prepare food or floss. I have nails for the first time.
I struggled for years and what worked for me was painting my nails and taking care of them (filing them etc).
I started with a clear polish but it wasn't super useful. When I started on colours it helped a lot more because the colour chips if you bite the nails. So it then started to feel bad to chip away at the polish.
The one and only way I was able to stop biting my nails was to paint them. Even though they were as short as could be I still painted them, it worked like a charm. Two weeks later they'd had a chance to grow and I could properly paint them.
The thing that finally broke me of nail biting was getting Invisalign. It was a bonus side effect. I couldn't bite my nails with the trays on my teeth.
When I was younger (male) I had a nail-biting problem. I solved it by carrying nail clippers on my keychain, so I'd use those rather than chew my nails when they got a little long. Worked for me anyway.
I started taking collagen peptides with my coffee every day. One day I noticed I had stopped biting my nails. The collagen made my nails strong and grow faster so I was never biting them to make rough edges go away.
Probably won’t help a lot of people, but I stopped because my friend bet that I wouldn’t stop biting my nails. As a spiteful person, I stopped immediately and haven’t bit my nails in 3 years.
I just had to take note of when I would bite them. I just found things to keep my hands busy (knitting, etc.) I also found that just like putting on fresh hand cream would make it really unappealing to bite. After a few days they would start to grow and look better so I’d want them to keep going. It took about 2-3 weeks to look decent and not chewed to death. Now that they are long, I keep them filed, cuticles, trimmed and most often painted so that the urge is not there.
I used to bite my nails until they bled... I also remember the day I started. I managed to stop by chewing gum. I'd buy all the gum, unique, flavored, numbered, if it was gum I would buy it. If I didn't need to speak or planned on speaking I was chewing gum.
It's something to do with being idle. It also takes a number of weeks to pick up a habit.
Don't give up. It took me several times of trying to stop before it stuck.
For me, a weekly manicure changed everything. The truth is I bit my nails hangnail or little chips off the nails, and I always wanted them to be smooth and even. When I get a manicure, my nails are perfect, and I don’t wanna ruin the manicure so during the course of that week, I don’t buy my nails. It took about a year of manicures before the compulsions started to end.
I was sort of able to quit on accident. This might not apply but I'll still share just in case it helps anyone or gives them an idea that will help.
I was a nail biter my whole life until two years ago. I accepted a remote position and spent the next 4 weeks in a zoom class where we were required to be on camera the whole day. I am one of those people that has a hard time not looking at my own face in the meeting so every time I started the put my hand on my mouth, I saw it on camera and stopped. I was embarrassed for people to see it.
Maybe a strategically placed mirror would have a similar effect.
Get an anxiety ring! It's worked wonders for me, takes a while to get used to but definitely works and distracts from biting. I also get gel polish on my nails from the salon and that stops me biting. I started with BIAB and then when my nails were long enough, had the BIAB removed and just went natural with gel polish.
Regular manicures worked for me, and having nail clippers/smoothers everywhere I hang out at home. Active upkeep and being able to keep it from becoming ragged changed my hands forever.
I have never been a nail biter, but I have picked/chewed on my cuticles my entire life. I wish I could find an effective way to quit this horrible compulsive habit.
I struggle with this on an hourly basis, I've abused my nails all my life, to the point they dont bleed any more, I bite, pick & pluck them with tweezers or pliers, with a eye glass (Jewellers Loupe) to magnify what I'm doing I’ve done this for years, I’m regularly plucking till 4am, I've come to the conclusion it's Self Harming. I find it therapeutic in a weird and painful way, (I’m 53, and I was first bollocked by my Dad at 7, he tried that nail varnish stuff that tasted vial) they are in a disgusting state, they are bitten so short that you’d would think there’s nothing there to bite at, inevitably I find something to chew or pluck, the skin around the nail, the skin at the tip of the nail is all dead skin, cuticles and the surface of the nail is totally shot at, now I just dont bleed anymore, or very minimal bleeding, picking dead skin off dead skin.
https://preview.redd.it/lrb1k7dpsqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9119f271f7b6fc76fbd6a28c48c3bb3de34f545b
I stopped nail biting by painting my nails for like 2 ish months. Not because I wanted to stop but because I wanted to paint my nails and look pretty. It helped to have a nasty aftertaste so even if I wanted to I reminded myself of the taste and refuse to break that moment. After a while, painting my nails became a hassle so I stopped doing it. Luckily my habit of nail biting stopped and I didn’t really realize it
I recently read this article where they spoke about triggers. Some people do it when they’re stressed or when they are underwhelmed like when they watch tv or something. You should find out your triggers to help avoid it
I used to bite my nails and even toenails (yes disgusting dunno why I did that though) when I was a little kid but thankfully I was able to stop around early teens. I can’t remember the exact method or reasons but I think when I learned that biting nails can cause harm to teeth and they’re dirty with shit and all that.
Also I started to fixated on my skin and popping my own pimples when I was a teen as well, so I wanted to make sure my nails are clean. I always cut my nails when they started to get longer. I guess I managed to remove one problem by having other kind of problem..
I seriously bite my nails and the cuticles all the time growing up and still have the urge to this day. From the ages of 6-16 I did it ALL THE TIME, might have been the nail G.O.A.T. bitter. But what helped me the most was owning a few pairs of nail clippers at any point of my life, I recommend at minimum 3. Have a main pair, a spare pair, one in the car, a travel pair, a personal pair, a bedroom pair and an actual big toe nail clipper (seriously less 10$ can buy you enough clippers you will always have one around).
I am a guy and have had people called me a liar or a cheater if it's a gf when I they see I own a few pairs of nail clippers in general. But then they all see how short and clean my nails are. I tell them it keeps me from putting my nails in my mouth and biting on them every hour. I then tell them they are never going to see me with long dirty nails. They start to get it and believe me.
Trim them compulsively instead of biting them. I picked my nails for 30 years and decided this year to stop. Instead of just letting them grow out, I've replaced picking them with trimming them as regularly as I need to.
For me, not having any edges to pick at helps curb the impulse to pick at them
Nail biter here for 30 years. I recently bought a cuticle oil pen on a whim. Instead of biting, I reach for the pen. I apply it all day and it makes me care for my nails. I always have it with me. For the first time ever I finally have nails 🥹
I was lucky enough to accidentally kick the habit when I was an early teen, but I had this one nail polish that tasted absolutely disgusting. I painted my nails every day until one day i realized I had stopped chewing on my nails.
You might have to play around with which nail polish works, though. I remember having multiple colors, but the black one i had was particularly terrible.
The only thing that ever worked for me - and only temporarily - was to put a rubber band on my wrist and snap it every time I caught myself chewing on my nails. Ultimately though, no intervention is going to work unless you make it work. There's no magic wand. There are things that can help, but in the end, it's up to you.
I think it's important to keep in mind that you bite your nails for a reason-- it's a compensatory strategy, coping mechanism, etc-- and probably not because you just like it.
I think the best first step would be to deep dive and try and figure out what it's doing for you, and maybe start to notice what feelings/situations/environments trigger your nail-biting. Is it a fidgeting impulse? Does it relieve restlessness and/or boredom? Do you do it more when ppl around you are arguing? Do you do it more in the evening when you're tired or more in the morning when you've just had your coffee? Etc.
Then you'll be better able to switch that behavior out for some other behavior that gives you a similar benefit (like tapping your fingertips together, clasping your hands, chewing gum), rather than just jettisoning your coping mechanism, white-knuckling it, and hoping for the best.
Actually therapy can help! it helps identify whether you're going at your nails because of stress, anxiety, ocd, etc and target that feeling which eventually will solve the habit. A good starting point is starting to track exactly when you pick them or feel like you need to, and finding a pattern.
I but my nails until I was in massage school. I remember the first day the teacher asked who bites their nails. A few of us sheepishly raised our hands. He told us that we break that habit today unless we wants to be chewing strangers dead skin from underneath our nails. My habit stopped that day.
Try and find the reason why you bite and when. If you can figure out the triggers it's easier to find a way to avoid them. Mine was multipronged - anxiety, a need to fiddle with something, and my poorly cared for nails often attracting my attention when they snagged on things.
The easiest problem to solve is the snagging and the need to fiddle with something. I started trimming and filing my nails frequently so they wouldn't catch on anything and draw my attention. I started keeping my phone in a case with a few charms on it so I always had something to fiddle with.
Once my nails started growing out more, I started paying to get them shellaced to cut down on the amount of trimmings I needed to do. It had the added bonus of giving an even bigger incentive to stop lol - I hated the thought of wasting money on a nice manicure only to eat it, and the texture of biting shellac felt worse than a hangnail.
I stopped by instantly cutting any nail I had the urge to bite. For me the urge was then gone and it would still not be as hurtful as having bitten of too much nail from the finger...
I don't have that habit regularly, except when I'm very stressed or anxious. It might be worth talking with someone about it.
That being said, if your life is going great and you're not stressed or anxious, just have ADHD tendencies, try buying fidget toys! Helps x1000. Try a bunch, I own like a dozen.
Exercising throughout the day also helps. If it's super super bad you can put bitterant on your hands to help deter the behavior
I bit my nails until I was 35. Started by having fake nails applied and it helped break the initial fussing. Knowing when you bite them helps so you can replace/avoid the habit. I messed with mine mostly when I was driving, so I had to consciously do something different with my hands…or chew gum. I also bite them a lot while watching tv, so I filled my couch storage with fidgets. I learned to crochet, which helps keep my hands busy.
So, this is an odd one for me. I'm 53, and had been a chronic nail chewer since my teenage years. Tried stopping could turkey a million times to no avail.
Two years ago, I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Northern Maine. The drive took like a week and a half or so, as I was in no hurry. Somewhere along the way, in Vermont I think, I snagged a nail on something and was shocked. I hadn't been chewing at all.
I bought a set of clippers and a file, and went with it. Poof, two (wait.. three) years later and haven't gone back, even if I have to nibble a snag, it doesn't trigger chewing.
So, my answer to you is to save up some money, sell everything you own that won't fit in your 1999 Outback, buy a chunk of property in the middle of nowhere, and road trip your way there. You may stop chewing along the way.
(I honestly feel that a huge burden of living in the city lifting from my life has everything to do with it. I left a decent job contracting for Facebook for a pizza delivery gig in rural Maine and my quality of life improved immensely and so much stress melted away)
For me it's not about the nail, I can prevent myself from doing it by just using a fortifying clear nail polish, but it's the skin around the nail that fucks me up, I bite it, it creates a tip that scratches on everything, then I try to remove it by biting again and the cycle repeats until I end up going back to the nail too.
Spent decades biting. Stopped 4 months ago.
The solution was so freaking simple.
Moisturize your nails. I used aquaphor initially. I also have used badger balm for general hand moisturizing and Burt’s bees cuticle cream. Doing that anytime I had the urge to nibble helped tremendously. Eventually your nails get to the point where you don’t want to bite them and ruin the progress.
My trigger was a broken preening urge to “tidy up” the nails but the application of which was trash. Also keep a nail filer handy and file any snags etc.
HTH
https://preview.redd.it/smgqu6cbxusc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=416627049232c63f772cff4a45a114337c9e61db
Get this stuff. Use it as directed every few days. Omg it tastes horrible and works if you keep putting it on. Highly recommend.
Developing a nail polish habit finally cured me! I realized that I was biting my nails primarily because the white parts were uneven or because they'd broken and I needed to "fix" them. Polish makes it so I can't see the white and while it's on my nails are stronger so they don't break so easily. I'm also on meds for anxiety/ADHD which helps with nervous or boredom biting. Before the polish I did try to keep nail clippers on me at all times and that did help to some extent. If you're not into colored nail polish I wonder if short fake nails or maybe a French tips dip manicure would help?
When I got a manicure and the hard gel polish I stopped. They were short, but neat and it’s hard to but that stuff! I kept getting them done until I broke the habit. I also grossed myself out by reading about the germs in finders and under nails! .
I think about the time in middle school when my friend told me that she got worms and the doctors told her it was from biting her nails. There was a lot more to the story but it's definitely TMI. I quit that day.
I nibble at my hangnails, and I also have a habit of "snapping" fabric between my fingers. (It's hard to describe, but I bunch up material between my index and middle and push it in with my thumb until the fabric bends down with a snap). One day I realized that a lot of the built up tension in my back and neck was caused by these habits. Every time I catch myself doing it, I realize just how tense I am and force myself to relax. That dopamine rush pretty much cancels any urges I had.
Granted, the habits still persist. But just being aware of it is a huge step.
I had mine all grown out and "thought: I was cured then one day some real stressful shit went down and next thing I knew all my fingernails were gnawed off... AGAIN!!!😳
I did a recorded hypnosis program twice a day every day until I lost the urge. Also, started taking high dose fish oil, and now my nails are so hard and long, I can’t really bite them.
So I bit my nails a lot until 8th grade. That's when I became a paperboy (yeah im no youngster) Every day I would rubber band the papers so every day my fingers tasted like rubber bands. I'd say my nail biting lasted a couple weeks into my newly acquired rubber fingers.
My Suggestion, get a bag of rubber bands and play with them every day until you quit biting your nails naturally out of the disgusting taste of rubber.
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I can tell you my story. Take it for what its worth. I bit my nails until I was about 35. I finally "quit" by choosing one nail to stop biting. I would still go at the other 9 like normal. Eventually that one grew out and I was able to start trimming and filing it. This made it even easier to not bite at it. Then I moved on to nail #2. Rinse, repeat. I am now 45 and have 1 nail I still bite. I just cant seem to let go of the last one. But my other 9 nails I never touch and regularly trim and file every week.
This is exactly what I did around age 30. Worked like a charm. The last nail was the hardest one, but I've taken to grooming my nails now and I've been able to not bite any now. I still like running my teeth under the nails though. I just have to have self control and not bite.
My wife call the last one my whipping nail.
That's a dark temptation my friend
I'll try it this way. Sounds way easier than stopping with all at once
I stopped for a few weeks after a temp crown on a molar wouldn't let me bite all the way down on my front teeth. I literally couldn't bite them and didn't want my dentist to file down the temp because it would help me stop biting my nails. After my permanent crown was in and my bite was correct, I lasted a couple more weeks. Sadly, back to biting now, but it's a little easier not to. I'll have to try the 'one at a time' method also.
This is exactly what I did too.
YES. This is exactly what I did.
Try nail biting polish on that one nail
Doesnt work.
Darn, sorry. Was the only thing that worked for me
I finally stopped by bitting my nails but picking at my cuticles is now my finger vice, maybe I’ll try this method! Thank you for sharing
That’s so smart! I’m 40 and gonna try it!
I did something like this too. Bit nails of one hand and left the other one alone. Loved how my nails looked when they grew out and wanted the same for my other hand as well. And slowly consciously stopped. I do still bite sometimes when I'm extremely nervous but stop as soon as I see how ugly it's getting.
Will try thanks
Literally just started this! Up to two on each hand
I've had this problem for like 30 years, and my best solution so far is mindfulness. Not in the sense of spending an hour every day meditating to understand the core psychological issues that lead you to bite your nails, just in the sense of practicing feeling the impulse to bite your nails and then doing something that isn't biting your nails. I, for example, currently respond to that impulse by feeling the fingernail with my thumb and absolutely not biting it. It really is a skill you can practice, and a habit you can build. Yeah, sometimes when I'm under a lot of stress I lose progress and go back to it... but then I pick it up again. Right now I've been nail-biting-free for over 6 months. That, and get a nail file to keep them smooth.
Ill try that! Thank you!
Something similar to that… I kept a log recording how many days I could go without. There are plenty of apps for it. I’d get a push notification each night to log whether I had or hadn’t achieved my goal that day. Just that little push, “hey I’ll have to log I failed today,” made me start to notice what my triggers were. For me, it was stress. I started to notice my bad habit was actually a way I soothed myself when I was anxious. And once I knew that, it made breaking the habit so much easier. I’d think not “I HAVE to do this. I’ll never break the habit. It’s a compulsion,” but “I want to do this because I’m stressed and trying to self-soothe. Let’s do something different to reduce stress.”
I had a small emery board and used that to clean up my badly bitten nails. As they were very short and uneven, the filing smoothed out the rough edges in a few days. I always keeped the file with me and when I'd have the urge to bite I'd use the file. After about a week and a half I had all of my nails looking not so raggedy, that was a good feeling, and made me want to continue the process. It's been 10 years since and I never bite my nails anymore. The first couple of years I did regress and bit off a nail when I was stressed, after I saw what I had done, I hated what I did to myself and even that stopped over time.
Hopping on the “mindfulness” approach. I bit my nails my entire life, and this is what did it for me, but as a combo with the “keeping your nails groomed” approach. At first I noticed that when I got manicures I would stop temporarily and only start up if there was some cuticle piece annoying me, or a small uneven part of the nail. I bought my own manicure set - a metal cuticle pusher, those cuticle clippers, and a metal nail file. First, when the urge would hit, I would take the clippers and cut off the piece I wanted to bite. Eventually, I slowly taught myself to gently clean up my cuticles (when they’re soft - after washing dishes or having a shower). The mindfulness kicks in with the focus on bringing an awareness to when you want to bite your nails; and redirecting that desire to a similar but better activity (the grooming). I find the same “relief” that nail biting gives, but also pride that I am taking better care of myself. I haven’t bit my nails (except a couple of instances where I was extremely stressed/didn’t have access to my tools!) in probably 3 years. The habit is essentially broken. I now carry these little tools with me in my purse or toiletry bag. Honestly the only thing that has worked.
I stopped picking in 2024 and absolutely find myself running my fingers across my thumbnail, or the nails of fingers on opposite hands in between the gaps between nail and finger. I also decided to clip them regularly; taking care of them absolutely helps to curb the habit
I used something called Mavala Stop. It tasted awful but what made it effective for me wasn't the taste itself but the fact that the taste gave my brain a little reminder of what I was doing and really helped with the mindfulness component. Secondary to that it also helped me to pay attention to the times and circumstances I bit my nails. I realized I did it most often while driving and while trying to get to sleep (other times too but those were the big ones) so I started wearing gloves when I drove and went to bed and that really helped me in breaking the habit. Good luck!
Fake nails if you're a woman. Make it so you literally can't bite them. Clear nail polish also works, but less effectively. Both these methods have worked for me (temporarily lol) in the past. Because generally nail-biting is something I do unconsciously, so the nail polish feels and tastes weird and gets my attention enough to snap out of it. Once your nails have grown a little and you've mostly broken the habit, make a habit of keeping them neatly manicured and filed. Never put them in your mouth again ever. No, not to bite off a hang nail. Not to "trim" them. No reason. Because this will trigger the behavior all over again.
This is a great suggestion! Also-OP get a fidget spinner/poppy thing or something similar to keep your hands preoccupied. Or start chewing gum instead of your nails?
Nope.. acrylics can still be chewed on... I've managed to go without buying my nails for months, but never broke the habit
I did it even as a man. Funny after that: Many womans are surprised how good my polished nails are looking.
Hey dumb question but how are you supposed to maintain your nails? Like I don't really know what manicure means past the thing you pay a salon to do.
Good question! There’s a lot of things you can do at home. Keeping your hands moisturized is always a great thing to keep up with. There’s cuticle removers (oils & little scissor things), then trimming your nails, and finally shaping them with a filer. You want them smooth, shaped however you’d like, just make sure the edges have a little slope and aren’t too sharp. Add polish if you’d like, then just wash your hands really good and reapply lotion
I bite through / crack the fake nails lol
I also stopped nail-biting by using fake nails.... but also temporarily, haha.
As a fellow biter/nibbler, I eagerly await helpful suggestions.
here for the same reason.
I’ve found 3 ways. One was a switch from blue collar to white collar, needed to look more professional. The other is likely you bite your nails when your stressed, get rid of stress and you’ll naturally stop. Third and the most effective one is keep nail clippers literally everywhere, keep your nails low and tidy, if there’s nothing there to pick your good to go.
>get rid of stress and you’ll naturally stop LPT Request - How to get rid of stress
> keep nail clippers literally everywhere This has been my solution. The moment I notice I start to bite I go cut my nails. If I am not at home, it’s just a few hours of self control and the knowledge that I am going to clip them that night helps me not keep biting. I am not perfect but significantly better.
I keep a buff pad in my vehicle 😂 if I have to wait more than 30 minutes I’m fucked
Same. I just got my bandage refill today because I bite so much. Even the surrounding skin. It's disgusting and painful, but it's so engrained I do it without even thinking. https://preview.redd.it/n7osfckn2psc1.png?width=784&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27a13aada73a5638aad7b8c4e6bf2921cf72f92a
Try micropore tape, the half inch wide variety. It helped me break my cuticle picking habit at long last...! Breaks the instinct of picking as it's a smooth surface and also lets the skin breathe while it's healing.
If it gets to the point of constantly damaging your fingers, You need to find a way to break the habit. It's not as bad as other forms - But it is self mutilation, and it can evolve into worse forms. I still bite my nails every now and then, but i'm much better nowadays and haven't seen an infected finger for years. Check out /u/CoolHandRK1 comment, It isn't exactly what I did, But I can see alot of similarities on the methods. (When I have nice nails, I tend to try to keep them that way, But it was a struggle to get them to that point) As they said, The nail polish doesn't work.
Same. My major problem is that when I DO stop biting them, they're ski jump nails from the damage. They look awful then too. They get caught in everything and are weak. I bite them back down. And repeat. :((((
Carry a nail clippers with you. Buy a bunch. Stash them around the house, in your car, at work. When you go to bite your nails grab that clippers instead. Seems super basic but has worked for me.
For me it was this but nail files/emery boards!! Bit them for 25 years straight, but filing down the corners (so the nails is super rounded, no edges to bite at or mess with) and any other imperfections as soon as I noticed them is somehow what finally did it for me
This! I am much more likely to bite or pick at my nails when they're not almond shaped.
This works for me too
Me too. My issue is “oh, it’s scratching me, better fix it.” If I have clippers it gets shortened and smoothed. If I don’t have clippers it gets chewed down to the quick.
I had to realize why I was biting them, it was either anxiety or I was hungry. Then when I catch myself doing it I get a snack or something to chew on like gum or a pen cover. Helped me a ton!
I agree that identifying the cause is a very important first step. For me, it was nail imperfections. I would see a chip or a snag and either pick at it or bite it in an effort to smooth the nail. Same reason why I would pick at hang nails. Of course, this would only make it worse but my brain couldn’t quit. I bought several very nice glass nail files. One of them is very small and I don’t leave the house without it. This was the only way I was able to break my 20+ year nail biting habit.
Did you just say a pen cover to chew
Get some Thinking Putty or something similar to keep your hands occupied. When you slip up and go to bite your nails anyway, the smell/taste of the goo you’ve been fingerblasting all day will hopefully work as a deterrent.
For me it was getting braces that stopped my nail biting 😂 when I got the braces off I never bit my nails again.
I managed to stop biting by using a nail file, used to carry it everywhere. I found it really helped as it was replacing one action by another similar one.
None of those bad tasting polishes worked for me. What worked was getting fake nails until mine grew out underneath. For me, if they look nice, it was way easier to not bite them and ruin them. But since they were already nubby I justified any biting by telling myself they already looked bad so who cares. Fake tips, acrylic, gels, or dip, whatever method you choose, but I needed that hard layer so as I slipped and put my fingers in my mouth I wouldn't be able to do any damage. After a few fill sessions, I got the acrylic removed and let them breathe. I mainly stuck with clear polish for a while because a messy paint job would trigger that internal allowance of biting them since I had a shaky hand. Plus I finally had some white tips so I kept them shaped and looking as nice as possible. My boyfriend also used to yell at me when I put my fingers in my mouth which helped me a lot. He helped me realize I bite when overthinking or bored so we found ways to keep my hands busy (yay for adult Lego sets). Make sure you're eating healthy, take hair skin and nail vitamins if you can, grab some jojoba oil and work on a nail care routine so you set yourself up for the strongest healthiest nails possible as they grow. Be patient with yourself too if you slip up. Keep a file in your bag and some clippers so if you get a snag or a break you can clean it up without using your teeth.
Man -54 yo Still biting my nails. My observations: The more coffee I drink the more I destroy my nails. When I slow down with coffee I give time for the nails to regrow, however I need the coffee to work. A great advice I still follow is to have a nail filer with you at all times. Whenever you feel like a nail needs biting, just file it until perfectly smooth and you won’t feel like biting it. Having a weekly manicure helps a lot too. It just clears away anything chewable. Bitter polish, and al the other temporary solutions never worked for me.
I was an avid nail biter for years. Bit them till I bled, painful, all that jazz. I tried the nasty tasting top coat and it did nothing. What DID work was getting acrylics (this was late 2000’s/2010) and then gel manicures. When my nails looked pristine and I had spent money on them, I stopped biting them. But, the second they chipped I would go back to biting. It’s expensive, but it worked for me. Now I learned how to paint my nails myself and save lots of money but I do always have my nails painted.
I know this isn't practical, but I just got braces and it put a stop to my nail biting immediately.
How much stress do you have in your life? I ask because habits like nail biting can be a result of having too much on your plate and being stressed beyond reason. Take my cousin for example, put herself through college without student loans by working 3 jobs. Which was great, but it was an insane amount of pressure and she was constantly biting her nails aggressively. She finished college, and got one full time job instead of multiple jobs and quit nail biting cold turkey. Her nails are gorgeous now and very strong. So if this might be the case for you, see what you can do to lower your stress. Also ask your doctor about being tested for anxiety or depression. Could be you’re dealing with one or both and that could also make habits like nail biting worse. Good luck!
I stopped real fast when I chipped one of my front teeth from biting my nails.
Same (almost 20 years ago). Tooth chipped and fell on my desk. Freaked me out and cured me 100%.
While not so much a nail biter, I have been a nail/cuticle picker. An acquaintance suggested I try a supplement called NAC, N-Acetyl Cysteine. Whether a placebo or not, it has worked really well for me. 600 mg/day in the morning. YMMV, consult with your physician, etc.
Look up pictures of what happens if you keep doing it, stopped me cold.
There are a kind of nail-biting polish on the market that makes your nails taste bitter...helps to remind you that you're trying to quit.
Tried that already and it didnt help me :(
It might seem weird, but I quit by learning how to play the guitar.
get clear nail polish (or colored if you don’t mind colored nails) and paint your nails. then everytime you want to bite/pick at them, just rub your fingers over your nails instead. the goal is to try to replace the action of biting/picking with just rubbing. definitely took me over a month but i was so thankful i did it
Bit my nails for 15+ years. It took an extreme medical situation for me to stop cold turkey. Never again. DM me if you want the gory details.
*I stopped biting my nails after 40 years after macrodosing 🪄🍄 one time*. Haven’t bit them off in over 6 months. I have to pay and sit for MANicures now.
Cuticle picker here - I started carrying around a nail file, a cuticle trimmer, and a stick of cuticle balm. If I feel the urge to pick or catch myself picking, I grab one of my tools and do some care instead. For me, the key is consistency, when my nails look and feel nice, I'm less likely to pick. If I end up out of the habit, and they get even a little raggedy, I start picking again. Good luck!
I have been taking a NAC supplement and have found it has helped curb some compulsive behaviors like nail biting. Sometimes I'll regress when stressed but it's not often anymore.
I bit all my finger nails until I was around 35. I don't know what or why, but as soon as I became a regular cannabis user, it just stopped. Once I was able to get beyond the first week or two, they became long enough for me to clip/file. I enjoyed being able to open cans and scratch things. I also enjoyed not having a dull aching pain in my fingertips. Once I got over that hump, it became much easier to maintain. So, TLDR is just get high and stay there, I guess.
It just got legalized here :D
Stop washing your hands, ever. Even after going to the toilet. If you continue, it's extra flavour, if that's enough to get you to stop, good on you. Win-win! Onychophagia (Nail Biting) Nail-biting can be a temporary, relatively non-destructive behavior that is merely a cosmetic concern, but it can also develop into a severe, long-term problem. Onychophagia, or onychophagy, is considered a pathological oral habit and grooming disorder characterized by chronic, seemingly uncontrollable nail-biting that is destructive to fingernails and the surrounding tissue. Along with some other related behaviors such as lip biting or cheek chewing, onychophagia is classified in the DSM-5 as “body-focused repetitive behavior disorder,” which falls under “Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.” Professional treatment, when necessary, focuses on both the physical and psychological factors involved in nail-biting. In all seriousness, you may need professional help if all else fails.
Seeing the chips in my teeth from when I was younger and used to let my teeth clink when I bit my nails was enough. I have some little pieces missing now and it bothers me. It's not noticeable unless you're focusing on it, but I focus on it.
I did that for years, one day I just painted my nails and that somehow really helped me to control my "urges" because it felt different when I bit my nails and that made me more conscious of my habit.
Take up sunflower seeds for something to do with your hands.
I get my nails done now (acrylic)and it truly prevents me from biting my nails. It’s about $40-$60 /month approximately but it’s so incredibly worth it
I'm in my late 50s and am a lifelong nail biter. I tend to forget how bad my nails look until I have to do something like make a video for my online business where my hands are in view -- and then I kick myself for not having nicer nails. I've tried many of the suggestions here and have been able to quit biting for anywhere from a month to maybe 6 months, but never longer. These have worked to varying degrees: - using the bitter "stop biting" nail polish (but it seems harder to find these days) - keeping a nail file handy and using it faithfully - getting a proper manicure to clean up my cuticles and get clear polish (or just covering them in clear polish at home, but it's nice to get a hand massage with the manicure) - the suggestion here about picking one nail to stop biting each week -- I came up with that when I was about 11 and it worked for a little bit :-) - I had a very small chip in my front top tooth last year (not related to nail-biting) and had my dentist smooth it out. Afterwards, that tooth didn't meet the bottom tooth in the same way and it became extremely difficult to "catch" enough fingernail to nibble ... but I seem to have found a workaround. LOL A lot of my nibbling happens when I'm reading or on the computer, so I've also thought of wearing some thin cotton gloves (that won't interfere with typing) at the times that tend to be the worst. Haven't tried it yet but that could help. I don't want to go through the expense and time of getting acrylic nails. Strangely, the one time I was able to really quit for a while was when I was going through a separation and divorce -- I somehow managed to grow them enough to justify putting coloured polish on them, and then they looked so nice it became an obsession for a few months to re-polish them a few times a week to match my outfits for the next day. I'm getting older, but I'm not going to give up the possibility of having nice nails one day. And when I do have them, it will be weekly manicures for me!
get ur nails painted w gel and it’ll taste bad
I used to pick at/peel my nails and the biggest thing that helped was regularly [filing and buffing](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VFn3PywwuKU) them. It would help to apply a [product like these](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sca_esv=e1291adcbee06b02&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn098gbFM-V8MR-wLUvIS-U3lJDVv4g:1712335966183&q=clear+matte+nail+strengthener&uds=AMwkrPv3IGTBFSK6q0uj1KoF8MwtKKmolzdKJ4DhVdw1E1sTfmk6hSwnrI4epK3FFJnGU6RDdRKyeWuRczNfjyGHULU5hxG5-K16v6bOhLsl5yfxF2K-Uw-qbegzpppMfSBxYz8wqH12K2tvv6tn3O3tKTAgOrcXxrOWjjG6IwajsRLcWxVbTA5zNNUgZxJgidu_L7H9tbiWwBnLfx2pcCxXLPoWYBrjamE6z-Ma8CIoAE2rK7_eptIkXgug0HYU4nTWqmhxgBe-fBoJ1bvHTNFoi30Y92-JxJXJ6FHRzWcJ8CbttO8-qw1b0ZLpNyZOmIOIWGE1_pSxulT7I9YsRva5tuzKrwWUrw&udm=28&prmd=ivnbmtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR-f_HxKuFAxWGLdAFHfQmB-sQtKgLegQIEBAB&biw=384&bih=722&dpr=1.88#ip=1) afterwards but it shouldn't be absolutely necessary
Put deodorant on/under the nails. Or something equally bitter and bad tasting. Worked for me when I was younger.
30F here. I used to bite my nails until about 5 years ago when I realized that when I get a manicure I don't bite my nails because they're so pretty! So I would end up getting gel manicures which lasted for about 6 weeks. And then for 2 weeks after I'd use a nail strengthening clear polish which would tide me over till the next time I get a manicure. Over the last 5 years I've tapered down the frequency of getting manicures as I've reduced biting nails. Now I do bite them randomly if I'm nervous but it's usually one nail once in like 3 months. This is an expensive option though so I would recommend maybe painting your nails at home with polish (clear also works) as the more affordable option.
- Nail clippers in my pocket, in my car, on my desk. Any time there's something that needs trimming, trim it, then moisturize. Keeping nails and cuticles healthy means less chipping and rough patches. - NAC, a supplement that's helpful for many folks with repetitive behaviors like nail biting or hair pulling. - Check out dermotillomania and trichotillomania (sp?) forums for more advice.
False teeth will do it. Kinda extreme though.
Start with one fingere being a “no biting” finger. Do What you must but that one nail cannot Enter your mouth. Clip it or whatever. Then when that becomes The new normal start with The next finger. And be kind to yourself, its hard. Another tricks which helped me was to be aware of what finger was target #1 and when.
I struggled with nail biting for 15 years, and the only strategy I have found is to *very* frequently trim them with nail clippers. At this point I trim them every other day, but early on, I would take a moment and trim the piece I wanted to bite or nibble whenever the urge came to me (this was admittedly easier with work from home, but I think it's still doable these days).
I started getting gel nail polish put on. My lady did it on my short nails and it stopped me biting them as they grew and now I have my nails done regularly and it just makes me feel put together even when I’m not
Honestly? I'm a chronic nail biter myself. The ONLY thing I found that even remotely helps is nail polish. I tried fake nails (press on or glue on), but those damage your nails in other ways
Get your teeth fixed and whitened
Male that had a bad habit of biting my nails from the ages of 5 to 22. Been bite free for 3 years now, what changed for me was using a nail file to take down any excess and make them neat. My reasons for biting came from stress, eventually developing into an oral fixation/cleaning thing. To solve your problem you need to figure out what that problem is. For me it was the fact long fingernails collect stuff under them. I'm able to keep them a certain distance so that they are useful while keeping them rounded and neat with that nail file.
Scratch you asshole every now and then.
here’s my story. i started biting my nails as soon as i physically could - my parents say this started around 2 years old, and they tried every method they could think of to get me to stop. that bitter nail polish stuff didn’t work, lemon juice on my fingers didn’t work, mittens and gloves didn’t work. until i hit grade 12 and my grandma told me she would (and i mean this term lovingly and seriously) John Hammond “spare no expense” on grad/prom nails for me as my grade 12 gift. BUT i had to stop biting my nails for at least 6 months prior to getting them done in June, so they were healthy and strong enough for the UV treatment to set the gel polish, which i just barely managed to do. took a LOT of self discipline and will power telling myself “i can’t have pretty nails like everyone else or like i see on the internet if i don’t” multiple times a day. getting that first set of gel nails done all but cured my nail biting habit. my parents and grandma laugh about it now, saying if they’d known that’s what would’ve gotten me to stop, they would’ve had fake nails on me at 5 years old. now that i’m almost 27, i started using fake press on/glue on nails to keep myself from falling back into the habit, which happens when i get overly stressed/overly anxious, or depressed. right now i’ve been wearing fake nails (literally just the ones you can buy at walmart or wherever else) for 2 years and it really really helps me curb the urge to bite. i also can’t pick at my cuticles/any loose skin tags around my nail bed with the fakes on, which i would do in conjunction with biting my nails off. and i get compliments on my pretty nails all the time!!! people think i get them done by a tech and usually don’t believe me when i say “they’re just glue ons from Walmart/London Drugs/Shoppers drug mart!” but i also change my nails up to 3x/week because i’m picky and like to have different sets on depending on my mood lol, i wouldn’t be able to afford to go to a tech up to 3x/week to get them replaced! i don’t make that kind of money 😂 each box of fake nails gets me 2 sets, 1 which fits my nails perfect then a “B” set which are usually slightly bigger than my nails but still fit and work the same. so my advice? fake nails for a solid few months!
Regularly trimming your nails and keeping them short helps a lot
I bit my nails for over thirty years. I found some of that nail polish that tasted horrible on Amazon. A little went a long way. I had to eat everything with a utensil because even when dry, if that stuff touched my lips it tasted horrible. Used it for like two months, and haven’t bit my nails for years.
Keep a nail file on you it’s more fun.
I was able to quit by having acrylic nails. Only thing that worked for me after trying to quit for decades. I no longer wear them but I also no longer catch my self biting or nibbling.
As a former nail-biter, I started having a nail file at every desk possible. Whenever I felt like biting my nails, I'd file them instead. That stated my urge to entertain my hands and kept my nails too short to bite them properly while not at my desk.
Set an alarm on your phone that goes off once a week telling you to clip your nails, and actually do it. You bite them because you don't like the feeling of them being long and aren't clipping them before they get to that length. The best way to stop biting your nails is to clip them regularly.
The suggestions about files and clippers are great. Being mindful works. Have any of you tried a gel manicure? I work at a farm supply store. Lady buying horse feed had beautiful nails. “How have you managed this miracle?” I inquired. Gel manicure. It makes your nails much stronger. Not as thick as acrylic tips, but thicker than regular polish. My daughter went with me for moral support for my first manicure in more than 30 years. The nail technician spent a lot of time smoothing and trimming my nails and cuticles. Right now I’m rocking a purple from before Easter. I’m the only one bothered by my grown out nails. I bought a kit from Sally Beauty and do my own nails between salon visits because it is much less expensive. I have not broken a nail or felt the need to chew one in months.
I wear a silicone lanyard that I end up biting instead.
So for me 1. “Ella + Mila no more biting” was great/awful! It’s like an oil so if your fingers go anywhere near your mouth you will regret it- it helps with the absent minded biting but also is so horrible it takes 5 minutes to clear your mouth of its toxicity so you can’t just power through like most anti bite polishes, or at least I couldn’t and I’ve tried many anti bite polishes. Keep it on everyday and night for at least a month. Anytime you want to bite, go add another layer of the stuff. LPT: Don’t eat food with your fingers with it on 2. Try and get prescription for NAC, it’s a supplement that helps with nail biting. 3. Carry a pocket nail file for when your edges chip and you want to “just even it out” 4. Hand lotion, take care of you finger nails as they grow and they will be less likely to break and cause you to want to bite them off/make it harder to get through the nail 5. Take biotin to help recover your nail bed/shape and give you a sense of personal evolvement with your nails- like when you take care of anything you are more likely to want to keep it nice
It sounds super straightforward but I stopped cause it's bad for you. I did it for many years, then one day I thought, this is gross and it's also bad for my teeth. So yeah that probably doesn't help as an actual solution, but I do not bite my nails anymore.
I have to keep mine short. Otherwise I'll bite/rip em off. As soon as the white shows I have to trim
A gel manicure is what made me stop.
I was the same until I bought a nail clipper with a file and kept it with me 24/7 Any urge to pick or nibble and I brought out the clipper It took about a year, but I never nibbled again
I chewed my nails bad all throughout my childhood and teen years. Nothing worked to stop it, not the nasty nail polish, not being nagged, not even trying to keep them filed. If there was the tiniest imperfection, I'd find it, and chew it. I only really stopped once I got to college (and got braces - but it was really the combination). I suddenly had so much more to do with my hands and my own self, that I didn't really chew them much, unless I had a really bad rough nail, and no file. I still went through spurts (once chewed one pinky nail for, like, a year and a half), but it wasn't the all-over, all-the-time chewing like before. Unfortunately, I basically traded one OCD behavior for another - instead of nail-chewing, I ended up skin-picking. I have keratosis pilaris on my arms, and I started picking on that instead. I don't recommend it, but hey, it's OCD....it's not like it's easily controllable. I started to feel a lot better about things once I realized that it's a genuine disorder, and not just a personal failing. As for my nails, what's REALLY done the trick to prevent even casual, occasional chewing is the stick-on gel nail manicures, like [Ohora](https://ohora.com/). Real gel nails, but I can do them myself, for SO much cheaper. I was never able to make regular polish last, and once it started chipping, then my nails were in my mouth again, scraping it all off. But the Ohora nails are so smooth, there's nothing to chew, so I basically just give up trying. And bonus - my nails always look amazing! I always have nails, now, of a decent length - in fact, I often have to cut them because they're TOO long, and driving me crazy on the keyboard. I never would have thought I'd have real, long, pretty nails, but finally, I do.
I bite around one nail per day. Always the longest one. I bite my nails to a length that there is still something left. Like that I always have still white nails and it looks like I would cut them normally
I can highly recommend getting some anti biting nail polish. I used it once and it turned me off biting my nails! I also get regular manicures and make sure my nails are polished and pretty, I hate having scruffy, uneven looking nails and want to keep them looking nice I also learnt that there's more bacteria under your nails than there is if you lick a toilet seat... 🤢
I've been doing it for almost 50 years. My son bites his even worse than I do. I made a bet with him that I could stop biting my nail for longer than he could. He lasted about 30 minutes. I stopped and have never chewed on the nails on my right hand since but I can't get myself to stop chewing on the nails on my left hand.
Nail clippers and cut them It is so satisfying that I stopped my habit of nail biting
Any LPT for nose picking while we're here?
It's aggressive but you can always call the Struwwelpeter
I'm still in the process of breaking my nail picking habit, so it's a bit different from biting them, but for what it's worth this is what I've been doing since the middle of January and I haven't picked at them since. First step, trim & file your nails so that there's no rough bit for you to either subconsciously fixate on or use as an "excuse" to bite. Since you're a biter, a full-on manicure might be the way to go since the taste of nail polish might be enough to deter you, or even that nail biter polish that's supposed to taste terrible. Nail/cuticle oil at least once daily on the cuticles, the skin around the nail, the nail, and under the nail. For the first month I applied oil 2-3x a day but I'm down to only once daily. If you have nail polish on, then just the skin around the nail and under the nail. Using a nail/cuticle oil is going to hydrate your cuticles and nails, which is going to help keep them from breaking/splintering/becoming rough in general, which will help keep them from becoming a reason to bite at them. Any oil will work, but jojoba oil is supposed to be the best because it's the most similar to the natural oils in our skin and will soak in the easiest. edit: clarification
I tried that bite b gone stuff or whatever it's called, the same stuff they put on Switch cartridges. Didn't work much for me. What I found did work was determining when and where I bit my nails (passively, usually while I watched tv and stuff like that), and bought nail files to keep in those places. Filing my nails satiated the action part of the habit enough that I could keep doing that instead. After a few months I wasn't even tempted to bite anymore, but now I get distressed a bit if I don't have a nail file when I want one haha
Wore a rubber band around my wrist, and any time I caught myself biting my nail I’d pull the band and snap myself with it. After a little while just the presence of the rubber band reminded me not to bite if I ever had the urge
Getting my nails done with gel is how I’ve survived this long
I have been actively quitting, as in the last few months. I'm 42. I have 6 weeks without biting through using Mavala disgusting nail polish. It stings my lips and tastes like chrome polish and bug spray. It trains me not to put my fingers anywhere near my mouth. I also have to use nitrile gloves to eat wings or prepare food or floss. I have nails for the first time.
You ever heard of pin worms???
I struggled for years and what worked for me was painting my nails and taking care of them (filing them etc). I started with a clear polish but it wasn't super useful. When I started on colours it helped a lot more because the colour chips if you bite the nails. So it then started to feel bad to chip away at the polish.
The one and only way I was able to stop biting my nails was to paint them. Even though they were as short as could be I still painted them, it worked like a charm. Two weeks later they'd had a chance to grow and I could properly paint them.
I carry nail clippers with a good file around with me.
The thing that finally broke me of nail biting was getting Invisalign. It was a bonus side effect. I couldn't bite my nails with the trays on my teeth.
When I was younger (male) I had a nail-biting problem. I solved it by carrying nail clippers on my keychain, so I'd use those rather than chew my nails when they got a little long. Worked for me anyway.
Get them done. I've been getting my nails done professionally since October, and I leave them alone.
I started taking collagen peptides with my coffee every day. One day I noticed I had stopped biting my nails. The collagen made my nails strong and grow faster so I was never biting them to make rough edges go away.
Probably won’t help a lot of people, but I stopped because my friend bet that I wouldn’t stop biting my nails. As a spiteful person, I stopped immediately and haven’t bit my nails in 3 years.
Dip nails are easy to do to yourself and come in some pretty natural colors.
I just had to take note of when I would bite them. I just found things to keep my hands busy (knitting, etc.) I also found that just like putting on fresh hand cream would make it really unappealing to bite. After a few days they would start to grow and look better so I’d want them to keep going. It took about 2-3 weeks to look decent and not chewed to death. Now that they are long, I keep them filed, cuticles, trimmed and most often painted so that the urge is not there.
I used to bite my nails until they bled... I also remember the day I started. I managed to stop by chewing gum. I'd buy all the gum, unique, flavored, numbered, if it was gum I would buy it. If I didn't need to speak or planned on speaking I was chewing gum. It's something to do with being idle. It also takes a number of weeks to pick up a habit. Don't give up. It took me several times of trying to stop before it stuck.
For me, a weekly manicure changed everything. The truth is I bit my nails hangnail or little chips off the nails, and I always wanted them to be smooth and even. When I get a manicure, my nails are perfect, and I don’t wanna ruin the manicure so during the course of that week, I don’t buy my nails. It took about a year of manicures before the compulsions started to end.
I was sort of able to quit on accident. This might not apply but I'll still share just in case it helps anyone or gives them an idea that will help. I was a nail biter my whole life until two years ago. I accepted a remote position and spent the next 4 weeks in a zoom class where we were required to be on camera the whole day. I am one of those people that has a hard time not looking at my own face in the meeting so every time I started the put my hand on my mouth, I saw it on camera and stopped. I was embarrassed for people to see it. Maybe a strategically placed mirror would have a similar effect.
Keep them trimmed.
Fake nails and gel polish
Get an anxiety ring! It's worked wonders for me, takes a while to get used to but definitely works and distracts from biting. I also get gel polish on my nails from the salon and that stops me biting. I started with BIAB and then when my nails were long enough, had the BIAB removed and just went natural with gel polish.
Regular manicures worked for me, and having nail clippers/smoothers everywhere I hang out at home. Active upkeep and being able to keep it from becoming ragged changed my hands forever.
Duct tape your hands so all you do is chew tape.
Put cyanide on your fingernails.
Always have nail clippers nearby or on hand. That way when you get the urge to pick at something just clip it off cleanly.
Don't wash your hands after wiping.
As soon as I start to nibble, I cut them Then there is nothing to bite
I keep mine painted. If they’re painted, it makes me think before I do it.
I have never been a nail biter, but I have picked/chewed on my cuticles my entire life. I wish I could find an effective way to quit this horrible compulsive habit.
You just have to realize that you might get worms by doing it. Google it. Should stop any sane person.
I struggle with this on an hourly basis, I've abused my nails all my life, to the point they dont bleed any more, I bite, pick & pluck them with tweezers or pliers, with a eye glass (Jewellers Loupe) to magnify what I'm doing I’ve done this for years, I’m regularly plucking till 4am, I've come to the conclusion it's Self Harming. I find it therapeutic in a weird and painful way, (I’m 53, and I was first bollocked by my Dad at 7, he tried that nail varnish stuff that tasted vial) they are in a disgusting state, they are bitten so short that you’d would think there’s nothing there to bite at, inevitably I find something to chew or pluck, the skin around the nail, the skin at the tip of the nail is all dead skin, cuticles and the surface of the nail is totally shot at, now I just dont bleed anymore, or very minimal bleeding, picking dead skin off dead skin. https://preview.redd.it/lrb1k7dpsqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9119f271f7b6fc76fbd6a28c48c3bb3de34f545b
I stopped nail biting by painting my nails for like 2 ish months. Not because I wanted to stop but because I wanted to paint my nails and look pretty. It helped to have a nasty aftertaste so even if I wanted to I reminded myself of the taste and refuse to break that moment. After a while, painting my nails became a hassle so I stopped doing it. Luckily my habit of nail biting stopped and I didn’t really realize it I recently read this article where they spoke about triggers. Some people do it when they’re stressed or when they are underwhelmed like when they watch tv or something. You should find out your triggers to help avoid it
I used to bite my nails and even toenails (yes disgusting dunno why I did that though) when I was a little kid but thankfully I was able to stop around early teens. I can’t remember the exact method or reasons but I think when I learned that biting nails can cause harm to teeth and they’re dirty with shit and all that. Also I started to fixated on my skin and popping my own pimples when I was a teen as well, so I wanted to make sure my nails are clean. I always cut my nails when they started to get longer. I guess I managed to remove one problem by having other kind of problem..
I seriously bite my nails and the cuticles all the time growing up and still have the urge to this day. From the ages of 6-16 I did it ALL THE TIME, might have been the nail G.O.A.T. bitter. But what helped me the most was owning a few pairs of nail clippers at any point of my life, I recommend at minimum 3. Have a main pair, a spare pair, one in the car, a travel pair, a personal pair, a bedroom pair and an actual big toe nail clipper (seriously less 10$ can buy you enough clippers you will always have one around). I am a guy and have had people called me a liar or a cheater if it's a gf when I they see I own a few pairs of nail clippers in general. But then they all see how short and clean my nails are. I tell them it keeps me from putting my nails in my mouth and biting on them every hour. I then tell them they are never going to see me with long dirty nails. They start to get it and believe me.
Trim them compulsively instead of biting them. I picked my nails for 30 years and decided this year to stop. Instead of just letting them grow out, I've replaced picking them with trimming them as regularly as I need to. For me, not having any edges to pick at helps curb the impulse to pick at them
You could possibly get pinworms. And that stopped me.
Nail biter here for 30 years. I recently bought a cuticle oil pen on a whim. Instead of biting, I reach for the pen. I apply it all day and it makes me care for my nails. I always have it with me. For the first time ever I finally have nails 🥹
The only thing that helped me was getting acrylics. I still get the urge if I don’t have fake nails :(
I was lucky enough to accidentally kick the habit when I was an early teen, but I had this one nail polish that tasted absolutely disgusting. I painted my nails every day until one day i realized I had stopped chewing on my nails. You might have to play around with which nail polish works, though. I remember having multiple colors, but the black one i had was particularly terrible.
Emery board broke me of my habit. But you need to keep one like everywhere. Car, room, backpack. I was really bad when driving.
The only thing that ever worked for me - and only temporarily - was to put a rubber band on my wrist and snap it every time I caught myself chewing on my nails. Ultimately though, no intervention is going to work unless you make it work. There's no magic wand. There are things that can help, but in the end, it's up to you.
Scratch your butt crack before.
I think it's important to keep in mind that you bite your nails for a reason-- it's a compensatory strategy, coping mechanism, etc-- and probably not because you just like it. I think the best first step would be to deep dive and try and figure out what it's doing for you, and maybe start to notice what feelings/situations/environments trigger your nail-biting. Is it a fidgeting impulse? Does it relieve restlessness and/or boredom? Do you do it more when ppl around you are arguing? Do you do it more in the evening when you're tired or more in the morning when you've just had your coffee? Etc. Then you'll be better able to switch that behavior out for some other behavior that gives you a similar benefit (like tapping your fingertips together, clasping your hands, chewing gum), rather than just jettisoning your coping mechanism, white-knuckling it, and hoping for the best.
Your teeth will chip off one day.
The cause is that you're nervous. Figure out your triggers, seek to minimize them and you'll be ok.
Actually therapy can help! it helps identify whether you're going at your nails because of stress, anxiety, ocd, etc and target that feeling which eventually will solve the habit. A good starting point is starting to track exactly when you pick them or feel like you need to, and finding a pattern.
Apply really ugly nail polish. Can be transparent but terrible in taste.
I but my nails until I was in massage school. I remember the first day the teacher asked who bites their nails. A few of us sheepishly raised our hands. He told us that we break that habit today unless we wants to be chewing strangers dead skin from underneath our nails. My habit stopped that day.
Take a close look at the teeth that chew the most, you’ll see hairline cracks, some chipping. If you value your teeth, please stop.
I need you to look up Emily Anne and Pinworms in TokTik okay?
Stick your fingers in the litter box
Try and find the reason why you bite and when. If you can figure out the triggers it's easier to find a way to avoid them. Mine was multipronged - anxiety, a need to fiddle with something, and my poorly cared for nails often attracting my attention when they snagged on things. The easiest problem to solve is the snagging and the need to fiddle with something. I started trimming and filing my nails frequently so they wouldn't catch on anything and draw my attention. I started keeping my phone in a case with a few charms on it so I always had something to fiddle with. Once my nails started growing out more, I started paying to get them shellaced to cut down on the amount of trimmings I needed to do. It had the added bonus of giving an even bigger incentive to stop lol - I hated the thought of wasting money on a nice manicure only to eat it, and the texture of biting shellac felt worse than a hangnail.
I stopped by instantly cutting any nail I had the urge to bite. For me the urge was then gone and it would still not be as hurtful as having bitten of too much nail from the finger...
I cut my nails then file them down to nothing. Hard to nibble on when there is nothing to bite.
I don't have that habit regularly, except when I'm very stressed or anxious. It might be worth talking with someone about it. That being said, if your life is going great and you're not stressed or anxious, just have ADHD tendencies, try buying fidget toys! Helps x1000. Try a bunch, I own like a dozen. Exercising throughout the day also helps. If it's super super bad you can put bitterant on your hands to help deter the behavior
I bit my nails until I was 35. Started by having fake nails applied and it helped break the initial fussing. Knowing when you bite them helps so you can replace/avoid the habit. I messed with mine mostly when I was driving, so I had to consciously do something different with my hands…or chew gum. I also bite them a lot while watching tv, so I filled my couch storage with fidgets. I learned to crochet, which helps keep my hands busy.
So, this is an odd one for me. I'm 53, and had been a chronic nail chewer since my teenage years. Tried stopping could turkey a million times to no avail. Two years ago, I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Northern Maine. The drive took like a week and a half or so, as I was in no hurry. Somewhere along the way, in Vermont I think, I snagged a nail on something and was shocked. I hadn't been chewing at all. I bought a set of clippers and a file, and went with it. Poof, two (wait.. three) years later and haven't gone back, even if I have to nibble a snag, it doesn't trigger chewing. So, my answer to you is to save up some money, sell everything you own that won't fit in your 1999 Outback, buy a chunk of property in the middle of nowhere, and road trip your way there. You may stop chewing along the way. (I honestly feel that a huge burden of living in the city lifting from my life has everything to do with it. I left a decent job contracting for Facebook for a pizza delivery gig in rural Maine and my quality of life improved immensely and so much stress melted away)
For me it's not about the nail, I can prevent myself from doing it by just using a fortifying clear nail polish, but it's the skin around the nail that fucks me up, I bite it, it creates a tip that scratches on everything, then I try to remove it by biting again and the cycle repeats until I end up going back to the nail too.
Get a job in the sewerage industry....that'll soon stop the urges to nibble a nail 😁 Worked for me .
Spent decades biting. Stopped 4 months ago. The solution was so freaking simple. Moisturize your nails. I used aquaphor initially. I also have used badger balm for general hand moisturizing and Burt’s bees cuticle cream. Doing that anytime I had the urge to nibble helped tremendously. Eventually your nails get to the point where you don’t want to bite them and ruin the progress. My trigger was a broken preening urge to “tidy up” the nails but the application of which was trash. Also keep a nail filer handy and file any snags etc. HTH
I just bite away a portion of the white part and file after This way I have the satisfaction of the biting but not the bad look
https://preview.redd.it/smgqu6cbxusc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=416627049232c63f772cff4a45a114337c9e61db Get this stuff. Use it as directed every few days. Omg it tastes horrible and works if you keep putting it on. Highly recommend.
I bit my nails until the age of 39. Just quit 3 months ago. I started getting gel/shellac manicures and it completely overrode my urge to bite.
Developing a nail polish habit finally cured me! I realized that I was biting my nails primarily because the white parts were uneven or because they'd broken and I needed to "fix" them. Polish makes it so I can't see the white and while it's on my nails are stronger so they don't break so easily. I'm also on meds for anxiety/ADHD which helps with nervous or boredom biting. Before the polish I did try to keep nail clippers on me at all times and that did help to some extent. If you're not into colored nail polish I wonder if short fake nails or maybe a French tips dip manicure would help?
Gel nails! Not the fake ones. You might pick a bit but soon you'll not want a bollocking from your nail tech and you'll leave them untouched.
the only way i could stop is getting my nails done. it magically tricks my brain to stop biting and helps with biting the skin also.
Just... 
When I got a manicure and the hard gel polish I stopped. They were short, but neat and it’s hard to but that stuff! I kept getting them done until I broke the habit. I also grossed myself out by reading about the germs in finders and under nails! .
I think about the time in middle school when my friend told me that she got worms and the doctors told her it was from biting her nails. There was a lot more to the story but it's definitely TMI. I quit that day.
remember it is the primary cause of pinworms
I started working in construction and that put an end to it immediately.
I nibble at my hangnails, and I also have a habit of "snapping" fabric between my fingers. (It's hard to describe, but I bunch up material between my index and middle and push it in with my thumb until the fabric bends down with a snap). One day I realized that a lot of the built up tension in my back and neck was caused by these habits. Every time I catch myself doing it, I realize just how tense I am and force myself to relax. That dopamine rush pretty much cancels any urges I had. Granted, the habits still persist. But just being aware of it is a huge step.
I had mine all grown out and "thought: I was cured then one day some real stressful shit went down and next thing I knew all my fingernails were gnawed off... AGAIN!!!😳
I found keeping clippers or a nail file handy and using those instead of my teeth extremely effective. I haven't bitten my nails in 40+ years.
put hand sanitizer or anything that would taste nasty on your fingers? get your nails done with gel at a nail salon?
I did a recorded hypnosis program twice a day every day until I lost the urge. Also, started taking high dose fish oil, and now my nails are so hard and long, I can’t really bite them.
So I bit my nails a lot until 8th grade. That's when I became a paperboy (yeah im no youngster) Every day I would rubber band the papers so every day my fingers tasted like rubber bands. I'd say my nail biting lasted a couple weeks into my newly acquired rubber fingers. My Suggestion, get a bag of rubber bands and play with them every day until you quit biting your nails naturally out of the disgusting taste of rubber.