I started biting my nails when I was young and haven't been able to stop since. I tried everything -- bitter nail polish, various creams, ...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can stop biting my nails? I would love to give myself a small reward like a mani and pedi for the first 10 lbs I lose, but it would be silly to do so if I don't have nails to take care of...

Would nail reconstruction or fake nails help?

Hi! I quit after watching myself do it in the mirror - ew! It was when I had my first real job and I thought they looked bad. What helped me was making a manicure appointment like 3 weeks in advance so I could not bite them or there would be nothing to manicure. Manicures cured me. They don't feel or taste like your nails with 5 layers of polish on them. In the meantime, filing them straight, using clear polish and nice hand cream might help.

I bit my nails my whole life. I finally started using acrylic nails, done at a shop and expensive, but I couldn't bite those darn thing and after awhile I quit using them and found I had broken the habit, I now have nice natural nails.

I bit my nails for years. I would say that yes a manicure would help, as you're paying someone to do your nails, you're not going to want to ruin it. The only time I pick at my nails anymore is if I have a hangnail, and I always carry a pair of tweezers, and a good nail file and buffer with me. Keeping them in good shape has helped, a lot.

I stopped biting my nails by really, really caring for them. Like having nail cream around you all the time, shape them and paint them. The frequent nail cream helps fixing the damage and takes your mind off biting them.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am hoping I will be able to stop biting my nails soon!!!

I tried all of the above and the only thing that really made me stop was just thinking about it all the time, and really really wanting/committing to stop. I made sure I was thinking about it a lot because I would subconsciously stick my hand in my mouth and start nibbling. Eventually I just stopped, although I "relapse" occasionally with one nail, haha.

Regular manicures. Start with a light-colored polish, like OPI Bubble Bath.

Hi purplepumpkin,

We seem to be in a similar boat. I had the problem for as long as I can remember, just another nervous habit I think. I manage to quit for periods of time when there is enough outer influence, example there was a year when I worked mostly at hospital wards and in the operating theater and could not afford to bite my nails during that time. Was scared of infections like ****! lol

Anyway, after getting an office job with plenty of stress it all came back, especially during very stressful times. For me using polish works quite well. The trouble is that we were never allowed to paint our nails at the University and I also grew up in a very conservative family that basically associates polish with whorish. So, while I don't feel comfortable wearing it, I do it when aware that some important event or meeting is coming up in a few weeks when I must look my best and most professional self.

I hope you will succeed in stopping this habit yourself and share some of your experience later on. Best of luck to you!

Thinking about that there are bacteria on the nail. they are dirty

I am in the same place as well, avid nail biter for as long as i can remember. I think I'm orally fixated in general, I cant have a pen or a straw near me without chewing it to smithereens. It also doesn't help that im quitting smoking right now and my mouth is desperate for sensation!

I'm off the wagon right now but certain things have helped in the past. Once in high school i kept a rubber band on my wrist and snapped it every time I went to bite my nails or even thought about it. Worked pretty well!

Stress gets me every time, so when im having a stressful day I try to make sure I have gum or a straw or something to occupy my mouth.

My mom once tried to put hot sauce on my nails but I think it just made me crave spicy food. It could work for you though.

Good luck. If we both stop biting we should take pretty pictures of our nails all did up!

I bit my nails until I was in my midforties. I bought stick-on nails from WalMart, tried to keep them well repaired for a few days. By then I had nice edges that I could file and trim. Never bit them again.

Actually, it's very much like losing weight. I had done that a few times before, including salon acrylics. But this time it stuck.

i started to think about all the things you do with your hands over the day. for me its change my sons diapers, wipe myself, pick up toys, clean stuff. (of course i was my hands after each but still) my uncle used to tell me all the time 'kim you wipe your butt with that hand' one day it just sunk in and i stopped. plus my hands look alot thinner now that i dont bite them. i actually enjoy giving myself manicures =)

What about your nutrition? How is your calcium? Magnesium? Because sometimes nail biting is more than merely a bad habit -- it could be from a deficiency of some type.

A.