Help me to stop biting my fingernails

[laurentwink1]

Help - I've been biting my nails for 8 years, I hate my hands, my boyfriend hates seeing them like it and seeing me bite them and I'm starting to hurt and feel ugly but cannot stop this habit - its sooo bloody awful! Has anyone out there tried to stop and succedded and why am I finding it soooo hard to give up - everytime I do, then i start again

[sddsddean]

My wife has bitten her nails ever since I've known her (over 17 years), but she has just stopped, so I asked her how to do it. She says she noticed how nice other peoples nails looked and as we had booked a holiday, decided to grow her nails. She did it more or less, just using willpower and me shouting at her every time she went to bite her nails. She does give these tips though. When you first start trying to let them grow, they will be very brittle and liable to breaks, so carry a nail file at all times, as obviously it is very tempting to bite a broken nail. This is also true if you 'catch' a nail and get a little break. Don't try for mega length nails straight away. Just get them looking nice, level with the end of your finger. If you can do this for about 3 months, the new growth will start to come through and you nails will be stronger and less liable to breaks. It's a case of loads of willpower. One of her friends even commented how different her hands look with nails, so it's worth the effort. Good luck!

[andy hughes]

I bit my nails all through childhood, and although it's a nastty habbit, I'd rather have that than smoking! I am very lucky, I just stopped, and learned to cut my nails with scissors, not bite them. One good way is to wear cotton gloves when ever you can, especially when watching TV and in bed (insert your own joke here!) which will hwlp to remind you not to bite. Chemists sell various preparations - 'NilBite' was one, don't know if they still make it - but something like that will give you a nasty shock and remind you to leave your nails, so plaster it on every day. The result of your labour will give you nice nails, and encourage you to keep them. If you 'fall down' - don't worry, your nails will forgive you, and grow again. Persevere, you will get there.

[jeanne]

My nan has always bitten her nails the skin is now sort of grown there and she wouldn't be able to grow them now if she wanted to!! What about trying to wear false nails for a couple of weeks to give your nails a head start. Taking sea kelp vitamins helps hair and nail growth too.

[branchinghen]

Scratch yer ar*e mair often

[njg1225]

I used to bite and couldn't give up long-term no matter what (plenty of false starts though). Now I go to a salon once every 3 weeks and get acrylic nails put on. They are EXTREMELY strong and impossible to bite. Downside is you need to go back to salon every 3 weeks to maintain them. (Don't bother buying cheap and nasty plastic stick-on nails - false economy).

[laurentwink1]

Wow - Thanks guys, not sure about branchinghen's answer but you guys have really helped, I have bought som natural nail growth activator from boots 2 days ago and my nails seem to have shot up already - lets hope I resist the temptation eh? Thanks again guys, I'll let you know how I get on! Lauren xxx

[jakesi]

I heard somewhere thats there's more bacteria under the finger nail than the average toilet bowl. Still fancy a nibble?

[laurentwink1]

That can't be true!!!

[andas]

You can visit you Local Boots store and sell a type of nail varnish that you paint over you nails, and the next time you go to nible your nails, it will taste very bad, and it is supposed to put you of from biting them