Any tips on how to stop biting nails?

S

Sue Ellen

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Just wondering if any of you knowledgeable people have tips on how to help an adult to stop biting their nails?

A very good friend of mine is doing his best to give up this terrible habit but to-date he hasn't been able to despite thinking that he had it conquered many times.

He bites the nails so much that he leaves his fingers very sore sometimes and possibly open to infection.

I mastered the habit myself when I was a teenager with the help of Stop and Grow or one of those terrible tasting liquids but none of these type of things has worked for him.
 
boxing gloves? seriously tho, one nail at a time is the best way, if stop'n'grow hasn't worked. add a new nail once a week - you'll end up with one gorgeous hand and one gnawed one!! and when you see how lovely they can look, it'll spur you on to let the rest grow. Better than going cold turkey, especially if you're a biter of long standing.
 
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Clear nail varnish might be worth a shot. That's what my mammy used :) Mind you, never did find out if there were any nasty toxic side effects.

Wibble .
 
He should cut his nails as deep as possible if this doesn't work pull all his teeth
 
If he can associate nail biting with something undesirabel that he has to do, e.g. every time he bites his nail he has to put €5 or €10 into a money box for charity or whatever other cause (can't be holiday) . or every time he nail bites he has to scrub the floor.

It worked for me quiet rapidly and I was a biter for years.
 
I've bitten my nails for as long as I can remember. Then I did the nail bitters program at associate nails - I now have 9 lovely nails (i'm working on the 10th). So one nail at a time has worked for me

The program is really a simple manicure - but you must go every week (€20 a go). As well as making your nails smoother & healthier, it makes you start to appreciate them - plus they also use their own version of stop n'grow/nail hardener
btw, I've no affiliation to associate nails
 
Where is associate nails? I'm a long term nail biter and have tried everything....am convinced must bite nails in sleep as not aware of doing during the day.
 
I've heard about this one-nail-at-a-time idea, I also heard that you should limit yourself to just biting your thumbs and then wean yourself off.
Just a thought!
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Lipstick69 said:
...am convinced must bite nails in sleep as not aware of doing during the day.
Click to expand...
the first step is AWARENESS of biting the nails.........stick something on them or stop and grow.......gives you a chance to realise when/where you bite so you can watch out for those situations.
 
Put on false nails. They go on over the natural nail and can be cut to shape. Realise your friend is male but need not go so far as to go down the varnish route. He simply won't be able to access the nails to chew. Will work a treat. You might have the tougher job of persuading him to put them on :)
 
Lipstick69 said:
Where is associate nails? I'm a long term nail biter and have tried everything....am convinced must bite nails in sleep as not aware of doing during the day.
Click to expand...

[broken link removed] look under Treatments for "Nail Biters Control Programme"

Not sure I would go the false nails route - my nails are so weak & brittle that the glue used has damaged them in the past. Stop N'grow plus a nail hardener would be good. Feel free to PM me.
 
Hi all.

I have been biting my nails since I was a toddler and have stopped for the first time ever! I was always biting them! I now have almost fully grown nails and it's great. I stopped biting my nails using 2 methods....1 just allowing myself to bite the nails on my 2 small nails, but more importantly 2. Telling myself that I can't put my fingers in my mouth! Sounds simple but if you don't put your fingers in your mouth you can't bite your nails!! Think this might work for smokers too.....to give up smoking just don't put a cigarette in your mouth...this moves the problem from a mental one to a physical activity.

So far so good and I am going to cut my nails for the first time ever next week!!!

Firefly.
 
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