[iJess]

I've worn fake nails loads and I bite them off too. I bite off that stuff that reckons to be horrible because I'm so used to it. I need nice nails for college and want my nails nice for prom which is in June. How can I stop biting straight away? Its so hard for me

[SilverbySkyline]

You can buy stuff thats like nail varnish but is the most disgusting, bitter tasting thing ever. Whap heaps of that on and you'll be hating life!!

[SophiaKeuning]

I've never been able to stop. Scary news for you, you'll be having stumpy nails for uni.

[iJess]

(Original post by SilverbySkyline)
You can buy stuff thats like nail varnish but is the most disgusting, bitter tasting thing ever. Whap heaps of that on and you'll be hating life!!

As I've said I'vealready tried that, I'm used to the taste so it doesnt bother me

[SparksInTheSky]

If none of those things work you may just have to try willpower techniques.Say 'no' to yourself every time you try and bite your nails - at the moment it is probably unconscious. Also break the challenge down into smaller chunks - not biting your nails for an hour, then a day, then a week etc. A technique that sometimes works is also to give yourself a time in the day when you 'must' bite your nails, but then you can't the rest of the time - the ridiculousness of the situation soon makes it lose its appeal.

[ehc]

I used to be the same. For some reason the only thing that worked for me was to make is into a competition.
Me and another girl who bit her nails had a bet to see who would grow their nails/go without biting them the longest. It sounds stupid, but it's the only thing that actually worked for me...

[Tortious]

I've found that I tend to bite my nails out of boredom. Keeping some chewing gum on hand generally does the trick.

[Johnny Luk]

Chew gum

[iJess]

Yep I bite mine out of boredom! I will try the chewing gum, thanks

[sophisticated]

Hypnotherapy?

Bit extreme, but worked for me...

[buildalegohouse]

You've gotta do it via. willpower I'm afraid. I've bit mine since the age of 5 or 6, and I stopped a few years ago, and I couldn't be happier with my new nails.
Try the chewing gum idea, and sit on your hands whenever you feel like biting them. I know sometimes you can do it without realising but try to make a conscious effort not to.
Then, when they grow even the weenist bit, go and get yourself a manicure. Spend as much as you want, just pick something you love. Not only does polish taste gross, but you won't want to go ruining your new, beautiful nails by biting them. -- plus, it's a waste of money.

[MrHappy_J]

My psychology a level tutor told me that, to stop biting nails, one of the tricks is to bite them all the time, even when you don't feel like it. By forcing yourself to, you become conscious of what you're doing and you get so fed up of it that you'll stop.

Not saying that it'll work but it is interesting.

[Vixen47]

Have some patience and willpower. Easier said than done, believe me.

Two years ago I bit my nails because I wanted to shape them. Then I started filing them to shape them and so I didn't want to bite them when they were shaped. Job done. Now, two years later, I must own about 10 nail files (don't ask... ) and although my nails look a little weird when they're short (that's expected after 15 years of biting!) they look pretty good when they're long.

Get a good moisturiser (I suggest Cuticura, as shown above), a nail file, then shape and moisturise. This is one of the best, natural-ish ways of doing it so come June, you should have stronger, longer nails.

Oh, and if you ever have the urge to bite your nails, chew gum or stick a lollipop in your mouth so you don't put your fingers in there.

[littlechinagirl]

I've posted this on this forum before (years ago) so I've just copied and pasted my post, I stand by it though 100% even now over 2 years later

This is how I kicked my 15 year nail biting habit:

1. I bought a pack of nail files and put them absolutely everythwhere- in the hangbag I was using, in my school bag, gym bag, in my car, in my coat pocket, in my pencil case. When I realised I was going to chew them/was already chewing them I took out my nail file and just filed a little bit- nothing crazy- but it gave my mind something else to channel the habit into. And filing nails is easily controlled and not detrimental unless I was going to be extreme filing-which I wasn’t. This was the main way I beat it to be honest, I replaced the behaviour with something else, something more managable.

2. I have always been a total make up junkie but had never really understood the fuss about spending more than £3 on a nail polish so thought I would give it a go. I bought some new pretty nail varnish and a couple of fairly expensive top coats. Once I had painted my nails (and taken the time and effort to do it carefully) I would have HATED for them to become chipped – especially if I knew I had spent £10+ on the bottle of it. It also has the added bonus of being uncomfortable when you do bite your nails, worrying I was going to get bits of brightly coloured varnish in my teeth made me not even think about biting them anymore. Plus, they looked so pretty in all their nice new colours!

It takes 6 weeks to make or break a habit, keep going with it, good luck!

[notastampcollector]

(Original post by Tortious)
I've found that I tend to bite my nails out of boredom. Keeping some chewing gum on hand generally does the trick.

Run out of rep but this is good advice. I find people say "Keep your hands busy" but that's impractical. Keeping your mouth busy is much more convenient.

[notastampcollector]

(Original post by iJess)
Yep I bite mine out of boredom! I will try the chewing gum, thanks

You'll find you get through quite a bit of gum initially, so don't use the sugar-free gum as it will give you the craps big time. Use the sugary stuff but brush your teeth often to avoid plaque build-up.

[Clare~Bear]

The only problem with the chewing gum idea is that most teachers don't allow you to have it during lessons but they don't stop you from biting your nails so it would only work out of school/college.

[yothi5]

Just don't bite?

[Retrodiction]

(Original post by iJess)
I've worn fake nails loads and I bite them off too. I bite off that stuff that reckons to be horrible because I'm so used to it. I need nice nails for college and want my nails nice for prom which is in June. How can I stop biting straight away? Its so hard for me

It was very sudden, but I set myself a target. I would let my nails grow long until they were just long enough to cut properly with nail clippers. It didn't take long, maybe a couple of days. I realised how much nicer they looked when cut with clippers than when bitten off, so I just stuck to it.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

i used to bite my nails, so i started using a cheap clear nail varnish which i would peel off instead of biting... it came off like pva glue so became a challenge to get it all off in one go instead and kept the bottle in my bag so i could replace it to peal off again nyc from superdrug £1.75 or something like that a bottle cant beat it

i also bite the skin arround my nails though havent been able to stop that so they still look horrible, and i do now have the obsession the other way cutting or breaking my nails is horrible they get rather scary long :| and i paint them every other day, have hundreds of nail varnishes

x