Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
How do I keep from biting my nails?
By Victoria from Wilmington, NC
I still remember what my 3rd grade teacher said to one little classmate..."You could plant radishes under those nails!" and I've never considered having a "dirt snack". That was 52 years ago and my mother-in-law stopped a life-long habit of nail biting after hear that.
Hello,
I always wanted to stop biting my nails too. I tired the easy acrylic way but that was just painful and bothersome (not to mention expensive) What really got me to stop was an idea from my grandmother. Just try to make one nail pretty. That's all. Just keep your mouth away from that one nail and wait awhile. There's no pressure and no bad feelings if you falter and bite one of the others.
I stopped by chewing gum. Also coincided with quitting smoking so the gum chewing helped with 2 things!
I am a teenager and I have been a nail biter for about 9 years now and it's terrible. I just can't stop no matter what I do. I have not tried any special nail polish yet (because I haven't been able to find any). My fingers are so gross as well as the skin just over top the base of the nail.
There are a lot of nail biting polishes (some people call these nibble inhibitors) available from Wall-Mart type stores, drug stores (ask a pharmacist if you need help) that are especially designed to help people break the habit of biting their nails. These work by placing a very bitter taste when you touch your nail to your mouth.
Placing band-aids over the nails during the day is also a good deterrent. Remove at night and reapply in the morning or after a shower.
You are not alone with a habit like this but there are probably trigger points that cause you to continue to do this so maybe you could try to keep track of what was going on when this happens (many times you may not even be aware you are biting your nails).
Here is a link that might shed more light on how to stop:
I had a really bad nail biting problem. I would bite them to the point they would bleed. I stopped biting them by buying the press on nails, then when I would go to bite them I couldn't anymore. After several packages of press ons it stopped my biting habit. Hope this helps, good luck.
I have been biting my nails for years, and I just don't know how to stop. Is there any way I can grow them naturally without being tempted to bite them?
I stopped biting my nails because I got an infection and had to get it squeezed professionally at the doctors. It hurt so bad (the infection) and that made me stop. You can watch YouTube videos and it'll make you cringe to stop!
I've been biting my nails for years, they are a disgrace and I am embarrassed. I have sent an image. Please can you help me?
There is actually a product that you can brush on your nails that tastes bitter. It is supposed to help stop the habit. A friend of mine broke her habit by brushing on hot pepper juice. As soon as her nails got into her mouth, it burned and she would pull it back out. However, you have to reapply often, and watch that you don't get it into your eyes.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Can anybody help me find a way to stop biting my nails and allowing them to grow healthily?
By Latoya from Eastbound, Trinidad
Find some special occasion that you would like to have nice long nails for and decide to quit biting them so that they will be long for that occasion. I bit my nails all my life until I was 16 and then I decided I wanted them long for the junior-senior prom and I had long nails for that and have had them ever since. (08/24/2010)
By Joan
Biting nails is partially a deficiency. I don't remember anymore which vitamin it is based on, but I am sure with a little Googling you can find out. My daughter used to bite her nails and I seem to remember my wife telling her to get a spoonful of peanut butter when ever she felt like biting her nails. Just some info, don't know if it will help you out, but better than nothing. (08/24/2010)
By Suntydt
There's a special polish to use that will taste nasty to your taste buds. Sally's Beauty store carries it I think. (08/24/2010)
By Trudy
Oil of cloves, purchased in a small bottle from a pharmacy or grocery store should do the trick. Just paint it on. One nibble and you'll never want to taste it again! Good luck. (08/27/2010)
By JDatUz
It might help to remind yourself that in 6 weeks your nails will look as though you never bit them. They won't be really long, but they will look nice. (08/27/2010)
By Lilac
I was a bad nail biter (to where they would sometimes bleed from biting them down too far) until I started Cosmetology School when I was sixteen. The first time I shampooed someone else's hair grossed me out so badly with the thought of all the icky dirt and bacteria that ends up on our hands and fingers that it cured me then and there!
I had a friend who quit by lightly dabbing her fingertips with cologne because it tasted nasty and would leave a bitter taste in her mouth for a long time even if rinsing with water afterwards. ;-) (08/27/2010)
By Ann
One suggestion is to buy a real pretty pair of gloves and wear them when you're most tempted to bite your nails. I bit my nails until I was 16 years old. A friend of mine in high school had the most beautiful nails, and one day I decided that I was going to have pretty nails just like hers. Seeing her nails was enough to motivate me to stop biting mine. Ever since then, I have had tons of compliments on my pretty fingernails. Believe me, it is well worth the effort to stop biting them. (08/27/2010)
By kitkatk100
Onychophagia is compulsive nail biting which can be treated through behavioral therapy modification through psychotherapy, or medication (B-vitamin inositol). (10/13/2010)
By Letty
