"I Feel Ashamed Because I Bite My Nails"

Hi Im 13 years old and im going to tell you how I feel. When i bite my nails i offeten feel ashamed and ugly because its a terrible habbit to get into and i've tried lemonjuice on my nails, some special grose tasting nailpolish, and rubber gloves.Its embarresing when i go to nail salons and the people cant do my nails because there to short. Please EMAIL me ASAP im desperate.

Thank you

Acrylic Nails?

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Nailbiting - Some Advice!

I know the terrible habit that you all fight against, I battled it for many years. Then I read a simple method of quitting and found it worked. I think the book was called "Stopping Your Bad Habits" or something like that.

Put a rubber band around your wrist and snap your wrist with it every time you bite or even "gaze" to see where you want to bite. If friends ask you what it is, tell them you have something important to remember. It hurts when you snap it but don't hold back, really snap it hard! In only a few days you will begin to associate the biting with the pain of the snapped rubber band and you will stop. Believe me it works. If you find yourself starting up again in a few months, do it again.


Meanwhile, some other tips that were in the book:

1. The day you start this carefully clip off any loose pieces of dead skin that may tempt you to bite, file your nails nice and put on hand lotion and/or cuticle oil or cream.
   
   
2. Have a few extra rubber bands ready, you will probably break it and don't want to have an excuse for not continuing.
   
   
3. Remember, don't hold back when you snap, shut your eyes and let 'er rip! Snap it every time, even if you only gaze at them or run your fingers over them to check for something to bite.
   
   
4. Give yourself a manicure, put on a pretty ring or bracelet, paint your nails: begin to get ready to be proud of your nails and hands, it's fun!
   
   
5. Use your hands to express yourself, lay them in your lap where people can see them, handle objects, direct attention to your hands. You have probably been ashamed of them for a long time and found ways to keep people from looking at them. Each day they will heal and grow nicer and you will enjoy drawing attention to them more and more.
   
   
6. Carry some hand lotion and use it often!
   
   
7. Enjoy your beautiful new hands, treat yourself to a new ring or nail polish!

Best of luck to you and let me know how it works for you, my name is Ann

I Did Stop Biting My Nails....For A While.....

So sad, but good to read what others wrote. I've been biting and tearing my nails for more than 40 years. I tear them more often than I bite them.

Once, after I took the est training, I made a commitment to myself to stop, and I did stop.... for a while. I sometimes rip my toenails in bed. Ug(h). When I'm driving, and feel stressed, I rip at my nails. Maybe I should glue a piece of sandpaper to the steering wheel to make them smooth instead.

I like the idea of tapping fingertips on a table instead of biting or ripping.

Best regards from B. B.

Is Stress The Cause?

I am currently on a nailbiting spree. What induced it - not stress but SHELLFISH. I have bitten my nails for years - not picked but bitten, chewed and swallowed my nails. Stress is sometimes a factor, as is hunger and boredom. In recent times I have noticed that a feed of prawns (shrimps) invariably sets me off on a nail biting frenzy. This leads me to believe that nailbiting isn't solely a psychological problem; it can be triggered by a lack or surplus of something in the body. Is this a phenomenon anybody else has encountered (or researched)?

Regards

R. G.

Australia

Very Young Nailbiter Needs Help!

hi I am 11 years old and I have a bad habit of biting my nails. My friends don't and I try so hard to stop but I cant. I got fake nails and bit those off! I feel real bad. I hope someone can help!

Barbie

"I Have Been Biting My Nails Since I Can Remember...."

Hi Rose,

My name is Cal and I am 19. I've biting my nails and cuticles since I can remember and have only recently been doing better at trying to stop. For anyone who has been down this same road, it's a difficult one. I'm writing to say that I used a suggestion to get tips on my nails and it has helped a bit. I've also been wearing gloves in my house to prevent me from getting distracted by my nails. I was wondering if anyone knows any good ointments for the hands to help with the redness and swelling. My email address is xxxxxx@aol.com. Any other advice is much appreciated.

Thanks!!

Cal

Another "Professional" Nailbiter

Hey Rose,

I've been biting my nails and picking skin til it bleeds for over 20 yrs. The worst thing about the whole thing is that I am a chiropractor and it is very embarrassing to work on patients after I have had a nailbiting binge. Bandaids are almost a daily necessity for me. I am going to use your website as a motivational tool to stop biting, use it as a support group if you will. Thanks!

TTYL,
Dr B.

I'm quite flattered by your compliments and the fact that you want to use this board as a motivational tool!

Hi! I am 39 years old and have decided it is time to stop biting and picking! I have been biting ever since I stopped sucking my thumb and age 5! Oral fixation much?! I also gnaw on the skin around the offending nail and it is actually that skin that looks the grossest on me. Here's what I found out online last night with a few personal embellishments:

1. Pick a day to stop - even if you slip up , get back on that horse and try, try again!
   
   
2. Use the nasty tasting stuff if you put your fingers in your mouth (I tend to bite but also use other nails to pick, pick, pick so I probably won't do this one).
   
   
3. Slather on some nice healing lotion a million times a day. I do this in the car - one of my main biting locales - just be careful gripping the steering wheel!
   
   
4. Keep an emery board handy at all times to file away snags that entice us to bite in the first place.
   
   
5. Drink more water - at least that is good for everything and you're putting a water bottle up to your lips not your fingers.
   
   
6. Try nail polish - it will remind you of your achievable goal to stop biting. Once you see improvement, get a professional manicure - I really look forward to that one as soon as the raw skin heals over.
   
   
7. this is the most interesting to me - apparently our affliction is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and Inositol has been shown to help relieve some of the nervousness that sets us off by enhancing serotonin levels in the body. Check out the work of Dr. Fred Penzel to confirm this. He recommends that inositol be taken with equal amounts of choline. Also, coffee reduces inositol so try to cut down - coffee also may add to the nervousness factor that causes biting. Inositol and choline are also found in lecithin granules with can be added to smoothies or yogurt.

The few times in my life that I actually stopped biting were when I had a very steady routine - getting up at the same time of day, eating meals on a regular schedule, etc. Now my schedule varies quite a bit but I think I may try to eat at regular times and see if that makes a difference.

Today I am going to purchase some cute nail polish, fancy lotion with aloe vera, an emery board, and some lecithin and smoothie ingredients. Maybe some green tea, though I do love my espresso in the morning (less caffeine than coffee, really, look it up!) I plan to have beautiful hands for the holidays.

Good luck to all.

D.B.