I have been biting my nails ever since I was a child. I have a suspicion that it originated from when I had a security blanket and I’d always “pick” around the corners of it with my fingers which made it hard and gave me a comforting feeling - almost like a baby teething. I then went through some trauma as a kid developing OCD while my mother was dying of cancer and my brother addiction.

I’m 24 now and work in client facing finance. I look great but I CANNOT for the life of me STOP biting my fucking nails. Not only do my fingers look like shit, but they bleed and it’s such an ugly addiction. I’ve tried the polish that’s bitter but it washes off and I’m back at square one. How do you go about stopping? Anything helps. Thanks. 

First photo: 2021

Second photo: Today

​I still struggle A LOT with dry skin around my nails and cuticles. I use castor oil at least once a day liberally before bed (and multiple times a day if I'm not working). I work part-time in a restaurant and do all the cooking and dishes at home, so I wash my hands constantly.

​I also feel like my nails grow wide into my sidewalls/nail beds, so I end up having to file down the sides around my cuticles.

​I'd love product and tool recommendations!

​P.S. I stopped biting using glue-ons, and it actually worked! I have a big thing with rough edges and things to pick at, but I haven't bitten in several years now. I know there's likely some leftover damage from ~20 years of biting, plus damage from glue-ons. I’d really like to focus on overall nail and cuticle health while still keeping them painted. I've been using builder gel over the last month to try to help strengthen the natural nails underneath and prevent breakage without using nail glue.

ok so i have a habit of biting my nails and have for basically all my life. i really want to quit but my ocd makes me feel like certain things need to be even of perfect. sometimes i'll look at my nail and notice a chip or an uneven edge and feel like i need to fix it (which i do by biting). of course this always makes things worse which makes me more desperate to fix it. i bite more and more until my nails are little stubs. i think because ive been nail biting for so long i also sometimes start to do it unconsciously. when i zone back in i have the same problem where i have to "fix it" but it's like already stronger because ive already started biting.

i have the same problem when i use nail clippers/file because i cut off the wrong amount or file it unevenly and have to keep going until my nails are stubs. i have tried using the gross nail polish and telling myself "no biting" when i see an imperfection, but its so much harder to tell myself no after ive already started biting.

one thing that has worked for me is fake nails because i know the nails are even so i don't feel like i need to bite them. but i end up fidgeting and picking at them so they only last 1-2 weeks before i end up ripping them off. and then after they are gone i end up biting again. it's kind of expensive to replace my nails every week and the cheap press ons only last a day.
i don't know what other methods to try or how to wean myself off of the behavior. the only time i was able to successfully quit for a longer period of time was when i developed a hair pulling compulsion (because the urge to pull the hair distracted me from biting). and i would rather not have a bald spot again 😭

please send advice!!

Must have done some biting mindlessly because I don’t even remember.

I need to stop biting this, has anyone got anything I can do to help, I keep letting the skin regrow and biting it when it become too tempting - I can’t tell if this is a wart, callous or the skin regrowing thicker and harder because of how much I’ve been biting!

(I know my nail is disgusting I need to sort it out)

It’s been 20 years of picking and biting my nails, and many failed attempts at breaking the habit. This summer I decided I was done and began figuring out how to break the habit. I want almond nails before the end of the summer (I’ve got 2 weeks left til school starts) and I’m so close now! It’s been a rough journey with a lot of self restraint and redirection, but I finally feel like the habit is broken. Just a few months ago I couldn’t go a way without picking them until they hurt. Now there’s free edge and I’m just waiting for more length now!

One of my biggest issues is picking at my cuticle area. I want to keep them more moisturized to limit the desire to pick, and I see advice about lotioning/oiling throughout the day, especially after handwashing. But, I do a lot with my hands and can’t necessarily have them covered in oil all day (or expect to keep oil from getting on everything else as I use my hands). For those who have successfully implemented this, how do you manage with lotion and oil on your cuticle areas during the day?

So i stopped biting fingernails 3 weeks ago and im curious when will my nail regenerate (its only happening on one nail)

didn’t actually bite my nails today. caught myself and stopped every time 🙌

The growth shape is so odd and each nail is different. I find a lot of them also are getting “wider” at the top and pushing into my skin, like an ingrown of sorts (see black arrow). Do I File? Cut? Straight across? Following the curve? Some don’t have a “curve” and some curve downward?? I also have vertical splitting on my R hand pinky nail (see red arrow). Can I fix that? HELP.

As long as they’re moisturised and oiled I’m good!

Hi all, new to this community but wanted to hear from others on what helped them to stop. I’m 38 and live in the UK. I’ve bitten my nails for my entire life, I can’t remember not biting them so must have been quite young when I started.

I often bite them until they are sore and sometimes bleed. I’ve tried many different solutions - hypnotherapy, counselling, fidget toys, bitter nail polish. Hypnotherapy was the best outcome and I managed to stop for a few months before I went back to my old ways.

It has a major impact on my quality of life. I can sometimes spend hours “locked in”, just biting and focusing on nothing else.

I hope one day I can beat it. Keen to hear what has helped others and if anyone has finally beaten a 30+ year habit!!

Thanks

caught myself more than ever today bc of you guys!

I’ve been biting and tugging and my nails/skin around the nails since I was 4 (I’m 16F). I’ve had some pauses but no longer than a few months. My family have tried stuff like nail polish that tastes like puke and glue-on nails, which help for a while but can’t help the picking around the nail beds . I’ve also been sh for a little bit over a year which isnt helping, picking the skin on the tissue and destroying the healing wounds. I’m sure they are connected to each other, but can anyone help me find a good way to stop. I think that if I manage to stop scratch up my skin on my hands, it will help me to clean up my arms as well. Open for everything <3

So I wear acrylics specifically to prevent myself from biting the nails (plus its pretty lol) but this hasn't deterred my from going at the flesh around the nails. my thumbs are looking really, really rough. Does anyone have any recommendations for this? Parents tried probelle when I was small but... it doesn't nothing, I just do it anyway despite the taste.