How can I break a nail-biting habit?

Chrome plating. They can chrome just about anything.

I too was a nail biter for years, well into my adulthood. An elderly man saw my nails at my employment and gave me this advice: buy a nice nail file and the minute you get the "sharp" edges from biting the nail, simply file the sharpness off. It sure worked! I have since given this advice to several people and it worked for them as well. It is such a simple solution you wouldn't think it would work but it sure does. Good luck!

oh stop it by your mind panther.

I dont't know if you're a guy or a girl, but for girls(and guys can wear it too, but :S) they have nail polish that has a very awful taste(and aftertaste) and that could prevent you from biting your nails....also (I'm not saying you do), but biting nails is a sign of lack of confidence and nervousness(just like cracking youf fingers (knuckles)), Tugging at your shirt, Hands in your pockets, etc....so that can be a motivation to make you stop(but again, im not suggestiong you lack confidence)

I was a terrible nail biter when I was younger. I started to get acrylic nails over ten years ago and have not had the urge to bite since. I keep them nice and this is my reward for not biting them. Acrylic is much more difficult to break off!

Take it one nail at a time. Bite all others except one and do that for a week or so and then continually add a nail each week.

Be sure to take care of the nail thats growing. File it, clean under it, etc. Those things should help to keep you from biting the nail that you are growing and hopefully as you continue, all your nails will grow out.

Hope this helps!!

I put something like "Stop the Bite" from Wal-Mart on my nails. It leaves a lingering bitter taste in your mouth. I also use negative reinforcement, with rubber bands. I put a big rubber band around each wrist, and whenever I catch myself biting my nails, I snap myself with the band.

You can buy paint on lotion from the Pharmacy, foul tasting but you must remember to put it on :o)

Use a finger nail polish that has an awful taste. Make sure it is something absolutely disgusting. That could help.

Good suggestion luckybabe169

I heard this stopped a friend of mine. Every time you are tempted to put your fingers in your mouth think of all the things your hands come in contact with daily.

Keep your nails painted with colored nailpolish.
Thats how I did it.
I bit my nails from age 5-17 and when I was getting close to grad I wanted nice nails so I painted them and having the color reminded me not to and it doesnt taste very good. I am pretty sure there is nail polish that you can get though I donno where to fin it that tastes really nasty especially for quiting. But getting normal colored nail polish should do the trick. When you notice yourself wanting to or having your fingers near your mouth mentally stop yourself. Clear nail polish doesnt really work because you cant see it so it doesnt remind you not to.

Find out why you're doing it in the first place.

My mom got my sister to stop by having her to wear gloves everywhere. It helped kick the habit because it was embarassing for her and she couldn't ge to her fingernails. Haha.

put acrylic on them.you can do it yourself or pay a salon to do it.

practice putting your fingers in your mouth and saying not today and pulling them out of your mouth. that way you will realize when you make a unconscious effort to get yourself to chew by automatically sticking your hand in your mouth to chew. this way, hopefully by the time you get your hand to your mouth you have already realized what is going on, so you can say, not today.

As was mentioned by another user, you could try using some clear nailpolish on you fingernails. It discourages biting because of the nasty aftertaste left in your mouth. I have had a few friends that used this technique and it helped them stop!

You can try something like Jessica 'Nibble No More,' a no-nail-biting polish with bitter cactus extract as its secret ingredient ($5 at jessicacosmetics.com).

Or you can also try a product like the one pictured below. It is available at these sites:
http://stopbitingnails.com/
http://stopbitingnails.com/products.htm
http://beauty.about.com/od/perfectnails/f/bitingnails.htm

One fellow simply bought a bunch of nailfiles and left one at every place he'd ever caught himself biting them. When they're filed right down, you won't bite them.

I myself prefer a wood file from the hardware store; it's much faster and they don't get lost.

I used this method and believe me it's great. You just have to wear a rubber band on both of your hands. Whenever you bite your nails pull the band and release it. It's pianful but after some days your habit will go.

The best way to cure a nail-biting habit is by chopping off your fingers. At least it worked for my Great Aunt Martha.

I had a nail biting habit due to nerves, lots of them. One of the things that helped me was painting my nails. That should help.

Duplicate.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/173701

The key is to reduce your stress and then redirect the habit. Do something else instead. Chew gum. Suck a sweet candy. Get a new oral fixation. It also helps to use one of those "bitter" nail polishes. That will help you remember not to bite.

Amputate your hands?

Or rather, find something to occupy them for longer.

Answerbag is a place to start.

Keep your finger tips dirty, that way you won't want them in your mouth. Or maybe something spicy or something.

Put something nasty tasting on your fingers,like iodine, or get a regular manicure once a week. No nails to bite.

Don't put them in your mouth lol.

i wore acrylics for a few months while i was working and that caused me to stop after a lifetime of nailbiting.

Bribe yourself with something if you quit and every week treat yourself with something..and keep a rubberband to remember to remember.

you could try just regular nail polish or they have this clear stuff that i guess tastes really bitter or something you can find it at cvs in the beauty isle

I've been biting my nails sense before i can remember. I can't stop, but what seems to keep me off the longest is get fake nails. Keep them on as long as you can. You can't bite those ones.

Put hot sauce or anything you hate,deteste on your nail
2.Write a big sign close to your bed or the place you won,t miss " I won't bite my nails again. That's nasty/bad habit or whatever you want to say" and Make a commitment to stick to it. That was one of the suggestions my preacher gave me when I wanted to quit smoking. That works since over 8 years. The most important thing is your commitment. Do you really want to quit doing it or not ?

There is a product available at the pharmacy that tastes aweful and applies like nail polish. Try it...it works...it worked for me!

Keeping them painted at all times helps me. You need to use a good quality polish such as Hard Candy, but I find that an "out of sight out of mind" approach works. Getting false acrylic or gel nails can also help, as you can't get to the nail to bite it- and if you can bite off a gel nail then you have the kind of teeth that could get in the Guiness Book of Records.

try not trying to wear out the nail from underneath the tip by scratching or picking at them. Clean them with a q tip, because i find that i tend to bite my nails when i feel there brittle. If you like the white tip look, get a french manicure.

When I had that problem, I used hot sauce on my fingers. It sounds horrible, but it works. They also have a nail polish like goop that you can use. My sister tried that, and it worked for her. Also, keep your nails clipped short until you are fully done biting!! Good luck!

there's a liquid at the pharmacy just for that, you put it on the nails and when you try to bite the nails the taste is bad, (can't remember the name of the stuff, a friend used it and stopped biting his nails)

I bit mine to bleeding for years. Then there was a woman I wanted to impress and knew chewed-off nails would not do it. Stopped cold.

Maybe there is (or will be) someone you want to impress....

Paint your nails with IPECAC...

dip them in something that smells and tastes nasty!

buy things to chew on instead of the nails...beef jerky, pistachio nuts,and the like and also keep the nails trimmed really short.

Same way I broke my son of picking his nose and eating the results:

I made him wear socks on his hands all the time, except when eating or using the bathroom.

:):)

Wear plastic gloves!

put some yucky tasting liquid on your fingers then after 30 days, you sould break the habit. I have a habit of literally eating my own skin from around my fingers! (i am like half wolf or somtin, i ruun around on 4 legs too! lol.)

Paint your nails with something that would not taste good at all. Also, keep them well groomed, so there is little to bite. Good luck!

milking cows and tending to the chickens

They have some bitter clear polish for just that purpose, or they did when I was young. You can try agnostia bitters too. It is used in some alcoholic drinks so you can get it at liquor stores, but im sure you can get them at grocery stores too.

think that ur nails has more germs on them then licking the toilet seat a public toilet seat that stopped me

... have all of your teeth pulled and get dull/soft in front teeth dentures ... LOL ...

if you're a girl you can paint your nails, and you'll stop. if you're a guy, i got nothing.