How I *Finally* Kicked My Nail-Biting Habit and Grew Amazing Nails
Main Image – marinafrost/Adobe
Revelations, aren’t they wonderful?
All it had taken was a revelation. A simple revelation of looking down at my non-existent fingernails and the torn skin surrounding it – where you could have assumed that I was trying to nibble my fingertips to my knuckles – to come to the realisation that not only do my absent fingernails look quite unappealing, but also that it had surely been unhealthy to have such a bad nail-biting habit; which was for a matter of fact, correct.
From infections to dental issues, there had been many disadvantages to habitual nail-biting that I soon learned of once I had dared to find out, so this was when I decided I had to stop – the biting, nibbling, chewing and ultimate destruction of my hands and begin the journey of health and growth.
Though after many years, the majority of my life to be exact, abruptly ending a robust nail-biting habit was not going to be as simple as just saying stop, it would include much more action than that. This was where I set out to commence this journey of the four ‘R’ steps – revelation, research, revitalisation and then results.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Research
As much as wearing gloves or putting an elastic band on my wrist to pull every time I thought of biting my nails, were, to a certain degree, good suggestions when searching “how to stop biting nails” on the world wide web; I needed to find a way to nip this nail biting habit firmly in the bud.
After years of attempting, it seemed almost impossible to stop my teeth from doing what they had been doing to my nails since my childhood, but then I found the solution, excuse the pun, an actual nail-biting solution.
The products
The Nail HQ Bite Guard (£5.99 on the Superdrug UK website) not only attracted me as a preventative nail biting treatment, but its added ingredients of Caffeine and Vitamin E were additional benefits as both active ingredients encourage growth and strength.
To stop the biting, the ingredient Bitrex was there to do the job. An ingredient which is often used in nail-biting solutions to give the awful taste when attempting to bite your nails, which ultimately acts as your reminder to keep your teeth away!
Image – Courtesy of writer
During the first two weeks of my journey, I initially used a different nail-biting solution brand, although it helped to stop the biting, it helped almost too much. The Bitrex taste was slightly too strong, specifically when eating foods with my fingers. Nail HQ’s solution for me however was milder, so I could only experience the bad taste upon biting.
Once I found the right solution to tackle the biting, I looked further into finding ways to encourage growth beyond the active ingredients in the Bite Guard. This was when I learned of the magical potion called cuticle oil. A simple, usually scented oil that you apply on your cuticles and nails which helps to hydrate your nails, support healthy cuticles and stimulate nail growth.
Due to its amazing reviews, the Essie Nail Care Apricot Oil Cuticle Treatment (£8.99 on the Look Fantastic UK website) topped the search results for nail and cuticle oils on LookFantastic. Its blend of sweet almond, jojoba seeds and sunflower seeds, with its sweet apricot kernel oil scent, are the product’s pivotal ingredients to ultimate nourishment and hydration.
I added this into my routine by applying and massaging it every four days onto my cuticles, removing any excess oil with a tissue or hand towel, and then applying the biting solution to finish.
Image – Courtesy of writer
After focusing on the external support, I moved my attention to the internal. As the journey hadn’t just been about the visual element but most importantly the health element, internal care was a priority, so I began addressing supplement levels.
When it comes to beauty supplements, vitamins C, A and E are the big three, due to their powerful antioxidant properties which support the regeneration process. Though for nail growth and health in particular, the B vitamins – B12 and B7 (Biotin) create the big five of beauty supplements because of B7’s role in the stimulation of keratin production, the key protein that forms our hair and nails; and B12’s aid in iron absorption and development of red blood cells, which helps the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the nail beds.
If you don’t struggle with remembering to take your supplements daily, most multivitamin supplements with these active ingredients would be suitable. However, for those who are not one of those people (like myself), the Myvitamins Hair Skin and Nails Coppafeel Gummies (£14.69 on the Look Fantastic UK website) helped with this. These boob-shaped, deliciously watermelon gummies made my multivitamin much more memorable to take twice a day.
Being that they include the main five beauty vitamins, in addition to vitamins D3, B6, zinc and selenium and they taste amazing (you have been warned); I knew I couldn’t go wrong with adding this into my routine. In addition, £1 of each pot purchased is donated to the Coppafeel! Breast Cancer Awareness Charity – an additional bonus!
Image – Courtesy of writer
Revitalisation
At the beginning of my journey, the routine began with just the application of the nail-biting solution twice a week. Once I had switched solution brands and incorporated the cuticle oil every four days alongside the multivitamin gummies daily, it was as soon as the following week, the changes to my nails were more than noticeable. My nails had not only grown but they appeared stronger and more nourished than I ever thought they would.
My initial belief was that as a lifelong nail biter, I had weakened over time any bit of nail that had the chance to grow before my teeth could tear it down. However, this was proven to be wrong once I noticed that my nails could actually grow beyond a few millimetres without breaking or splitting.
Two weeks later, I could actually say I had grown nails. A sentence I couldn’t say I have been able to say before, at least within my adult life. Besides the benefits of now being able to open canned drinks and scratch an itch properly, I had also by this point begun looking at my hands without feeling as if I should hide them.
If the nail-biting solution hadn’t reminded me to stop biting, the look of them was enough of a motivation.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Results
Now on week 8 of my nail journey, the length of my nails shocked me, but the strength and health of them has been even more astounding. Alongside the great results, the journey itself was actually quite enjoyable. The more I saw results, the more I felt motivated to continue.
Additionally, the frequent application of the solution and oil wasn’t as tedious as I initially thought it could be, it fell into my weekly routine with ease. I now apply the cuticle oil once a week to maintain nail hydration alongside the biting solution that I have remaining just to give my nails a shiny coat.
Image – Courtesy of writer
What actually worked
External Support
Each part of my routine was equally as vital as another. The Nail HQ Bite Guard did its job of reminding me to not put my nails anywhere near my teeth. The Bitrex’s unpleasant taste behaved as a punishment for when old habits would slip back in.
The Essie Nail Care Apricot Cuticle Treatment also worked as a reminder in its own way, not just because of the oil’s encouragement of speedy nail growth, but with the hydration and nourishment that appeared throughout my nails’ clear radiance and strength.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Internal Support
And of course, the MyVitamins Coppafeel! Hair, Skin and Nails Gummies worked by restoring health back into my nails because they supported sufficient levels of important nutrition, a factor that goes beyond physical nail growth or strength. Even the health and length of my hair and eyelashes benefited from it too!
The psychological factor
Essentially, I cannot recommend the products more. However, I couldn’t only give credit to the products for the results of this journey. The psychological element is also an important part of requiring change, as addressing the bad habit of biting my nails was at the core of this issue.
As my nail-biting problem wasn’t from stress or anxiety, I knew it had been purely from boredom and habit, so I had to learn to redirect my brain away from my nails when I had felt the unnecessary reason to begin biting.
Realising that my nails were healthier and simply more appealing to look at, worked in unison with other parts of my routine and will be what ultimately prevents the nail-biting habit from coming back.
If being able to open my own canned drinks felt good enough, finally being able to look at my nails and love what I see feels even better.
Get Glowing!
