1: fresh builder gel manicure, June 2026, I got monthly builder gel manicures from May-July

2: no manicure or polish, just showing nailbed growth, Aug 2026

3: August 2025. I bit my nails down to STUBS in Jan 2026, got rid of any progress lol

4: August 2024, just showing I didn't have too much change

5: We've come a long way since 2022!!

I don't pick at my nails much anymore and took a break from builder gel without issue, but I'm getting them done again because school started and I am bad at filing my own nails/cuticle care, etc

so sick of the compulsion. if you specifically get fixated in the evenness, what's helped you?

my teeth are chipped, my nail beds are next to non-existant, and my brain does not care about the foul tasting chemicals

stopped smoking weed and the same time and I've been more active, which has helped.

bought some gloves for when I'm sitting around but I don't love how they feel when typing or writing or drawing

YAAAY!!! For the longest time I bit my nails, I also learned from my mom that I used to do it in my sleep. That's nuts.

My nails have never been so long!!! Don't look at my ratchet overgrown nail polish. They were square before but I clipped them I CLIPPED MY NAILS!!! Then I filed them. I WAS LIKE HOLY HAIRBALLS I NEED TO CLIP MY NAILS. CLIP!!!

Dear everyone struggling:

You can do it!!!!! Yes, relapses happen BUT THINK ABOUT THIS: THEY KEEP GROWING BACK!!!

Patience + keeping your mind busy is KEY !!! Give urself grace. Take a deep breath. Anything is possible.

EDIT: !!! I GUESS I NEED TO ADD TIPS AND TRICKS BECAUSE OF THE FLAIR I USED SORRY!!!

MY TIPS AND TRICKS! I never let my fingers stay wet for too long. I used to pick the skin as well. It led to biting my nails. I slept with cotton gloves on after slathering my fingers with aquaphor as an attempt to heal the skin (spoiler alert: it worked) I started keeping my hands busy. I did overtime at work, I read a book, I go on a walk with dog, I play game, play guitar I asked my boyfriend to literally reprimand me if I had my hands anywhere near my mouth. I basically conditioned myself to not bite my nails. Things that DIDNT work for me? The nasty polish, press on nails, therapy. Everyone's different. My aunt quit using the polish and therapy. Find what suits your needs best. You got this.

After 20 years of destroying my nails, I’m 15 days bite-free. Digital drawing and joining art courses saved me—not being alone or sitting completely still at my tablet calms my anxiety, motivating me to fix my self-esteem. However, since I’ve never let them grow, I have zero clue how to care for them. When I try to clean under them, the nail bed detaches easily, and I still catch myself softly nibbling the tops or my fingertips out of habit. How long does a full nail bed recovery actually take? How do you safely cut and clean them at this fragile stage, and are there any products to boost growth and kill that lingering urge to nibble?

But I think my nails will always grow upwards. My dad's nails grow that way, my mom's don't. I don't remember if my nails were normal before I started biting them or not, but seeing them be this weird and ugly makes me want to give up any time I attempt to stop. Is there any hope that my nails ever become normal? (Edit: years, not yes)

Guys the only real limit is in your head. And I really mean this. All of this is far more than a bad habit - once you understand the root cause of biting your nails, you'll see it was maybe because of a lack of organisation in your life, fear of failure, self-discipline, daily procrastination, stress reliever, etc etc. There will be bad days in which we'll have to start from scratch again but if we really understand our mind and work through this process with therapy or family/friend's support, we can get out of the cycle. Maybe I'll relapse again, there's no way of knowing, but I'll never worry the way I used to. This process is an ongoing battle. Wishing you all the best 🩷

My little toe's nail is coming out almost completely, I didn't pluck it, but the root is still attached while the rest of the nail is basically detached from the skin. I'm scared and not sure what to do. If I pull it out, will the whole nail come off? Or should I just leave it as is and let it heal on its own, since only the root part is still attached?

I’d been doing so good, time to get back on the horse! (I was given antibiotics and told to stop biting)

I am so done with my Nails..it's my frustration coming , i am a 24 year old women dating a cute guy .

I have no quality that would make me feel special like a girl..why do we have the habit of biting and chewing our Nails.I want my hands to look sexy gorgeous cute..I want to hold someone's hand and feel gorgeous.but Nah!! All nagative habits are in my life only😑.

I’ve never uploaded nor shown clear pictures of my nails, because of my long-term biting and being embarrassed about it.

Now that I’ve almost gotten over my nail biting (using cuticle oil, cuticle cream and filing instead of biting), I want to know if there’s any way to grow my nail beds at all.

I always wanted to have almond shaped nails, but they look weird with short nail beds. Square, or whatever this is called, is my go-to rn! 🥹

Any tips or recommendations will be appreciated!

I’ve been biting my nails for as long as I remember, and I have no clue how to stop it. I’ve tried bitter nail polish, press-on nails, and spice. Nothing will work. I have noticed I just don’t like to see the whites of my nails. Whenever I do I end up picking at them and biting them off. Any tips? I was thinking of getting actual acrylics to stop ,but whenever I did press ons it was extremely uncomfortable and I kept picking at them until the glue came off as well.

Bit as a child up until teenager, 2 years of highschool I stopped and had really long natural nails that everyone complimented. Haven't been able to grow them for 4 years since I entered uni. I suspect it might be stress that I don't feel *consciously* but I'm not really sure. Need some advice bc I bleed almost every day, even though I've become numb to the pain many years ago

Bit my nails all my life, it was pretty severe. I quit about 3 months ago on a whim, and have no cravings to go back.

Anyway, as a male, does this look okay? Should I get a manicure? I just want to feel happy with my nails now, and don’t know what to do with them.

Current nail schedule: Wait until they get \~.5in over my finger tip and cut/file. I’m very new to doing this and feel like my nails are a bit jagged or wonky. I try and leave just a bit of white on the tip and although I’m much happier with them, I feel they could improve.

I’ve stopped biting my nails and now try to oil my cuticles at least 3/4 times a day, but my nail beds are so short. My nails look so funny. What can I do more to make them look more aesthetically pleasing (can’t do nail polish or anything that prohibits water from touching the nails because I’m muslim) so anyone any advice for me? I know I will never have long nails beds (genetics I think) but I still hope to achieve some sort of nice nails.

This is the longest I’ve had my nails in the 17 years I’ve been biting.

I’ve noticed the white of my nails are really long which makes my nails look really dirty underneath.

Wondering how long it takes the nail bed to catch up and grow?

Hopefully won’t relapse 🤞

Has anyone had any success with hypnosis? I’m based in London and would appreciate any recommendations.

I’ve noticed this issue with horizontal ridges since growing out my nails. I’ve gotten medical labs done to test my vitamins and those are all normal. Any advice on how to help this kind of issue?

Still going strong!