Hello!

After finally giving up biting my nails, I have applied varnish everyday on and off for over a year – now they are brittle and yellow without varnish! Have I ruined them?


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  • Nail grow and renew all the time, so no you didn’t destroy them but they can do with some love & care. File them, buff them and rub some coconut oil daily.


  • No, they’ll be fine. Just give them a chance to grow out.


  • What a shame. You obviously got super excited to finally have nails that you od on the decorating. Try having a break from the nail polish and massage olive oil into them daily


  • Don’t panic, you haven’t ruined your nails, BUT you have been very unkind to them. I understand you would have put nail polish on to stop the nail biting or at least to stop you starting again, but now you need to be kind to them. Get some lovely nail oil and use that daily, I tried lots and eventually decided that OPI was the one for me, but there are lots out there. And patience, patience is a must for every day. It may take a while, but you will suddenly realise that those dry, ugly nails are gone.


  • No you have not ruined them i have applied acrylic for years to my nails and they are still fine lol maybe try a light file and buff and put a coat of nail repair polish on them , but they should be fine


  • With use of nail varnish they do discolour, but should return to normal colour shortly.


  • No you have not ruined them, and congratulations for stopping biting them. While they are yellow and britle leave off nail varnish but get nail conditioner to ‘fed’ your nails. Would also check with Docter to ensure nothing else is wrong. Hope this helps and all the best


  • The products we bought from the chemist for nails were not expensive.


  • I found our local chemist was able to give some helpful advice regarding nail care and able to supply us with products that worked well too. May be worth a chat with your local chemist?


  • My main problem is that without a colour/varnish on them, they are so yellow, and look sickly/awful! Hence why I continue to colour them …. the time and cost to varnish them is ridiculous (although I do the myself so the cost is not as bad a it could be!) , but I can’t leave them ‘au naturale’!


  • I too bit my nails and grew them for my wedding, then got SNS to preserve them and when I removed it they were brittle. But they are long again now. So there are plenty of lotions and treatments you can use. Minimise the use of nail polish remover, use lighter colours so they are easier to remove, or avoid colour if you can. I find my hands get colder during the winter and my nails grow slower. Just pinch or hold the tops of your fingers a couple of times a day to promote blood circulation and nail growth. You can take vitamins or work on your diet to improve the condition of your nails.


  • Thanks for your answers ladies – I will persevere and hope for the best!


  • I used to bite my nails terribly and I remember the first few years when I stopped my nails were terrible. It has taken a long time, lots of vanish and handcream to get them to a stronger state but I find they are still quite brittle and it has been over 10 years!


  • No they are not ruined but they are not in good condition. I would see your doctor about them ad also your chemist. They need nourishing and treating. I had very bad nails many years ago after having false nails, when they came off my nails were yellow and soft I did get nail hardner and left off nail polish, but sure there are better products to use on the market. All the best and Know they will heal wth right treatment


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