Happy Post: Nailed it!

[dizzojay]

Okay, so this is probably not the most interesting post I've ever done, but I'm just a little bit proud of myself!

Some of you may remember, that in many pictures of me i've posted here, I've got long, brightly coloured nails.  Well, I've been wearing acrylic nails and latterly, gels, for about twenty years now.

There's a little story behind this.  You see, when I was a child/teenager/young adult, I was a pathological nailbiter.  And when I say pathological, I'm not being overdramatic.  It was common for me to gnaw my nails right down to the quick.  and even then, I'd keep on going.  It hurt like hell, but I couldn't stop. And when there was no nail left to bite, I'd start on the skin around the nails and the cuticles.   Bloody, sore fingers were a staple of my early life! 

I tried everything I knew to stop this.  Wearing gloves whenever I could, painting on that horrible tasting stuff, distraction techniques... nothing worked.

Then one day, a lady I worked with suggested that I try acrylic nails.  She explained that they were really hard so that I wouldn't be able to bite them down, even if I wanted to.  So, I tried them, and it worked!  Of course, acrylics aren't indestructible; you can bite through them, but you have to work hard and be really determined, and this goes against the whole basis of nailbiting which is an 'absent' activity.

After a few months of doing this, and having the satisfaction of seeing my nails growing out underneath the acrylics, I decided to start having a bit of fun with them, and using the really bright and glittery colours that you've seen.

About five years ago, I changed over from acrylics to gels as they're supposed to be a bit healthier for your nails.

I'd resigned myself to always wearing false nails.  They weren't the best thing for my nails, but they were a helluva sight better than walking around looking like I'd stuck my hand in a mincer!

Then this spring, lockdown happened!  All the nail bars closed, and I found myself in a situation that once I'd removed the existing gels, I'd be back to naked nails for goodness knows how long - how would they survive?

It's been six months now, and although the nail bars are all open again, I still have my bare nails - I think they're rather enjoying the rest, and against all the odds, I'm enjoying giving them a rest.

And yes, although I occasionally have to check myself when I find myself having a nibble on a nail, I'm so pleased that I'm nowhere near as bad as I used to be.  My nails are unchewed and my fingers are unbleeding! It looks like years of armour plating have finally broken the habit!

I will go back to my gels eventually, but probably in the new year now.  I'm giving my nails the long rest and recuperation that they deserve.

So, in celebration, here are my nails as they currently look.  Not long, but certainly not in any way unhealthy or damaged!

Comments

[fufaraw]

Those are perfectly lovely natural nails, at a functional length.


I was a chronic nailbiter till my 30s, too. So badly I chewed into the nail beds, and now several of my fingers have misshapen nail beds and I have to file them creatively to get that nice oval shape. I wore polish and had them really long--1/4 to 1/2 inch from the nail beds--for several years. Even typed on an electric typewriter with no problems. Psoriasis wrecked them again, though. It seemed to (mostly) run its course after several years, and I went through a mad polish phase about ten years ago, but (laughs) typing away on a BB, I didn't have time to maintain, shape, repolish, etc., and wound up filing them short and leaving them naked. I keep intending to polish again...but procrastination is so much easier.

Congratulations on your achievement. I know it wasn't easy, but you did it! Good for you!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

And congratulations on your achievement too.
It's strange how nailbiting is such a hard habit to break. It looks horrible, it feels horrible, and yet we still do it.

*high fives you*

[kazluvsbooks.livejournal.com]

Your nails are beautiful 💅😍

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I haven't given them the love they deserve, so I'm very lucky that they still look respectable!

[casey28.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Your nails look beautiful and healthy. :)

It's hard to give up nail biting, and you found a very good solution for it with the acrylic and gel nails. And now you have lovely nails all by themselves! :D

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's not a solution for everyone - I dread to think what I spent over 20 years of visiting nail bars, but it worked!

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Nice nails! And I LOVE your rings! :D

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)
My rings are the only 'real' jewellery I wear (I prefer costume jewellery). But I love them and I wear them because they all mean so much to me.

The rings on my right hand are my Grandmother's wedding ring and one of her dress rings. Not sure about the dress ring, but my grandparents got married in 1942, so the wedding ring is almost 80 years old
The rings on my left hand are my wedding ring and my engagement ring which was originally my Great Grandmother's engagement ring, and we estimate that's over 100 years old.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! :D

Yeah? (I like costume jewelry too!) Awe...

WOW! They all have history & that's awesome & makes them really special! :D

[fanspired]

Well done! I used to bite my nails too. I stopped when I took up smoking. Then I just had to give up smoking 🤨

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
Did you manage to give up smoking? What habit did you have to develop to do it? ;)

[fanspired]

Smoking I managed to give up cold turkey . . . eventually. I haven't smoked for 18 years now.

[christalin80.livejournal.com]

As a former nail biter, I get it... those nails look great.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you - and well done for breaking the habit too. I know it's a tough one!

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

Hurray for you!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

[digitalwave]

Your hands look really beautiful! As one reformed nail biter to another, I know all too well what a hard habit that is to kick! 😊

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)
Well done you too!
x

[supernutjapan.livejournal.com]

Beautiful<33 Good for you! My son has nail biting problems almost as bad as you did - I don't think he bites until they bleed but he'd bite the skin around them too. I think he's gotten better though. My daughter has it a bit better than him. She seems to be working on biting them less too so her nails can grow out.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you
I hope the children beat their habits eventually - I have no doubt they will!
:)

[jj1564.livejournal.com]

Well done, you really have nailed it!! They look great and they're a lovely shape. No more falsies needed!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I will start using the falsies again because I just like the way they look, but not just yet. I'm definitely not missing spending the money!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I like 'em. That looks a good length to me and you have nice shaped nails too. I reckon you should keep them, cherish them and just get gelled for special occasions. And well done for breaking the habit!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)
Yes, I'm definitely going to give them a few more months before I start gelling them again. Maybe start up again when we know for sure we can go to JIB? God only knows when that will be!!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I know, I keep almost forgetting about it all together, it just doesn't seem real any more. And there are two cons as well!
Does not compute.

[deceptivemirror.livejournal.com]

The nails are looking lovely! I used to have a similar problem (picking and tearing, more than biting), and the only thing that helped me stop when I was younger was to wrap the tips in tape. Eventually stopped on my end also.

Congratulations on kicking the habit!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thank you - and well done to you too!
x