Hi, I finally managed not to bite my fingernails off for two weeks. So some gains there.
But now I am catching the ends on things at work, that bends them up and back, cracking them.
Any help or suggestions to keep from damaging my nails?

As a lifelong nail biter I can say that I don't think I'll ever be able to stop. I grew my nails out exactly twice in my lifetime. Like yours they caught on things, and once I almost ripped my pinky nail all the way off after catching it on a box. I've resigned myself to the knowledge that my fingernails won't be making the transition with me.

I know this didn't help you one bit, but I thought I should let you know you aren't alone in the fingernail struggle.

xoxo

Lexxi

I think it helps to round the ends of the nails, but it is tricky to do it so it looks good.    I tend to take off too much at first.  Just sanding with a file works if you have lots of time.

I'd break one and start over.  I've been just leaving them long the last few months to become more self aware that they are suppose to be long and have been having fewer accidents.

nail clippers and a file. Put them into a handbag or whatever, have them with you ALWAYS.

Any time you notice a little edge or a squared bit or the nail gets a bit too long for you to feel comfortable, cut it, file it smooth and that should help.

of course the fact your nails bend back also suggests you may have thin nails which diet could help and is worth investigating. My mother has terrible trouble with her nails being like tissue paper, the tiniest thing and they tear down to the quick. it's horrible. She clips the broken parts to stop the tears getting worse. It's really all you can do.

I've always bitten my nails too, the only thing I ever found that helped stop the habit was to keep them smooth as it was the snagged edges and sharp squared sections at the edges that triggered my "must bite" impulse. Carrying a file and clippers has made a huge difference.

I keep my nails quite short though, because if they start getting long they irritate me. I hate the sensation of long nails.

you could also try acrylic tips or something, or treat yourself to a nail bar? I don't really know if that would help though, as i've never done it. As a nail biter and a transguy long nails just aren't my thing.

Still, maybe making an appointment at a nail bar and chatting to the expert about it might give some insight? I mean those people KNOW nails right?

I've got another nail-related question: my nails tend to curl down a lot when they are getting just a bit longer. Is there any way to prevent this? Acrylics are not an option as I still mostly present male.


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I keep mine long and rounded, and find using a good hand and nail cream stops my nails getting brittle and breaking. I diligently look for small cracks or splits and file them out straight away. I do break them when I am doing heavy work and have to start again, but it only takes a couple of weeks to get the length back!

Allie

Your first line of defence are Nail clippers and a Nail File (get the double sided with coarse on one side and fine on the other). Inexpensive and very helpful in minimizing damage.
If you break, crack, or rip a nail trim the damaged part and smooth the shape with the file. Goal is to remove corners that can catch and rip the nail more
Next, find a good nail salon (someplace you will be comfortable going), make an appointment, and get a manicure or a mani-pedi .  You don't need to get color (polish) and most Nail Techs are willing to give you pointers on what to do to keep your nails healthy. 
There are also various supplements you can take that can improve nails. I used Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails for years and it seems to help.
Finally, since you say your Mom had brittle nails as well check with your doctor to rule out any conditions that may be contributing factors to your nail issues. 

Hope this helps a bit     

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.
I will look for a supplement  and cream to improve my nail thickness and strength.
I have a clipper and file set, getting used to using them both, will take time I suppose. Had to use my teeth yesterday, I am a truck driver, the bent back nail was cracking, had to stop it from getting longer while I was driving.
I am not planning very long nails, just so they do not look chewed back to the skin. I have not tried coloring them yet, will wait until they are tougher. I hope to not leave my fingernails out of my transition.
And finding a nail salon will be added to things I need to do. Seems the list is getting longer not shorter.

I have no idea how to help with curving nails, hopefully someone can help you.

It sounds terrible, but a good nail salon could give you more masculine-looking acrylic nails.  Simply ask for it.  It would also help with the curling. 

Also, when I was "attempting female mode," I used to eat jello.  The proteins in it are supposed to help strengthen your nails and hair.  I think there is a supplement specifically designed for hair and nails, try checking your local drugstore's vitamin section.

Unfortunately for me, my once-fragile nails are now strong enough type with, and I now have to regularly clip them every two weeks.  Probably because of all the jello and whatnot I ate during that time. 

Ryuichi

I used to tear up the tips of my index finger nails working on cars and bonsai trees.  My wife took me for a gel manicure and it's holding up beautifully so far.  It even held up against a recalcitrant lobster clasp necklace that would have torn up any lesser nail.

Drinking gelatin daily can help a lot to strengthen nails, I prefer the flavored sugar free kind but you can use what ever you prefer.

Hi, I take 30 grams a day of hydrolyzed bovine collagen (type 1 &3) and 10 grams of fish hydrolyzed collagen (type 1). 10 grams of type 2 hydrolyzed collagen I take 5 hours later and it is from chicken beaks. I also take a product to increase new type 17A1 collagen.  It takes a few months but skin, hair and nails (and other things) are greatly improved.

I also get powder nails done every 2 weeks. They are strong and durable and look great.

 

man there was totally a cis guy in the nail bar the other day getting his nails done.

We have a bizarre number of nail bars in this small town lol.

I'm really lucky I suppose that my nails are like freaking steel. I mean legitimately I was peeling a granny smith apple with one nail last night just because I could (and those things have thick skins man). And I don't know why they're strong because i've bitten them most of my life and I don't eat anything interesting or different. Lucky break?
Maybe the powers that be decided that giving me good nails was the least they could do after giving me all the other nonsense lol.

Do you nails curl only after they reach a certain length? My toe nails do that, and then I worry they'll ingrow so I hack em short. That may be the short term solution, to cut them to the length before they start to curl but honestly i'd talk to a nail tech about it. They know nails man, they know them really well.

Here is what my nails look like.
https://imgur.com/8XhD4qg

Quote from: Maid Marion on May 25, 2019, 07:53:50 PM
Here is what my nails look like.
https://imgur.com/8XhD4qg

Mine used to look like that too during female mode days.  i usually painted them though.

Now most of them are hacked off and filed nearly to the quick.  

I let my pinkies grow so I can open pop cans and stuff that require a fingernail to do.  I used to let my index fingernails grow for those type of jobs, but I hated it.  I'm glad that my pinkies and their nails are strong.

Ryuichi

Similarly to Snbab and Lexxi, I have bitten my fingernails all my life. I don't deny sometimes it is due to nervousness but mainly it is done subconsciously. The answer for me will be hard concentration and discipline to NOT bite.

Hugs

Pamela

@pamelatransuk I could probably stop if I really wanted to, but I don't think I ever will. I stopped that time I talked about and it wasn't really that hard. But I hated not being able to feel things with my fingertips. Reading that back I have to laugh because that sounds kind of funny...but it's true. I guess because my nails been short for so long I have extra feeling in my fingertips or something. Once I grew my nails out I was feeling things with my nails instead of my fingertips if that makes any sense. It just felt really weird. lol

xoxo

Lexxi

Not sure if it'll help but for me when I would have some nervous or anxious feeling and my hand would be by my mouth I would just start to bite the skin surrounding the nail, typically it would cause pain and naturally distract me from biting the actual nail. I've pretty much broken the habit now for about a year.
Id also recommend biotin supplement, they're pretty easy to find, theyre even old as gummies and typically marketed as hair, nail skin vitamins.