Our Full Review
If you struggle with a bad nail biting habit, you’re probably seeking relief. In your search for a treatment that works, you’ve likely encountered a myriad of opinions about anti-nail biting products on the market today. Biter Be Goner could be helpful because its intensely bitter properties discourage fingernail biting. Read on for an objective Biter Be Goner review so you can get a complete understanding of how this product may benefit your battle to stop nail biting.
What is Biter Be Goner?
This product is meant to prohibit or stop nail biting. It is made with an intensely bitter, distasteful formula that is applied to the fingernails. The unsavory taste is meant to dissuade users from putting their fingers inside or anywhere near their mouths, thus disrupting the nail biting habit. Biter Be Goner can be purchased online at Amazon and its current retail list price is $13.97.
Anti-Nail Biting Polish DOES NOT WORK for thumb suckers at night. It is designed for daytime nail biters – obviously it won’t work while your child is sleeping and their taste buds are turned off. Children under four years old don’t dislike the taste because they haven’t yet developed a bad taste for it yet. Some kids get used to the bitter flavor unless it is very, very strong. Nail polish was developed for nails, not thumbs.
How Does Biter Be Goner Work?
Biter Be Goner works with a roll-on applicator that allows the user to roll the solution on the fingernails and surrounding skin. According to manufacturer directions, the formula should air dry for 15 seconds and reapplied two to three times a day. The acerbic, bitter taste is intended to keep nail biters from putting fingers near their mouths.
Biter Be Goner Ingredients
The ingredients listed on the product label include water, Propylene Glycol, and Sodium Benzoate. Biter Be Goner ingredients also include Denatonium Benzoate. This is the bitter element that aids the effort to stop biting nails, and it is found in almost all anti-nail biting treatments on the market today.
How Do I Wash Off Biter Be Goner?
The Biter Be Goner solution can be removed by washing hands with warm, soapy water. To ensure the complete removal, lightly scrub the coated area with a damp, soapy paper towel. Do not reuse the towel, as the bitter agent will rub off on other objects. Repeat the cleansing process until the product is thoroughly removed. A slight residual of the bitter flavor may remain, but it will dissipate over time.
How to Remove the Bitter Taste From Your Mouth?
Because nail biting is a habit, you may unintentionally get a taste of the Biter Be Goner solution while unconsciously raising your fingers to your mouth. To remove the bitter taste, rinse your mouth out with clean water. Repeat as required. Some of the unsavory taste may linger, but it should go away in time. You may also try eating something sweet and cold such as frozen fruit or a popsicle to remove the bitterness more quickly.
Biter Be Goner Pros
- The roll-on applicator makes it easy to apply the solution.
- Biter Be Goner is odorless and has no caustic fumes.
- The product dries quickly and it is colorless with a matte finish.
- The bitter agent is powerful, making it an adequate deterrent to nail biting.
- Because it can be applied to the skin, it may also be helpful to those trying to avoid biting cuticles or skin tags around the nail bed.
Biter Be Goner Cons
- Biter Be Goner is a stand-alone product. It does not provide additional aids, which help stop the nail biting habit.
- The cost is high for a single .3 ounce container compared to other solutions that offer more treatment tools.
- Biter Be Goner ingredients do not include nourishing or healing additives such as Vitamin E.
- The manufacturer does not indicate if Biter Be Gone has been safety tested, which is a must, especially for the safety of children.
- It is not the strongest anti-nail biting formula on the market.
- It does not stay on as long as other formulas and may require frequent reapplications.
- Biter Be Goner is not made in the USA.
- While anti-nail biting products are intended to taste bad, Biter Be Goner claims their formula “tastes so bad you might puke,” which some consumers have claimed to do when using this product.
Biter Be Goner for Thumb Sucking
While this Biter Be Goner review is devoted to nail biting prevention, the product may also be used as an anti thumb sucking solution. Because Biter Be Goner can be applied to the skin, you may consider using it to decrease or dissuade excessive thumb sucking. However, it’s best to break this habit with a multi-step approach. For example, a bitter agent combined with a physical device that prevents the thumb from entering the mouth is a more effective strategy. Furthermore, reviews show that many children build up a tolerance to the bitter taste of Biter Be Goner, rendering it ineffective as a stand-alone treatment for thumb sucking.
OUR FINAL CONCLUSION
If you are looking for an effective reminder to stop biting your nails, then this Biter Be Goner review might be helpful in your decision making process. Bear in mind that different users of this product report success, while others have had lackluster results. Biter Be Goner does have some advantages over similar products on the market. However, there are alternatives available that are safety tested and offer better solutions that pave the way to long-term success for nail biting.
Okay our grandson lives with us and he has been biting his nails to the point of making the tips of his fingers bleed. I got this because my mother used something similar when I was a child. Well, I wanted to taste it before I put it on him. There is no way I would put this on a child. It literally took me HOURS to get the taste out of my mouth. I’m sure it would work as intended but it is so bad that I would consider it cruel to use it. This might be good as a practical joke on a ADULT but never on a child
I’ve been a chronic nailbiter (thumb nails, particularly) for years. Just tried it just under two hours ago. The liquid dripped out past the roller ball the second that I tilted it on its side…getting it dribbled on my upper leg area. I thought that the bitterness “shock” was over-the-top. I immediately tried washing my hands with plenty of soap, getting under the the rim up the thumb nail, and then rinsed my mouth of with water. It seemed that each time that water came in contact with my mouth, it only intensified the bitterness. Addtionally, the rinse water left a “ring” of bitterness around my lips & lipline. So, I tried soaking my fingers in a bowl of very warm water w/ plenty of Dawn liquid detergent in it – for about 20 minutes. Rinsed my hands for two full minutes. Bitter taste still in mouth. Tried “tasting” for any trace left at thumbnail line. I couldn’t believe that there was still a trace bitter taste. Slowly eating a piece of bread didn’t seem to reduce the bitterness…that I was hoping that the bread would absorb.
Out of desperation, I took a folded clean, white, dry paper towel and folded
paper towel and placed it on my tongue and closed my mouth for 2 minutes. It barely absorbed some of the bitterness. I believed that, at this point, the chemicals had just soaked into the flesh of my tongue and mouth and has to eventually work its way gone. In addition, I took a shower hoping that by washing my hair with plenty of shampoo, that the “water-soaked” fingers would finally free all of the bitterness from under the slight ridge of nails on my thumbs. No!! I realize that it reads “maximum strength”, but this is a lingering, torturous product. I have no idea as to how long that it will take NOR what it will take for the bitterness to leave the absorption of my skin. (After I had initially washed my hands, vigorously, with plenty of soap and water, I noticed that the washing and rinse water just seemed to carry the bitterness, ever so slightly, to other fingers.) Again, it is just over-the-top and I haven’t a clue as to when the bitterness that has “latched” onto my skin, including in my mouth, will go away. I sure hope that dinner tonight absorbs the flavor and makes it go away!!! If I, as a grown adult who is still a nail biter, is having difficulty coping with the aftermath of using this product, it would be cruel to use this on a child…who could so easily rub this product into their eyes or nose. This has been a SCARY product to use!
I purchased this to get my little one to stop sucking their fingers. It definitely works to get them not to put them in their mouth but when my kiddo put their fingers in their mouth after having this on it sent kiddo puking.
So I did read the other reviews but thought surely other were exaggerating or being dramatic. Nope. My ten year old, who has only thrown up twice in his life until today, put this on his own nails and was violently and relentlessly vomiting within minutes. It transfers with the slightest touch so is now on who knows what all in my house including my hands and in my mouth. Needless to say the product is now in the trash. I gave two stars only because I guess it must work for some folks but it was WAY too much for us.