ella+mila Stop Nail Biting Polish – Nail Biting Treatment & Thumb Sucking Deterrent for Kids and Adults – Bitter No Bite Nail Polish Habit Breaker

My 4yo was still thumb sucking at night and when he's tired. Then one night I put this on his nails when he was sleeping. The first night was rough - he woke up multiple times upset and confused about his thumb suddenly tasting bad. By day 2 he stopped fully sucking his thumb, though he did lick his thumb a few times during the day to see if the bad taste had gone away. I reapplied 2 days thereafter again while he was asleep. It has now been a full week and no more thumb sucking! He remains confused how suddenly his thumb tastes bad.... I guess I'll confess when he's older lol. There is another popular brand that sells a similar product but this one appears to be more geared towards children (at least it is marketed that way) so I chose this brand instead. The flavor of the nail polish is not horrendous but it is sufficiently bitter that it is not pleasant.

The bitterness of this polish is intense and immediate. It is specifically designed to deter both nail biting and thumb sucking, and it works exactly as intended. The taste is very sharp and lingers, which is the perfect reminder for anyone who bites their nails subconsciously." Clean Ingredients (17-Free) "One of the best things about Ella + Mila is that it's a '17-Free' vegan formula. It’s made without harsh chemicals like Formaldehyde, Toluene, or Acetone. Knowing it’s safe and non-toxic is a huge relief, especially if you are using it on children (it's safe for ages 1+)." Application & Appearance "The application is smooth and it dries very quickly (under a minute). It leaves a subtle, healthy-looking glossy shine on the nails. It can be used on bare nails or as a top coat over your favorite colored polish. Just remember to reapply every 2-3 days to keep the bitter taste strong, as it can fade after several hand washings." The taste can transfer to finger foods (like fries or fruit), so you may need to use utensils for a while!

Didn’t work for my daughter. She sucks her fingers, not her thumb so it isn’t potent enough to deter her from sucking her fingers unless the product touches her tongue. She was completely unfazed as soon as she put her fingers in her mouth after applying the product. It is bitter and tastes awful. I tested it on myself first and it has actually been on my thumb for almost a week now and the taste is the same as the first day. Would probably be effective for a thumb sucker or nail biter but not fingers suckers.

**EDITED TO ADD: came back to say, I’ve only had to reapply twice and we are still THUMB SUCKING FREE! Praise be! I never write reviews but had to share my experience as a mom of a strong willed 5.5 year old thumb sucker! We applied the polish on both thumbs on Monday before school in the hopes to stop thumb sucking at school during this horrid cold/flu season. He sucks his thumb when concentrating, when bored, when watching shows or while teacher is teaching, and to self-soothe for bed ever since we sleep trained him at 4 mo old. I completely forgot that this polish STAYS ON for a while and bedtime was going to be impacted, but there was no turning back and we needed to kick the habit once and for all, including sleep! So we committed. He allowed us to apply, and it didn’t burn or anything (“this is to help with germs and keep you healthy.”) Dried very quickly. I put it on while we were in the car and it was dry by the time we walked into school. He accidently put his thumb in his mouth a couple times out of habit that day and every time he would promptly take it out with a big YUCK! He got upset, yes, but it deterred his thumb-sucking! A swig of water solved it. We gave him some fidgets to help keep his hands busy. That night, he got PISSED and demanded I “take it off” but of course, that wasn’t an option and we rode the wave of comforting him and letting him work through it. Nights 1-3 he would get up a dozen times with every excuse in the book to avoid going to bed but eventually fell asleep! And no thumb-sucking during the days! I was SHOCKED! He even stopped sucking by accident/out of habit by the second day! Last night was night 5 and he went right to sleep! I will say I noticed after his bath on Wednesday night that the polish was starting to peel off so I reapplied it then to both thumbs, even though he had stopped sucking by then. It dried quickly again but it doesn’t last as long as they say it does, keep that in mind. I still give 5 stars because guys….IT WORKS! I’m a believer and so so thankful because I was starting to think my kid would suck his thumb until college! Every kid is different but I’m telling you….its worth a try! Hope it works for you, too! I will come back and edit my review if anything changes.

Seriously works amazing! It’s been 2 days since I started to use it. And I can already tell you now the taste is horrendous. Has kept my fingers out of my mouth. Sucks when you eat finger food though cause once the taste goes into your mouth it makes the food taste bad. So you won’t want to eat. Which I guess secretly it helps you control your hunger and cravings haha. Really good product

***I changed my review from 2 stars to 5 because even though this did not work for my daughter the company reached out to me first and offered me a full refund and were so kind. I truly appreciated it. My 3 1/2 year-old sucks her two fingers, index middle finger, and was recommended this product by her dentist to help, but unfortunately it was no match for her. I applied two layers as instructed, and she continued to suck her fingers unfazed by the taste. We were really hoping this product was going to help with her finger sucking.

I tried it on my self and it works I no longer bite my nails it’s been 2 years since I last used it on myself and I still won’t even lick sauce off my fingers because the taste was so horrible and I remember it every time lol. This didn’t work the first few times I tried it my daughter she chewed her nails regardless. Now that she’s a little older(6) I will try this on her again. It’s not so much her nails that she chews anymore it’s the skin around her fingers especially on her thumbs.

My twins love to suck their thumb. It’s a habit. Tried all but no avail until we found this product. After every shower have to reapply to ensure it’ll work. Done for 7 days and now the thumb habit is non existence. Thank you!!

No funcionó, mi esposa siguió comiéndose las uñas aun con el producto en los dedos.