Mavala Stop-Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking Prevention, 10ml Review. A transparent formula with a distinct bitter taste to discourage nail biting. Can be used by itself or over nail polish....
"Mavala Stop doesa wonderful job!" 2005-11-11
By blnkfrnk (Arcata, CA)
This product is amazing. I've been biting my nails for more than 15 years (I'm almost 22), and I managed to stop completely in three weeks.
Mainly, I had to become aware of what I was physically doing so I could stop doing it. Because of the horrible, bitter, lingering taste of Mavala Stop, I gradually became aware of what I was doing and could consciously think about my actions. It forced me to be conscious of my bad habit. Secondly, the nasty taste removed any enjoyment or stress relief I got from biting my nails since it was so incredibly unpleasant. I became very wary, very quickly. This combination of factors made it possible for me to stop, which I thought I could never do.
The taste is really horrible. It's like acetone (nail polish remover), bitter, rotten wood, and some sort of fish put together. It has a very chemical taste with a sweet undertone that makes for a horrible experience. The taste is also very durable and lingering. If you licked a nail painted with Mavala Stop, it would take a few minutes to get the taste out. The taste was so bad, in my opinion, that getting it off of my teeth, lips, and tongue when I slipped up stopped whatever I was doing or thinking about. It's very, very gross. Two coats of polish will last for more than one full week before rubbing off. It can help to freshen it up during the week to keep the taste at full unpleasantness.
It ruined finger foods for me during the time I used it. My fingers periodically touched my lips while I was eating, and the nasty taste would rub off slightly. This made me lick my lips a lot to remove the taste quicker-- it's easier to get it over with quickly than to try to avoid it on your lips--which made them lose moisture and chap badly. So you should also buy some lip balm at the same time. If you touch a nail with a fingertip, it will rub off there, too, and from there can transfer to coffee cups, pencils, hors d'oeuvres, etc. Wash your hands before you eat anything that might touch them.
There were no English directions packaged with the product. I don't think this is a problem, since the directions are pretty much obvious (Shake. Paint nails. Gag at taste) but it might be a concern for some people. A great deal of other languages were represented in the instruction pamphlet, including German, Portugese, Spanish, French, and a number of Asian languages.
Mavala Stop has a shine comparable to clear nail polish, but not as shiny as premium or ultra-shine clear nail polish. Your nails will probably not look natural, but if that's a concern, you could probably lie and say it's just a nice, buffed manicure. It could easily be worn over nail polish and would probably work like an extra protective topcoat. The shiny quality rubs out over time. At the end of a week it will be duller and more matte, but also less effective.
The bottle holds roughly the same amount as a regular bottle of nail polish, but Mavala Stop seems to be of a slightly thinner consistency. I recommend carrying the bottle with you in a pocket or purse so that if you must do something to your nails, it can at least be a touch-up. Washing your hands seems to dull it out more quickly, and removes some of the taste, but not all, by far. It does not wash out with water and soap, but the power is reduced.
The only reason you would fail with this product is if you can't bring yourself to enforce it. You have to make sure you put it on and touch it up. The temptation of not putting it on or letting it wear off quickly is certainly there. I would advise getting someone else involved who will scold you or remind you about it.
I would recommend this product to anyone. The price is worth it as it works very well. I am very pleased with the result.
"An amazing product for stopping thumbsucking !" 2005-11-06
By Nicole Church (New York, NY USA)
After months of encouraging/pestering our son to stop sucking his thumb (he is four), we finally decided to use a product to help. After doing some research, this one stood out as the most effective. Our son agreed that it was hard to stop on his own, and agreed to "extra help." The results are amazing. It has been 3 weeks, and he essentially stopped sucking after the first application. Now I think the urge/habit is really out of his system. We apply the product every 2 days, and plan to taper it off when it's been a little longer. One setback occurred when we had not applied it for 3 days (the bitter taste had dissipated), and he woke up and announced that he had sucked his thumb overnight. He seemed disappointed in himself for having sucked overnight and was initially resistant to reapplying the product. My recommendation is to be very regular in applying it during the crucial early phase when they need the most help. I am so glad we bought this product!!!!
"Best ever!" 2006-03-30
By M. Wohl (APO, AE)
I have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember, and it seems like I have tried everything out there to help me quit-this product is the only thing that worked for me. I put it on my nails every 3 days or so. The taste is horrible, and lingers in your mouth for a while-it really discourages you from putting your fingers in your mouth. I recommend it to anyone who needs to stop biting their nails.
"Worked for us!" 2006-03-09
By Joanne R. (San Francisco,CA)
My son has been sucking his thumb since he was in the womb (could see him doing it on the ultrasound!). Though it made him a great sleeper as a baby, now at 5 1/2 it was time to stop. Now he's losing his first tooth, the dentist told him he should stop too. Fortunately, my son is very taste sensitive, so he really did not want to suck w/ the Mavala on. Unfortunately, the first night he woke up screaming at 2am because he sucked and we had to deal w/ the rinsing and wiping his tongue off w/ a towel! He kicked his habit within 2 days, has not sucked in 4 weeks now! (BTW, we started putting a sock over his hand so he would not accidently suck at night time)
"My son stops biting his fingers after 1 day" 2007-01-21
By From Colorado (Colorado Springs, CO)
My 9 year old son bit all 10 of his finger nails to the point of bleeding for the last 7 years. I've tried other products and methods to no avail. He was very motivated to stop biting fingers because he was starting to notice the social stigma and of course, his fingers hurt! So, after a dicussion of how putting this MAVALA product on his fingers was just a reminder, not punishment, he agreed to give it a try. The first day, he had to brush his teeth 5 times because he bit his fingers forgetfully. The next day, and now almost 3 months later, he hadn't bitten his fingers once. We reward him for each time we clip all 10 of his finger nails to reinforce the good habit of not biting fingers. Just to be on the safe side, he is still applying the product on his nails every week, and we encourage that so he won't slip back to his bad habits. After all, he bit his fingers for most of his life!
By blnkfrnk (Arcata, CA)
This product is amazing. I've been biting my nails for more than 15 years (I'm almost 22), and I managed to stop completely in three weeks.
Mainly, I had to become aware of what I was physically doing so I could stop doing it. Because of the horrible, bitter, lingering taste of Mavala Stop, I gradually became aware of what I was doing and could consciously think about my actions. It forced me to be conscious of my bad habit. Secondly, the nasty taste removed any enjoyment or stress relief I got from biting my nails since it was so incredibly unpleasant. I became very wary, very quickly. This combination of factors made it possible for me to stop, which I thought I could never do.
The taste is really horrible. It's like acetone (nail polish remover), bitter, rotten wood, and some sort of fish put together. It has a very chemical taste with a sweet undertone that makes for a horrible experience. The taste is also very durable and lingering. If you licked a nail painted with Mavala Stop, it would take a few minutes to get the taste out. The taste was so bad, in my opinion, that getting it off of my teeth, lips, and tongue when I slipped up stopped whatever I was doing or thinking about. It's very, very gross. Two coats of polish will last for more than one full week before rubbing off. It can help to freshen it up during the week to keep the taste at full unpleasantness.
It ruined finger foods for me during the time I used it. My fingers periodically touched my lips while I was eating, and the nasty taste would rub off slightly. This made me lick my lips a lot to remove the taste quicker-- it's easier to get it over with quickly than to try to avoid it on your lips--which made them lose moisture and chap badly. So you should also buy some lip balm at the same time. If you touch a nail with a fingertip, it will rub off there, too, and from there can transfer to coffee cups, pencils, hors d'oeuvres, etc. Wash your hands before you eat anything that might touch them.
There were no English directions packaged with the product. I don't think this is a problem, since the directions are pretty much obvious (Shake. Paint nails. Gag at taste) but it might be a concern for some people. A great deal of other languages were represented in the instruction pamphlet, including German, Portugese, Spanish, French, and a number of Asian languages.
Mavala Stop has a shine comparable to clear nail polish, but not as shiny as premium or ultra-shine clear nail polish. Your nails will probably not look natural, but if that's a concern, you could probably lie and say it's just a nice, buffed manicure. It could easily be worn over nail polish and would probably work like an extra protective topcoat. The shiny quality rubs out over time. At the end of a week it will be duller and more matte, but also less effective.
The bottle holds roughly the same amount as a regular bottle of nail polish, but Mavala Stop seems to be of a slightly thinner consistency. I recommend carrying the bottle with you in a pocket or purse so that if you must do something to your nails, it can at least be a touch-up. Washing your hands seems to dull it out more quickly, and removes some of the taste, but not all, by far. It does not wash out with water and soap, but the power is reduced.
The only reason you would fail with this product is if you can't bring yourself to enforce it. You have to make sure you put it on and touch it up. The temptation of not putting it on or letting it wear off quickly is certainly there. I would advise getting someone else involved who will scold you or remind you about it.
I would recommend this product to anyone. The price is worth it as it works very well. I am very pleased with the result.
By Nicole Church (New York, NY USA)
After months of encouraging/pestering our son to stop sucking his thumb (he is four), we finally decided to use a product to help. After doing some research, this one stood out as the most effective. Our son agreed that it was hard to stop on his own, and agreed to "extra help." The results are amazing. It has been 3 weeks, and he essentially stopped sucking after the first application. Now I think the urge/habit is really out of his system. We apply the product every 2 days, and plan to taper it off when it's been a little longer. One setback occurred when we had not applied it for 3 days (the bitter taste had dissipated), and he woke up and announced that he had sucked his thumb overnight. He seemed disappointed in himself for having sucked overnight and was initially resistant to reapplying the product. My recommendation is to be very regular in applying it during the crucial early phase when they need the most help. I am so glad we bought this product!!!!
By M. Wohl (APO, AE)
I have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember, and it seems like I have tried everything out there to help me quit-this product is the only thing that worked for me. I put it on my nails every 3 days or so. The taste is horrible, and lingers in your mouth for a while-it really discourages you from putting your fingers in your mouth. I recommend it to anyone who needs to stop biting their nails.
By Joanne R. (San Francisco,CA)
My son has been sucking his thumb since he was in the womb (could see him doing it on the ultrasound!). Though it made him a great sleeper as a baby, now at 5 1/2 it was time to stop. Now he's losing his first tooth, the dentist told him he should stop too. Fortunately, my son is very taste sensitive, so he really did not want to suck w/ the Mavala on. Unfortunately, the first night he woke up screaming at 2am because he sucked and we had to deal w/ the rinsing and wiping his tongue off w/ a towel! He kicked his habit within 2 days, has not sucked in 4 weeks now! (BTW, we started putting a sock over his hand so he would not accidently suck at night time)
By From Colorado (Colorado Springs, CO)
My 9 year old son bit all 10 of his finger nails to the point of bleeding for the last 7 years. I've tried other products and methods to no avail. He was very motivated to stop biting fingers because he was starting to notice the social stigma and of course, his fingers hurt! So, after a dicussion of how putting this MAVALA product on his fingers was just a reminder, not punishment, he agreed to give it a try. The first day, he had to brush his teeth 5 times because he bit his fingers forgetfully. The next day, and now almost 3 months later, he hadn't bitten his fingers once. We reward him for each time we clip all 10 of his finger nails to reinforce the good habit of not biting fingers. Just to be on the safe side, he is still applying the product on his nails every week, and we encourage that so he won't slip back to his bad habits. After all, he bit his fingers for most of his life!
