Nail biting is a bad habit that not only affects the appearance of your hands, but could also ruin your nails, teeth and even gums forever. If you are tired of having bleeding and biting nails, try these simple remedies to promote the growth of perfect nails.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Maintain Healthy Nails
Step 1. Do a manicure often
Having your nails manicured will decrease your desire to eat them to avoid damaging them. Once your nails are looking good, you should focus on keeping them that way and the best way to do that is to do a manicure.
Benefits of Manicure
Exfoliation.
Hands are exposed more than any other part of the body to dirt and grease, so they continually produce new skin cells while returning old ones. Manicure usually includes cleansing and moisturizing hand treatments to exfoliate the skin. This allows you to have a soft and smooth skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles in the long term!
Better blood circulation.
The skin is usually massaged with moisturizers and cuticle treatments; this helps improve blood circulation, which can relieve pain and help your body distribute heat evenly.
Relaxation.
Getting a manicure can be a great way to take a mental break from your day. You deserve it!
Step 2. Keep them relatively short
A manicure keeps your nails healthy, and keeping them short helps you avoid falling back into the temptation to eat them.
Whenever they get too big, cut them off. Always keep a nail clipper close at hand. You may end up eating them if you don't have anything available
Step 3. Push the cuticles back from time to time
Those who have a habit of biting their nails often do not have the characteristic "crescent" at the base of the nails because the cuticles have not been treated. Do this gently, thus exposing a larger surface area of the nail. This "maintenance" becomes easier immediately after the shower, when the hands are still wet.
Your nails will look longer, more beautifully shaped, and this will probably give you more motivation to avoid biting them
Step 4. Eat a healthy diet
Your overall health will benefit and your body will have all the nutrients it needs to grow nails. You mainly take calcium and magnesium. This is not the only reason, but it appears that the body prompts you to bite your nails when there is a deficiency in these minerals.
Foods that help nail growth
Foods rich in protein:
lean meats (chicken, sirloin), nuts, spinach, chickpeas, soy, whole grains
Foods rich in zinc:
oysters, legumes, red meats (in small quantities)
Foods rich in calcium:
chia seeds, white beans, green leafy vegetables, nuts
Foods rich in magnesium:
pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate
Foods rich in biotin:
bananas, peanuts, lentils, almonds.
Foods with essential fatty acids:
tuna, salmon, seafood, leafy vegetables
Step 5. Celebrate your success
Don't be afraid to show off your nails to friends or even people you don't know very well. Show her and say proudly, "Would you believe I had a habit of biting my nails?"
Take pictures of the hands and enjoy their new look. You could even hang them up or maybe put them next to the "before" photographs, to show everyone what changes you are capable of
Method 2 of 6: Keep Hands and Mouth Busy
Step 1. Find yourself another habit
When you feel the need to bite your nails, focus on another activity. Some people like to tap their fingers, twist their thumbs, hold their hands or put them in their pockets or just stare at them. Just make sure you don't get into another bad habit, choose something useful or not very important. Habits to replace nail biting
Play with a small object.
Always have a rubber band, dime or something else handy to play with.
Distract your hands when you tend to bite your nails.
Identify the times when you usually bite your nails, for example while driving or when you are in school during class, and find a new way to replace that habit based on where you are. If you are in class, focus on taking detailed notes. If you are sitting in the car (not in the driver's seat), play with the keys.
Model with plasticine or clay.
Try keeping a plasticine ball or a piece of clay close at hand. It's fun to play with and keeps your hands busy in those moments when you feel like biting your nails.
Keep a coin in your pocket.
Try keeping a dime in your pocket and play with it whenever you feel the need to bite your nails.
Step 2. Keep your hands distracted with a new hobby
Not only will it help you not think about nails, but it could turn out to be a hidden and very fulfilling passion of yours.
Hobbies to try
Clean the house.
The advantage of this hobby is that you will have a cleaner house as a result, which will likely make you feel happier when you don't go out.
Knit or crochet.
Learning to knit or crochet has the advantage of being able to make scarves, hats and sweaters that can make a great gift for your family members.
Run.
Exercise stimulates your body to release endorphins, which can help calm the nerves. This could be very helpful if you tend to bite your nails when you are nervous.
Nail art.
Decorating your nails and learning nail art is a fun and creative way to curb the habit of biting your nails!
Working with mortar or clay.
This artistic hobby is in fact ideal for those who have a habit of biting their nails: the smell (and taste) of the mortar remains on the fingers for a long time, even after washing them. This will discourage any urge to bite.
Step 3. Keep your mouth busy
While you shouldn't start another habit involving oral gratification, there are simple tricks that can help you stop nail biting. Here are some of them: Ways to keep your mouth busy
Chew gum or suck on candy throughout the day.
It will be difficult to bite your nails if your mouth is busy savoring the good taste of the candy. Also, the sensation of the bits of nail in the mouth mixed with mint or orange flavor will be disgusting.
Have small snacks throughout the day.
While it's best to avoid too many snacks to avoid getting fat, you may want to bring along some healthy snacks to munch on like carrots or celery.
Always keep a bottle of water.
That way you can take a sip whenever you have a weak chin.
Step 4. Put the polish on your nails
It may discourage you from biting them; the color may attract too much attention and force you to avoid nibbling them. Plus you'll be more motivated to keep them looking good, since you don't want to ruin their appearance.
- Choose a color that you like so that you are more likely not to want to spoil it.
- Try a particular decoration. This, all the more, will discourage you from biting them so as not to ruin them.
- Make nail polish a hobby. If you can keep it for a long time, your nails will have a better chance of regrowing.
Method 3 of 6: Using Bitter Nail Polish
Step 1. Apply bitter polish on your nails to discourage you from eating them
Bitrex is a chemical substance that is inserted in products to give a bitter and disgusting taste; you can request it at the pharmacy.
- This type of product contains safe, non-toxic chemicals that taste really gross.
- Read the instructions before applying. It is generally applied to the nails like normal polish. When you go absent-mindedly biting your nails, the taste will be awful, which will serve as a reminder to avoid repeating the same behavior.
Step 2. Apply this solution several times a day
It may be helpful to apply a clear coat of nail polish over the bitter one. It will make it last longer and make the nail surface smoother. This factor could also help you remember not to bite them.
Step 3. Always carry some with you
Keep the vial in your bag, in the car or on your desk. When a layer peels off, replace it with a new one. Persistence is the key when you resort to this method.
Step 4. If you get used to its flavor over time, change the product
Step 5. Keep using the solution until you stop biting your nails
Even when you've lost the habit, you can keep the solution like a trophy!
If temptation returns, you can always smell the chemical to remember its terrible taste
Method 4 of 6: Cover the Nails
Step 1. Use a nail polish
Use bright colors like red or black that you don't want to spoil with your habit. If you don't like colors, file them and put on a matte nail polish that promotes growth, or some petroleum jelly. It's hard to bite them if they look great.
Step 2. Put on fake nails
This is another great technique for covering yours. Go to a manicurist who can apply them to you with the appropriate glue. They last a long time and then, once removed, you will find your natural nails which have grown back in the meantime.
If you are really determined, you can even think about a rather expensive manicure. This way you will feel more motivated not to ruin such a precious job with your teeth
Step 3. Put on gloves
Keep them handy and put them on when you feel the urge to bite your nails. When, in the height of summer, you realize how ridiculous you are with gloves, you will have found another valid reason to stop eating them.
If you are writing or doing another activity where gloves are in the way, this will be another reason. Tell yourself that if you didn't have this bad habit, you wouldn't need to wear gloves
Method 5 of 6: Stop with One Finger at a Time
Step 1. Choose a finger to "protect"
If you have a nail that appears to be more damaged than the others, it may be in your best interest to start with that one. If they are all ruined, one is worth the other to start with.
If you find it difficult to stop completely right away, starting with one nail at a time can make things more manageable
Step 2. Make a few days go by without biting that finger nail
You may be able to do this without the need for extra help, but if you do, consider applying a patch. By doing this you should be able to block access to that nail, making it more difficult to bite.
Step 3. Notice how much more beautiful she has become than the others
After a few days, a non-bitten nail will bloom again and reward you for the effort.
Don't bite it. If you really have to, eat one of the "unprotected" ones. Sometimes it helps to know that you have a "spare" nail that you can bite into even if you don't
Step 4. Choose another finger
Once the first nail has grown back, you can start dedicating yourself to another (not forgetting the first, though!), And so on.
Step 5. Continue like this until you manage to not eat all your nails
If you just can't resist the temptation, just nibble on one.
Method 6 of 6: Using the Patches
Step 1. Put some patches on your fingers
Make sure that the gauze rests on the nail.
Step 2. Put them on every day
You can also replace them with new patches after each shower or after a couple of days.
- You can take them off for special occasions or decide to keep them: this way you will feel silly and even more motivated to stop biting your nails.
- If this technique starts to hurt your nails, you can take them off overnight.
Step 3. After a few weeks, remove all patches
To really be able to quit, you should replace this habit with a positive one. For example, chew sugar-free gum or play with a stress ball while continuing to follow the patch procedure
Step 4. Notice how much your nails have improved
If you start eating them again, put the patches back on.
- Some research claims it may take up to 3 months to completely quit, so don't expect you're done already. Remain aware of your habit and desire to quit, even after removing the patches.
- Consider supporting your efforts by painting your nails, getting a professional manicure, or using bitter nail polish after removing the patches.
Advice
- Try to understand how and when you start eating them; it will help you determine if the cause is due to stress, nervousness or boredom. Addressing the real reason is necessary to permanently resolve the problem.
- Clean and manicured nails will improve your self-esteem.
- To keep motivation high, or to remind yourself how bad your nails were, you can record your progress in a journal or photo album, with before and after shots. Keeping in mind that it usually takes 3 weeks for your nails to grow half an inch, write down the length you want to achieve by a certain date.
- There is no short-term solution. Achieving this goal requires patience and awareness.
- Clean your nails. One of the reasons you eat them is because they are dirty. File them down and scrub your hands to appreciate them more.
- If a special occasion, like a party, approaches, try to use that event as extra motivation.
- As your nails and skin grow, they will feel swollen and itchy. This is normal: this feeling will disappear over time.
- Look at other people's nails and think, "Why aren't my nails like this?" And feel a little guilty.
- If simple motivation isn't enough to stop your urge, or you know you forget to stop, write lots of reminders on your calendar.
- Try not to think about your nails and focus on the idea of going to the manicurist with long and beautiful nails to decorate.
- Put some lime or lemon on your nails so they have an annoying taste.
Warnings
- Eating your nails could cause infections.
- Nail weakness can be caused by harsh cleansers, prolonged exposure to the sun, poor diet, or excessive use of hardeners (avoid those that contain formaldehyde, a substance that dries nails).
- Do not replace this vice with another. Even though chewed fingers are unhealthy and painful, other bad habits can be far worse.
