Generally, people begin to bite their nails in the childhood. About half of all adolescents bite their nails. More than three-fourths of those give up the habit by age 35. Nail biting is a bad habit, it not only make your hands look unattractive but if you bite your nails badly, it may also permanently damage your nails, teeth or even your gums. It is a very bad habit, thus, one should stop it biting nails as soon as possible. Many people deal with this problem, so you’re not alone. Read more, to know ways to stop biting nails.
Ways to Stop Biting Nails:
1. Find a Habit to Replace and Stop Biting Nail
Whenever you have an urge of biting nails, instead of biting you can divert your mind on other thing or you can make your hands busy with some other things. Some people like to drum their fingers, and shake their hands and play with their fingers. You will have to make sure that it’s not a bad habit. Choose a helpful one or one that doesn’t really matter either way or don’t stick to them for a long time. You can try the following habits to stop nail biting.
- Carry a rubber band or something else to hold your hand. Play with it constantly in place of biting nails so you can busy yourself in that.
- Distract your hands at times when you usually bite your nails. Such as driving a car and keep your hands busy with driving. If you are in class, busy your hands into writing. Change your habit, according to the situation and your location.
- Try keeping the quarter or coins in your pocket so when you feel the urge of biting nail play with it.
- These activities don’t involve the eating or chewing or anything. So they will help the habit of oral fixation.
2. Keep Your Mouth Busy to Stop Biting Nails
You should avoid developing a serious new oral fixation. A few small things can keep your mouth busy and cut down the amount of time you spent biting your nails. Here are few things you can follow:
- Chew a gum or suck on mints and candies throughout the day. It can help you to prevent biting nails. Biting nails will be tough for you if your mouth is already busy on something delicious.
- Eat small snack throughout the day. You should carry some healthy snacks like carrot, sticks, and celery so you can munch on them throughout the day. The Important thing is that this will not let you get overweight if you will take small and healthy snack throughout the day.
- Carry your water bottle wherever you go, so can take a sip of water when you are having a weak moment.
3. Healthy Diet to Stop Biting Nails
Deficiency of calcium and magnesium are the main cause of your habit. A healthy diet will help to feel better. It will also help your nail to get repair and grow well. Eat food which is rich in calcium and magnesium. It will help to grow your nails faster and give up your bad habit. The foods which contain calcium and Magnesium are:
- Eggs, soy, whole grains, and liver are very helpful to nails. Minerals such as sulfurous found in apples, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, and onions all help in the consistent growth of nails.
- Essential fatty acids or EFAs are found in tuna fish, salmon, leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds which are most important for your body. It is needful for human metabolic processes and will help to keep your nails shiny and pliable.
4. Nibble Inhibitor to Stop Biting Nails
Bitrex and Mavala are two examples of popular inhibitor, if you have visited the nail care and drugstore you should have seen many creams, oils or nail polishes which are specifically designed to stop nail biting. Nail biting is an unconscious habit. But if you will apply these solutions on your nail, you will taste bad and stop biting nails. The ingredient mixed in these products are typically very warm, such as cayenne pepper extract, or bitter such as denatonium saccharide.
- Safe and non- toxic chemical are used in these inhibitors that taste foul.
- Read the instruction prior to application. You will need to paint the inhibitor on your nail. When you go to bite the painted nail, you will get a taste bad. Make it easier to remember to avoid repeating the same behavior.
5. Take Up a Hobby to Stop Biting Nails
It will not only help you to keep away from biting your nails, but you may also discover a new talent at the same time.
- A hobby to distract your hands could be anything related to your hands. It might be painting your house or decorate your room, finger knitting or even nail care.
- If you are artistic, start doing the projects from clay and plaster. Start making sculptures. It gets all over your hands and flavor stay on your nails long after you wash off any visible mess. It tastes very bad and doing the project will also keep your hands busy.
6. Stop Biting Nails by Protecting
One way to stop biting nails is to pick one nail to protect at a time. If you have one nail that seems more damaged so you can start with that. If they all look same, so you can pick anyone randomly.
- If it is difficult for you to break the habit all at once so you can start from one nail because working on one nail at a time is easier.
- After a few days, a nonbiting nail will flourish and reward you.
- Pick another nail to protect and protect both the nails because you will not like to undo your achievement.
7. Find out Why You Bite Nails
At first, you don’t realize when you start biting but gradually it becomes a habit. It happens with most of the bitter. But some have a very specific reason, such as boredom, and people usually do this when they are in stress, fear, and anxiety.
- If you can figure out the reason of biting nails. Then you can also find a constructive way to deal with it.
- You will not always be able to find a source stress. But you can replace nail biting with other things.
8. Fake Nails to Prevent Biting Nails
This is a great way to keep your nails covered. Fake nails not only look great, but they also do a job of preventing you from nibbling away at your nails. Get your nails professionally manicured, which involves getting acrylics glued to your nails and they are even safe for your nail. They last for ages and after putting it you will have your real natural nails underneath. If they are not enough for you to nibble your nails. Try wearing bandages on your nails and gloves on your hand. This remedy will look slightly awkward, but it is very effective.
9. Manicure to Stop Biting Nails
You can do a manicure for reaching your goal to stop biting nails. Manicure will help you to reach that goal. A nice paint on your nails will make your nail look attractive and beautiful. Moreover, it will push back the urge to bite a nail. Since you don’t want to bite your nails and ruins your manicure. You will focus on keeping your nail the way they are. The best way to show off your nails is to manicure.
10. Nail Polish to Stop Biting Nails
If you are Nail bitter and you are having trouble to kick off that habit, the best way is to cover your nails. Paint your nails with bold a color like red or black and whenever you will be about to bite your nails the bold color will remind to not do so. And, if any how you tend to bite it, the bad taste of the nail polish will stop you from repeating it. If you don’t like the color, so polish them and apply some shine, growth promoter or petroleum jelly. It is difficult to bite a nail which is looking great.
11. Keep Your Nails Relatively Short to Stop Biting Nails
A simple manicure could help you to get rid of nails biting habit, so keep them relatively short and prevent yourself from biting them more. It works effectively because you can’t bite if there is anything. If you have surplus growth so can cut your nails back and always keep clipper with you.
12. Apply Indica Oil to Stop Biting Nails
Indica oil does not taste good. Whenever you will bite your nail, you will lick the oil and regret biting nails. So apply the solution of indica leaves the oil to your nails several times a day and carry a solution with you. Place a bottle of solution wherever you can, in purse, pocket or car.
