So, I have a confession to make; for most of my life, I was a nail biter. I know, I know, this anxiety-induced habit isn’t uncommon in most people. But, we live in an era where long nails are a fashion statement of sorts. For years, I would try all of the techniques to stop the habit, but would always go back to biting my nails until it hurt (gross, I know). I tried acrylic nails, but the cost of getting them done every three weeks plus the damage on my nails was not worth it. But in the last year, nail care has become a staple in my beauty routine, as it should be for everybody (yes, boys, take care of your nails, too). Here are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way!
Avoid Water on Your Nails
Yes, everyone should wash their hands and shower. BUT, when you get your nail bed wet for a long amount of time, the nail bed becomes flooded which keeps the nails soft and tearable. Whenever I wash my hands, I try and dry out my nail bed as much as possible to avoid tears in both my cuticles and actual nails.
Lube up Your Cuticles
If you’ve ever gotten a real manicure/pedicure, the nail tech will usually put an oily substance on your cuticles. I cannot stress this enough, USE CUTICLE OIL. Putting oil on your cuticles strengthens your nail bed, which then makes your nails tearless. I also found that putting cuticle oil on discouraged me from even putting my nails in my mouth, because who wants to put straight oil in their mouth? I use jojoba oil and little brush-tip applicators from Amazon that makes it super easy and not messy to put oil on your cuticles. And literally, whenever I’m sitting and watching TV, I always make sure to put on cuticle oil.
Give Yourself a Manicure
Giving yourself a manicure can really help you to stop biting your nails. Taking the time to file your nails and cut your cuticles can discourage you from biting your nails and is also a form of self-care. The best time to push down your cuticles is in the shower because they are already softened and easy to push down. Usually, when I’m done pushing my cuticles down and out of the shower, I’ll go in with cuticle clippers and cut off the extra cuticles. But be hella careful, I’ve definitely drawn blood because I was too aggressive on my nail bed. I always finish off a good manicure with nail filing and cuticle oil.
Cuticle oil is probably the best thing to ever happen to my nails. I haven’t used any supplements to grow out my nails as most supplements make me pretty nauseous, so I’ve had to figure nail growth out the long way. Just take the time to take care of your nails and you’ll see a vast improvement. Treat nail care like a good facial or hair mask, it should be just as important in the realm of self-care.
Like this article? Be sure and check out our other features!
HCXO