Ever since my parents took away my pacifier, I’ve resorted to biting my nails. Therefore, this habit has been with me for a very long time. It’s a nervous habit, but also a bored one–it is something I do subconsciously and then instantly regret. No matter my frustration, however, I am still left with unflatteringly short nails that I desperately want to fix.
I want to kick this habit to the curb. So, I’ve ventured out into the many suggestions from friends, family, and the Internet, and I’ve compiled a list of possible ways to prevent nail biting–all of which I am bound to attempt.
- Use a bitter nail polish coat
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There are nail polish brands that sell polish that tastes bad or bitter–therefore, if you put your nail in your mouth to bite, you’ll be repulsed by the taste and decide against it. Of course, if you’re bound and determined to continue biting, you may fight through the pain that the taste ensues, but the idea of a gross taste is quite off-putting.
- Frequent manicures
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This is the one option that I have admittedly attempted. The goal here is to regularly treat yourself to quality manicures (likely including SNS tips or acrylics due to extremely short natural length) to deter yourself from wanting to ruin them. The benefit of this is that your nails are guaranteed to look beautiful–but you end up wasting a lot of money if you resort to biting them again.
- Take it one nail at a time
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This is a tip my friend taught me which tests your sense of control. Simply designate one nail which cannot be bitten for a week. As the weeks progress, keep adding more nails that cannot be bitten. Eventually, you will hopefully have gained control over your habit in a gradual fashion.
- “Streaks” app
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“Streaks” is an app that allows you to make lists and individually track your habits, displaying to you the number of times you’ve bitten your nails. This is more of a psychological option as the app motivates you to minimize your habit.
- Find a new habit
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Sometimes, the best way to get rid of an old habit is to start a new one. With nail-biting, a habit generally perceived as negative, finding a productive habit to occupy your hands and mouth is the way to go. Some suggestions include frequently chewing gum, taking up hobbies like knitting, and even just frequently painting your nails yourself.
- Locate the problem area
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The most valuable tip on this list. Be aware of when you’re biting your nails and try to identify any triggers. As a long-time nail-biter myself, I know that the only way I can actually stop biting for sure is to form a mindset against doing so and actively pushing myself not to.
Best of luck to any of my fellow nail-biters–I hope this list can help!