Isla Bennett
Nail-biting is a common habit, but it can cause abnormal nail growth, chipped teeth, and even jaw problems. It can also increase your chances of getting sick, as hands are a hotbed for germs. To stop biting your nails, it's important to first identify your triggers, whether it be boredom, stress, or anxiety. From there, you can try various techniques such as keeping your nails trimmed short, applying bitter-tasting nail polish, painting your nails, or wearing gloves. You can also try habit replacement techniques, such as gently rubbing your fingertips or palm, or keeping your hands busy with a stress ball or fidget toy. For some people, nail-biting may be related to a more serious psychological issue, so it's important to consult a doctor if you've repeatedly tried to quit and have been unsuccessful.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Triggers | Boredom, stress, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, nervousness, restlessness, overstimulation |
| Solutions | Identify triggers, keep nails trimmed short, use bitter-tasting nail polish, get manicures, use fidget toys, chew gum, address underlying issues such as anxiety |
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What You'll Learn
Identify your triggers
Identifying your triggers is an important step in stopping any habit, including nail-biting. Nail biting, or onychophagia, falls under a list of behaviours known as body-focused repetitive disorders (BFRDs). While the causes of BFRDs are not entirely clear, there are known triggers that can be categorised as sensory, cognitive, motor, or setting triggers.
Sensory triggers are those that evoke the senses, such as taste, touch, sight, smell, or hearing. For example, you might find that you bite your nails more often when you are in a noisy environment or when you see someone else biting their nails. Cognitive triggers are certain thoughts or beliefs that may lead to nail biting. For instance, you might bite your nails when you are feeling stressed, anxious, bored, lonely, insecure, or restless. Motor triggers involve postures and movements, such as sitting in a certain way or making a fist. Setting triggers refer to specific places that may make nail biting more prevalent, such as biting your nails while at work or when watching a thrilling movie.
To identify your triggers, pay attention to the times you are most likely to bite your nails and take note of the situations, thoughts, emotions, or sensations that precede nail biting. Logging this information can help you identify patterns and become more mindful of the circumstances that lead to nail biting. Once you have identified your triggers, you can then work on finding alternative behaviours to cope with them.
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Keep your hands busy
Keeping your hands busy is a great way to stop biting your nails. Nail biting is often a nervous habit or a way to relieve stress, so by engaging in an alternative behaviour when you feel the urge, you may be able to avoid biting your nails.
One way to keep your hands busy is to find something to fiddle with, such as a stress ball, a worry stone, or a pen to click. You can also try playing with sandpaper or using fidget toys, which can provide the sensory stimulation you're looking for. If you're artistic, you could try painting your nails to create art that you wouldn't want to mess up by biting your nails.
You can also try to be mindful of when and where you bite your nails, and how often you do it. Keeping a journal or a list of how frequently you bite your nails can help break your habit. Logging your nail-biting behaviour requires you to break the rhythm and reflect on your actions. This can help you become more aware of your nail-biting triggers and change your reaction to them. For example, you could try filing your nails into a nice shape when you're worried instead of biting them.
Additionally, you can try to substitute nail-biting with another nervous habit. For instance, some people have found chewing gum helpful in keeping their mouths busy.
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Coat nails with a bad taste
One way to stop biting your nails is to coat them with a bitter-tasting nail polish. These nail polishes are available over the counter and are safe to use. The awful taste will deter you from putting your fingers in your mouth. You can reapply the polish every couple of days or when the bitter taste wears off. After two weeks, remove the polish completely and reapply.
No More Biting by ella+mila is one such product that can be used over nail polish. It comes in a 13.3 ml nail care bottle (0.45 fl oz) and is free of acetone, animal-derived ingredients, bisphenol-A, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, formaldehyde, and gluten, among other ingredients.
You can also apply a base coat, nail polish, and a top coat before applying the bitter-tasting polish as the last layer. This will help you grow healthy nails while also deterring you from biting them.
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Address the underlying cause
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a common disorder, with 20% to 30% of people in the United States engaging in the habit. While it may start as a harmless habit, it can lead to several issues, including dental problems, jaw issues, and infections in the nail bed. It can also be a sign of underlying anxiety or stress, and addressing these root causes can help to stop the habit.
Nail biting is often an automatic response to emotional or mental stress. It can be a way to cope with feelings of anxiety, boredom, or insecurity. It may also be a learned behaviour, with children of nail-biting parents more likely to bite their nails. For some, it is a physical response to nervous inactivity, or a way to self-soothe when feeling frustrated. It can become a chronic issue, with people often biting their nails without even realising and entering a trance-like state.
To address the underlying causes of nail biting, it is important to first identify your triggers. Try to notice how you are feeling and what you are doing when you bite your nails. Are you bored, stressed, anxious, or feeling down? By identifying your triggers, you can develop strategies to avoid or cope with these situations.
If you notice that you bite your nails when you are feeling anxious, for example, you can try to focus on addressing your anxiety. This may involve practising mindfulness or meditation to strengthen your willpower and manage your emotions. You could also try replacing the nail-biting habit with a healthier coping mechanism, such as playing with a stress ball or fidget toy, chewing gum, or applying cuticle oil or balm.
Another strategy is to make your nails less biteable by keeping them trimmed short or getting acrylic nails. This removes the temptation to bite and can help break the habit. You can also try painting your nails or getting a manicure, as you may be less likely to bite nails that look nice.
Addressing the underlying causes of nail biting can be a gradual process, and it may take time and effort to break the habit. It may be helpful to set small goals, such as focusing on stopping biting one nail at a time.
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Get a manicure
Getting a manicure can be an effective way to stop biting your nails. Here are some reasons why:
Incentivising nail growth
Getting a manicure can provide an incentive to stop biting your nails and allow them to grow. The desire to maintain the appearance of your nails after a manicure may deter you from biting them. This is especially true if you opt for a colour or design that you particularly like. You can also apply a few coats of tinted nail hardener to make your nails look healthier and less likely to be bitten.
Replacing the habit
When you get a manicure, you may find yourself playing with a stress ball or fidget toy instead of biting your nails. This helps to keep your hands busy and away from your mouth. You can also apply cuticle oil and balm when you feel the urge to bite your nails, which can help to reduce the habit over time.
Maintaining nail health
Regular manicures can help to maintain nail health and prevent the urge to bite. This includes keeping your nails trimmed and not allowing them to grow too long, as longer nails can be more tempting to bite. Using hand cream and cuticle oil can also help to deter you from biting or picking at your nails, as dry hands and cuticles can look scraggly and tempting to bite.
BIAB manicures
Builder in a Bottle (BIAB) manicures have been described as transformative for breaking the nail-biting habit. BIAB nails provide the same look, hardness, and strength as acrylic or SNS nails, but without damaging the natural nail underneath. They are also '5 Free', meaning they do not contain chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBP).
Gel nail extensions
If you are prone to biting your natural nails, gel nail extensions can provide a temporary solution. While gel extensions may not instantly stop your oral fixation, they can allow your natural nails to grow longer and stronger underneath. As your real nails grow in, the extensions will grow out, eventually leaving you with your own long, natural nails.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to stop biting your nails. Firstly, identify your triggers. Nail biting is often caused by boredom, stress, anxiety, or insecurity. Once you know your triggers, you can find other ways to cope, such as playing with a stress ball or fidget toy. You could also try keeping your nails trimmed short, so there is less nail to bite. Another option is to apply bitter-tasting nail polish to your nails, which will discourage you from putting your fingers in your mouth.
Some alternatives to bitter nail polish include dipping your nails in salt or jalapeño juice, or wearing gloves. You could also try painting your nails with regular nail polish, as you may be less likely to bite them if they look nice.
You can try a technique called habit replacement, which involves gently rubbing your fingertips, palm, or arm whenever you feel the urge to bite your nails. This technique aims to replace the pleasurable sensation of nail-biting with something that feels good but is not harmful.
