Nail biting might be something that a kid or even an adult picks ups as a time pass to kill the boredom out of the way but slowly and gradually this very habit turns into a severe mental disorder that is hard to get rid of. Some people do not even know that they are occupied by this habit almost all the time and it is the other people that try and make them realize through different means. For kids parents go crazy after picking at them and even scolding them to stop biting on their nails. Many psychologists say that this can be harmful for their emotional health whatsoever. But how to get rid of this habit is actually a really tough task as it also depends upon the person’s individual will and strength to do so. You are simply required to do nothing but focus on how to strengthen nails.
Researchers believe that people who divulge themselves into nail biting often begin it to kill time, social anxiety, frustration, fear, stress and even loneliness. The medical term for the disorder is ‘Onychophagia’ and at times it is associated with mental disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Social anxiety and to a smaller scale on bed-wetting. Here you can see that the factors to trigger an individual to biting nails is pretty long and hence to make sure that a person doesn’t react to any of these is a huge task. There are quite a few ways through which one can assure gradual decrease in the habit of nail biting. Believe it or not! you can attain these acrylic nails within no matter of time.
“The medical term for the nail biting disorder is ‘Onychophagia’.”
15. Use Neem Oil
Neem oil is a natural antiseptic and if some of you might have ever come across the smell and unfortunately the taste of it you would know that it seems nothing from this planet earth. Neem oil is excessively bitter and no one can ever think of any good that it might bring. But here’s the difference:
- The key is to keep yourself away from the nails as much as possible.
- So to avoid the contact of the mouth and lips from the nails one has to make sure that the nails appear as much unappealing as possible.
- This can be done by applying some neem oil on the nails and cuticles with the help of a cotton ball.
- The more you think of biting your nails the more you will remember that accidental bite you made a while ago and that bitter taste of neem got the well out of you.
- Neem oil has extremely bite taste and even if you accidentally make contact you might not be able to bite through, as the lips will immediately take up the bitterness of the oil.
- Cover your nail almost everyday with neem oil as to protect them for getting bitten. This method can even help if you’re a chronic nail biter.
- And start enjoying having some really cute nail designs.
14. Add Some Garlic
Learn how to stop biting nails using garlic remedy. This article is all about the bitter things in life that can somehow save your nails from the wrath of your teeth and the bite. It is extremely important to stop and get over this habit as there are many cases where people have taken the habit to limits and have ended up getting severe infections. Garlic provides ans effective DIY remedy for this problem.
- Garlic is a natural antiseptic and has the ability to protect your nails and the cuticles from any harmful infections that may try and appear after excessive nail biting.
- Garlic has a very strong and sometimes stingy kind of aroma that often compels the people from getting near. You might have experienced people avoiding a conversation with those who have had garlic a while ago because the smell doesn’t go away that easily.
- All you need to do is simply take a clove of garlic and cut into half, you can also crush it and rub the paste over your nails and the cuticles and after leaving it there for 5 minutes simply rinse it off.
- But you know that the smell won’t go away and the next time you bring those nails near to your mouth the smell will be more than a good repellent.
13. Go Bitter With Bitter Gourd
This time it is all about going bitter because this habit requires that the object becomes extremely repellent that one does not attempt going near it over and over again. This habit requires that an individual constantly keeps on using these remedies for a longer duration of time so as to completely push away the habit to bite. Like neem method, this is also very effective to cure any nail biter.
- The game here is pretty tricky, as you need to extract the juice out of a bitter gourd.
- Crush one bitter gourd to make a paste out of it.
- Now put the paste in a sieve so as to extract the juice out of the paste.
- The juice is thus the main thing for you. Dip your fingernails in the juice for a good 5-10 minutes and then let it to dry.
- Rinse it off and then just imagine yourself biting over that bitter taste, we are sure that won’t be possible for you.
12. Help Of Nail Biting Polish
If you want to know how to stop biting nails for good, this method will really help you. All that you should be thinking about is bitter. It should be like bitter, bitter everywhere. There is nothing else that can actually stop you from going towards your nails than the taste of the skin. It has to be repellent enough that you must rethink about your decision over again.
- There are many over the counter nail polishes available that have been designed for this reason.
- These nail polishes are composed of bitter chemicals that are bad in taste but are not injurious to health.
- All you need to do is apply the nail polish more religiously than you ever did before and make sure that you also cover the cuticles.
- There’s another way of using nail polish is that use dark colored nail polishes because when they would chip-off after an attempted bite you would definitely hate the overall appearance of the hand.
- Make sure that you even carry this nail polish along with you for emergency preventive situations.
Also Learn: How To Paint Your Nails
11. Keeping The Nails Trimmed
One other best way to avoid yourself from biting on to your nail is to leave nothing to bite on. Yes, when there will be nothing left to bite you won’t really tend to have that strong urge to get onto something.
- Make it a habit to trim your nails on a weekly basis. Mark your day on the calendar for a couple of months when you will be cutting your nails, religiously.
- Keep the length of the nails short. Enough short that they won’t be pleasing enough to be bitten. Also file the rough edges of the nails in to a proper shape.
- This will not only give your hands a neat and tidy look but will also save you from the boredom bites.
- In order to save the surrounding skin for getting bitten apply any of the bitter ingredients, discussed above.
10. Regular Salon Visits
Though this tip might be a little heavy on the pocket but this will bring you more well than misery. In order to save yourself from ruining your nails through nail biting and making them unappealing, you can always get yourself a good manicurist at any salon and ask her to do wonders with your nails instead. Follow these tips to avoid biting nails using this technique.
- There are tons of special and funky nail art happening in the world around that can beautify your nails to a whole new level
- There are tons of options for fake nails, where you can get special nail polish arts done, some diamonties, jewels and textures that will completely change the overall looks and feel of your nails.
- The prettier the hands look, the difficult it will be for you to bite them. Also when you would have paid a good amount for all of this you will definitely think twice before attempting a bite again.
- Have a look at winter nail colors as well.
9. Going Artificial
If you have really bitten your nails to the extent that there is no space left for anything to be done, you can always get yourself acrylics (artificial nails). Now acrylics are not only for beautification this option can also be used when people have tried almost everything to stop themselves for this shabby habit and have failed miserably.
- In order to get acrylics done you firstly have to give them a good amount for it.
- Secondly acrylics are fake nails meaning they are glued on to your original nails in a way that there is no way for you to access your own nails underneath.
- You cannot possibly chew on a fake nail as it is made out of plastic and there is nothing appealing about it.
- You can also get lots of fancy stuff done over the acrylics just to make your hands stand out and your money worth the investment.
- Your original nails will be safe and healthy; growing underneath the acrylics and when you feel it is about time you saw your own nails you can always get the acrylics off.
“Learn new things, like crocheting, knitting or even sewing, if all these seem too girly to you then go for other stuff like gardening, pottery, crafting or even sculpting, just s you can keep your mind occupied.”
8. Using Gloves
If you’re a nail biter, this interesting tip will really help you cure. How weird will it look you wearing gloves to a supermarket with loads of people out there and you are all nervous and you wish you can simply bite those nails one more time and when you will reach to your hand you will see them wrapped up in gloves. This is what the aim of this remedy is, to make you socially awkward and willing to attempt it at the same time.
- This is all about motivation and willingness; you have to pressurize yourself in the right way on order to keep things well.
- Yes, gloves are great in winters and you will definitely need it then but what about summers? Yes, you have to be wearing them in summers as well just so you annoy yourself off of your own habits.
- It will be almost impossible for you to bite nails with those gloves on.
7. Applying Bandages
Learn how to stop biting nails with this effective trick. Covering up the nails is the key factor. You have to cover the surface that urges you to go towards biting over and again. As much as you will keep your nails and the cuticles covered with something the easier it will be for you to be repelled by the thought of biting them again.
- Just in the case with gloves where we use it to cover up the nails but we end up covering the hands as well and the use of gloves as not as handy in summers as it might be in winters.
- To work with gloves on is a pretty difficult task.
- For this matter what we can use are adhesive bandages. We can cover the nails and the cuticles of all the fingers with adhesive bandages so to cover the prospective area of biting.
- You need to regularly change the bandages after a day or two because the bandages pick up the dirt and keep them glued with them.
- Adhesive bandages also need to be changed every time you go to the shower or when you get them wet.
6. Loving One Nail At A Time
You can always show your love for one nail at a time by protecting it from the wrath of your biting whenever you have the urge to do so. It is to understand that habits that become a necessity with time cannot be ridden of, that easily. This must a slow and gradual process for the mind to accept it rationally. It is found really effective in getting rid of the habit of biting nails.
- Next time when you feel like biting your nails and you just cannot resist, just think of one nail you want to protect from the war. Select your favorite nail.
- Now the key is to protect that nail every time you think of biting your nails again.
- Eventually there will be a time when you will realize that the favorite chosen nail has grown to become so pretty and strong and this is when you will realize your victory, in a step.
5. Distract Your Hand
Hands are the main victim in this game of nail biting and one must make sure that they are occupied at all times so that the brain does not feel like disturbing it just for the sake of passing out time. A busy hand means lack of availability during times of boredom, loneliness or even stress. Try to avoid biting nails by doing some interesting thing of your choice.
- Keep your hands busy with a pen or a paper even when you’re traveling in a bus, car or taxi.
- Keep a rubber band, penny, or even keys with you so to pass your time playing around with them.
4. Keep Your Mouth Occupied
Keeping your mouth busy also helps if you’re a nail biter. The main culprit is the mouth that brings about the misery on the hands. The mouth is the reason you have short nails and injured cuticles. So to make sure you can grow your nails back again simply keep your mouth occupied, at all times. This doesn’t really mean you go into binge eating we mean keeping it busy in a minimal way.
- Go for chewing over gum whenever you notice you are stressed or are getting bored.
- Keep on snacking throughout the day so that the mouth doesn’t really need to chew on anything else. But keep your snacks calorie counted and healthy like carrots and celery sticks.
3. Occupy The Mind
The mastermind behind it all is the brain. The brain is the main mastermind behind you picking up on this habit in the first place. A bored, rather distracted mind once thought it to be a good idea to chew on the nails and the skin and with time it became addicted to it. This way your main idea should be to target your mind at all times, by keeping it busy. This technique is really helpful even if you’re a chronic nail biter.
- You have to cater to your mind in a way by picking up habits that make you happy overall.
- Learn new things, like crocheting, knitting or even sewing, if all these seem too girly to you then go for other stuff like gardening, pottery, crafting or even sculpting. These are all habits that will not only keep you occupied it will also provide you with self-satisfaction.
“Keep on snacking throughout the day so that the mouth doesn’t really need to chew on anything else. But keep your snacks calorie counted and healthy like carrots and celery sticks.”
2. Check Your Diet
Avoid biting nails by eating healthy diet and avoiding unhealthy ones. Diet plays an important role when it comes to your round nails getting back to their original shape and texture as quickly as they can. Good food and the nutrients that we extract from those foods is what make sure that our body heals and repairs itself in a shot time span, both externally and internally.
- Eat calcium rich foods, also that are high in magnesium.
- Eggs, whole grains and soy are known to have a good impact on the nail growth.
- Fish, nuts and seeds are those that make the nails shine and pliable.
1. Celebrate Yourself
Even if you reach just a small goal in getting rid of your habit make sure you celebrate it well. Have some time to show off to your family and friends and let them how strong you have been at coming this far away from your bad habit of nail biting. After all, this wasn’t as easy as all of them though that it might be.
Remember
- Nail biting is a serious problem and you can always pick up an infection from excessive nail and skin biting.
- Nail biting is socially unacceptable and you might end up getting out of your social circle as people might think of you as weird and dirty.
- Even after using most of these remedies you still don’t find yourself getting rid of the habit we would suggest you to check on a psychologist that can help you through of any other issues that there might be.
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