How can you stop biting your nails? (10 smart tips)

Writer,

Jan 12, 2021

1997

Biting your nails can be dangerous and usually begins as a child and continues into adulthood. But how can you stop biting your nails & avoid biting your nails?

Here I have collected my best tips for nail biters and how you can stop biting your nails!

Is biting your nails dangerous?

Biting your nails can be dangerous & harmful. If you bite a lot on the nails, the main risks are that the skin around the nail becomes sore and sore. It can also damage the tissue that causes the nail to grow and can result in abnormal nails. It is also dangerous with small wounds on the fingers because the hands are more exposed to bacteria and can even in the worst case cause severe infections & blood poisoning.

I actually have an acquaintance who got blood poisoning when he bit up a wound in connection with nail biting!

How do you stop biting your nails?

Here are my top 10 tips for stopping biting your nails. They are not listed in any particular order as you have to find what suits you. Some of the tips work better on others while others worse.

Test yourself to find the best method that works best against nail biting and run on it! :)

1. Keep your nails short & cut them often

It is difficult to bite on the nails if there is nothing to bite on! Cutting & filing your nails daily to make sure they are as short as possible can help you stop biting your nails.

The result is also smooth and fine edges, which minimizes the risk of being bit-sucked. Uneven edges are a big trigger! I think everyone recognizes that, even non-nail biters :)

2. Go to the salon and fix your nails

If you have nice and well-groomed nails that you have also paid to get fixed, it can minimize the risk of you starting to bite on your nails. Therefore, it may be worth trying this method!

Also, biting on built nails is not as satisfying. It is as if not the "right" material to bite on.

If you do not want to go to the salon but still fix your nails, I can recommend my post about doing it at home: Make acrylic nails on yourself (Step by step)

3. Identify your nail bit triggers

Why biting your nails can have different causes. Triggers are times when you get a urge to bite your nails and then start biting. Identifying the contexts in which you bite your nails makes you more prepared before you start biting your nails. That way, you can either prevent the situation from happening or change your behavior pattern.

Ex: Do you bite your nails while watching a movie? Or when you get stressed?

4. Replace the nail-biting habit with a good habit

Once you have identified your triggers, it is easier to replace nail biting with something else. An unaccustomed or habit can more easily be replaced with another unaccustomed or habit. Use this to your advantage and replace nail biting with a good habit instead! :)

5. Keep your hands and mouth busy

This tip is also linked to when you start to feel your triggers better. Then you can make sure that your hands and mouth are already occupied so that there is no time to bite your nails. Tips are e.g. chew gum and let your hand draw on a pad or similar. You understand the thing! :)

Example: I would like to have something to "stuff" with when I talk on the phone. Then I produce a coloring book instead (have one with nice patterns, not a children's coloring book so hehe) so I am busy in the meantime.

6. Try to gradually stop biting your nails

People are different and some find it easier to just skip something while others require a serious weaning. Then it may be a good idea to try to gradually stop biting your nails. For example. you choose to make your thumbs unauthorized the first week. You then tell the brain powerfully that the thumbs are a no-go zone. It is therefore allowed to bite on the other nails but not on the thumbs.

Gradually, put on several fingers until there is nothing left. You can also e.g. starts with just one hand etc.

7. Wear gloves more often

This may feel a little strange, but if you have big problems with nail biting, it is worth trying! Wear gloves more often and also indoors. It will then be physically impossible for you to bite your nails if you have gloves on and can make you more aware of your triggers and when you get them.

8. Visualize that your nails are strong & healthy

Visualization can be very powerful as the brain cannot differentiate between visualization and reality in the same way. If you then visualize that you have strong & healthy nails that do not look damaged, you can make the brain stop the behavior and stop biting the nails.

9. Lacquer the nails with a "stop biting the nails-nail polish"

There are some nail polishes that are there to stop biting the nails. I do not know how effective these are, but if you have major problems with nail biting, it may be worth testing. There are certainly other remedies for nail biting as well.

An acquaintance of mine had a transparent nail polish that tasted really bad, to stop biting. But he bit it off and then he could bite his nails anyway. So for him it did not work. But worth trying as I said!

10. Think of all the bacteria hiding on your nails & fingers

Make yourself disgusted by putting your fingers to your mouth by thinking of all the bacteria you have on them. Hands and fingers are usually more exposed to bacteria and viruses because you touch handles and other places where several have touched. By realizing how much bacteria that can hide on your hands & fingers can make you have a much greater resistance to biting your nails.

Maybe you can watch a documentary about hands and bacteria?

Best tips for nail-biting kids?

These are my top tips, some work better while others work worse. It is important to find the way that works for yourself. With small children biting their nails, it can be more difficult, but there are chewing bracelets & chewing collars that may be worth trying then. They are also available in adult sizes and are available on funkamera.se.

I hope some of my tips for stopping biting your nails will help you! If you are a nail biter and have some tips of your own that have worked against nail biting, you are very welcome to comment below! :)

Personally, I do not have problems with nail biting but have talked to many customers at the salon about this. However, I have had the problem that I bite on the inside of the lips, a lot! I sometimes have relapses even today, but for me the "downsizing method" has worked best. That I reduced over and over and finally got used to it. Because it is difficult to just "decide" because you do not think about doing it until it is too late.

So I know the struggle :)

Also read my other nail posts: