How To Stop Biting Your Nails And The Skin Around Them

How to stop bitter your nails: ten pinnacle tips

Dreaming of pretty fingers only tin't stop biting your nails? Similar whatsoever bad habit, nail-biting can be tough to kick. So, let us help you with our 10 meridian tips on how to end biting nails!

Why is bitter nails bad for us?

In the long term it'southward unlikely that boom biting volition cause any long-term damage.

Your nails are formed just below where the circular cuticles begin, known as the 'boom bed' so as long every bit that stays intact, it's unlikely that you'll crusade too many issues.

However, there is withal adventure when it comes to biting your nails. These include:

• You may increment the take a chance of infection by damaging the skin effectually the nail
• There is an increased adventure of catching colds and other infections as you spread germs from your fingers to your mouth
• You can harm your teeth

What causes you to bite your nails?

There's no articulate reason as to why you might seize with teeth your nails. However, there are a few ideas behind why you might bite your nails – which include:

• Inheriting habits from parents - Information technology is thought that kids whose parents bite their nails are more likely to follow suit - even if the parent stops the behaviour before the child is born.
• Anxiety - Nail biting may be a sign of anxiety or stress. The repetitive behaviour seems to help some people cope with challenging emotions.
• Boredom - It may simply exist that your need to go on your hands busy. Habits such every bit smash bitter or hair twirling tin can be common when you're bored or hungry too.

For many, nail biting merely happens automatically rather than it beingness a conscious thing.

Although in some cases it may be related to ADHD, separation anxiety or other areas apropos mental health.¹

Why can't I stop biting my nails?

Every bit above, many people just bit their nails as an automatic reaction.

Yet, sometimes nail biting may be a sign of emotional or mental stress. Nail biting can exist mutual in people who hare nervous, anxious or feeling down.

It may exist used as a mode to cope with these feelings – amongst many other things.

How to stop biting nails – 10 top tips

1. Notice what triggers your smash biting

There are many reasons why people seize with teeth their nails, just people aren't always conscious about why they practice it.

One of the almost important steps in overcoming this habit is to identify what triggers you to bite your nails.

Is information technology when you lot're feeling anxious? When y'all're bored? Or peradventure y'all first nibbling when you desire to forget a certain feeling eastward.k. anger?

A good style to do this is to keep a periodical – a notes app on your phone is ok as well! Just try to jot down when you bite your nails and how y'all're feeling / what you're doing.

This will help you lot to identify any patterns so that you tin endeavor and change your reaction to any boom-biting triggers, e.g. filing your nails into a squeamish shape when you're worried instead of biting them all off.

2. Think of all those germs…

You lot put what in where!?

When yous think about it, smash biting is pretty unhygienic.

It's highly unlikely that you will launder your hands every time before yous start nibbling your nails, meaning you're transferring germs from everything you've touched into your mouth.

This can expose you to illnesses.

So side by side time you lot're tempted to seize with teeth your nails, take a second to think about all those potential germs lurking on your fingers and maybe just get and launder your hands instead!

3. Ask your friends and family to assistance

Y'all may non notice yous're biting your nails as ofttimes equally you are, and in one case yous practice the damage is frequently already done.

One thing you tin do is ask the people effectually you to remind you not to seize with teeth your nails – you choose how cruel or kind you want them to be.

This not merely gives you lot accountability and a better visibility of your nail-biting addiction, only information technology also gives you the support to help you stop.

4. Take your teeth into consideration

You may have your dental hygiene routine down but biting your nails could be setting your oral cavity health back, bigtime.

Bitter your nails tin cause problems downwardly the line similar cracked and chipped teeth. Use this as motivation to stop biting your nails – unless you really practise desire to go and sit down in that dentist chair….

5. Get your nails washed

When y'all spend your hard-earned money on a fresh manicure or paint your nails with a squeamish new nail varnish, you lot are less likely to bit them.

Why? It's money downward the drain isn't it.

Not but that, but y'all took fourth dimension out of your day to become get them done, so that's a double-whammy of waste if you lot go and ruin it by biting your nails.

Go on, treat yourself and see if it can help yous kick nail-biting to the curb!

6. Brand your nails taste bad

If something tastes bad, you're not going to desire to put it in your mouth, correct? Try applying this to your fingernails.

Not only tin can information technology help you associate the addiction with something negative, it tin can also put a stop to absent-minded nail biting – because sometimes you won't fifty-fifty realise you're biting your nails until it's besides late.

There are many nasty-tasting formulas on the market already that you tin paint onto your nails, simply here'southward some natural ways to help make those nails united nations-bitable:

Bring out the vinegar

This bitter-tasting ingredient is probably ready and waiting in your kitchen cupboard to help put an finish to your nail-biting woes!

Whether it'south malt, apple cider or vino vinegar, dilute a few drops into water and dip your fingernails into it (mayhap not if you have cleaved skin).

Let information technology dry naturally on your nails and serve as a pongy reminder to stop biting your nails.

Garlic breath for your nails

It's no fun getting close to somebody who has just eaten what seems like a bulb'due south worth of garlic in ane sitting.

Apply the same garlic overload to your nails and you may merely steer articulate of them too!

Garlic breath for your nails

All you demand to do is chop upwards some garlic (a few cloves volition do) and add it to some olive oil, leaving it to infuse for at least a solar day.

One time it'due south nice and pungent, employ the mixture to your fingernails and let it dry. The olive oil volition nourish them and the bad garlic smell will remind you non to bite your nails.

Nip boom biting in the bud with neem oil

Neem oil is fabricated by pressing the seeds and fruit of the neem plant.

It is naturally extremely bitter and serves as a great reminder to terminate biting your nails. But apply some to your nails and permit it dry.

Try a bit of bitter gourd

Bitter gourd is a vegetable commonly used in Asian cuisine hailed for its naturally bitter gustation.

As well known every bit bitter squash or bitter melon, this vegetable is very stiff when used on its ain.

Its bitter taste is sure to put you off biting your nails, leaving a gag-worthy taste in your oral cavity if you choose to get nibbling.

Yous can either crush bitter gourd, apply the juices on your nails and leave to dry out, or find a pre-prepared biting gourd nail-biting treatment in the shops.

Give aloe vera a go

Although aloe vera gel isn't the most offensive smelling thing on the planet, it yet doesn't gustatory modality too proficient.

Try dipping your fingertips into some aloe gel and leaving information technology to try and encounter if it puts y'all off bitter your nails.

Give aloe vera a get

At that place is no guarantee that any of these natural nail-biting treatment ideas will work for you, only hopefully you feel inspired to endeavor some of these at home.

If they work then y'all have yourself a depression-cost way to keep your nail biting at bay – winning!

7. Reward every little victory

Whether you've managed to get through a whole day without biting your nails or made it through your first month of no-blast bitter make sure you celebrate!

Plan some rewards for these milestones, like treating yourself to a squeamish manicure or a buying yourself a prissy slice of clothing y'all've had your eye on for a while.

This positive reinforcement should help you kick the habit for good.

And remember if you discover yourself biting your nails, don't be likewise hard on yourself, merely acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and start again – you've got this!

8. Trim them short

If you lot keep your nails short by trimming or filing them, then y'all're less likely to bite them.

Sounds pretty obvious, but by having less blast there is less to bite and by default, less tempting.

9. Go on yourself occupied

When you feel like bitter your nails, try keeping your easily busy. Play with a stress ball or something that will keep your mind off it.

10. Endeavor stopping gradually

It may be worth considering a gradual approach to break your habit. Try past outset stopping to seize with teeth ane fix of nails, such equally your thumbnails.

Then when you lot've been successful begin to eliminate other nails, with the eventual goal of stopping all together.

How to stop nail biting in children

Nail biting in children is a tale as old as time, simply information technology doesn't mean you should just take it.

Nibbling on those nails can exist damaging to health and wellbeing, as well every bit point to underlying problems.

Decided information technology'due south time to nip it in the bud? Hither'south some tips on how to end nail biting in children.

Why do children bite their nails?

First things first, information technology's useful to know why our children end up nibbling on their nails.

Like thumb-sucking, pilus twisting and nose picking, blast biting is a common habit for children.

These behaviours are known as 'nervous habits' – although, confusingly, that doesn't actually mean your child is nervous.

Nigh children bite their nails when they are feeling bored or curious, to pass the time, to relieve stress or merely every bit a force of habit.

So, smash biting can exist acquired past a multitude of problems, and the most important affair is encouraging them to terminate without information technology turning into an unhelpful nag-fest.

Here'due south our top tips on how to stop boom biting in children:

1. Give those nails a daily trim

Dirt, bacteria and all sorts of other nasties love long nails.

These particles dear to hide nether the nails in wait for your child to go nibbling and pass them into the mouth.

And so the best thing to practice is trim your child's nails every day, and so if they do seize with teeth them the damage is minimal.

2. Create a new, healthier habit

Like every addiction, smash biting is a tough one to quit, and then replacing it with a healthy one can be a skillful tactic!

Attempt introducing regular snacks of crunchy carrot, cucumber and apple tree sticks (continue it healthy) as they can replicate the 'crunch' they get when biting their nails.

A small stress brawl or some lightheaded putty tin work in the aforementioned way, giving your kid something else to focus on when they're feeling fidgety or worried.

3. Find a 'secret' signal to stop them biting

Nail bitter tin often exist hidden, so coming upwardly with a way to make your child enlightened of their bitter can be useful.

Try lightly tapping your child's arm or leg when they are biting their nails without telling anybody else.

Go along it friendly and avoid scolding them, this is only to make them more aware of their biting.

4. Reward each piddling victory

Who doesn't beloved a good sticker nautical chart? They can be a fun and useful style to advantage your child for non biting their nails.

Cull a time marking, e.g. day, one-half a day and give your child a sticker if they manage not to bite their nails during this time.

Once they have earned a specific number of stickers, requite them an award similar a trip to the cinema or a toy they've had their eye on for a while.

5. Book them in for a manicure

This won't work for all children, but some little ones would leap at the chance to become a 'grown-upward' manicure.

Whether y'all book them into a kid-friendly salon or go DIY at home, see if your child would be up for a manicure and utilize information technology as a reward. Information technology's a corking opportunity to bond, too!

6. Endeavor an anti-smash-biting treatment

We're certain you've heard of those gross-tasting smash varnishes that help people to finish biting their nails.

They work by 'punishing' the smash biter when they get nibbling with a horrible gustation – non only stopping the biter in their tracks but also forming a negative clan with the deed over time.

It'south normal to be hesitant about using this with children, though, as it's not them choosing to do it themselves.

Peradventure you lot'd adopt a more natural accept on anti-nail biting treatments?

Have a look at our DIY nail-biting treatments and endeavor some out with your kids.

Please exist careful though, and avert if your child has broken skin as the ingredients could aggravate it. Likewise, avert the spicy ingredients as kids could touch their optics and injure themselves.

7. Virtually importantly, be positive

Making a large deal out of your kid's boom biting, shouting at them or punishing them might crusade your kid to bite their nails even more.

Skip the 'it'due south gross' lecture - shaming them won't make information technology better. Instead, try and get your kid on board using rewards, an encouraging attitude, etc. and exist patient.

It's hard enough for adults to kick a habit, and then a kid may find it even harder.

Just keep at it and find a manner that suits you and your child in helping them give up boom biting in one case and for all!

When to seek medical communication

For some people, nail bitter may be a sign of a more serious psychological or emotional problem.

If you have tried to stop bitter your nails and the problem persists, or if you begin to develop skin or smash infections, you lot may want to consult a medico.

The communication in this article is for data only and should non replace medical intendance. Please cheque with your GP or healthcare professional earlier trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Nutrient supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and counterbalanced diet and a salubrious lifestyle.

Final updated: 25 August 2021

Source: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/natural-beauty/skincare/hand-nail-care/stop-biting-nails/

Posted by: isaacouster.blogspot.com

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