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Confession time – I bite my nails. It’s been a habit since I was a kid. One I would love to kick, but have struggled on and off with for my whole life. I know I’m not the only one, though. If you struggle with nail biting and are looking for a solution, perhaps these suggestions can help.
I’ve tried many different solutions over the years. Some have been a temporary fix, while others lasted longer. Every person will be different, though, so try them all until you find one that sticks.
Jamberry Nails
Bad Taste
Another common solution for nail biters is to paint them with something that tastes bad. There are many products out there that do this, like Thum. For me, it has never helped. My nail biting habit is so ingrained, and so much a part of me, that the bad taste is overlooked. I do think these products will help little kids who are just starting to bite. Even just painting the nails with fingernail polish could be enough of a turn off in the early years.
Wear Gloves
If you wore gloves every day for the rest of your life you would never be able to bite your nails again. That’s not terribly practical of course, but it would work. Instead, if you keep some gloves on hand and find yourself biting your nails, try slipping those precious fingers into a stylish glove to curb the urge. I find I bite when I’m bored, so places like the car are optimal to keep a pair of gloves. Sitting in traffic or carpool…just slip the gloves on.
Manicures
I find if my nails are done professionally than I am less likely to gnaw them off. Having pretty fingers is a visual motivator for me. Unfortunately, it’s also an expensive one that I am not willing to pay for as frequently as I would need them done to keep from biting. If it fits your budget and motivates you to stop biting, definitely give it a try. Every girl deserves a manicure at least periodically right?
Find Your Triggers
The biggest key to stopping any bad habit is to figure out what is triggering them. Mine I’ve concluded come from different things. If I’m extremely stressed or anxious about something, I will start biting. There are periods of about a full year where I’ve left my fingers alone. All it takes is one stressful event to bring the habit back to full swing.
Once I start biting again, it becomes extremely difficult to stop again. The big stress may have started the biting, but it’s the daily annoyances, anxieties, and even boredom that keep the habit going. This is a hard one for me to change because these events are often out of my control. Instead, I need to find a way to cope better. It starts with being concious of the nail biting.
Anything subconscious is so hard to break. Great idea. Glad you are able to kick the habit. Now what do I do with my son who bites his nails?
I'm so glad you were able to break the habit! I've never heard of Jamberry before. Can you use these on 2 year olds?
Love the look of these! I've never heard of them before but can't wait to try them out.
Alas, it didn't help mine. I chewed mine off 🙁
awe, I'm sorry it didn't help you Heather 🙁 I still go back to biting my nails when the Jamberry's are off, but on I seem to do a lot better!
Did the Jamberry wraps help your kids too?
Jessica, they really have! the vinyl feel is just harder and much more unpleasant for the kids to chew through, so they stop.
Very useful.
Thanks for this article. You’re spot on about identifying your triggers. My experience was that this established another habit pattern that really helped.