How To Stop Biting Nails: 7 Tips & Tricks To Stop Biting Your Nails

December 28, 2021

Nail-biting is one of many common nervous habits both for children and adults. It can be challenging to quit, even though there are many benefits to protecting your nails. The good news is that you have options. There are several different ways to begin reducing the amount of nail-biting you do and ultimately quitting completely.

Nailboo is dedicated to providing the tools and tips you need to care for your nails. We carry easy-to-use nail dip kits, so you can achieve salon-quality styles right from the comfort of home, tips and glue, and a whole lot more. We’re also sharing guides and resources for protecting your nails and supporting healthy nail growth. Follow some of these methods to begin quitting the nail-biting habit.

Why Should I Quit Nail Biting?

It can be very challenging to quit biting your nails, but there are many reasons to try. Here are just a few of the main reasons to consider quitting nail-biting today.

It Can Be Painful

When we have the urge to bite our nails, we run the risk of biting too close to the quick. That can lead to broken skin and damaged nails, which can be quite painful. The skin below the nails can be extremely sensitive, and you can prevent painful sensations when you quit.

It Can Cause Infections

When we chew or damage the skin around the nails, it makes the area vulnerable to infections and inflammation. When you quit nail-biting, you actually protect yourself in two ways. You will no longer be introducing the bacteria on your hands into your mouth and vice versa. Quitting biting can be helpful for reducing inflammation and irritation that affects your nails and nailbeds.

It Makes Polish Application Difficult

Biting the nails can cause them to appear uneven or even contribute to lasting damage. It’s also common for nails that are bitten to grow back in different directions. If you like painting your nails, it can be difficult to get a smooth coat. When you quit nail-biting, you can ensure your nails look and feel healthy every time.

Tips and Tricks To Stop Nail Biting

When you’re ready to enjoy the benefits of strong, healthy nails, you have many different options and methods for quitting nail-biting. Here are just a few.

1. Keep Them Short

One of the best ways to ensure you’re not biting your nails and potentially causing damage or irritation is by keeping them short. It’s much healthier to use the proper tools, like clippers and nail files.

By keeping your nail short, you reduce the instinct and ability to bite them and help to create healthier habits moving forward. You have lots of adorable short nail styles to pick from so you can still express your creativity and personal style.

2. Keep Your Nails Maintained

Nail-biting is often a habit we don’t even realize we’re acting on. That said, we sometimes bite our nails just to get rid of those annoying hangnails or irritating edges. That’s where proper nail care and maintenance can come in useful. With routine maintenance and care, you can help to prevent those hangnails from developing and keep your cuticles and nail bed clean and safe.

It’s also important to reach for the proper tools the next time you need to manage your nails, rather than trying to bite the edges down out of boredom. The right tools and products can make all the difference to your overall nail health and wellness.

3. Paint Your Nails

Painting your nails with nail art isn’t just a great way to get a unique and stylish look you really love. It can also help prevent nail-biting. To start, you don’t want to cause any damage to the pretty manicures you’ve applied, which will make it easier to avoid biting.

This can even be a good reason to add on those extra decals and designs! Secondly, nail polish has a different texture than bare nails. You’ll realize that you’re biting your nails by the way the polish feels on your teeth.

Of course, nail polish also has a bad taste, which can help you to avoid biting, as well. Consider bitter-tasting nail polish specifically designed to taste bad, so you’ll want to avoid biting in the future.

4. Get Fake Nails

You have many great options for fake nails, from Shellac to acrylics. When you have fake nails applied during a manicure, it will help to reduce your instinct to bite your nails. It’s helpful because will you want to keep your more costly manicure looking good for as long as possible. And that’s not all. Applied nails don’t have the same texture or taste as natural nails, and you likely won’t feel the same inclination to bite your acrylics.

5. Use a Fidget Spinner

Nail biting, skin picking, and other repetitive behaviors can be a sign of anxiety or a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and might be an indication that you’re worried about something. The good news is that there are many tools and methods for managing anxiety, and they can be helpful for preventing nail-biting.

Fidget spinners, particularly fidget rings, can help to transfer your energy into a task that won’t cause damage or irritation in the long and short term. Making crafts, squeezing stress balls, and other hands-on tasks can all be similarly useful, so find the best method for your needs.

6. Consider Why and When You Bite

Nail-biting often has a root cause or trigger behind it, particularly if it’s a symptom of anxiety. Understanding what those root causes are can help you to manage your behaviors, find alternatives, and may even reduce exposure to those triggers. Once you know why you’re biting, you can work toward broader solutions, which can help to protect your nails in the long and short term. Awareness training and behavior therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy with a clinical psychologist may help you find the cause and resolve it.

7. Use Products

When it comes to preventing nail-biting, you have lots of product options to pick from. To start, check out your nail polish options, as many nail polishes can be used. There are also topcoats, powders, and even spices that can help to make nail-biting unappealing and prevent the habit. You may also opt to wear gloves, chew gum or eat mints, or have a snack like carrot sticks or celery when you have the urge to bite your nails.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to quitting nail-biting. It can help to protect your nails from damage and irritation and keep your nails safe and healthy for a long time to come. But it can be a challenging habit to break. That’s why Nailboo is bringing you our favorite methods and tips for quitting nail-biting.

We recommend keeping your nails short and well-manicured and trying to out fidget spinners, a healthier anxiety management tool. It can also be helpful to get to the root of why and when you bite your nails to help address any potential underlying causes.

No matter what your nail care needs might be, Nailboo is here to help. You’ll find a wide range of tools and kits in our shop, so you can create beautiful nails you love and remove your nails and polish with ease. And, of course, we’re sharing tips and tricks for keeping your nails healthy and safe. Get the looks you love with Nailboo.