Having jagged, bitten-down nails can be pretty embarrassing. And biting your nails is unsanitary. When you put your fingers in your mouth, you’re putting all the germs and bacteria you’ve picked up from the things you’ve touched in your mouth too.
Biting your nails can be a hard habit to break. But I finally managed it. And you can too. Here are a few tips that could help you stop biting your nails.
Make a Conscious Effort Not to Bite Your Nails
Sometimes, you’ll start biting your nails and not even realize you’re doing it. And, once you realize you’re biting your nails, it’s easy to think, “Ah, well, I’ve already bitten off most of my nails. Why stop now?”
Well, stop! Even if the only nail you have left is on your left pinky finger, stop. With time, you’ll catch yourself biting your nails sooner and sooner. And will manage to save more and more of your nails.
Ask Others to Tell You When You’re Biting Your Nails
Ask your friends to give you a little nudge if they see you biting your nails. Sometimes, this is all it takes to save your fingernails.
Make Biting Your Nails Really Unpleasant
If you often start biting your nails without even realizing it, a product like CONTROL-IT! can help. CONTROL-IT! is a clear, colorless liquid that has a bitter, unpleasant taste. Use a product like this, and you’ll definitely know the minute you start nibbling on a fingernail, because the nasty taste in your mouth will tell you.
Keep Your Nails Polished
When you’ve spent time polishing your nails so they look nice, you won’t want to ruin your efforts by biting your nails. So keep your nails polished, and give yourself a manicure at least once a week.
Get a Professional Manicure
When you’ve spent money to have a manicure done by a professional, you won’t want to ruin your manicure, and waste the money you spent, by biting your nails. So, get your nails done by a pro. Splurging on a manicure just once a month could help you stop biting your nails.
Wearing Gloves Will Keep You from Biting Your Nails
You can’t bite your nails if you can’t get to them, which is where the gloves come in. You don’t have to wear the gloves all the time. You can just wear them when you’re at home for a few hours every day. When you can’t bite your nails, you’ll stop trying, even subconsciously. As a result, you’ll find your hands wandering to your mouth less often, even when the gloves are off.
Any kind of gloves will do. But a pair of well-fitting, rubber gloves will allow you to do just about everything you could do without the gloves, like write, type on a keyboard, or hold a spoon.
Keep a Nail Clipper and Emery Board Handy
Sometimes, nail biting starts because you’re trying to get rid of a hangnail, or because you chipped a fingernail. Instead of using your teeth to fix these problems (which just reinforces the habit of biting your nails) use nail clippers or an emery board to do the job.
Biting your nails can be a tough habit to break. But, believe me, it can be done. And, once you’ve broken the nail biting habit, you’ll have hands and nails you can be proud of.
Reference:
- “Nails: How To Keep Your Fingernails Healthy and Strong” at MayoClinic.com. Nail-Biting at WebMD.com
