Biting your nails can be both gross and harmful for your health and teeth, as we’ve previously discussed.
It’s not only the worried looks that you might get while you’re riding the subway, but this oral habit can get so severe that it requires treatment.
And let’s not talk about the ugly nails and the bloody fingertips.
It’s not a secret that while you’re mindlessly biting your every nail, you are also ingesting lots of germs that your fingers have collected throughout the day.
However, thankfully, there are some ways to stop biting your nails, some more drastic than others.
According to doctors, usually, our stomach acids destroy the bacteria so that it doesn’t harm us.
However, there is some that still survive, and sometimes cause serious gastrointestinal issues.
Also, germs shouldn’t be your only problem.
Study have shown that regularly biting your nails can lead to permanent dark lines and deformations of the nails.
Thankfully, some famous celebrity manicurists have the best solutions for you to get rid of this gross habit.
And no, they don’t involve punishing yourself or wearing gloves 24/7.
Here are some ways to stop biting your nails. Here we go!
1. Keep your mind and hands busy
This is the number one rule when it comes to stop biting your nails.
Your mind and hands need to be busy at all times in order for you to avoid thinking about your habit.
Want to know a useful trick? Everyone probably knows those rather annoying fidget spinners that have become so popular lately.
Well, they might be the perfect distraction for your mind and hands. It’s all about object manipulation to avoid thinking about biting your nails.
A fidget spinner is not mandatory, as you can very well use a stress ball or any other object.
2. Get a gel manicure
Manicurist Jin Soon Choi thinks that one of the best solutions when it coms to stop biting your nails is to get a gel manicure.
This gel-like top coat looks like normal nail polish, feels like normal nail polish, but it’s a lot harder and therefore, difficult to chew on.
At the same time, manicurist Deborah Lippmann also offers the alternative of acrylics.
They are even harder to bite and make one of the best solutions for nail biters.
However, you need to be careful when removing those manicures as it can take some time.
Without patience you might end up hurting your nails.
View more Nails Tips and Tricks >
3. Vaseline
Vaseline is an unlikely ally in your fight against nail biting. But it’s a very effective one.
People who bite their nails usually have dry skin on their hands because they always keep their hands in their mouths.
Saliva dries the skin out, making nails and cuticles more tempting.
Using a thick layer of Vaseline on your hands will keep you from putting them in your mouth and will also hydrate your skin.
If you don’t like Vaseline on your hands, you can try putting it only around your nail bed. It will still be effective.
Wrapping it all up
So, here are our favorite ways to stop biting your nails that we’ve gathered from some expert manicurists. Are you a nail biter yourself? Did you get rid of this habit or are you still doing it? Tell us your story down below!
Image source: flickr
