Struggling to Stop Nail Biting and Picking Habit

TW: mild self-injury(?) • • • • • • I have a bad habit of nail biting and picking, then peeling off layers of my nail and biting the skin near my bitten nails off and it results in wounds, layers of vulnerable skin exposed, and serious pain and sensory issues. It's really awful. Nail polish helps me to stop the habit for a week, but then the polish starts to chip and I go right back to picking at my nails. It's a habit I've had since I was a kid, and it's getting worse now that the dry air of winter is drying out my skin 😭 not to mention that lotion is a sensory nightmare for me u g h... idk what to do about it!

Your answer

Evaleastaristev

1y ago

Definitely acrylics, and keep up with the maintenance. Every two weeks is a good bet. If you can't afford that, press ons could maybe work, as well.

Ysbryd

1y ago

ACRYLICS!! and keep getting infills, helped me completely stop. Failing that, try the anti-biting polish for kids.

Igglepiggle

1y ago

I second this but also just making sure you have a good nail file to stop any edges that can catch and make you wanna bite them helps a lot if you are capable of breaking the habit, I actually broke the habit by putting plasters over all of my fingers for over a week completely stopping me from touching them while they healed as they were very injured then used stop and grow stuff and nail polish and tried to make sure that was done regularly so wouldn’t chip and just basically kept on top of giving myself little manicures to force the habit to stop which has worked quite well sometimes I pick but I don’t spiral my nails are generally much better

Eraser

1y ago

I’ve had this problem since I was four years old. Fourteen years later I still do and have malformed my middle fingernails. I’ve found that acrylics help for a few weeks, but the thin nails that follow only encourage the habit. I have no idea what to do either but it sucks having these habits because they may have started as an anxiety related thing, but mow they have most likely turned into an OCD-related disorder. I hate having these things, biting and picking. So much pain and discomfort, it really sucks 🥲

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