How To Stop Biting Your Nails

Uh-oh. A whole host of recovering nail biters have been relapsing recently. Lockdown has left us with plenty of time alone in our homes with no onlookers on hand to curb our bad habits. We've been skipping hair wash days, deodorant and we've traded in gel manis, or at the very least, neat nails, for nibbled fingertips.

"Biting your nails can be a real problem," says award-winning beauty expert and entrepreneur, Leighton Denny MBE, who's seen his fair share of chewed nail edges in his time. "It's usually a reflection of personal anxiety or nervousness. You can overcome the habit, but in order to do this you must recognise the underlying reasons. Nail biting is, in fact, an uncontrollable reflex which usually occurs during a particular situation: i.e. waiting at a red light, talking on the phone, during a moment of reflection or looking for an answer."

To help you curb your nibbling, with Leighton's help, we've compiled some advice on how to kick the habit and make 2020 the year of amazing nails so you can try the latest nail art trends like everyone on Instagram RN.

Find your triggers

If you always bite while you're reading through emails, be extra aware when you’re doing this that you aren’t biting. By breaking the cycle and willing yourself not to bite when you’re most vulnerable, you’ll be able to stop for good. Try keeping a diary of when and where you bite, in order to identify your weak points. "To break this persistent habit, set a goal for yourself, week by week, and in a month you will have beaten this problem. The reward will be beautiful, healthy nails," says Leighton.

Give yourself a mani

When all this is over, you can treat yourself by heading to the professionals. But for now, give yourself a DIY mani – preferably in a bright colour. Leighton suggests painting your nails with bright red, so it’s obvious to you when your nails are near your face and make a mental note that RED means stop. "Keep applying the red over your nails for 10 days then remove and see how much your nails have grown, usually this is enough for you to see how fast the nails grow and how good they look, then add a home nail care to your regime and enjoy nurturing your nails back to good health," he says.

Leighton recommends a cuticle oil for instant moisture and to keep your nails durable, a nail file (kept handy so you can file away any snags you may be tempted to bite) and his Under Cover Base Coat to strengthen and protect your new nails under polish.

Try nail extensions

One to look forward to when we're on the other side of this. Nail extensions are a good cheat as you can grow your nails under them. The technician's skill is all-important, so shop around to find someone who is skilled and experienced. Once you have the extensions, go back to the same salon every two weeks for top-up care.

Never pull or bite you’re false nails off yourself or you'll ruin the nail plate underneath and be back to square one. When you want to give yourself a chance to natural again, go to the salon and get them professionally removed - make sure it is the same salons because they will know what materials they used and can decide which is the best way to take them off. If you really must remove them yourself at home, here's how to do it gently.

Coat your nails in bad taste

Amazon is jam-packed with anti-nail biting products such as Mavala Stop. These give your nails a taste that will deter you from biting. From the looks of the rave reviews on Amazon, they work like a charm.

Cut your nails short

It might seem obvious but cutting your nails short goes a long way. If there is not enough nail to bite/ grab with your teeth, you will not feel the satisfaction which will (hopefully) lead to you avoiding biting your nails.

Read what happened when we got hypnotised to stop biting our nails.

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