14 DAY TRIAL // We all know that one person who, for some reason, can't stop biting their nails. Heck, that one person may very well be, erm, us. Most people develop a taste for their own nails in childhood, and as far as habits go, this one is especially tricky to break.
Well aware of the struggle, researchers with the American Academy of Dermatology have put together some tips and tricks that they say can help chronic nail biters - look at that, they even have a proper scientific term to describe such people - ditch this grooming routine.
Apparently, the first thing to do is keep your nails trimmed short so that, when you do feel like biting them, you won't have all that much to sink your teeth into. Then, coating them in a bitter-tasting nail polish can also help you keep your mouth off of them.
The specialists also recommend investing in regular manicures. They say that, the most attractive your nails look, the less edible they will seem. After all, nobody wants to pay for a perfect manicure only to eat it all up afterwards.
Buying a stress ball and giving it a squeeze every now and again might help, especially if you're the kind of guy / gal who bites their nails when worried, bored or anxious. Thus, working on identifying your triggers and avoiding them is a sure way to stop biting your nails.
While some say nail biters should try and ditch the habit in one go, the American Academy of Dermatology researchers say it's best to start with giving up on chewing on one finger at a time.
Aesthetics aside, breaking this habit reduces the risk of developing all sorts of infections as nail biting can pass bacteria and viruses from your hands into your mouth and onto your face.
“In addition to making the skin around your nails feel sore, repeated nail biting can damage the tissue that makes nails grow, resulting in abnormal-looking nails,” said specialist Margaret E. Parsons, as cited by Science Daily.