If there is one thing that I congratulate myself on, it is that I conquered the seemingly impossible task of breaking my nail bitting habit.
I feel like it is an almost universal girlhood experience to go through an obsession with picking at our nails, whether it be picking at the cuticles, or just biting our nails down to a nub. And if you never got into this habit, count yourself lucky.
I was in middle school when I developed this habit. I don’t remember the exact moment that it started, but soon the sight of my nails actually growing to a healthy length was a rare one.
This habit lasted into probably around my sophomore year of high school as, every time I tried to break my habit, a nail would either break or I would break down and regress into my old ways. The turning point, I believe, was when I would go to the nail salon and see people with pretty, healthy, nails leave and I would be left with my little stubs. It was at this moment that I really committed.
It took some time, but I can say now that my nails are the longest they have been in a while, and they look great painted too.
So, for all the girlies out their that struggle with this habit, here are some things that helped me overcome my nail bitting “addiction.”
Just Paint ‘Em
This is probably the most obvious one, but having nail polish on your nail’s will keep you from biting them so a little bit. There are polishes that specifically taste bad so it’s really nasty to bite them. Also, the desire to keep your polish looking pretty will keep you from ruining them with your teeth, even if it’s just for a little bit.
Shape ‘Em Up
I learned that if I bit off part of my nail, it would leave ugly, jagged, edges which would only cause me to want to bite them again. If I waited and used a nail file to shape up my nails instead, the texture would be smoothed out and the irritation would go down. This really helped me the most, since most of my nail bitting habit seemed to stem from the fact that I didn’t like the way uneven nails felt. Please invest in a nail file, you won’t regret it.
Put a Ring On It
During the pandemic, I started to become more interested in jewelry and began wearing rings. This, unbeknownst to me, proved to be an alternate thing to fidget with instead of my finger nails. They were something small that were always at my fingertips to fiddle around with, and my nails were left untouched as a result.
Set a Goal
My one goal when it came to my nails was that I wanted them to look like acrylic length nails. Today I can say that I have achieved that. They aren’t that long, but, to me, they are the perfect length. As a bonus, they are much stronger too.
As a last tip, here is my one big no-no: Do NOT Get Acrylics
Trust me, I speak from experience. If you are trying to grow out your nails, yes, those will keep you from biting them and make them seem longer while they grow, however, acrylics will severely weaken them at the same time. I got acrylics once for my prom, and it took MONTHS for them to recover their durability. If you want long nails that will last, avoid acrylics at all costs!