How to stop biting your nails?

Onychophagia is a compulsive behavior that involves biting one's nails or simply putting them in the mouth.

Onychophagia, or the act of biting one's nails

Very often, this mania is caused by stress or anxiety. It allows you to calm down and stabilize your emotions.

Nail biting affects adults, children and adolescents alike. It can become a common but harmless habit.

Causes of onychophagia:

The causes of onychophagia vary, but it very often appears during a stressful or concentration situation at work, at school, in personal life or even as part of smoking cessation.

Other triggers include boredom, hunger, or feeling uncomfortable.

The typical nail-biter is often anxious, shy, introverted and/or perfectionistic.

Consequences of onychophagia:

First, nail biting can cause small skin lesions that can develop into skin infections, especially when the nail is bitten down to the root of the finger phalanges.

The underside of the nail is a perfect place for germs and bacteria. When brought into the mouth, these microorganisms enter the body and increase the risk of getting sick.

Biting can also deform the nails and prevent them from growing back. It is irreversible, the entire nail matrix (the tissue around and under the nails) can be damaged.

As a result, the nails have an abnormal appearance, a sign that they are not healthy.

In addition, frequent nail biting can damage teeth. This habit creates mini dental trauma, so tooth enamel may be scratched and damaged.

In the long term, this can even disrupt dental occlusion, that is, the way the teeth meet when the mouth is closed. As a result, teeth can become deformed, cracked or even loose.

Finally, onychophagia can have social repercussions, some affected individuals do not accept their damaged hands. They therefore tend to isolate themselves from the outside world.

Fortunately, there are some solutions to limit or stop nail biting altogether.

Tips to stop biting your nails:

Here are some simple and effective tips to avoid biting your nails and keep them healthy :

• Trim your nails short: The best way to stop this problem is to regularly trim your nails short. This way, there are fewer nails to bite when they are in your mouth.

• Chewing gum: Keeping your mouth busy with gum can help limit nail biting.

• Adopt a replacement gesture: instead of biting your nails out of habit, you can keep your hands busy by fiddling with locks of hair or a pen, or by kneading an anti-stress object (a ball for example).

• Get a nice manicure: Getting a nice manicure, wearing nice nail polish or fake nails can discourage nail biting. There is a bitter, unpleasant tasting nail polish designed to prevent nail biting.

• Moisturize your hands regularly: hands that are often moisturized and greasy are less pleasant to put on your mouth and can put you off this habit. The ideal is to choose a rich, moisturizing and nourishing cream made from natural ingredients to repair the damage caused by nail biting.

• Wear gloves or stickers: if your hands are gloved, it is impossible to bite your nails. In addition, there are stickers specially designed to cover your nails. Otherwise, a simple adhesive bandage stuck over the nail may be enough.

• Practice sports and/or relaxation: practicing a sport or relaxation activity has the effect of channeling your nerves and anxiety. For example, meditation and yoga can help you relax and stop taking out stress on your nails.

• Take targeted food supplements to limit stress: some anti-stress food supplements are made up of plants that are very useful for calming anxiety during a stressful situation.

Délicure offers no stress gummies , with a peach flavor, enriched with plants to naturally fight against emotional stress and protect the nervous system. They contain relaxing plants (rhodiola, saffron and holy basil), GABA amino acid as well as vitamin B6.

The brand also offers a wide range of CBD products: gummies , CBD oils and CBD candies . CBD has a calming effect on the body, it helps relieve stress and anxiety, and promotes a state of relaxation.

These natural products do not cause any side effects and are safe for health.

Treating bitten nails:

To take care of bitten and damaged nails, you can use vegetable oils, especially castor oil or olive oil. They are very effective for nourishing, moisturizing and strengthening the nail.

Every week, the ideal is to soak your nails in a bowl filled with these two oils for at least five minutes.

This treatment will also promote healthy and rapid nail regrowth.

To nourish nails from the inside, Délicure has launched hair gummies , with a wild berry flavor targeted for the beauty of hair , nails and skin. Thanks to their composition rich in blueberry, vitamins (B6, B8, B9, B12 and E) and trace elements (zinc and selenium), they strengthen the nail and stimulate its growth.

If you have difficulty stopping nail biting, it is advisable to talk to a healthcare professional (general practitioner or dermatologist). A consultation with a psychiatrist or psychologist can also be useful to understand the reasons for stress or anxiety.