How to stop biting your fingernails? Every person is prone to acquiring bad habits. Sometimes they are dangerous not only to health, but also to life. Someone realizes this and tries by any means to get rid of addictions, and some people accept their shortcomings and live with them for many years.

I would like to separately discuss one of these bad habits that many suffer from, but do not know how to eradicate this bad quality in themselves. We'll talk about the habit of biting your fingernails. In the dictionary of medical terms, this deviation is called onychophagia. Quite an unpleasant word, like the habit itself. After all, the habit of biting nails is actually a mental disorder. This problem affects many adults all over the world, although in most cases, the habit of biting nails is inherent in children and adolescents. In addition to the fact that bitten nails and cuticles do not look aesthetically pleasing, the hands of such people always look ugly and untidy.

This unpleasant phenomenon is also harmful to the health of the person suffering from this habit. After all, under the nails there are many different microbes and microorganisms that enter the body of a person who bites his nails through the gastrointestinal tract. Accordingly, they can cause various kinds of infectious diseases and health disorders. Also, this bad habit leads to deformation of the nail plate, the skin around the nails is damaged and inflammatory processes occur.

Before deciding for yourself how to get rid of the habit of biting your nails, you need to understand the cause of this mental disorder.

Young children tend to copy the behavior of their parents. If one of them is prone to biting nails, then a child of about four years of age may well repeat such unaesthetic actions, taking a bad example from mom or dad.

Sometimes children suffer from onychophagia (biting their nails) out of boredom, or vice versa, getting too carried away by something. Often in teenagers and in adults, the reason for such a bad habit is that they were not weaned from it since childhood. Such people cannot explain why they do this.

There are cases when adults and teenagers begin to bite their nails during periods of deep emotional excitement. This method of calming serves as an emotional release for them.

Also, some people bite their nails when they are concentrating hard on something. They don't notice themselves when their fingers are in their mouth.

Sometimes the process of biting nails helps a person cope with a certain mental state, such as aggressiveness, irritation, or lack of self-confidence.

Having understood himself and found out the reason for the tendency to such a habit, a person can choose for himself a way to wean himself from biting his nails. When such actions appear in a child, you cannot perceive them as innocent pranks; you must immediately take measures to combat the ugly habit. So that it does not develop into a chronic mental disorder called onychophagia. When a child bites his nails, it may mean that he is in a state in which he cannot openly express his aggression, which should serve as an alarm bell for parents. After all, a child’s tendency towards such a habit is often based on his mental state.

Thus, he shows his dissatisfaction, anger, aggression. You need to teach your child to speak up and express his emotions. Tell him that biting his nails is unsightly, that he can get sick because of it, and that he will be given injections. And all children are afraid of injections.

And of course, watch your behavior, don’t allow yourself to do this in front of your child. If you, while forbidding him to bite his nails, do this yourself, then nothing will work out for you. And this way you will save your child from the addiction, and you will restrain yourself.

In order for an adult to wean himself from biting his nails at home, here are some tips:

First of all, you need to balance your psycho-emotional state. Drink some soothing infusions. Distract yourself. For example, listening to pleasant music. Walk outside more. Play sports. Choose a way to calm down and relax.

Always hold in your hands some object that during periods of excitement or stress you can chew instead of your nails. For example, an apple.

An expensive manicure will help you restrain yourself from biting your nails. It is unlikely that a woman will want to eat a beautiful, professionally done manicure with great pleasure. Moreover, cosmetics applied to nails do not have a very pleasant taste.

At home, you can also apply colorless varnish with a bitter taste to your nails, which are sold in pharmacies specifically to combat onychophagia.

Folk remedies are also effective if you want to get rid of this habit. It is worth smearing your nails with something bitter, for example, mustard, pepper mixed with iodine. The disgusting taste of this drug will discourage you from your addiction.

Always carry nail scissors and a nail file with you. If a hangnail appears or your nail is damaged, immediately correct your manicure with tools. And then you simply will have nothing to chew on.

An ideal way for women to get rid of such a bad habit, to put it mildly, could be nail extensions. Firstly, such nails are not so easy to bite off, and secondly, a woman would be sorry to spoil such beauty.

Ask your family and friends to slap your hands every time you put your fingers in your mouth. This can reflexively discourage nail biting.

Such simple advice, of course, may not help everyone. But it's still worth a try.

Think about how this habit might affect you. In addition to the fact that gnawed fingers look very unattractive, you also risk earning yourself a couple of very unpleasant diseases. Since the desire to chew a finger can arise at any moment, you will not put off this impulse until you wash your hands with soap and stuff an unwashed nail into your mouth. Imagine what will end up in your mouth with it. At the very least, you can infect yourself with worms of all kinds. In addition, with constant nail biting, teeth deteriorate. Remember all this in those moments when you want to chew your fingernails. Try your best to rid yourself of this habit and let your hands always look beautiful and tidy.

Many of us are familiar with the situation. We grow and grow our nails, and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, and unbeknownst to ourselves, we begin to bite them.

There are many options for getting rid of this bad habit. First, let's determine the reason.

Most often, people bite their nails when they are nervous. If you belong to this category of people, try to control yourself from the moment a stressful situation occurs.

• As soon as you feel the urge to bite your nails, try to switch your attention to something else.
• Take, for example, a pen and twist the cap back and forth.
• Try to distract yourself by eating your favorite dessert, fruit or vegetable.
• In addition, to overcome the habit, you can also purchase wooden rosary beads that you can finger through.
• In stores today you can find a lot of anti-stress items: various balls, expanders and other gizmos that will help you wean yourself from this bad habit.
• On the shelves of jewelry stores you can find anti-depressant rings that have a moving part. Many newlyweds choose anti-depressant wedding rings. And it’s understandable why, because living together sometimes makes you nervous.

Remember, the habit of biting nails distinguishes a person who cannot pull himself together and control himself in such a simple situation. You're not like that, are you? Prove it to yourself!

Let's change the habit of biting your nails to a beautiful manicure!

The bad habit of biting your nails can lead to the appearance of worms. After all, nails are far from sterile.

Long well-groomed nails are so beautiful! After all, they say correctly that a true lady is distinguished by well-groomed hands. Do you want to become a real lady? Then set yourself a goal - to grow long nails! In order for them to grow better and be stronger, try to diversify your diet with plant foods (greens, fruits, vegetables).

A course of vitamins will help make your nails stronger. Also, try using lemon juice. It is best to apply it to your nails before bed so that it has time to take effect (after all, you are unlikely to wash your hands at night). Apply lemon juice to the nail plate for 7-10 days, and pamper the skin of your hands with a nourishing cream.

The result will be visible in 2-3 days! You will feel sorry for biting your beautiful nails.

A professional manicure can help you break the habit of biting your nails. You can try getting your nails done or getting an expensive manicure. You want all your friends and acquaintances to see the manicure you paid for? So, keep your teeth away from your nails! You can do a beautiful manicure yourself.

Try making salt baths for your nails. Nails will become stronger and acquire a salty taste. You're unlikely to like it!

Sometimes nail biting can be caused by a snagged nail. In this case, you need to carry nail scissors and a nail file in your purse to quickly revive the nail or remove it.

You need to know that constant biting of nails leads to deformation of the nail plate, as well as to the appearance of various inflammatory phenomena in the surrounding tissues. After getting rid of the habit of biting your nails, within a few weeks the shape of the nail is restored.

Most often, people who are prone to bad habits are those who often get nervous over trifles and chew themselves.

Learn to live in harmony with yourself and the habit of biting your nails will dissolve on its own!

Abroad, a comprehensive approach is taken to this problem. The problem of nail biting is believed to be psychological in nature. The world's first specialized center for those who want to get rid of this habit was opened in Holland (the city of Venlo).

Can you imagine how much a 4-week treatment could cost? Then fight the problem, and use the money you save to treat yourself, for example, to a seaside holiday with your family, a beautiful dress or a new expensive manicure set.

The habit of biting nails is a problem not only for children, but also for adults. And while it is much easier for an adult to cope with it, a child needs a special approach. This is not only unsightly and unhygienic, but can also cause serious harm to health. Among the various methods of getting rid of an unpleasant activity, an effective remedy is a special varnish for children against a bad habit.

Before you start using this varnish, you should consult your doctor about the possible reasons for changes in the child’s emotional state.

Causes

The problem of nail biting (onychophagia) is considered quite common among young children today. In addition to the fact that you can infect yourself with intestinal infections, there is a high risk of ruining the shape of your bite and nails for life, which in old age will remind you of a bad childhood habit.

You cannot let this problem take its course, and assume that it will go away on its own with age. It is important to find the reason, the internal mechanism that prompts the child to bite his nails or cuticles. Such an activity does not appear just like that, without reason. The problem cannot be solved by purchasing a special coating alone; it is important to eliminate the cause, and only then fix the result with varnish.

P the manifestation of onychogaphy is associated with the emotional state of the child. This is a kind of antidepressant that appears against the background of an unbalanced emotional state. At an early age, about 30% of children bite their nails, while by the age of 12-17 this figure is already 50%, firmly becoming a teenager’s habit.

It is important not to aggravate this behavior, so you need to urgently contact a specialist - a child psychologist at the first signs of nail biting.

This craving appears on a subconscious level. The doctor will determine the cause and help cope with it by prescribing appropriate treatment. ABOUT Typically this behavior can be caused by:

• feeling of loneliness;
• expectation of punishment;
• lack of parental love and inattention to the child;
• shyness(feeling of self-doubt);
• lack of vitamins and essential nutrients;
• period of adaptation due to with moving and transferring to a new school or kindergarten;
• difficulty communicating with adults and peers;
• fright, viewing scary movies;
• repetition actions of parents;
• TV watching oversaturation or excessive passion for computer games;
• emotionally intense family situation.

To begin with, it is important to eliminate the sources of childhood experiences. And then help your child by teaching him how to take care of his nails with a special varnish. In this case, the manicure should be complete: You need to pay attention not only to the nail plate, but also to the cuticles so that the child does not continue to remove them with his teeth.

In addition to emotional factors, there are also physiological ones:

Using a special children's varnish will solve a number of problems. This is a good way to protect your child from many dangers. In addition to using varnish, we must not forget about patience and proper motivation. Under no circumstances should you criticize a child by focusing on the problem. It is necessary to instill a love of aesthetics, and not prohibit nail biting on pain of punishment.

Features and Benefits

A special varnish for children against a bad habit is a modern safe remedy. In the old days, mustard, quinine and hot pepper were used to solve this problem. This often provoked allergies and irritated the mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth.

The varnish coating is safe; if it gets into the mouth, it will not cause gastrointestinal disorders. Anti-nail varnish is a hypoallergenic product; its use eliminates the appearance of rashes, irritation or itching. It is recommended for children aged two years and older.

The taste of the varnish is so unpleasant that if at first it seems simply tasteless, it will subsequently remind you of itself every time you want to bite your nails. This will help you get rid of the urge to touch your mouth with your fingers. The enamel is really effective, it causes a strong taste aversion.

Coating with a special varnish eliminates the need to apply a plaster or bandage your hands during the treatment of wounds and bruises that have already appeared from excessive gnawing of the nail or cuticle to the skin. Using this technique, you can normalize the growth of nail plates and cuticles, and more or less put their shape in order. In addition, this will help maintain healthy teeth and gums and rid the body of viral and bacterial diseases.

You can purchase such products in pharmacies or online on trusted sites. This will allow you to buy an original drug for weaning yourself from a bad habit, which will not harm the child’s health.

It is better to carry out such procedures before bedtime, when the child is relaxed. You can read your baby a bedtime story or tell an interesting story. While applying the product, you can praise the child for his “new” beautiful nails and healthy fingers.

The product is economical and should be applied no more than two to three times a week.. The duration of treatment can range from two weeks to several years. However, you should not apply varnish continuously and daily: this is harmful to the structure of the nails, can make them thin, brittle and cause delamination.

The coating composition, albeit in small quantities, contains components used in conventional varnishes. Penetrating the surface of the horny formation, they end up on damaged skin. In order not to harm her, you should not overuse the product.

Varnish that helps you get rid of the habit of biting your nails is an effective remedy, but during the treatment process it is necessary to take pauses so that the nail plates “rest” from the varnish.

The advantages of varnish include natural color and invisibility on nails.: They look like they have nothing on them. Preparations for boys are transparent in color, while versions for girls have a pleasant pinkish tint.

How to use

The application procedure is simple and does not take much time.. It is applied to clean and dry nails. For girls, it is important to take into account that when weaning themselves from a bad habit, it is unacceptable to paint their nails with another coating so that its microparticles do not get into the mouth.

To cover a nail with a layer of varnish, you need one stroke in the middle and two on the edges.. Manufacturers recommend covering only the edge of the nail plate with the product. However, do not forget about the side areas near which the cuticle is located: children nibble on it too. Tasting the unpleasant and bitter varnish will discourage you from touching your fingers frequently.

Firms

There are no clear recommendations in choosing a specific product. However, you can take a closer look at some brands whose products have already been rated by real customers who have encountered a similar problem.

Smart enamel “Gnaw - I don’t want to”

Perhaps the main product that is bought for boys. It is suitable for both very young children and teenagers in stressful situations. The product is intended for cases where children bite their nails not only on their hands, but also on their feet. This is a colorless enamel with cactus extract. When dry, the color of the nails does not change, the liquid leaves no traces, which will suit boys who rarely agree to have a manicure procedure.

The advantages of enamel include the absence of odor, it dries quickly and does not irritate the skin., even if it gets on wounds. Externally, the product looks like a regular varnish with a convenient brush. Due to the fact that it is quickly absorbed, some parents use it when babies fall asleep. This allows the procedure to be performed in cases where children flatly refuse it.

The disadvantages of the product include the fact that the bitterness of the varnish becomes less when in contact with water. However, getting the product into the mouth leads to copious amounts of saliva and the desire to spit out this bitterness.

"Non-bite"

Products of a domestic manufacturer " Princess" has such an unpleasant taste that it causes disgust in children. If at the very beginning they try to chew this coating to get rid of the new taste, the desire to touch their nails passes quickly, within a few days to two weeks.

Enamel has a relatively low cost, the manufacturer recommends applying it frequently, focusing on hypoallergenicity and the absence of harmful components. As a rule, one bottle is more than enough to help a child cope with an unpleasant problem.

Belweder

The enamel contains denatonium benzoate. It is intended to treat addiction not only for children, but also for adults. The varnish is applied in two layers, and it dries completely in three minutes, and its effect begins to appear with the first touch of the child’s mouth. In addition, the use of varnish reduces the risk of infection of the mucous membranes and nails with various infectious diseases.

The product helps to get rid of the habit of constantly keeping your finger in your mouth. The enamel has such a persistent bitter and disgusting taste that few children will have the desire to put their fingers in their mouth even on the second day.

Limoni

The brand's polish, designed to get rid of the habit of nail biting, is called " No Bite Pro Growth". In addition to weaning off a bad habit, the product treats nail plates. The enamel of the Italian brand is recognized as an effective remedy that promotes the formation of a negative attitude towards nail biting. Thanks to the special formula, the varnish does not cause harm to health, has a liquid, transparent consistency and is intended specifically for children. It dries quickly and leaves no shine on the surface of the nail plates.

Severina

The development of the brand is aimed at getting rid of the habit of licking fingers and biting nails. The formula is based on plant components, the enamel is enriched with a complex of vitamins, which allows you to restore nails and cuticles damaged by addiction. The vitamin A contained in the composition makes the nail plates smooth and strong, vitamin E helps to moisturize and give them shine, and the vitamin F content prevents the nail plates from peeling and breaking off.

Many parents are faced with the problem of bitten nails. At first glance, this is a harmless bad habit. Not everyone struggles with this problem. They believe that over time their child will outgrow this. It is not uncommon for an adult to bite their fingernails. It is very difficult to get rid of an ingrained manner. The problem must be eradicated in childhood.

Causes

If your child bites her fingernails, people call it a “bad habit.” In psychology, it is recognized as a mental illness - onychophagia. This is a mental disorder that causes an uncontrollable desire to bite the nail plate.

Psychosomatics identifies two reasons why a child bites his nails - psychological and physiological.

Experts put psychological factors first:

• problems in the family (thus the baby struggles with stress);
• auto-aggression (children are afraid of conflicts and “drive away anger” on themselves);
• adaptation to kindergarten or school;
• weaning (children compensate for the sucking reflex);
• behavior pattern (copies harmful behavior from friends, acquaintances, adults);
• children bite their nails to distract themselves from another harmful habit;
• high demands of parents (adults scold their child for the slightest offenses, punish them; the little person is afraid of disappointing mom and dad, which results in a stressful situation).

Physiological reasons:

Many psychologists have been searching for the causes of onychophagia. In his book “Love Your Illness,” Dr. Sinelnikov wrote that this is how a child shows a defensive reaction.

Dr. Natalia Volkova also paid attention to psychosomatics. In her article, she provided statistics. In her opinion, most psychosomatic diseases are a consequence of stress.

How to stop a child from biting his nails

Not all parents can cope with their child’s habit on their own. See a doctor for help. The advice of a psychologist helps answer the question of what to do.

The negative consequences of biting nails can be explained to a teenager. Evgeny Komarovsky highlights the main consequences of a bad habit:

• short, unevenly cut nails are unsightly;
• you can become infected with worms; dirt infected with helminth eggs collects under the nail plate;
• If you constantly bite your nails, they will grow slowly;
• problems with gums begin, teeth become loose;
• the nail plate is deformed;
• high risk of contracting viral and stomach infections.

For girls, a beautiful manicure can be an incentive not to bite their nails. Young ladies imitate adults. The nail polish will become an obstacle, because then the beautiful effect will be ruined.

When your baby starts biting his nails, you can distract him with something. Parents come up with educational games, you can make homemade things together. This will not only keep your son or daughter occupied, but will strengthen psychological contact. Parents' attention is important for children.

Since this is not just bad behavior, but a psychological illness, an experienced psychologist will help you find the cause of the behavior.

Psychologists advise that in order to get rid of a habit, you need to eliminate the factor that causes stress in the child.

The habit often appears at an early age. Psychologists say that you should not delay weaning, as children give up classes more easily than adults.

If aggressive behavior occurs, experts advise taking him to an active sports section. For example, to fight. It will help get rid of unnecessary aggression and negative emotions.

You cannot scold or punish a child for an offense. He will become even more nervous and will look for a way to calm down.

Another stress will be added to the main reason. At the age of 3, children learn what is permitted and want to realize themselves. They often go against their elders. This period shapes sociality.

At 2 years of age, the “explorer” period begins. They carefully observe those around them and try to copy the behavior of their elders. It is important to monitor your behavior so that your child does not copy adults. Pay more attention to your household, keep them busy with something interesting.

It is imperative to teach children to be independent. A common cause of stress occurs when parents take their child to kindergarten. He is left in an unfamiliar place, with strangers. They force you to follow the rules.

Children must understand that parents have their own things to do, that going to kindergarten is not only necessary, but interesting. Children need to be prepared in advance for going to kindergarten.

Traditional methods

Onychophagia is not a new disease. Your grandmothers advised how to deal with this. The most popular folk remedies are brilliant green or blue. Unsightly looking fingers can discourage biting. If the baby is 2 years old, the bright color of the fingers will only attract their attention. If ingested, these products may cause diarrhea, irritation, and other reactions.

The second method is to smear your fingers with hot spices. Small children do not like spicy and bitter foods. But there is a risk of an allergic reaction on the skin. In addition, your baby may accidentally rub his eyes. This will cause irritation of the mucous membrane, severe discomfort and another stress factor.

Another way to stop biting your nails is to trim the nail plate at the root. The baby may switch to the skin of his fingers, causing injury to himself, or begin to chew on foreign objects, such as pencils.

Conclusion

Before you stop your child from biting his nails, you need to understand the reason. If harmful habits are provoked by stressful situations, it is necessary to help deal with the problem. The baby needs to be given a lot of attention, at the same time taught to be independent.

You cannot scold children for actions that they do subconsciously. The best prevention against a bad habit is love and mutual understanding in the family.

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Each person develops a lot of bad habits throughout his life, which can be very difficult to get rid of. In particular, almost every child at one age or another begins to bite his fingernails, and this does not always go away until he becomes an adult.

The habit of biting nails, or onychophagia, looks very unaesthetic from the outside, and that is why many people begin to feel shy and hide their hands from others. Naturally, it is impossible to completely hide gnawed and unkempt fingers, so men and women need to get rid of this bad habit as quickly as possible.

Before choosing the right method to help you stop biting your fingernails, you should understand how and why you got this habit.

Causes of onychophagia

Nail biting never occurs out of nowhere.

As a rule, the following reasons contribute to the emergence of such a bad habit:

• For young children, parents are always role models, and kids pick up bad habits from mom and dad much faster and easier than good ones. So, if at least one of the parents periodically bites their fingernails, their child at approximately four years of age will certainly repeat this unaesthetic action;
• in some cases, small children become accustomed to onychophagia due to boredom or, conversely, excessive enthusiasm for a game or an interesting activity. For example, parents may often notice that the baby holds his fingers in his mouth while watching a cartoon or drawing;
• In teenagers and adults, the reason for biting nails most often lies in the fact that they cannot get rid of the habit acquired in childhood. Such people cannot answer the question of why they keep their fingers in their mouths and constantly bite off pieces of their nails, since they do this completely involuntarily;
• in addition, adults and teenage boys and girls may begin to chew their fingers during periods of strong emotional distress. Under such circumstances, onychophagia acts as an emotional release;
• also, some men and women involuntarily bite their nails when they concentrate strongly on something;
• finally, in some cases, this habit helps adults cope with their psychological problems and complexes, for example, excessive self-doubt, imbalance, aggressiveness or irritability.

Why is it so important to stop biting your nails?

Every adult who wants to get rid of this bad habit associates their inconvenience with the aesthetic side of the issue. The hands of a woman or man with onychophagia look very ugly, and no manicure can correct the situation.

In addition, there are other, more serious, complications that this bad habit can lead to, namely: