How do you stop nail-biting?

To stop nail biting, manicure your nails with a bitter-tasting nail polish, and identify a replacement activity to fade the nail-biting habit. Maintain your manicure until the nail-biting habit ceases.

1. Trim and manicure nails

   Trim nails with a nail trimmer, and file the edges with a fine-grain emery board. Shorter, well-manicured nails have a neat appearance and decrease the nail-biting drive.

2. Apply nail polish

   Specialized nail polishes with a bitter taste are available to discourage nail biting. Clear or colored polishes may also be used, but they may not discourage biting as effectively as adversely flavored nail polishes.

3. Identify a replacement activity

   Each time you begin to bite your nails, engage in a replacement activity to manage any stress you are experiencing. Good replacement activities include squeezing a stress ball and engaging in deep breathing. You can also employ negative replacement activities, such as snapping a rubber band worn on the wrist.

4. Maintain your manicure

   It takes time to stop a habit. Maintain your manicure on a regular basis by keeping your nails neat and reapplying the bitter-tasting polish as needed. As you find you are no longer biting your fingernails, the reapplication of bitter nail-biting polished can be stopped.