Are You A Nail Biter?

     If you suffer from the compulsive habit of biting your nails, know that you’re not alone.  It has been estimated that one in every four people bite their nails.  Statistics show that one-half of adolescents bite their nails at some point and between one-quarter and one-third of college students say they still bite their nails.  Nail biting is usually done to ease stress and anxiety.  Any kind of disharmony as a result of friends, family, work, or school can trigger the habit.

     Some nail biters seem to bite in an automatic way, as if they are in a trance and not really thinking about what they are doing.  Usually, they are involved in some other activity at the same time such as reading, talking on the phone, working at the computer, watching T.V., etc.  For others, the nail biting is their main activity at the time, and they will frequently interrupt other activities in order to do it.  People seem to bite when they are either over-stimulated (due to stress or excitement) or under-stimulated (due to boredom or inactivity).

     Another factor considered in nail biting behavior involves a kind of compulsive perfectionism.  Nail biters will often try to bite off rough-feeling or broken bits of cuticle or nail sticking out in order to make their nails feel smooth and look “perfect” or regular.

     Nail biting sufferers are helped when they are able to first identify, and then eliminate, avoid, or change the particular activities, environmental factors, mood states, or circumstances that trigger the nail biting response.  The most important aspect of overcoming nail biting is to train yourself to keep your nails out of your mouth.  Part of the cure is to find out exactly when and under what situations start the biting.  Behavioral techniques for stopping nail biting are primarily interference techniques: doing something else with your hands (such as rubbing a smooth stone, playing the piano, squeezing a ball, playing checkers, chess, embroidering, etc.) or doing something else with your mouth (such as chewing gum, chewing on a straw, toothpick, or eating hard candy, etc.)

     The nail industry has produced an all-natural herbal anti-fingernail biting cream.  Thousands of people are seeing results with this cream, which is massaged into the cuticles and nails morning, night and after hand washing.  The cream is odorless, invisible, and will not stain.  It is formulated to prevent nail biting by causing an unpleasant taste that reminds you not to bite.  The aloe and vitamins A, B, C, & E enriched cream result in fewer hangnails, smooth cuticles, and faster healing. 

     The recovery program and the home care kit meet all three very important healing steps—hydration, maintenance, and protection.  The cuticle oil and the anti-fingernail biting cream hydrate and cure irritated cuticles; the manicures provide the weekly maintenance; and the nail strengthener protects the nails as they begin to grow.  If you seriously want to stop biting your nails then try the ten-week nail biting recovery program, you’ll be glad you did.