Overcoming Flagrant Habits

     One of the most difficult bad habits to break is the biting of nails and cuticles. For those who are not nail biters, understanding this habit and solving the problem often remains a mystery. In the official textbooks of cosmetology concerning this insidious problem it is referred to under conditions as onychophagy (pronounced: awna-koffa-gee). In truth, it's a nervous habit which can be dealt with in two ways. The first is to make it impossible and undesirable to continue with the habit. This is the most difficult aspect of onychophagy. In the past, people have resorted to using manufactured solutions applied which have a bad taste and works for many people to break the physical aspect of the condition. The underlying cause goes without being addressed or dealt with effectively. Nervous habits can have deep-seated psychological reasons and getting to a complete solution  requires much personal insight of the person who suffers this malady.

     A sector of people believe that nail biting is not that different a habit than cigarette smoking. I have a suspicion this started to gain credibility when they were both classified as a dirty habit. I know that the unsanitary aspect can make someone truly believe this but in fact there is no true equation between the two habits. Cigarette smoking is a chemical addiction whereas nail biting definitely is developed through mild psychosis or neurosis. It may be easier to quit smoking than to stop biting your nails from a psychological standpoint. 

     When I first started working after I received my license to do nails, I was busy applying artificial nails when I noticed that a lot of the clients for this service were nail biters who simply couldn't stop by any other means. They had tried the bad-tasting preparations but found this Pavlovian cure to be ineffective and hoped that a barrier between their mouth and the nails would finally stop the problem. These were always the hardcore nail biters and it only stopped them for awhile. Many would continue to bite their cuticles to almost disgusting proportions or in one instance that I know of- with a technician I worked with- her client cracked a tooth in half trying to chew on her artificial nails! This was the worst case scenario I ever witnessed and still astounds me to this day. What the client said about herself and the incident, however, gave me an insight that most of the technicians probably ignored or were too grossed out to pay attention to the fact.

     Stress or depression which goes unheeded is most likely the underlying cause of any habit which involves actually biting or cutting oneself. As a matter of fact, you may be surprised to discover that cutters are not treated any different by psychologists and psychiatrists than a nail biter would be and they are quite often nail biters as well as cutters. Cutters insist that they feel calmer after they cut and do this in the same way that addicts smoke or shoot up because the body releases a specific hormone when they cut. It's to relieve the mental or physical stress they can't handle. So nail biting can technically be viewed as an addiction with psychological implications rather than chemical. The cure by artificial nail application is a highly effective solution because of the barrier factor but don't forget that it's important to use insight as to what the source of the stress may be and eliminate or learn how to deal with that source more effectively. Each time your hand flies to your mouth back up mentally and ask yourself a series of questions.

     What was I doing just now and how did that make me feel ?

     Who was I talking to on the phone and how do they make me feel ?

     Did something just happen which triggered my reaction to bite my nails ?

    

     This will give you some idea of how to cope better while you're consciously taking some action on the issue. Don't give up and think of this as an investment in your self-esteem and future confidence. Your feelings are important and you deserve to be heard and recognized.

Empowering every potential customer with sage advice,

The Castle Lady 
(and still going... lol)