CONFESSION

I’m a compulsive nail biter.

…And a few of my nails are starting to look like they are on the verge of extinction… I have to kick this habit. ASAP. This wont be the first time I’ve said I’m going to quit. Ive tried terrible tasting polishes & acrylic nails several times & both were pointless – it didn’t matter how terrible they tasted or how hard my nails were I’d bite right through them! I hide my fingers, embarrassed that anyone might see them. People who have seen my mangled nubby finger tips have gasped & stared at them in shock.

Now I have a goal – I will stop chewing my nails in time for my 27th birthday. I’ve already booked an appointment for a manicure the day of so I better get to work, I’ve only got 2 weeks! Last night I started my usual steps to curb my disgusting habit. For all you nail biters out there here are the steps I follow when I want to kick the habit:

STEP 1: DAMAGE CONTROL
Years of nail biting has left my cuticles very damaged, they’re over grown, peeling, red & swollen. Not healthy at all & in need of a LOT of TLC. I start with a nice warm hand soak in warm water & some lilac essential oil. Then I use my Mary Kay Satin Hands Pampering set in Peach, to soften, exfoliate & moisturize my hands. Once my hands & fingers are soft & supple I use a basic manicure set to clean up my cuticles & I top them off with a healthy dose of cuticle treatment. I love this convenient Sephora Healing Eucalyptus Cuticle Oil Pen which I carry around with me everywhere during the first & most crucial steps to stop nail biting.

STEP 2: STRENGTHEN & PROTECT
My nail beds are incredibly damaged from years of torture, leaving them weak & brittle. Any chipped or broken nail is all to tempting to nibble on – I cannot resist it picking at it. So making sure this doesn’t happen is super important. For this I apply Avon’s Nail Experts Strong Results Length & Strength Complex as often as I can.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Mary Kay Satin Hands Pampering set in Peach, Sephora Healing Eucalyptus Cuticle Oil Pen, Avon Nail Experts Strong Results Length and Strength Complex

STEP 3: COLOR
This is my favorite step. I like to treat myself to a new nail polish (or 2 or 3…) to paint my tiny nails with as incentive to stop chewing. I find that as long as my nails are well manicured I have no excuse to pick at them. So a flawless coat of color is imperative. For this round I’ve chosen a budget friendly color from Super Store’s Joe Fresh line in Storm & a matte finish top coat as well as this wicked shade of gold called Guilty Pleasure by Sally Hansen that will be PERFECT for some upcoming XMas parties!

LEFT TO RIGHT: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish in Guilty Pleasure, Joe Fresh nail polish in Storm and Matte topcoat

STEP 4: KEEP BUSY & BE PREPARED
Minor set-backs are bound to happen – so I always keep a nail file with me in case I get a hangnail or anything that tempts me to bite. I LOVE this Folding Manicure Tool from Sephora.com that looks like a Swiss Army knife – HOW cool is that? SO cool that I’ve officially added it to my XMas wish list! I find I’m most likely to chew when I’m bored or my hands are idle so I plan on keeping busy by planning some upcoming photoshoots for the blog, baking my favorite holiday treats & LOTS of Christmas shopping, which I am embarrassed to say I haven’t even started yet!!

Sephora Folding Manicure Tool

If anyone out there has more helpful tips or tricks to curb a nail biting habit I’d love to hear them!!

WISH ME LUCK!!
Cheers,
ash