How to Stop Stress-Biting Your Nails for Good

Often accompanied by a desire to chew on your cuticles and hangnails (which, counterintuitively, aren’t nails at all but rather rough bits of dry skin), nail-biting is a body-focused repetitive behavior that helps us cope with anxiety, stress and boredom. Thanks to the many sensory receptors in the fingertips, ruining your manicure provides comfort, focus or both. Identify your triggers: Do work deadlines make you bite, or are nosy inlaws driving you to nibble? Then “get some physical and psychological space” from these triggers, advised Dr. Berry, and work on taking the edge off.

As alternative ways to relieve stress, masochists could try grueling physical activities like push-ups, while zen-seekers should regularly take deep breaths. If you’re too rattled to inhale intensely, hold ice cubes. Ice gripping can regulate your temperature and, in turn, your emotions, leaving you better equipped to take deep, calming breaths and leave your nails alone.

If these techniques don’t break the nail-biting pattern, Dr. Berry suggests you cover your fingertips with rubber caps or tape (not ideal if you’re stuck at a laptop all day) or getting a “fiddle basket” full of items that will keep your hands busy, like Theraputty, a stress ball or a tactile Pin Art toy. 

If you’re still gnawing away, consider a cosmetic strategy. Removing temptation by maintaining short nails is an obvious option, but there are more attractive answers. Julie Kandalec, a New York celebrity manicurist, said her top tip is investing in a good pair of cuticle clippers that can snip hangnails—or dead skin. “If there’s nothing to feel, there’s nothing to pick,” she said, also stressing the importance of moisturizing your cuticles. Keep a sanitized pair of clippers, along with a nail file, by your side at all times so you can replace biting with (gentle) pruning.

Removable plastic press-on nails are another solution—Ms. Kandalec finds they discourage clients from biting, but unlike labor-intensive acrylic faux nails, they won’t crack or chip your chompers should you succumb to your compulsion. “If you were to rip [an acrylic] off with your teeth, you could really cause dental damage, and that’s expensive.”

Speaking of expense, investing in your digits—whether that means buying luxurious cuticle oil and nail polish or weekly trips to the salon—can inspire you to stop the chew. “You’re like, ‘You know what? I spent money on making these nails look good.’ And it gives you that extra boost to kick the habit,” said New York-based Rita Remark, the global lead educator for nailcare brand Essie. “Seeing the nails looking better gives you the motivation to continue onward,” she said. Ms. Remark noted that manicures using durable gel-based polish, which requires a UV or LED lamp to set, make biting more difficult than standard ones, but a pleasing hue can deter noshing too.

According to Dr. Berry, the manicure tricks are legit. “If you have these beautiful nails…you get what’s called ‘visual stimulation,’ and that might be enough to quell you.” For more advice on how to quit biting, read on for a conversation between Katharine K. Zarrella and Rebecca Malinksy, two WSJ fashion editors—and real-life nibblers—about what they’ve found works and what doesn’t.

Katharine: How many times have you tried to stop biting your nails?

Rebecca: Weekly since I was 15. Out of desperation, I once used that bitter nail polish. It worked for a while, but I ended up biting in my sleep and sprinting to the kitchen for water at 5 a.m. Not an alarm clock I’d recommend.

Katharine: Sounds like a hideous way to start the day. What did it taste like?

Rebecca: Like a tangy, metallic explosion, which, now that I say it, kind of sounds like a faddish culinary flavor, but I wouldn’t suggest any chefs try it in their next dish.

Katharine: Have you found anything that’s helped, or do you fear you’re a lost cause?

Rebecca: Funnily, olive oil does the trick better than anything foul-tasting. I have dry cuticles and brittle nails. Using olive oil keeps hangnails at bay and helps me maintain decent-looking fingertips, which dissuades me from nibbling. Until it doesn’t.

Katharine: How does olive oil do all that?

Rebecca: It’s moisturizing. Plus, applying it is soothing and takes the place of biting.

Katharine: But olive oil is deeply delicious, which could cause problems for me.

Rebecca: I have not found that to be an issue. But if you can’t resist the temptation to lick (ew), try Burt’s Bees cuticle cream. It has a lemony scent but isn’t edible. I’ve also seen these tasteful fake nails by Static Nails. They come in 12 sizes and you can’t tell they’re press-ons. I think they’d deter me from biting.

Katharine: I googled them. They’re shockingly tasteful, not like the tacky faux talons of the “Dynasty” era.

Rebecca: You recently stopped biting. Any tips?

Katharine: Pun intended? I tried quitting for decades, but my gnawing anxiety always foiled my efforts. I wear rings on every finger and fidgeting with those is a satisfying biting substitute, but it only keeps me content for so long. Vanity is my real secret.

Rebecca: I’m not following.

Katharine: I’d always bite less after getting a good gel manicure, but the moment the polish started peeling I’d resume nibbling. So I switched to dip-powder manis in O.P.I.’s Lincoln Park After Dark—my favorite aubergine hue. The powder has an acrylic base, so it doesn’t peel and it makes your nails rock hard. If I bit, I’d probably chip a tooth.

Rebecca: You stopped chewing for fear of dental damage?

Katharine: At first. But as my nails grew, I became obsessed by how lithe and lovely my fingers looked—even though their exceptional length hindered my typing. That’s why my Slack chats have been riddled with errors.

Rebecca: I was wondering about that. But I haven’t noticed any typos lately.

Katharine: Because last week, I tried using my spectacular claws to open a sticky cabinet drawer and snapped off four nails. So now, I’m back to square one with sad little nubs. But at least I didn’t bite.

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