Why cuticles?:
Often in the nail biting world you will see people with perfectly groomed nails, nails that are polished and taken care of, but surrounded by bleeding or sore cuticles.
Cuticle biting and picking is frequently the result of the cuticles being excessively dry or damaged. This condition can be exacerbated by the fall and winter weather we're starting to get into.
Dryness creates the hard edges that can attract the biter, and the need to correct and flatten out the area leads to over-correction. Sometimes the biting habit surfaces as a urge to remove excess cuticles. If the cuticle is large enough to be bitten, it can often become an irresistible target.
How cuticle biting can be resolved in a healthy and positive way:
Support system:
It can seem embarrassing, or irrelevant, but try to find a person or two you can talk to about stopping your habit. For me, this was my wife. While I had faced a lot of "just stop it" mentalities, my wife was the first person to address the issue on an emotional level, and help me find a way to break the biting habit without feeling like a terrible person.
Bitter agents:
Just like nail biting, cuticle biting can be approached through using a bitter deterrent. Nail Quail's Strong Will is the best and strongest product on the market for chronic cuticle biting. It isn't a lacquer, unlike other options like Mavala Stop and Thum, so you can be as messy as you want on your skin and cuticles. As it's not a lacquer or polish, it will remain on the skin, rather than peel off. Strong Will has zero smell and dries to be invisible, only leaving an extremely bitter taste.
Cuticle Oil:
As mentioned earlier, cuticle biting is often sparked by dry, uneven cuticles. Using a cuticle oil will soften the cuticle to make them less noticeable, and harder to bite. Recognizing this benefit, we have done a good deal of research to determine the best cuticle oil option for cuticle biters. We are happy to now offer Ez Flow's Cuticle Care 2-In-1 cuticle cream. Specifically designed to exfoliate dry skin around the cuticle and nail, preventing brittle splits and cracks, this cream is great for promoting healthy skin and nails. It comes in a half ounce easy applicator tube with funnel tip, so that you can specifically target your affected cuticles. Just like Strong Will, it can be applied on the go for convenient and constant support.
We hope these tips will help you concur your cuticle biting habit. We'd love to hear more suggestions or success stories - feel free to post below!