When you’ve been biting your nails for years, whether as a coping mechanism or simply out of habit, getting your nails to look healthy again may seem impossible.
You want pretty nails as much as the next person, but fighting off the urge to bite your nails can be quite challenging.
Luckily for you, there are many tips and tricks you can follow to break your nail-biting habit.
These include identifying your triggers, keeping your nails short, getting a manicure and practicing mindfulness.
When you’ve finally kicked the habit for good, it’s time to pay attention to the state of your nails and get them to look healthy and strong again.
It may take a while for you to find the right treatment for your nails and the progress can be slow, but you need to stay committed if you want results.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to repair damaged nails from biting naturally so you can finally show them off with confidence.
Examine The Damage
Before you can get started with the home remedies, you need to assess the damage that you’ve done to your nails to figure out which treatment will be the most effective and how long it may take for them to heal and get healthy again.
If you used to be a heavy nail biter and your biting extended to the skin around your nails, you’ll need to be patient because it may take a long time before you can expect to see any improvements in your nail growth and strength.
However, if you’ve only bitten the tips of your nails, it’ll take much less time for your nails to recover if you put in the hours and take great care of your nails.
Repairing Damaged Nails
1. Keep Your Nails Trimmed
Nails that are strong and healthy are typically round in shape.
You need to keep your nails trimmed to prevent any breakages, especially if you have a thin nail plate from all the biting.
File your nails into a round shape as this will help keep your nails smooth and even.
2. Push Down Your Cuticles
You may be tempted to get rid of your nasty cuticles by cutting them off, but that will only make things worse.
Cuticles are known to protect the part of your nail that’s growing.
If you cut them, you’ll end up stunting the growth of your nails and increase the chances of an infection to develop.
What you need to do instead is use a wool cotton bud or a wooden cuticle pusher to gently push back the cuticles along the bottom of your nail.
3. Massage Them With Cuticle Oil
One of the most effective ways to repair your damaged nails is by using cuticle oil or cream.
To get the best product, make sure it’s formulated with vitamins, minerals, and essential oils as these are known to create a healthy environment for your nails to heal and grow.
Essential oils will also provide hydration to your weak nail plates because they can seep into your nails and restore some of the natural oils that are needed for your nails to stay healthy.
4. Moisturize Regularly
You need to make it a habit to moisturize your nails regularly to make sure your nails stay in great condition.
It’s advisable to apply hand lotion or moisturizer and massage it into your nails and the skin around your nails every time you wash your hands with soap.
You can also try soaking your nails in olive oil every once in a while to moisturize them.
5. Increase Your Protein Intake
You may not know this but nails are made from a protein by the name of Keratin.
You need to increase your protein intake to make sure your nails are getting enough keratin they need to recover and grow.
Protein sources like beef, chicken, and eggs don’t contain enough keratin, so you can choose to take a Collagen Supplement instead.
6. Take Advantage Of Moisture Locking Gloves
Another great way you can moisturize your nails is by wearing moisture-locking gloves.
Apply a moisturizer on your hands and massage it in, and then put on cotton gloves and leave them on overnight.
They will help seal in the moisture needed to rehydrate your nails and help them heal faster. Do this every night for long-lasting results.
If you wish to improve the effectiveness of your moisturizer, you should cover it with either paraffin wax or petroleum jelly to fully lock in the moisture and then put on the gloves.
7. Eat Plenty Of Fruit And Vegetables
You need to incorporate as much fruit and vegetables as you can into your diet to give your body the minerals and vitamins it needs to stay strong and healthy.
You need to eat a well-balanced diet to make sure your nails get the vitamins and minerals they need to repair.
If you lead to a busy life and can’t maintain a healthy diet, you should consider taking supplements.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve learned how to repair damaged nails from biting, all you need to do is stay committed and get into the habit of taking care of your nails regularly.
It’s necessary for you to find the right cuticle oil or cream to make sure your nails heal quicker and get back to their natural healthy state.
It may take some weeks for treatment to be effective if you have hangnails or your cuticles are torn.
You need to moisturize regularly to make sure your skin can get the hydration it needs to look healthy.
People with thinned nail plates can expect for it to take months before the base of their nails becomes the free edge of their nails.
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