If you think nail biting is a bad habit restricted to kids, think again. In fact, according to recent studies, between 20 to 30 percent of adults still consider themselves to be nail-biters. Obviously, nail-biting is conducive to maintaining healthy, well-groomed nails, but aside from aesthetics, it’s also fairly dangerous due to the potential of ingesting trapped bacteria and debris hiding under them — and this is especially worrisome during these unprecedented times — yikes. So whether you’re a chronic, lifelong nail nibbler or just take to the dirty habit during times of stress (nail-biting and anxiety tend to go hand in hand for many people, BTW), we’ve got the lowdown on how to stop biting your nails for good, once and for all.

A tried and true trick is, of course, getting regular manicures (especially if you’re the type of person who tends to opt for gel, dip, or acrylic manis), but with many nail salons still shut down due to the pandemic, this method is a bit more tricky to try as of late, so we’ve rounded up a few additional, at-home-friendly ways to help you quit the habit without the help of a salon tech. See below for a few tips and tricks to help you ~finally~ quit your nail-biting addiction cold turkey (or gradually, if you’d prefer).

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

1. Cut Your Nails Extra Short

Courtesy of QOOQI.

QOOQI Nail Clippers Set

This may seem painfully obvious, but if your nails are already cut super-short, the temptation (and well, opportunity in general) will be less appealing when you’re fighting the urge to chomp on down. In addition to trimming them often, you’ll also want to make sure to keep them clean — just in case you can’t fight the urge. This two-pack set comes with a larger size metal clipper for toenails and tougher fingernails, as well as a smaller one with a metal file attached.

Buy: QOOQI Nail Clippers Set $7.99

2. Bitter-Tasting Nail Polish

Courtesy of Dermelect.

Dermelect RESIST Nail Bite Inhibitor + Restorative Treatment

If you’ve ever attempted to break the habit before, you’re likely already familiar with anti-nail-biting polishes formulated to have an extra unpleasant, bitter flavor to deter you from chomping down on your nails. But trust me, Dermelect’s multi-purpose RESIST Nail Biting Inhibitor is an absolute game-changer that will not only help you stop biting your nails, but also repair and restore the health of them in the process.

It’s infused with Bittrex (a bitter, nail-biting deterrent), but also damage-repairing peptides, nourishing vitamin E, and sunflowers to help restore balanced hydration levels. Unlike other nail-biting polishes on the market, RESIST’s is formated with a  ‘just right’ amount of its primary active ingredient and helps bring your stubby nails back to life with its additional bonus ingredients. Even if you ~don’t~ bite your nails, this formula is also great for repairing damage from acrylics or helping to strengthen naturally weak nails.

3. Yoga & Meditation for Stress Management

Courtesy of Adobe.

Online Courses

If you find you resort to biting your nails when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, try addressing the underlying issue and indulge in a mind-full anxiety-reducing practice like yoga or meditation before resorting to old habits. There are plenty of free and reasonably-priced online yoga classes as well as guided meditation videos and apps to help you safely practice from the comfort of your home.

4. Find a Tangible Distraction

Courtesy of Paradix.

Paradix Hand Grip Stress-Relieving Ball

Stress balls and hand grips can be an actually helpful way to relieve stress and pent-up tension, but they also serve as a great quick-fix distraction to occupy your hands and re-center your mind when you’re feeling the urge to bite your nails. This pack comes with three balls, so we suggest keeping one in your car, your bedside table, and wherever else you find yourself tempted to bite your nails periodically.

Buy: Paradix Hand Grip $9.99

5. DIY Manicures & Artificial Nails

Courtesy of Kiss.

KISS Salon Acrylic Natural Nails

If you’re wearing fake nails — whether they’re press-on on glue-on, bringing the salon home will naturally help prevent you from biting your nails. Opt for a salon-inspired glue-on set to get the look of a professional acrylic set, or purchase a DIY Powder Dip Kit from luxury brands like Revel Powder Dip or Nail Boo Dip Kit. It’s the best physical shield you’ll find, TBH.

Buy: KISS Glue-On Nails $8.99

I confess, I sometimes resist new technology. Like the Alexa app. I’ve insisted that I can get up and turn on my own lights. I remember first learning that personal computers could be used for shopping. “Why would I need one of those?” I asked. And the rest is history!

All of us in our 60s and older have experienced technology evolve – for better or for worse. As “digital immigrants” born before the tech revolution, we now live among “digital natives,” who’ve grown up with it.

We’re well aware of the dangers and problems with technology, yet during the pandemic, many of us have found technology to be a wonderful gift. Here I share a few platforms I use and one I don’t use – yet. Then I offer a few caveats to consider.

Zoom

“Let’s zoom or are you all zoomed out?” We have a new verb in our vocabulary, zoom, derived from the platform that’s become a lifeline when sheltering at home. Zoom, Google Meet, and others have allowed schooling to continue and workplaces to function remotely. They also have allowed us to meet together.

I’ve attended birthday parties for an 80-year-old and a 3-year-old, and several Bar Mitzvahs with people from across the world. Yesterday, I attended a virtual UN Environmental Conference with participants from Somalia, Pakistan, India, Mexico, England, and China.

Facebook

Like many, I have little use for seeing what people ate for dinner or selfies ad nauseum. But to be honest, Facebook has also become invaluable for me.

Daily, I meet online with my grandson, born in March 2020. Six hundred miles away, he greets me with a huge smile, literally growing up before my eyes. And when I couldn’t find a Covid vaccine appointment although I was eligible, my daughter helped.

Within 30 minutes, she found a link for an appointment. How? She posted the question on Facebook and a friend replied.

WhatsApp

If you are not familiar with WhatsApp, this amazing piece of technology offers free phone calls anywhere in the world to anyone with online access. Do you remember the days when a 3-minute long-distance call cost a fortune? Now, we talk to relatives in Nicaragua every day.

Next Door

This app keeps neighbors connected in a local area. I use it judiciously. In emergency situations, you can get real-time updates like when we had recent fire at the nearby oil refinery.

Once I saw a posting for two lost huskies. When they appeared outside my window, I quickly responded helping the family retrieve their dogs.

YouTube

YouTube videos feature step-by-step guidance for just about everything: fence-building; baking bread; hooking up a printer. I found a wonderful Yoga for sciatica video. I’ve used it repeatedly for many years. Have you ever posted on YouTube? It is so easy.

Online Libraries

I recently discovered that you could have library cards for more than one library, facilitating a continual flow of books and audiobooks. Sometimes hold times are long, but eventually a surprise pops into my inbox when it arrives. The best thing about online libraries is that they return the books automatically so there are never any fines.

Social Media

I am still a bit slow as a Twitter user – however, the other day I discovered that some of you in the Sixty and Me community have shared my articles on Twitter. That made me very happy. Tweet Deck is a program that allows you to schedule posts, making it easier to use Twitter.

Google

I’d be remiss without mentioning Google, another new verb in our vocabulary: “Just google it.” It’s the first go-to place for any needs: recipes; translation; synonyms; and research.

I love family history sites. This year, I met a relative of my father’s mother – a 90-year-old man in Canada. We “skyped” for two hours. And people have found me on Google, through my website.

Music and Movies

Pandora and Spotify allow you to hear old favorites and try out new genres. Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, HBO Max – turn your living room into a movie theatre. Sometimes it feels like being at a huge feast with an unending smorgasbord of choices.

Virtual Assistants: Siri, Alexa, Google

I know of an elderly man who fell and couldn’t get up. He wasn’t near his phone, so he called out to Alexa to dial a friend who contacted 911 for him. In short order an ambulance arrived. I’m inexperienced with Alexa, but those of you who use it, please share in the comments.

Making Technology Work for You

A few caveats to remember along the way.

• Technology can become addicting. Find balance in your life, go outside, breathe fresh air. Try not to always wear headphones – listen to the birds and other sounds of nature.
• Sitting in front of a computer all day can lead to back problems. A physical therapist suggested that I use a timer. I stand or walk around for two minutes for every 30 minutes of writing.
• Try to keep your negative reactions off-line. Toxic comments and online nastiness can cause great harm.
• While most listings above are free, increasingly apps entice you with self-perpetuating fees. Watch to avoid incurring monthly charges for services you never use or free trials that get costly.
• Take care not to end up with thousands of disorganized photos. Develop an organized photo filing system and make albums or photo books to preserve the best ones.

Which apps do you use? Have you learned any new tech tricks or techniques during the pandemic? What are your warnings as you move ahead? Please share with the community!

The world has certainly changed since Covid first appeared back in 2020. As we all know, international travel has been off the agenda, and domestic staycations have been on the increase. Have you been able to take a staycation in your home state during this time?

In between lockdowns here in Australia we have had two staycations in our state of NSW, and both have been, well, interesting. We felt comfortable on both occasions with the increased safe Covid regulations.

We are normally on the road for six to eight months each year, and to experience two short getaways in a year has been rather strange for us. We are travel writers and rely on our travels for new content for our site, To Travel Too.

Visiting the Hunter Valley wine region of New South Wales last July had us wondering whether the region would ever recover.

Covid Regulations for the Hunter Valley

Here are some of the regulations we encountered on our first staycation:

• Restaurant bookings were limited with seating numbers drastically reduced.
• Restaurant timings reduced to two-hour maximum.
• Wine tastings were by booking only and timings were reduced.
• Cheese tasting was not allowed.
• Many hotels were closed. There was large demand for accommodation which could not be met due to the closures.
• Staff numbers were limited in venues that were open which made service slow.
• Buffet breakfasts became a thing of the past – a la carte menus only.
• Many of the shops in the local town of were closed.
• Shops that were open would only accept credit cards and a minimum limit was placed on the spend to $10.
• Hand sanitiser had to be used on entry.

7 Months Later – A Different Kind of Staycation?

We had the opportunity to take a staycation in Sydney, just a short trip on Sydney Harbour from our home town near Manly. Here is what we encountered:

Accommodation

Check-in for our accommodation had to be done in advance and online. Credit card and ID had to be processed in the check-in procedure. Acknowledgement of new Covid regulations had to be signed off during the online check-in process.

At reception, check-in staff were behind Perspex screens. Hand sanitiser had to be used on arrival. A Covid clean pass key for our room was the only thing that was handed to us or touched in the process.

Our accommodation had continental breakfast included. Cereal, toast, and coffee came on a tray, which then had to be washed up in their kitchen and returned to the staff at reception in a designated area.

Each room listed the Covid cleaning procedures, and hand sanitiser dispensers were set up outside each lift on each floor for easy access.

Public Transportation

All public transportation we used (bus, ferry) required face masks by all travellers. Fines would apply for those who do not wear face masks whilst on public transport.

Museums

Visiting museums around the Rocks area was possible, though the number of people who could be in the Museum at one time was limited. We had to check in via QR Code on our government app that had to be shown to staff before entry was allowed. Hand sanitiser was, of course, used at all times.

Entrance to the museum was through one door and exit through another; the two lines of people not coming into contact with each other. The number of viewers in each room was also limited.

Eateries

When we chose to eat at a food truck, the menu was on blackboard only. No one was allowed to serve themselves extra condiments; staff with gloves had to do this for us. Hand sanitiser was available on all tables. Only a certain number of tables were put out, and there had to be 1.5 metres between each person ordering food.

If we wanted to enter a food establishment, a QR Code was required for each person via the Government app, and we had to show it to staff. Tables were spaced according to the new Government regulations, and the number of diners was limited.

Some venues open only from Wednesday to Sunday with limited staff. Buffet menus have gone from all eating establishments.

Food ordering had to be done at counters, or via the establishment’s App and not at the tables in some venues. Other places did not handle menus at all.

Overall, we were happy with all the new procedures in place. Other travellers that we spoke to felt much the same way.

What Covid procedures have been put in place in your area? Do you feel safe when you visit these establishments? Do you have regulations on public transport and does this make you feel safe? What is your opinion on these regulations being ‘the norm’ from now on?

If you think nail biting is a bad habit restricted to kids, think again. In fact, according to recent studies, between 20 to 30 percent of adults still consider themselves to be nail-biters. Obviously, nail-biting is conducive to maintaining healthy, well-groomed nails, but aside from aesthetics, it’s also fairly dangerous due to the potential of ingesting trapped bacteria and debris hiding under them — and this is especially worrisome during these unprecedented times — yikes. So whether you’re a chronic, lifelong nail nibbler or just take to the dirty habit during times of stress (nail-biting and anxiety tend to go hand in hand for many people, BTW), we’ve got the lowdown on how to stop biting your nails for good, once and for all.

A tried and true trick is, of course, getting regular manicures (especially if you’re the type of person who tends to opt for gel, dip, or acrylic manis), but with many nail salons still shut down due to the pandemic, this method is a bit more tricky to try as of late, so we’ve rounded up a few additional, at-home-friendly ways to help you quit the habit without the help of a salon tech. See below for a few tips and tricks to help you ~finally~ quit your nail-biting addiction cold turkey (or gradually, if you’d prefer).

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

1. Cut Your Nails Extra Short

Courtesy of QOOQI.

QOOQI Nail Clippers Set

This may seem painfully obvious, but if your nails are already cut super-short, the temptation (and well, opportunity in general) will be less appealing when you’re fighting the urge to chomp on down. In addition to trimming them often, you’ll also want to make sure to keep them clean — just in case you can’t fight the urge. This two-pack set comes with a larger size metal clipper for toenails and tougher fingernails, as well as a smaller one with a metal file attached.

Buy: QOOQI Nail Clippers Set $7.99

2. Bitter-Tasting Nail Polish

Courtesy of Dermelect.

Dermelect RESIST Nail Bite Inhibitor + Restorative Treatment

If you’ve ever attempted to break the habit before, you’re likely already familiar with anti-nail-biting polishes formulated to have an extra unpleasant, bitter flavor to deter you from chomping down on your nails. But trust me, Dermelect’s multi-purpose RESIST Nail Biting Inhibitor is an absolute game-changer that will not only help you stop biting your nails, but also repair and restore the health of them in the process.

It’s infused with Bittrex (a bitter, nail-biting deterrent), but also damage-repairing peptides, nourishing vitamin E, and sunflowers to help restore balanced hydration levels. Unlike other nail-biting polishes on the market, RESIST’s is formated with a  ‘just right’ amount of its primary active ingredient and helps bring your stubby nails back to life with its additional bonus ingredients. Even if you ~don’t~ bite your nails, this formula is also great for repairing damage from acrylics or helping to strengthen naturally weak nails.

3. Yoga & Meditation for Stress Management

Courtesy of Adobe.

Online Courses

If you find you resort to biting your nails when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, try addressing the underlying issue and indulge in a mind-full anxiety-reducing practice like yoga or meditation before resorting to old habits. There are plenty of free and reasonably-priced online yoga classes as well as guided meditation videos and apps to help you safely practice from the comfort of your home.

4. Find a Tangible Distraction

Courtesy of Paradix.

Paradix Hand Grip Stress-Relieving Ball

Stress balls and hand grips can be an actually helpful way to relieve stress and pent-up tension, but they also serve as a great quick-fix distraction to occupy your hands and re-center your mind when you’re feeling the urge to bite your nails. This pack comes with three balls, so we suggest keeping one in your car, your bedside table, and wherever else you find yourself tempted to bite your nails periodically.

Buy: Paradix Hand Grip $9.99

5. DIY Manicures & Artificial Nails

Courtesy of Kiss.

KISS Salon Acrylic Natural Nails

If you’re wearing fake nails — whether they’re press-on on glue-on, bringing the salon home will naturally help prevent you from biting your nails. Opt for a salon-inspired glue-on set to get the look of a professional acrylic set, or purchase a DIY Powder Dip Kit from luxury brands like Revel Powder Dip or Nail Boo Dip Kit. It’s the best physical shield you’ll find, TBH.

Buy: KISS Glue-On Nails $8.99