Awaira Blogs
Notes on noticing.
Long-form writing about body-focused repetitive behaviors — what they are, what the research actually says, and what we learn building a calm, private tool for the moment a hand goes up.
Start here
Choose the behavior that is most on your mind. These are general-information guides, not a diagnosis; see our editorial and medical-review policy.
I am not sure what this is
A plain-language starting point for body-focused repetitive behaviors.
I pull my hair
Trichotillomania, triggers, and evidence-informed next steps.
I pick skin or acne
How active acne and the picking loop can overlap.
I bite nails or pick cuticles
Practical strategies for nail and periungual-skin habits.
I bite my lip or cheek
How to notice and interrupt repetitive oral biting.
How to stop pulling your hair out
You have promised yourself you would stop — probably more than once. The problem was never how much you meant it. Here is what actually moves the needle, and a first week you can do.
The Awaira teamWritten by people who have one
All posts
Practical writing on hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting — what the evidence supports, without the willpower lecture.
Why does nail biting feel good?
Why onychophagia can feel calming or satisfying—and how to change the relief loop.
Why does trichotillomania feel good?
Why relief and sensory satisfaction can reinforce hair pulling—and what interrupts the loop.
Acne picking and acne excoriée
Why treating breakouts and changing the picking loop both matter.
Skin picking vs acne
What separates a skin condition from a repetitive behavior—and when they overlap.
Cuticle picking
Why hangnails keep restarting the loop, and safer first changes.
Lip and cheek biting
A guide to repetitive oral biting, competing responses, and care.
Best BFRB tools for nail biting, skin picking and trichotillomania
A fair, source-backed comparison of awareness tools, trackers, wearables and therapist-led options.
How to stop biting your nails
Bitter polish, manicures, promises — why they slide off, and what shifts it instead.
How to stop picking at your skin and face
The mirror, the scab cycle, and the changes that help more than promising to quit.
Your child is pulling out their hair
Why policing it backfires, how to open the conversation, and when to call a doctor.
Eyelash and eyebrow pulling
Why the most visible hair is the hardest to leave alone, and what regrowth looks like.
What are BFRBs?
The plain-language guide: what they are, how common, and what the evidence supports.
More from the guides
Reference material on the individual behaviors, kept separate from the blog and updated as the evidence does.
Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
What hair-pulling disorder is, why it feels automatic, and what actually helps.
Skin picking (dermatillomania)
Excoriation disorder explained — triggers, the shame cycle, and evidence-based approaches.
Nail biting (onychophagia)
When a common habit crosses into a BFRB, and what to do about it.
Habit reversal training
The best-evidenced behavioural approach, broken into its four working parts.
Everything here is general information, not medical advice. Awaira is a wellness and awareness tool — it does not diagnose or treat any condition. The TLC Foundation for BFRBs maintains a directory of trained providers and free educational resources.