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Hair pulling tools

5 apps for hair pulling, compared honestly

The useful question is not “which app is best?” in the abstract. It is: do you need a cue before you notice your hand, a place to reflect on a pattern, a wearable you can take anywhere, or structured support? Here are five very different answers.

The Awaira teamProduct comparison·8 min read

A transparent note. Awaira made this article and sells one of the tools below. We have included it, but have also named the settings where it is not the best fit. Product features, prices and availability change, so use the primary links before choosing. These are awareness and support tools—not diagnosis, treatment or a substitute for a qualified clinician.

The difference that matters: automatic awareness versus a manual log

For many people, hair pulling is partly automatic: a hand is already in the hair before there is a clear moment to open an app. A manual tracker can still be valuable—it can help surface triggers, time of day, location and feelings—but it relies on noticing the episode first. Automatic tools aim to create that first moment of awareness. Neither approach is a cure, and both work best when you know what you will do when you pause.

Quick comparison

  • Awaira: best for automatic, camera-based hand-to-face awareness across your devices. No manual episode log is needed for detection.
  • HabitAware Keen2: best automatic option away from a computer, if you are happy to wear and charge a dedicated bracelet.
  • SkinAware: best for a detailed manual log, reflection, accountability and an in-app course.
  • TrichStop: best when you want a hair-pulling-specific self-monitoring tool alongside a more structured program.
  • Hair Pulling Tracker: BFRB: best for a simple Android-first manual log built around urges, episodes and competing responses.

1. Awaira — best for automatic awareness without manual logging

Best for: hair pulling that happens while working, studying, watching, browsing or gaming—especially when you realise it only after your hand is already near your face or scalp.

Awaira uses on-device awareness to recognise a hand moving toward the face and gives a gentle cue. The key advantage is that the cue happens automatically; you do not have to stop and enter every episode before you can learn from it. It is designed to notice the earlier movement, then make room for a planned response: lower your hands, use a fidget, change position, or take a short reset.

Why it is different: Awaira is available across Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and the web, so the same approach can travel with your day rather than live in a single tracker. Its camera processing stays on-device; it is built as a privacy-first awareness tool, not as a medical device or a promise to stop hair pulling.

Choose another tool if: your main pulling setting is somewhere a camera is not available or welcome—such as in bed, in a car or away from a device. In that case, a wearable or manual plan may be more practical.

2. HabitAware Keen2 — best wearable for out-of-home awareness

Best for: people who want an automatic cue while away from a desk and are comfortable wearing a bracelet.

Keen2 is a wrist-worn system with a companion app. HabitAware says it is designed for above-the-neck hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting, and that it vibrates when it recognises a trained pre-behaviour motion. The company also clearly notes that false alarms can happen and that the vibration is an awareness cue—not a force that moves your hand for you.[1]

The trade-off: it can work where a laptop or phone camera cannot, but it requires a separate device, charging and set-up. Its app supports iOS and Android; the bracelet can work away from the phone once it is trained.[2]

3. SkinAware — best for manual reflection and accountability

Best for: someone who wants to log urges or episodes, identify triggers, work through patterns over time and optionally involve a trusted person or community.

SkinAware is deliberately built around logging, rather than automatic detection. Its published features include quick urge entries, trigger and pattern insights, a journal, goals, accountability and a moderated community; it supports hair pulling as well as skin picking and nail biting.[3] It is available on iOS, Android and the web.[4]

The trade-off: its strength is the richer reflection that comes after you notice an urge or episode. If your pulling is highly automatic, it will not catch the movement for you; you need to make the entry. That makes it a good companion to an automatic cue, or a strong standalone choice when journaling and a structured practice matter most.

4. TrichStop — best for hair-pulling-specific self-monitoring and structured support

Best for: someone looking for a hair-pulling-specific program, not only a streak counter or a generic habit app.

TrichStop’s self-monitoring app was made to help people record pulling behaviour and identify patterns. Its published material describes a mobile log for iOS and Android, intended to make tracking easier when paper records do not fit real life.[5] The wider TrichStop service also offers interactive sessions and in-app tools.[6]

The trade-off: this is still self-monitoring: you record what happened rather than having a device recognise the first motion. It may be the better route if the appeal is a pulling-specific programme and structured learning, rather than a passive awareness alert.

5. Hair Pulling Tracker: BFRB — best for an Android-first manual log

Best for: Android users who want a focused place to record urges and episodes, see summaries and keep competing-response ideas close by.

Hair Pulling Tracker: BFRB describes itself as a self-monitoring tool for hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting. Its Google Play listing includes urge and episode logging, weekly summaries, a stimulus-control planner and a competing-response library.[7]

The trade-off: it is a manual, Android-only tracker—not an automatic detector. Check the current store listing and data-safety information before downloading, particularly if you plan to keep sensitive health notes in the app.

Which one should you choose?

If you do not notice the pulling until it has started

Start with an automatic cue. Awaira is the best match when your behaviour happens around devices and you want one approach across your day. Keen2 is the stronger match when you need a wearable cue away from screens.

If you already notice it, but want to understand the pattern

Choose a manual tracker. SkinAware offers the richest reflection and accountability set here; TrichStop is more explicitly centred on hair pulling and a structured programme; Hair Pulling Tracker: BFRB is a simpler Android-first route.

If hair pulling is causing marked distress, hair loss, avoidance or injury

An app can support awareness and practice, but it should not have to carry the whole job. Look for a clinician experienced with body-focused repetitive behaviours and discuss a plan that fits your situation. Our guide to habit reversal training explains one commonly used behavioural approach in plain language.

The honest bottom line

Awaira is our pick for automatic awareness across devices. Its biggest practical advantage is that it does not ask you to manually log every pulling episode before it can help: it gives a cue when the hand goes up.

That does not make it best for every setting. A wearable can be better outside device time; a tracker can be better for understanding triggers; and structured clinical support can be the right priority. Choose the tool that helps at the exact point where your own loop needs support.

Product sources

  1. HabitAware. “Is HabitAware right for me? Common questions when considering Keen2.” Accessed 20 September 2026. HabitAware.
  2. HabitAware. “FAQ.” Accessed 20 September 2026. HabitAware.
  3. SkinAware. “Break free from picking, pulling, and biting.” Accessed 20 September 2026. SkinAware.
  4. SkinAware. “Habit Reversal Training for Hair Pulling: Step-by-Step.” Accessed 20 September 2026. SkinAware.
  5. TrichStop. “TrichStop launches self-monitoring app.” Accessed 20 September 2026. TrichStop.
  6. TrichStop. “FAQ.” Accessed 20 September 2026. TrichStop.
  7. Coddykit. “Hair Pulling Tracker: BFRB.” Google Play listing, accessed 20 September 2026. Google Play.

How this comparison was made

We reviewed first-party product pages, help pages and store listings on 20 September 2026. We compared the job each product is designed to do—automatic awareness, wearable cueing, manual tracking or structured support—rather than claiming that any consumer product treats hair pulling. Awaira has a commercial interest in this comparison; that is why the limitations of Awaira and the alternatives are stated plainly.

This is general information, not medical advice. See our editorial and medical-review policy for our standards, and visit the TLC Foundation for BFRBs for education and provider resources.

Last reviewed 20 September 2026.

Notice the hand before the habit takes over

Awaira gives a gentle, automatic cue when your hand moves toward your face—without asking you to manually log the moment first.

See the hair-pulling awareness appAvailable across devices · Private, on-device awareness