17 Useful Tips From Trichsters That Will Help You Deal With Hair Pulling

"Getting long fake nails actually helped me. Having these nice nails made me not want to ruin them and when looking down at my hands as I get the urge to pick reminded me not to.

"This doesn't work for everyone but it is something to try as it can even be harder to pull out the hair with long nails as you can't get a good grip on your hair." – hayleyp49d3a0961

"Knitting has helped immensely. I have been knitting since I was six and keeping my hands busy making beautiful things has been really beneficial.

I am working on four different projects at the moment and it keeps me distracted." – Jane Glicini, Facebook.

"The fidget cube, there are five different activities to do with your hands and it distracts you from reaching for your hair, it helped me a lot." – megm4a50c5921

Get it on Amazon, £10.99.

"I use an iPhone app called Productive. You can list tasks and mark them off on a daily basis.

"It helps me to see how many days in a row I've not pulled. I also find that I pull mostly when I'll watching tv and I'm not sure why. This app is also very helpful and remembering other tasks too." – amymm2

Get it for free on the App Store.

"I've struggled with trichotillomania since I was 14 – I'm now in my 20s. I've tried so many things. I found that I'd like to pull the thick kinky hairs out.

"One of the most effective methods I've found was buying a decorative pillow with faux fur on it and pulling hair from that whenever I was home. I also can't recommend hair, skin, and nail vitamins enough!" – megaloaf

"I swear by BrowGal's eyebrow brush and eyebrow pallet. It gives enough coverage to look natural but at the same time hides the bald spots on my eyebrows."– ashleyshlyk

Buy a BrowGal starter set for £57.

"I found MaryKays brow and lash growth gel and it has seriously helped me so much! It's about $40 so not cheap, but so worth it. Once it got so bad that I was bald I was determined to stop so I decided to invest in the gel and try to stop picking because I spent the money.

"I still occasionally have rough days, mostly went I'm anxious or doing homework or quizzes, but my eyebrows have become so much better." – Molly Becker, Facebook

Buy it from the Mary Kay website for £27.

"Spinny rings! Whenever I noticed I was pulling I would just swish it around my thumb. It's also helped me during times of panic." – ellec9

Get a spinning ring on Amazon for £25.

"I bought a thumb ring off of Amazon. I noticed an immediate change. I would pick at the ring or play with it to keep my hands occupied! It also helped with my anxiety." – stoudtalexa

Get yourself thumb ring on Amazon for £9.25.

"I've had trich for six years and one thing that helps a lot is putting medical tape or bandages on my thumbs.

"It helps you not feel the texture of the hair." – emmaf416e64ba1

"I wear weaves when the pulling gets bad to reset and to give the follicles a break so that they do not become too damaged." – misslaurynn

"My undercut!! I don't have the guts to shave it all off - I like my hair most of the time. But getting SOME of it short enough to leave alone has helped." – Bonjour612

"Dying my hair blue has been the most wonderful thing to curb my pulling. It homogenized the texture, so individual strands don't feel out of place when I run my hands through my hair absentmindedly.

Plus now I have badass mermaid hair and it's done wonders for my confidence." – brith4778049bb

"What helps me the most is sharing my experience with this disorder and reading others' stories that are just like me.

There's nothing quite like having an actual person tell you that you are not alone. – sarav43539078e

"Keep track of how many hours you haven't pulled. Then, when your hours turn into days, celebrate those. It is so, so important to celebrate the victories, however small or seemingly insignificant. It gets better, I promise."

– rhiannab42d9c99d9