Hangnail Rubbing (and other fun stuff) ;)

by Katie Pollard
(Wickenburg, AZ)

Me and my kids

Me and my kids

I originally came to this site and just made this comment on somebody else's texture blog, but I figured, why not make my own blog and see how many people can relate?




"OK...so I cannot seem to find anything on this issue but I know I can't be the only one! I love rubbing my hangnails on the inside seam of t-shirts or on blankets that have started to ball up and will catch the hangnail in a certain way. I will rub until the hangnail is gone and sometimes to the point of bleeding and I don't even realize it! I also like to rub my chapped lips on the same types of material hoping to catch the dry skin on a thread. Typing it out makes me sound so lame...but I've done this my whole life!! Does anyone else out there have this issue???"

This habit is a very calming sensation for me. Whenever I see a certain blanket that I like I can't resist but to break into this behavior. I also like to smell the blanket. LOL...so embarrassing to admit, but it's true. Must just be a childhood thing that I've brought with me into adulthood.

I also have a very sensitive nose/sense of smell and can smell things that most are unaware of. I've been able to 'sniff out' and find things that were burning (light bulbs, old electric cords, etc.), leaking gas, pet accidents and rotting food.

Things that freak me out and make me cringe:
Filing nails
Pushing back cuticles
Cutting my toe nails
Writing with a wooden pencil on paper
Erasing with a wooden pencil on paper
Touching Porcelain
Anything touching or entering my belly button (finger, etc.)
Watching someone else touch inside their belly button
Someone pulling on my fingers or toes in order to pop them
Watching someone else pull on their fingers or toes to pop them
God just typing it out and thinking about it is making me wig out!

If you can relate and would like to talk more about these issues feel free to email me at KatieMama101482@gmail.com :)Look forward to hearing from you :)



Comments for Hangnail Rubbing (and other fun stuff) ;)

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Feb 23, 2024
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail and dry lip rubbing
by: Anonymous

I know exactly what you mean. I have been doing this my whole life. If I don’t have a silly blanket to use then I will rub my bra strap or even my computer mouse pad. God forbid I wear any satin or silky tops because I will ruin them with runs. My daughter bought me an entire silk blanket to destroy. lol

Unfortunately I passed this on to her.
Aug 06, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		I do the exact same thing
by: Anonymous

oh my gosh, everything you’re saying is EXACTLY what i’ve been doing for almost my whole life. I have a certain blanket that i’ve had since i was a baby, and i like to scratch the dating side with my hangnails and the dry skin on my lips to the point where it’ll hurt but like in a good way? i’ve always felt so weird about it but it’s the only thing that has helped me sleep or relax so i haven’t stopped.

Is this related to anything specific? i’m really curious and glad to know i’m not alone :)
Jul 15, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		We are not alone
by: Anonymous

Oh my gosh... I literally searched in Google "why does it hurt so good to press in on my hang nail?" 😆

I can not stand for my nails (feet or hands) to be filed or cuticle pushing. I almost kicked someone once during a pedicure. I also greatly dislike the feel of unfinished ceramics. And despise dog smacking/licking...Also, if I really like a song, I will listen to it 50 times in a row to learn the lyrics
Apr 10, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		For as long as I can remember
by: Freddie

I can't believe how many people do this too. Good to know there's others who can identify. I've bit my nails all my life. I've bitten my nails to the point where there was no nail left. Believe it. I love the feeling of dragging and catching my ragged nails across some fabric and once it starts to pull away love the feeling of tearing it off. Even if it hurts and bleeds. I think it's anxiety thing. And I'm 58. But don't let anyone make you think there's anything wrong with you. There's not. I can't tell you how many people have tried to shame me for biting my nails. I wanted to stop and tried but I couldn't.

Just recently though I've been able to stop enough to let them grow for one of only a handful of times in my life and have stopped for the longest time ever which has been months. I'll share these quotes I like from Camus' The Stranger: "In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer." and from Camus: "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
Mar 10, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		Nail scratching
by: Anonymous

I’ve googled this many times and there’s not much info…this nail rubbing has been part of me since I can remember..I suffer with chronic anxiety so maybe it can be related?it’s so calming except when I decide to take the person I’m sitting with’s top and start scratching away 😂I’ve ruined so many tops and duvet covers especially when they are a waffle material that’s the best material for it 🤣
Mar 10, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		Me too
by: Anonymous

I do this, I use corners of certain material, I have my favourite pieces, I rub them so much it’s starting to alter the growth of my nails, but it’s so soothing to me, I thought maybe it was a sign of self harm or something, I’ve not been diagnosed with any except anxiety and depression, I never thought it could be anything else.
Feb 18, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		So glad I'm not the only one
by: Anonymous

This makes me so happy to hear others with this issue. I do rub the side of my nails on seams. My worse tik is the chapped lips. I love the snag feeling and if it catches just right and bleeds its the best. I find that a polyester with nylon material to be the best for this type of fidgeting. I just really want to know why I do this. I was a thumb sucker as a child which I stopped when I was about 7 but kept the rubbing habit. I am now 40 with jacked up lips and nails. I would love to know why this is a thing and if it can be stopped. But maybe I don't want it to stop because it is calming.
Jan 11, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		Dam
by: Anonymous

Dayum I’m not alone I also sniff my sheets and rub my index and thumb finger hangnail …..
Dec 30, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		OMG i do this same thing
by: Roger Parrill II

i do this exact thing and was curious so i googled it to see if i was the only one. i take the edges of my pillowcase or t shirt and kinda roll it into a cone shape and rub it against my hangnail area of my index finger and middle finger. i dont know why i do it but always have since i can remember. lol.
Oct 23, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Rubbing jagged nails, hangnails and cuticles on seams of T-shirts blankets sweatshirts ect
by: Anonymous

So I as well can't find anything on this or what it means. I have a HORRIBLE habit of taking (mostly) cotton t-shirts and rubbing the seams inside them. Also the cuffs of certain sweatshirts. I will literally cut my nails to make them jagged just so I can get the exact feeling I want to feel and sound. I have ruined almost all my GOOD shirts and hoodies I will rub and pick at the seams til the seam tears apart. I find myself walking down the street with my hand in my armpit because I am picking and rubbing the seam. And it feels like it's almost impossible to stop. The urge is too strong. I noticed doing this in the second grade I am 31 now. So many nice shirts and sweat shirts I have ruined. Cause I just can't help it I think to myself...well..I'll just sew it back. It's always my good tees and sweatshirts that have the material I NEED.

I can't fall asleep without my one ragidity t-shirt to basically pick myself to sleep. I even had a pair of underwear I would take to bed with me cuz that had the best seams! Some people sleep with a fav blanky I sleep with my fav Tshirt. I rub and rub and rub til my cuticles are bleeding and then I still keep going. I love the feeling and the little pick sound it makes and it calms me down. My actual fingers hurt like as if I'm getting arthritis from constantly doing this. I just wanna know what this means and why can't I just stop. Also scabs I can never just leave alone I pick them. And then I just can't wait for it to scab back up again just to pick it again. I've never had acne or get pimples but my god if I did I'm sure my face would be so scarred.

I also can never leave my sunburn alone as soon as it starts to peel I'm peeling that stuff if my bf has it I'm peeling his too. Why am I like this? Why can't I resist the urge. I probably look crazy all the time walking down the street with my hand in my armpit just rubbing. What does this mean!!!
Aug 31, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Kinda relief knowing there are more like me out there
by: Anonymous

I came across with your stories about hangnail rubbing on the web.
When I decided to look for a name or to find more people with the same disorder I was surprised how I felt related with your story and with all the comments on it of many people doing the same stuff with the hangnails, frankly speaking I felt a bit released knowing that there were more like me with such specific habit.

It’s hard for me to explain to someone the level of satisfaction I feel when rubbing hangnails on fabric, I am afraid they will call me freak and at this point I don’t know if I am really since I feel some embarrassed for this condition.

Have you ever find a name of this specific condition?
Have anyone talked to a psychologist?
Is there something that might "cure" this? I mean I don’t feel like crazy or freak and at least this doesn’t bother anyone, well my wife does bother this.

Well is good to know there is a bunch of people feeling the way I feel.

Actually not only hangnails but even more sastisfactory is with the dry lip...so using facemask, which are ideal for this... was really comfortable for me during the pandemic time.

Funny thing is that my little son is doing the same with the lips without him catching this from me!! maybe genetics???

Thanks for sharing your story.
Aug 07, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		My shirts are the victims...
by: Z.

Sometimes when I'm studying, talking to someone or maybe on other moments when I dont even notice it, I rub the edges of my shirt between 2 fingers. To be specific, the hangnails or cuticle area of those 2 fingers. (hangnail and cuticle are words I learned by reading this thread, English isnt my first language so you know, the corners of my nails?) I fold the edge of my shirt so it makes this corner/peak, when I rub it, it kinda stings? After my study session the corners of almost all of my nails look red and feel kinda sore. Is that what some of u guys are talking about?

I'm almost 20 and I think I might've started doing this a few years back? To be honest, it feels good, but I've tried to stop it. I still don't know whether I enjoy it or if it has just become a habit. I don't know what started it either. I had never seen anyone do or mention it, so I never looked it up, I didn't think it was a 'thing', but then I thought "Hey, there are so many people on this planet, I can't be the only one who does such a silly thing, right?" so I'm glad I have found this thread! I wonder if anyone else has noticed me doing it
Jul 16, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Do others berate you for the habit?
by: Anonymous

I fidgit a lot of late w/ my nails. It comforts me since Covid. My friend frowns at me every time i do it. Lately, been insulting saying that I have to curtail my habit if he takes me to any benefit dinners, because he doesn't want the other directors to notice my habit. Even if i do it for one second, i'll see a look of disgust/eye rolling on his face; it's like he's focused on my hands all the time.

Long ago, my Mother told me that rubbing the edge of a nail with another finger was an acceptable way to curtail the nail-biting impulse. She does it and she was a successful executive. I'm 60 and my man-friend is 80. so maybe it's a generational thing to stigmatize my habit.

Have any of you had strained relations over your compulsive habit?
Jun 25, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Help - need fabric
by: Anonymous

How lovely to know there are others out there! I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. Making and rubbing hangnails on things. It started with a pyjama top (which I still sleep with) and continued with a duck toy a friend won me at a fairground when we were around 12. Giles is his name. The duck’s not the friend. I’m 48 now and Giles is in a spot of bother. My fiancée has agreed to perform the necessary surgery on him but I can’t find the right fabric. Any suggestions would be appreciated? I don’t know what I’ll do if he falls completely apart.

Good to know there are others out there enjoying what I enjoy.
Jun 12, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Comforter Picker
by: CMAY

I have been picking certain fabrics since I was a kid; mainly comforters and other blanket material. In the evenings when I sit down to watch TV I grab my "blanket" and pick away. It’s a running joke in our family but I told my wife I since I don’t smoke and hardly ever drink alcohol this is my stress reliever. Not sure why I do it but remember as a kid having a blanket that I picked. Most of the time I will get a little slit in my nail and pick until the top of nail comes off. If she gets a new comforter she checks to make sure it’s not the fabric I like to pick. But until now I thought I would never hear of anyone else doing the same.
May 31, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Omg NOT ALONE
by: Anonymous

I’ve been doing this since I was a small child! I used to suck my thumb long after a child should and then I got these pajamas from an Aunt and then my rubbing of them started. I kept those pajamas long after I outgrew them and took them everywhere with me on trips. I remember in my mid twenties, I would take them to work at an office job on days I thought I might die. I’d hide it in my purse. I lost the shirt part at a hotel when I was 28 and the pants part had been so worn I put them in a display case to save them. I keep a little clump of pajama in my coat pocket.

I’m picky about what fabric to rub. When the pajamas began to fall apart, I discovered the blanket you get on Delta airlines were great. In fact, I have one on my lap right now as I write this. Fabric like that or something very smooth is best. It’s even better when it’s cold!

Most of my boyfriends didn’t care that I had this habit and that I would have my pajama at my side in bed or on the couch at home except for one guy.. he almost broke up with me cuz of it. That was the first time I ever heard that it was bad or that I might have some kind of mental disorder?? But I was a fully functioning adult. He wouldn’t allow me to have it at his apartment. Anyway, he wasn’t the man I’d marry.

The man I did marry, when I left my first delta blanket in a hotel room, he whipped out his phone and ordered me two more off eBay. He’s the best, I know. I’m 38 now and I still sleep with this blanket every night. I even watch tv with it.. and I have one at my desk in my home office.

I think I rub when I’m stressed out and it calms me.. and sometimes just cuz it feels so nice! I’d be curious if anyone else who has this habit ever faced with questioning if they had a mental disorder or not.. I don’t feel like I do but is it weird that we do this?
May 27, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		why hello!
by: Anonymous

I totally understand! currently have two hangnails and I don't know why but rubbing them on my smooth comforter is so soothing to me, even though they snag a bit but I continue doing so all the same. For the longest time, I thought it was just me who did this. Nice to see that there is a small community of people who experience/may do the same things that I do as well!
May 13, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		All aboard!!
by: Anonymous

I literally just googled this after wasting about 10 minutes on a "good rub" as I call it lol- while I'm supposed to be doing payroll! (and finding the right search phrase was challenging btw) and I am floored by the amount of us on the same crazy train!! Like most of you here, I have been doing this my entire life and I've never met anyone else who does this. Granted, I've never asked anyone.. My husband and son are the only ones who know and they think I'm nuts. Meanwhile, I tell them - "At least I don't pick my nose!"

I am 48 years old and at the point now where I literally walk around the house and work (we own a busy restaurant) rubbing the inside seam on the collar of my shirt. Any split second/moment in time when my hands are free, they automatically reach for my collar or any other piece of clothing of the right fabric. I actually buy particular fabrics with this in mind. It's becoming a bit disruptive and sometimes painful in my elbow, wrist when my arm is bent like that for two long. But let me tell you... there is nothing better than a long car ride in the passenger seat with the perfect rough cuticles (or better yet several) and the right fabric...AAAAAAAHHHHH... =D

All that said... HOW DO I STOP???!!!!
Apr 25, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sheet corners under nail
by: Fish

I’ve been doing this since I can remember, it’s gotten to the point that all materials aren’t made equal, it has to be a strong pillow case, when I’m out say at the mall I will see a shirt and impulsively fold it to a point and rub it under my nail, drives my wife nuts, but it somehow calms me, maybe she’s the problem hahah.

Just kidding as I have returned to a store I’ve been to that has just the right shirt.
Feb 23, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail grooming
by: Anonymous

I don't intentionally rub my hangnails against fabric. However I check them to see if there is any bits of tiny tiny lint or fabric on them. And if so I ever so precisely pull them off. Some are so small that it's very precise work. I sometimes need to hold my hand up against a light source in the background such as my phone or TV to see them. My wife says I look a little odd when I do this and sometimes she will nudge me on purpose to stop me doing it. I could spend a good deal of time doing it. When you grab and pull the tiny piece of fabric or fluff from the hangnail you feel the slight pull on the hangnail.

Ah well.
Feb 16, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Pencil eraser
by: Anonymous

I rub pencil top erasers on my lips anytime I have a pencil out. I have been doing this since I was school age.
Jan 21, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Me too
by: Sonja

I have had trichotillomania, hair pulling, along with nail snagging for years. I saw a counselor who suggested mentholated folate for the hair pulling and it really helps but it hasn't stopped my nail snagging. I also ruin shirts by snagging cuticle and nails on them. I do it so much I'm now having arthritis and finger pain from the repetitive motion.

I have to stop! If anyone has had luck with anything, please share!
Jan 11, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Snagging and popping
by: Anonymous

Just echoing everyone's sentiments here! I googled this habit early internet days (90's, early 2000's), and I could never find anything on this. I thought I was just weird for having an inexplicable habit. Kids at school would see my hand underneath my sweatshirt and wonder what I was doing.

I too have had this habit of snagging my cuticles especially on the inside of a fuzzy sweater. I'll fold the inside of a sweater so that it forms a point and then rub my cuticles at that point to snag it. The sensation of the "snag" and the popping sound is so addictive. I've been doing this since I can remember and I am 43 years old and still do this.

I won't go to the point where it bleeds, but I have done that before many times. I snag all ten fingers, it doesn't matter! as long as the cuticle is right for catching onto the fabric. Sometimes, I'll snag a cuticle and just lightly tug at it, without "popping" the material. The combination of the snag and pop is so soothing.

I've learned over the years to perfect this. I will snag cuticles and give them a day or two to grow back so that it snags again perfectly. There is a window of perfect snagging as well. Often times I'll get the perfect cuticle and maybe get 50 snags before the material goes flat or doesn't catch the same.

I can't believe others have this habit as well. It's like a secret underground community! we definitely need a name for this. Like a lot of you, this started in childhood from a blanket I slept with every night. We all have that same software programming for this habit, if it's a bug in our software I don't want it to be fixed :)
Jan 10, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Not Alone
by: Anonymous

My favorite thing to do is to rub my fingers and cuticles across the wooden bed frame pieces of wood. The sensation is addicting and makes my fingers feel so alive. I've done this ever since I was little and am in my 20's now. I especially love when the wooden bed frame has a frame with separated wood pieces which allows my fingers to engage in amazing sensory experiences!
Jan 08, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Joining my tribe
by: Anonymous

I carry a "scratchy" with me in my pocket. My favorite fabric is strips cut from mesh laundry drawstring bags, from the dollar store. I will rub my cuticles and nails over the fabric to snag the fibers. Eventually the mesh will tighten and the holes disappear. I snag it until it forms a tight piece of fabric and then it's time for a new piece. This stems from childhood and the fabric around my blanket. It's very calming to me and helps me to fall asleep or just relax. It's an easy habit to hide but I've gotten less ashamed as I've gotten older. Nothing wrong with self soothing behaviors that aren't hurting anyone. Scratchers unite!
Jan 06, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks for the validation!
by: Anonymous

I am 28 and I do this as well. I will say my preferred method is rubbing it against my partner and just feeling the resistance against their skin (*super* weird, I know), but they despise it so in the absence of that I also will try to catch them in the right kinds of fabric (or peel up new hangnails this way), or try to catch them while playing with my hair. The resistance is what feels so soothing/comforting.
Nov 27, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		SAME.
by: Anonymous

Omg I’ve been rubbing this hangnail on my thumb for the past few days. The pain feels so good. It’s like the same thing with canker sores, when I get them I rub salt on it and bite it until I let it heal.

I feel like part of me doing this is some kind of anxiety relief but either way it just feels good. Glad to know I’m not the only one lol!
Nov 08, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		what do i have
by: Anonymous

i like rubbing my like fingers on others nails idk why it feels calming
Oct 28, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Not wierd
by: Anonymous

Ok so I'm 47 and it's not just fingernails. The rubbing sensation and snagging is something I've done as long as I can remember. Rough patches an my hands, my mustache, a healing cut, anything that snags and gives that feeling. Nice to know there are other people that do b this too.
Oct 08, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		its my habbit as well :/
by: Anonymous

i cant get over the picking and smelling and all that stuff especially with blankets as well. I needed this. tysm im so happy im not like having a disorder or something but it sure is weird. lol
Oct 01, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		No blankets, but a whole lot of picking
by: Anonymous

These comments make me feel so normal. My exception is I don't use other materials to pick it, I straight up dig the sides of my nails to find a hangnail. Once it's out, i just start aggressively wiggling it until I just pluck it. Not sure why I enjoy it to much, could have deeper roots than just sensory but who knows. Anyway, thanks for helping me feel a little less weird.
Aug 28, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Snaggers anonymous
by: Anonymous

Omg, omg, omg! My sister sent me this feed. I'm 60 and I've been doing this MY entire life,but I take it a step further. I actually bite my fingernails just enough to get a ragged piece to snag on anything I can find. I won't even buy a blanket with satin binding because I once had a very expensive blanket that I ruined by completely snagging it until it puckered. I have to watch what fabrics I buy for upholstery. I'm so happy when I have a piece of clothing I don't care about anymore so I can snag the hell out of it. I especially love to do this while I'm driving.

My family has always given me a hard time and they tell me I'm weird, but I'm thrilled to know I'm not the only one.
Aug 27, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		SO GLAD IM NOT ALONE
by: Anonymous

I keep my hands dry just so it’ll be easier to pick on the skin around my nail and form a hangnail and I also only wear clothes with the perfect fabric to pull it on😬why is it so soothing?? Is something wrong with me😭😭
Aug 23, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		THANKYOU
by: Blawdy

i have always thought i was the only one that did this and its so nice to know im not crazy; this blog looks old as shit but im sure its still relevant. im 25 yrs old and ever since i was young i always rub my hangnails on the "perfect" threading of fabric, and im not OCD at all. its just one of those things that i do, i wish there were more studies on such things so i could understand it more but until then, im just rubbing the thumb baby
Aug 19, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Finally not alone
by: Anonymous

I am 23 years old, and I have rubbed my hangnails and rough lips on fabric since I was old enough to have motor skills. As a child, I would use certain toys that had the "right" fabric somewhere on them, and today as a adult I use a certain type of pony tail holder that I keep on my wrist at all times so I can do the habit when needed. My family and I have called it "snagging" for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never met anyone else with the habit. I doubt that I will ever stop, my mom jokes that I will be snagging while delivering my future babies, and she’s right!
Jun 16, 2021
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starstarstarstar 		Why do I rub fabric or other's hairs?
by: Anonymous

I don't know this why do I have this urge but do know is this addiction is
within me since my childhood and I don't know why I do this. Every time I see any girls hair sitting before me and if her hairs are waving towards me, I can't control myself to rub it between my thumb and both index & tall finger.
May 30, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Found my peeps!
by: Camille

So many comments, and *so* similar... we need to give this a name!

I haven’t read them all, but the common experience seems to involve a favourite fabric (baby blanket in my case, which stayed with me until my 30s), thumbsucking (which I *stlll* practice at 50) and the exquisite pain of a sore hangnail. My blanket literally dissolved in the end, and now I have a dilapidated nightshirt with a perfect knot of threads along the seam. This, as everyone here already knows, is bliss.

My hands are generally a bit ragged and I have a thumb-shaped overbite, but honestly I don’t feel the need to cure myself of this habit... I see it more as a friend for life, and on a good day it feels close to meditation.

Much love to my new family, we are all connected by our hangnails!
Apr 25, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Weird sensation
by: Anonymous

I have also done this all my life, I use to use paper too and sometimes it causes paper cuts under there 😬, but I use sharp fabrics to prevent paper cuts but feel the same sensation. I also use to rub it in the corner of my eye too but I have stopped that, I use to rub the car seat belt behind my ear. But I’m glad I am not alone, I had never even heard of this habit or knew of anyone els that knew of it until I decided to research about it.

P.s. it calms me down when I am worried or have a lot of thoughts on my brain, but would like to stop if anyone knows a way too 🙏
Mar 25, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		What if we’re all related?
by: Anonymous

I only buy t-shirts that have that plush lining that’s conducive to this awesome habit. I know all the right stores too. DM me for details :)

So glad you’re all as messed up as I am.
Feb 21, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		Best feeling ever
by: Is there an actual name for this behavior?

I just decided today to Google my behavior & I find all of you. Yay! My husband mentioned last week that he had a hangnail & it’s driving him crazy because it’s snagging on things. I said "Oh my goshhh, that’s my most favorite sedentary habit". He looked at me like I was nuts.

He said, "I’ve never noticed you doing that before, what is wrong with you?" Lol! I told him that I’ve been doing it my whole life and it’s the most comforting thing ever. My favorite is to run my dry skin around my cuticles or fingers against the inseam of my yoga pants. I saw where someone else commented how many seams they’ve torn up and I can attest to that as well. My expensive yoga pants now have pilling all down the seams. Lol!

I’m just thankful I’m not alone.
Dec 26, 2020
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starstarstarstarstar 		Weird Habit
by: Marla

I rub my cuticles obsessively. For me its also soothing. I have ruined more seams on my shirts then I can remember. Its awful. I'm 42 and never thought to look this habit up till now and I thought it was just me that did this weird habit. Crazy to know others do it too. However for me I want to stop! I hate it. My hands look awful because I'm constantly rubbing. As of late its gotten so bad,worse its ever been. A group should be started on Facebook or something. Ha. Weird OCD habit.
Dec 12, 2020
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fuzzying
by: Anonymous

I actually wrote my college entrance essay on the fact that I ‘fuzzy’. It started when I was little, with a blanket that my grandmother made me with small pieces of string. I would suck my thumb and rub the pieces of string between my fingers, on my cuticles. The thumb sucking stopped, but I continued to ‘fuzzy’ (I presume this was the cute name my parents gave it!). This lasted until I was going to high school and my mom took my blankets away - probably to stop the habit! Instead, I turned to the seams of my shirts.

I have basically no cuticles on most of my fingers (worst on my thumbs) because it’s a self-soothing technique that had contributed into adulthood (I’m now 33). It’s mildly amusing because most people don’t even notice that I do it until I point it out to them. I’ve contacted a hypnotist about it, but then I thought that if this is my way of self-soothing - not resorting to alcohol, etc. - things could be way worse. So I’ve just embraced it! So interesting to search and see other’s responses.

We aren’t alone!
Oct 17, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstar 		hi
by: Anonymous

I do this!! though I'm only 18, it's still something I do almost 24/7 if given the right kinda fabric. I searched and came across this because I was also curious if I was the only one who had this kind of habit. feels comforting to know im not.
Oct 17, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I thought I was the ONLY one who did this!
by: Anonymous

When I was little and would wake up with asthma I would rub my cuticles on my blanket, and lips. It was comforting.

Now its using nylon fabric that pills up on socks and it is still comforting.

50 + years doing this and I thought I was the only one. Silly little fetish but happy to know its a perfectly normal thing shared by others!

Wonder how many of us there are in the world? Is there a name for it?
Oct 08, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Oh my god
by: Anonymous

I like doing this with the raised skin above the nails and the chapped lips. I dont know why but its something I've done since I was young.
Aug 16, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail Pulling and Rubbing!
by: Max

I’m so glad to find this blog because I thought I was the only who did this but I love to play with my hangnail just like you said and rub it against anything including my shirt. I also find it really satisfying when I twist & twirl it around in the middle of my finger like the pain feels good but it does hurts at the same time.. I like hangnails to the point when I don’t have any I try to get one that’s how I started picking at my fingers like 24/7!!! my mom does the same thing.
Aug 14, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		SAME
by: Eli

All my life I’ve been looking to see if anyone else rubs fabric on their chapped lips to catch the skin! I’ve done this all my life and I always called it "drinking" the fabric like I would say I’m "drinking" my shirt or something like that. I never knew it wasn’t really normal until school when people would ask what I was doing.
Jul 21, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Exactly!
by: Anonymous

I could have written your first 2 paragraphs! I’m 38 and still rub my cuticles and lips on the stitching of blankets or seams of clothing that I wear. My favorite kind of blankets are the ones with silky edges. I love the sensation when the skin catches on the material. I have always struggled with anxiety and this behavior calms me.
Jul 02, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Velcro!!
by: Anonymous

I have this habit as well, I am 18. I suggest velcro or the corner of a pillow sheet!! I get the best satisfaction out of velcro, I have a pillow pet that I've had since I was a little girl and I use the rough velcro part to rub my cuticle area!!
Jun 08, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Get it
by: Anonymous

OMG! I don't know why it took me so long to google this, but I'm glad I'm not alone.

I started with my blanket when I was a little kid and would run the seam underneath my finger nails, I was totally addicted and never wanted to stop. It was soothing, especially when I was nervous. As an adult, I still love rubbing blanket corners underneath my nail and it still calms me. I still don't understand what it is that makes this so soothing, but I'm glad I'm not alone.

Thanks for sharing!
May 04, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Am I weird ?
by: Anonymous029

I tend to rub my hangnail against blankets or the Edge of my pillow so it hurts and stings, is this weird? Whenever I want it to sting more badly I put hand sanitizer on it. I feel like a complete weirdo lol.
Apr 23, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I literally cant stop either
by: Anonymous

I will bite my nail until it is jagged and then pick and the seams of my shirts or blankets with a material that will get my nails stuck. It's calming for me too and sometimes, I don't even realize im doing it. Sometimes I will do it so much that my nail will start to get sore and hurt but I still do it. I honestly wish I could stop but I don't think I can. I don't do it all the time but when I have the chance, ill do it. I started doing it when I was about four picking at the seams of my pillow cases until I went to sleep and as I got older it switched to more different things like the seams on my shirts. CRAZY.
Apr 12, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		You aren't the only one!
by: Anonymous

Omg I do this all the time except it's a little different. I like rubbing my finger against my shirts and other material cause the dry skin kind of catches on the material and feels so good. I have done this since I can remember and I have no idea how it started. It's like an urge I can't resist. I find myself doing it around friends sometimes and have to stop myself. I always think I'm crazy!
Apr 08, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I'm not alone!!!
by: Kay

I have done this as long as I can remember. My parents never understood why I loved a certain blanket so much, and after all these years I still have to have it. I love to rub my dry lips and hangnails on it! That's so weird...but like, I can't stop doing it! Finally somebody understands what I'm talking about! I've never really explained to anyone why I rub the blanket on my lips because I thought I'd sound crazy. Wow, it's weird that other people do this too and understand me!
Mar 09, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail rubbing(one of my kind)
by: Pearl

You don't know how happy and relieved I am to have found this page..I can't stop smiling to myself.

I've had this habit for as long as I can read,and as I'm getting older it's also becoming more frequently that I poke on my cuticles.

At first I never really gave it too much thought until today when it popped into my mind how much i enjoy poking my hangnail.I tried to explain to my friend about and she looked very lost,she didn't get a clue.

I love doing this so much that I look forward to my hangnail growing out again and if there isn't one for to play with,I give myself time and sit down with a needle or nail cutter and start peeling the sides of my nails just to get a hangnail..I'll the pick on it,rub it against whatever I am wearing and i won't stop until I start bleeding plus the pain is just so good..at the same time I won't want it to come out cos I don't have another to hangnail to pick on..I purposefully leave them hanging so I can be fiddling with it wherever I'll be.

I'm glad to know I'm not alone.
Mar 02, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I’m not alone!
by: Anonymous

I’m shocked at the commonality of everyone with this bizarre "addition". I have always thought I was a freak of nature! Never heard of it before or anyone else doing it too! Ever since I can remember I have rubbed a blanket on my chapped lips and my hangnails on blankets too, or to my lips.
The blankets were crocheted by my grandma so they were special...I don’t know if it had so much to do with smell. But I have always dealt with anxiety. Cried every night till I was 4, I’m assuming that was the first signs...

Well I never gave it up and I’m 27 now. It’s like a compulsive reflex I can’t help it! Certain sweaters cause me to do it too. If I know company is coming over I put out different throw blankets to control my habit! It’s pretty much every night before bed to rub the blanket and listening to the sound of my hangnail catching. I just love it! And it hurts so good...that is so twisted...omg
I’m also a compulsive pimple popper. I can not stand a white head or blackhead, God forbid a full blown pimple! The satisfaction of seeing it pop is amazing! Lol

Well I feel like part of an underground society now that shares a secret bond! 😂 Thank you for being open and sharing.
Feb 09, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		OMG feel like finding a secret family lol
by: Aline

I’ve had this habit (it used to be an addiction) of rubbing hangnails in fabric for the sensation and sound of it, but always thought I was alone! 😀 So great to see all of you guys do the same lol

Anyway, I find it amusing how similar some features of this behaviour are across so many of you: like myself, most started doing this in their early childhood (3-5yo), used to use a comfort as main fabric of choice, report smell significance associated with the fabric or heightened sense of smell, and a few also sucked thumb!

I wonder if there is a connection between this behaviour and the associated sensory patterns commonly reported 🤔 so bizarre!

I stopped doing that (after a lot of effort because I used to do it until really hurting myself and decided I had to quit) for many years, but for whatever reason the impulse is coming back now that I’ve turned 30. I’m doing it every night while in bed, many times even without realising, but now with moderation hauahau
Jan 29, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		ALSO
by: TCL

Forgot to mention that my favorite is if I get a hangnail on a toe. Playing with that and a comforter is... so satisfying. Why are we like this!?!?
Jan 29, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		YESYESYES
by: TCL

I am so glad I found this page. Echoing everyone else's sentiments, I, too have done this for my entire life (well, as far back as I remember, 3 or 4 years old). I'm 27 now.

I love a good, sore side hangnail. I've always been seriously satisfied with rubbing the raw cuticle area on anything.

Growing up, I had a couple different blankets. I was very picky with blankets and sheets and if I found a blanket that I liked, I kept it for years, mainly because I liked how one/both side(s) felt and I would rub it constantly.

Anyway, so yeah, cuticles and lips seem to be a common pairing.
Jan 26, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Omg
by: Destiny burton

Ever since I was a little kid I had a blanket and named it corner. I named it corner because there was a specific corner on it where I'd rub it under my finger nails. Years later the blanket was no longer a blanket. Just a piece of string. Now I rub my finger nails on the inside of my hoodie sleeves. And I have a piece of a sleeve that came off from me doing it so much on one of my jackets. I call it my sensory project. I also suck on my tongue. I know, weird right?
Jan 25, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Very satisfying comment
by: Anonymous

I rub /scratch my hangnails untill it get hot and start burning😂
Jan 09, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I do too but I do more weird things too
by: basement monster

I do this because I am very stressfull person and it calms me down. I also rub my hangnail to my lips or my hair, it feels even better than fabric! Sometimes I take a fabric and rub between my fingers too. My biggest guilty pleasure xD
Oct 02, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rubbing my cuticle to my lip and finger
by: Anonymous

Damn!!!!! I thought I was the only weirded one who has such a weird haibit.!! Glad to know there are many more like me 😂 Can’t express the feelings in words .. the satisfaction of rubbing the little cuticle to my lip and finger till it’s sore.. also I love rubbing it to clothes and blankets and sometimes making circles from my cuticle!! Very weird but I’m so habitual to it hahaha love it hi 5 mates
Sep 19, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I’m not alone !!
by: Anonymous

Oh my gosh ! I have been doing the exact same thing for as long as I could remember. I love having hangnails and rubbing it against Edges of blankets and shirts. I don’t know why but I really enjoy the soreness and the sound it makes when it gets caught on the blanket. I thought this was a weird habit that I only had, but it’s kind of nice to know that there are many people who do it as well.

I do get my nails done from time to time and it’s really embarrassing when people see how many hang nails I have on my fingers, but I really only do it now from time to time. I also do it before bed because the sound is really soothing for an odd reason.
Aug 30, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My entire life I wondered if anyone else did this
by: Anonymous

Wow! I am so shocked to see this thread! I remember the very first time a hangnail caught on something. I was 3 and while having a temper tantrum, I started ripping all of the stuffing out of my baby blanket which caused a hang nail to get stuck and I can’t explain how it made me feel! It is especially wild for me to read about people also rubbing fabric on dry lips because I also do that! I always run my hangnails on the roof of the car, ugh I love it! I had a partner who would routinely get upset because she would realize I wasn’t touching her, I was using the hem of her shirt to rub my hangnails. I always have a hairtie on my wrist so I can use that on my hangnails or lips. Still in shock this exists! I’ve never met anyone else who does it! Most people feel queezy when I explain it.
Aug 22, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cuticle clicking?? Am I the only one??
by: Anonymous

So I find paper corners, slide it on my finger tip until it hits the cuticle and makes a "clicking" sound. To be more thorough, I first place the paper corner just behind the cuticle, then I slide the paper corner past the cuticle (the paper is still rubbing on my finger) until it ends up on the nail (lunula area). This makes a clicking noise and I've done it ever since I was a child.

I not only use paper, i use anything with a semi-hard edge that's able to produce the same clicking noise, like dress shirts (the ends of my sleeves--my favorite since they are made of harder fabric), stronger paper is the best, and even tree leaves! I only stop if there isn't a hard edge around, but if I happen to be wearing a shirt with hard edges around the sleeves, pocket, or anywhere else, I will never stop and I'll be clicking all day. Sometimes it can get really loud, and people around me will wonder what is making the noise, so I do it with less emphasis.

Is there ANYONE out there that does this!? I've never seen anyone else try this and just curious. ^_^
Jun 27, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I thought it was just me.
by: Anonymous

I go to the shoe department at Macy's and discreetly grab handfuls of those nylon footies from the boxes. I have to have them in my pockets or nearby at all times. The fresh, new ones are the snaggiest and the best. I can't even believe I'm writing this.
Jun 21, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Lightbulb Moment!
by: Anonymous

At 45 years old, it suddenly dawned on me that I’ve had these strange compulsions my entire life and decided to Google it but I wasn’t even sure how to describe it. I was a thumb sucker until about 12 and I had a feather pillow covered with a sturdy striped twill ticking fabric. I used to suck my thumb and twirl the corners as hard as I could in the webbing between my index and middle fingers, until it was red and swollen. Continuing to do this after it became sore was gloriously painful and calming! I still do it, minus the thumb sucking. I also rub denim seams on the side cuticles of my index fingers until they’re sore and swollen and the more painful it is, the more relief it brings. I fold the seams in half to make a hard point I can gouge my side cuticle into.
Remarkably, I never understood cutting until the moment I wrote this.

A department store was heavenly as a child. My Mom would shop while I stood in the middle of circular jeans racks and rubbed seams until my little heart was content. I like fabrics that feel "cold" when you first touch them and my pillow only had 4 corners to rotate between. I loved the jeans racks because there was an endless supply of fresh cold fabric to rub on. I love rubbing my feet between cold sheets too. I also love to wrap a piece of thread around my index finger as hard as I can, until the circulation is cut off, my fingertip is purple, and the thread is cutting beautifully into my side cuticles.

Additionally, I love to "chew" on pen caps in the very back of my mouth where there are just gums, no teeth. Again, the relief comes after the gums are good & sore and I keep doing it. It’s like I’m teething.

Things that I don’t like: itchy tags of any sort but especially the ones that are ever so slightly itchy on my lower neck and between my shoulder blades.

I also hate to feel microfiber cloths and it’s unbearable if the skin on my hands is dry.

I grew up with a Mommy Dearest. She had amazing positive qualities. She was beautiful, brilliant, wildly talented and successful; she could be sweet, affectionate, generous, thoughtful... then she’d turn on a dime and her beyond-evil side would come out slashing, both physically and verbally. I guess I developed these compulsions to comfort myself.

I’m thrilled to read your posts. I’ve only made it through about half of them and can’t wait to read the rest. It’s amazing this thread has been going for so long! Thanks for sharing so candidly and vividly and helping me to better understand and embrace my own quirks!
Jun 21, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I'm not alone!!
by: Anonymous

I have done this for my entire life, my mother says I did it as an infant and small child! I will pick my skin to get a better "firmer" piece of skin to get a better sensation too! I cut the hems off of Walmart t shirts and take them with me in my purse so that I can do this discreetly! I thought I was INSANE!!! BUT IM NOT ALONE!!!
Jun 17, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		yes!
by: Anonymous

I thought I was alone! I started picking when I was 5 or something and never stopped. I pick until it bleeds and when it's sore I'll rub it on fabric so I feel the soreness. I don't know why the pain feels almost good? But when other people snag on it on accident then it hurts. I also have a good sense of smell. And I rub my lips on soft or rough textures and skin. My own hands and nails I've rubbed on my lips for 19 years it's a soothing textures touching soft lips and sometimes chapped. I thought I was weird.

I wanna stop picking so when I get my nails done they look good but I can't stop unless I'm wearing the nails and even then I'll find myself without realizing (ALL THE TIME) That I'm trying to pick or just biting. All my friends and family pull my hands away so I'll stop when they catch and I don't know why but I get annoyed even though I want to stop. 😂 I don't
Jun 13, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Me Too!!!
by: Anonymous

Hello fellow freaks! 🙂 Been snagging for as long as I can remember (52 yrs old). Preferred snagging spots are my bra strap, along the top of my underwear, and work lanyard but will snag anything I can get ahold of. It's hypnotic and soothing to me.

The thought/sight of me or anyone running their palms across fabric makes me feel sick (breaking a sweat just typing this).

Strong sense of smell. I can smell sneezes, they all smell the same. Can tell if someone recently sneezed when I walk in a room.
Jun 08, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		rough nail rubbing
by: Anonymous

I'm an on/off nail biter and nail picker I love the way my fingers smell and how my fingernails taste. While picking or biting, I might leave a rough area on my thumb nail, to either rub with the index or middle finger of the same hand or mostly ro rub against my lower lip. Its calming, but I try not to. Do not want my anxiety to be on public display through my fingernails, being I'm 50+.
Jun 05, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thankful!
by: Anonymous

I never admitted this to anyone before till I just looked this up & found your blog. I have always had this fixation since I was little. I rub my dry cuticles on my lips, I've even caused my lips to bleed doing it & not realizing it. I also rub certain material on my clothing & button & unbutton the buttons on my clothing. I also like to fiddle with the seems on my jeans.
May 26, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnails
by: Anonymous

I started doing this when my mom died and when my life got a whole lot more stressful. I started doing it and not really thinking of what I was doing, but then later on that year I started wondering why I was doing it and thought I was weird for doing it. I would rub my hangnails, fingernails and the sides of my fingernails on the collar of my shirt, the bottom of my shirt and sometimes even the sleeves of the shirt. It would sometimes get to the point where the shirt had to be thrown out. I’m so glad I found out I’m not the only one who does this.
May 22, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cuticle rubbing
by: Anonymous

I started this habit during a stressful time in my life. And it has continued. I call it "rubbing my seams". I can't stop. I also pick my nails. If I find a rough area while rubbing I start picking. I am glad to know other people do it also. But I also feel sad for them.
Apr 08, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Yup
by: Anonymous

For me it's the cuticle. I hate them. If there is a snag, I will run it on the hemline of my shirt or shoe laces snag it really well. I will run until it's gone and bleeding.

I'm 37 now, but it started when I was really young. My first memory of "picking fuzzies" was when I was 3. I would sit in my upstairs bedroom and watch out the window for my parents and pick fuzzies. I wore that blanket out by 8 years old but found another kind that was almost as good.

I dont know how to describe the blanket but it was like a big sheet of synthetic dryer lent. I would weave my fingers in it and wrap tiny strands of fuzz around my fingers in figure 8s. I would wake up with an inch of fuzz wrapped around all 4 fingers. Intermittently I would rub my thumb cuticle on the fuzz trying to snag my cuticle on the tiny fuzz strands. It's an odd feeling and I will slowly pull till it breaks. Bit, its soooooo soothing. I have no idea why and, as an adult, its embarrassing.

I still had the fuzzy blanket through high school. Luckily, my girlfriend, still wife, didnt think it was odd enough to run. She did make me get rid of the blanket but it still is a craving. To fight it I will cut all the dead skills off of my cuticle. And yes, pushing them back is disgusting. The thought of the tight skin pulling feeling makes my fingers curl.

Keep pickin!
Feb 17, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Everything resonates with me!!!
by: Anonymous

Stoked I stumbled across this blog! 33 year old female and every post here resonates with me. I've been rubbing my hangnails (usually my thumb hangnails) across my lips (almost like I'm repetitively, SUPER repetitively, tracing the line where lip-liner would go...) for as long as I can remember. Some of it is mindless--while I'm driving, working, doing errands, watching TV, etc. I can't tell which is more pleasurable: the feeling on the hangnails or the feeling on my lips.

I also have ALWAYS loved the feeling of rubbing my hangnails on the seems of blankets/ribbons...The thread used with the ribbons tends to closely resemble fishing wire--and the extra tension and sharpness that creates is amazing. Sometimes it makes it hard to even get out of bed, because I just want to sit there and repetitively rub it. Or I'll rub that blanket thread on my lips.

Very calming, centering, grounding.

THANKS for making this thread. So COOL there are others out there!
Jan 09, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Same
by: Anonymous

I have been looking all over the internet to try and find someone else who has these same habits as me. I was hoping there was a name for it. I could not even figure out how to explain it to someone it has just been something I have done for as long as I can remember. My family and friends always comment on it, but it’s more of a joke type thing. I am so happy to see that I am not alone in this.
Dec 10, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I'm glad I found out I wasn't alone
by: Anonymous

Yea I thought I was the weird kid doing this in class and i still do it today i just like the feeling of rubbing my hangnails on my lips cause it just calms me down and helped me focus in class. I also thought I was the only person doing this in the world.
Nov 18, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I love it
by: Anonymous12

I like peeling mine off now. I then wait a minute or two and rub that on sharp edges or against things to feel the pain.

When I was a kid I wouldn't peel them off and rub them along blanket seams which felt pleasurable to me. As I am rubbing the part where i pulled off the hangnail today, I wondered if something was wrong with me and discovered this blog. So, I decided to comment about myself and how it started when I was young and still do it to this day.

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this and enjoys it 😉.
Sep 18, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		An additional habit
by: ѕυммer

In addition to rubbing my hang nails, I also like flossing until my gums ache. It feels much the same as the pain from the hangnail, if I do it enough my mouth wants more. I also rub my scalp when my hair is slightly dirty and it’s what I call "a delicious ache."
Sep 18, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I love the feeling
by: Anonymous

I always wait until i have a hangnail, it almost feels like christmas whenever i discover one. I would often pull on it, twist it and all other sorts of rubbing. Gosh it sounds so sexual haha.

i love running the hangnail across my blankets and bed sheets too, there’s nothing like it. but what i also love doing is teasing myself by pulling on it until it almost rips off then stopping, then pulling on it again. this probably taken a weird turn, but it’s who i am.

My middle finger is currently swollen from my last session, but i still find myself squeezing the swollen part cuz it also feels kinda good.
i’m so weird.
Aug 08, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Poking at hangnail cuts
by: Anonymous

I ALWAYS pick at my hangnail after the flap of skin is gone. I like to poke it with corners of papers or anything sharp. When the wound scabs over, I love scraping the scab and peeling it off so it is raw again. I LOVE the pain, but hate it at the same time.
Aug 07, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Me too!!!
by: Bisset

I have had the habit of rubbing my hangnails for as long as I can remember. I always seem to need to do something with my hands, like sucking on my thumb when I was younger (while sniffing/playing with a blanket, now I always sniff my sleeves if I wear longsleeves), chewing on my shirt sleeves, rubbing hangnails, playing with my hair.

Recently, I cut off about 6 inches of my hair hoping to break my hair-playing habit, and now I’ve really picked up on messing with my hangnails, to the point my fingers are starting to turn red. I like the pain when I press down on them. I also like to run them on the insides of my shirt.

I was hoping I wasn’t the only person who has this habit!! I now have a callous on my index finger which I think came from playing with my hangnail too much!
Jun 29, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		YEP!
by: Anonymous

21 now, but ever since I was a kid I would suck my thumb while simultaneously rubbing my hangnails on blankets or the edge of blankets so they would catch. I preferred certain fabrics over others lol. My parents/family would watch me thinking I had a thumb sucking problem, when in reality sucking my thumb just enhanced the hangnail rubbing.

Sucking my thumb by itself does nothing for me...but in addition to rubbing my hangnails it is amazing. anyone else have this specific combo? I've grown out of the thumb sucking but every so often I rub my hangnails.
Jun 06, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Reply to: So glad I’m not alone
by: Anonymous

I suck my middle and ring finger I’m 28 lol i do the exact same thing! I love when I’m sucking my fingers and my lips are chapped and i use my finger to rub the cracks sticking up while sucking them LOL!
Jun 06, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		So glad I'm not alone
by: Anonymous

Growing up i always sucked my ring and middle finger of my right hand. I grew out if it as a teen, but I never have outgrown "catching" my nails/ hangnails on the satin ribbing of a blanket.

Most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it, but I find it soothing. I also rub my lips on it when they are dry and chapped. I can't stand touching chalk. I can't even stand the sound of it writing on any surface.
May 28, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		The pain feels good.
by: Anonymous

My habit is making fuzz balls and just rolling them between my fingers. Shoving them under my nails. I've done it ever since I was a kid.

Over the last few years it has expanded into string with very tight yet tiny knots. Pulling the string back and forth until I feel pain. Once I feel the pain I continue until it feels orgasmic.

i currently have a hang nail and using this technique it feels like it's helping the hang nail out of the skin but it feels so good to have this tiny sharp knot inside of it.
May 13, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I wish I could stop.
by: Anonymous

I bite my nails a lot. Every since I could remember to be honest. I don’t know why or how it started but it did and that’s the truth.

I remember when I was younger my family and I were leaving a family party and in the car I was biting my nails but all I was getting was small pieces and I enjoy it much more when I bite off the whole top stripe of the nail, if you bite your nails you know what I mean.

So anyways all I was getting was smalls pieces then I finally got a nice long stripe of nail and I literally yelled out "THIS IS THE KING NAIL, THE KING OF ALL NAILS!" to my mom who was sitting right next to me because of how ecstatic I was.

Along with my nail biting addiction I am also addicted to biting parts of the skin that is around my nails and when I do that I also get horrible cuticles that hurt like a mother just by simply putting my freaking hands into my pocket to get my phone because the hangnail gets caught between all the tiny threads and fabrics that make up the inside of my pocket.

But here’s the thing and the reason why I am also here...I freaking love it. I know I sound crazy. I sound crazy to myself and I know you all relate because you’re here reading this but just imagine what people who have never in their freaking lives have bitten their nails or even have had the thought to do so... we are all psychopaths to those people. But frig them right this is our reality.

So no you are not alone and I am glad that I am not alone either. I feel like this is just what some people do. Just like there’s things that other people do that you yourself might not do and you might think its weird that they do that. But at the end of the day who really gives a frig. You stay out of my business and I will stay out of yours. Simple as that.

By the was it’s 3:33am right now so goodnight. If you read this far you’re really cool and I love you. <3
Apr 14, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		nails
by: Anonymous

i scratch my nails over fabric, wallpaper, my skin anything. i pick and catch any little bit of nail and same with my lips i rub my nails over them till i get little bumps. i do it more when stressed x
Mar 11, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Wow
by: Anonymous

Yes, it feels wonderful. What I do is try to get the littlest of the hang nail that's left by pressing down hard with my teeth. It's a great feeling, almost sexual.
Feb 14, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Glad I’m not alone.
by: Patty

This is refreshing to read these.

I’ve been doing this as long as I can remember, and I’m 50.

I rub the outside of my finger, usually the top knuckle, along a woven blanket or some type of acrylic fabric. The "catchier" the better. It’s like it puts me into a trance, almost. The feeling of my dry skin catching on the fabric is somehow really calming to me. I could literally sit in one spot and do this for an hour and be perfectly happy. I have a absent-mindedly rubbed to the point where my knuckles are raw.

I don’t know if I’m self-soothing, or what. I do suffer from depression, but it’s well managed with meds.
Jan 29, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Anyone else?
by: Anonymous

I have a habit of rubbing my fingers against rough and hard edges like the side of a soda lid where you may get at a fast food place or the cap of a water bottle or even the side of an iPhone case. I’ve been doing it ever since I was an infant.

Over the years it stopped but I’m starting to do it again. It gives me a nice sensation for some strange reason. I would catch myself doing it at random times.

Anyone else have this sensation? If yes do you know what this behavior is called?
Jan 17, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rubbing tshirts
by: Anonymous

I'm 25 and for as long as I can remember I've picked the skin around my fingers. I run them on the seams of tshirts and the seam picks and pulls on the skin. I put myself to sleep doing this when I was very young. I can't break this habit!

Anyone else?
Nov 29, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		A worried mama
by: Nicole

Hi. I am so glad I found all your posts. My daughter is 11 & has been having a hard time. I will try to explain the best I can.

She is constantly messing with her nails and says she has the constant need to scratch blankets, pillows, or any fabric but literally cries because she can't stand the sound or the feeling! I know you all said it is soothing but I can't figure out why it's the opposite for her?

My wig out thing is styrofoam. I can't stand to hear or touch it.

Thank you all for being here! I hope I can help my Ally!
Oct 03, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rub and pain
by: Anonymous

Crazy that there are others! I always felt weird! I sick my ring finger and middle fingers and while I do I always take my pointer finger (usually has the longest nail) and I press it really hard on the inner bend of my thumb like really hard till it hurts then I rub it!

Ugh it makes me feel so comfortable I’m over here drooling thinking about it but I can’t do it right now picking kids up from school!
Aug 20, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		The Soreness Hurts So Good
by: Anonymous

I don't particularly like having the hangnails that form on top of the finger, by the cuticle...but the sidewall ones, where the skin is a bit tougher (at least on my fingers) is the sweet spot!

I'm a hair braider, so hangnails happen to me a lot! Taking sharp objects and digging into the core or center of the spot where the hang nail formed...Ahhh Nirvana!!!

I also like pressing, or overly massaging sore muscles, like after a vigorous work out, where you can hardly move the next day, good stuff! I'm freaked out by watching/hearing knives enter/tear/rip in/through skin though...because of this I've missed a lot of probably good movies and shows.

Good to know there's a club for all of us exceptionally different folks!
Aug 09, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Yes...Me too
by: Anonymous

I also have a habit of rubbing my ring finger's nail again and again when I become tensed. I usually run it against my t-shirt or any smooth piece of clothing. It feels so soothing.

Also, I sometimes like to feel that nail by rubbing on my lips. It has become so smooth due to this habit of mine that it is almost reflective ! I used to ask my mom to let me rub her fingernails and feel the smooth texture of nails when I was small.
Aug 08, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Oh gosh
by: Crystal

Everything that you posted here, I could have posted. I came here looking for info regarding my hangnail/fingertip skin rubbing compulsion but the cringe list you wrote are all things that I freak out about too. My fingers and toes are curled thinking about them.

I also hate dry towels rubbing gonna skin.What in the world would cause us to be this way? Is it just quirkiness or something more.

I kinda feel like a freak.
Aug 06, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail enthusiast
by: Anonymous

This post and subsequent comment thread makes me feel comfortable enough to share my habits that I've never spoken to anyone about out of embarrassment.

I can totally relate to those comments about making your own hangnail with a clipper. I always do this on my baby toenail so it's less noticeable.

After creating this 'hangnail' I twirl the nail until it turns into a sore hangnail and then either rub it on my sheets when I'm in bed or tug at it gently and let go whenever I'm bored. Even after the hangnail is gone I press and dig into the sore spot to feel what I call 'the sweet pain'.

Currently rubbing as I type. I may need help.
Aug 01, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Lip picking
by: Anonymous

I suck my fingers (middle and ring finger) while picking at my lips until they bleed and crack in small areas. Always have.
Jul 30, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rubbing hangnails against lip
by: Anonymous

i have a bad habit of rubbing my cuticles/hang nails against my lips and my ring finger cuticle keeps getting lower and lower from rubbing and it's gotten to the point where it really hurts that spot on my finger but i can't stop
Jul 12, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cloth rubbing?
by: Anonymous

Since I was at least 4 or 5 yrs old, I have rubbed cloth on my lips. It started with my pillowcase, since the opening would be near my mouth.

After a while, I started to use a pillowcase by itself, then a piece of tshirt or sheet. It has to be a certain thickness of cotton, not smooth, not flannel, but tshirt material.

Sometimes I will look for a shirt at a store that is just the right texture and use it to rub my lips. I also love the feeling of the cloth between my fingertips.

I like rubbing hard objects, like my nails, a table, or even the back of my bf's hand!! I don't know what this is called but I've been doing it for 40+ yrs!

Any ideas what this could mean? Oh, and I would take a nail cipper and clip off any of those little white spots you get on your tongue. And I have peeled back a ragged cuticle down to the first knuckle!

Yikes!
Jun 29, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Same thing
by: Anonymous

I do something similar. Rubbing the rough dry skin on my knuckles under my upper lip. I used to do this with my blankie when I sucked my thumb as a child. No thumb sucking just the tactile stimulation. My ring finger knuckles are thickened and red. Often do this when stressed or bored...mostly stressed.
May 23, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		No longer alone
by: Anonymous

I'm not alone! I even use the edge of fingernail clippers to create a sharp indentation in my nail so I can use it to scratch and grab onto whatever fabric I'm scratching on. I've found I like it best to scratch an shirt or yoga pants in wearing since it's easier to access, and in my mind it's not as noticeable to others than just picking at random piece of fabric nearby.

It does end up tearing up my fingernails something fierce though... Till the point where they are so short they burn, but I still can't stop doing it. I just feel so much better if I'm scratching... I always just thought I was the only one who does this though... Thank goodness I'm not just weird all by myself. Lol.
May 08, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Another one here!!!
by: Anonymous

When I was little I used to get my mom to "click" my cuticles in bed before I went to sleep because it felt so good and soothing. Now its moved to my thumb knuckle where I pick and press until it hurts so good!
May 05, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		ME TOO!!!
by: Linda

I do the exact same thing and have wondered for a great deal of time what is wrong with me. I love the blanked with the satin like edging because I can catch my nail on the thread!! Hems of clothing is also great! Is this an anxiety thing??
Linda
May 05, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Ok, fellow pickers and rubbers.....
by: Anonymous

I am 44 yrs old. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and suffer from chronic pain. I open with this because idk if either is related to what i am about to cautiously share, i have never told anyone. I pick my cuticles with tweezers and have even restored to using the sharpest kitchen knives i can find. Of course this results in sore, raw and bleeding fingers, i apologize for being so graphic. Of as the skin heals, it harder and uneven thus results in more picking. Recently, i had an ulcer on the tip of my tongue and i found myself using a nail file to "sooth" that irrataing feeling of the ulcer! Yikes, i have another ukcer and yes i went straight for that nail file. I just can't stop and it results in a hugh sore. But i keep doing both.....why!!
May 03, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Terrible hangnail picking
by: Anonymous

OMG, I'm glad I'm not alone. I obsessively pick at the skin in my fingers (hangnails) until they're ragged and often bleed. I'm embarrassed to show my hands and someone once told me I have "man hands" from all the picking. I just can't stop and it gets worse when I'm nervous and anxious, which is most of the time.

I don't think I have sensory processing disorder but I do think I have dermatillomania. Anyone else out there? Do you have any suggestions on how to stop? My thumbs hurt so bad just now.
Apr 17, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Re: My thumbs are like ground hamburger meat
by: Anonymous

Oh, I should add that biting my hangnails for the last 25 years or so caused me to get TMJ disorder (pain and dysfunction in the jaw), and I had to wear a retainer for two years in my mid-20s. And now my front teeth are uneven, because I always use the right front tooth to bite, so it's getting pushed forward. I don't know if it's noticable to others, but I hate it; I think it makes me look like an idiot.

And still I am unable to stop. Ah, well. :)
Apr 17, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My thumbs are like ground hamburger meat
by: Anonymous

I've taken the hangnail biting to a new level lately, to where the entire thumb is involved, on both hands. The pain gets so bad that I will essentially lose my opposable thumbs for days at a time. But I just can't stop. I'm desperate to find a therapist in Phoenix who is qualified to treat adult SPD.

Oh, and I'm the official household smeller. :) My sense of smell is through the roof, and my roommates frequently ask me to smell things for them, like whether the clothes in the washing machine have mildewed at all, or whether the leather couch still smells of cat urine (which it does). Unfortunately, it's only yucky smells they ask me to ferret out. :)

Oh, and I also just found out about misophonia. I had no idea it was a thing. (Or even just SPD in general, until about a month ago, actually.) I thought I was just a freak, not being able to stand hearing eating/chewing/lip-smacking/etc. sounds, and flying into an internal rage when I do. (*Always* just internal, though; I would never take it out on anyone.) Sitting next to a gum-chewer on an airplane, for example, is truly a form of torture, and my iPod absolutely changed my life. :)

SO very nice to hear from others who have these same issues. :)

I don't know what the treatment is for adults, but I sure hope there's *someone* in Phoenix with experience in treating adult SPD.

And as someone in here said earlier, y'all are my peeps. Thank you all for posting. :)
Mar 31, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I've found others!
by: Eliza Grant

Wow! I can't believe so many people do this too! I have horrible anxiety/depression and suffer from ADHD. I always assumed it was from those things. My "sha-sha," my blanket, was actually one of those old fashion burp cloths/cloth diapers(my parents got me hooked on it bc it was easy to replace if lost or damaged without me knowing the difference) and man let me tell you.... if you want a perfect material for rubbing dry lips or nails.... THAT is your material! The threads would pull out when you hooked a good dry piece of skin, it was soft, it caught literally EVERYTHING!!!!

I no longer use those cloths as I can't find them anymore. I have always picked my lips and have noticed I usually pick my lip to a certain point without removing the skin but leaving it for rubbing....Fav things are sweatshirt sleeves or strings, shirt collars, hair ties, lanyards, any seam on softer clothes really. The inside seam, getting that kind of under your nail on the corner or on your lip.... ooooooo ya!!! Sometimes I don't even notice and then I'll go to bed and take my sweat shirt off and notice blood on the wrists or strings!!!! It's so calming. I get teased a lot but o well.

I've passed this onto my son who HAS to have tags on his blankets and when you tuck him in it goes.... right thumb in his mouth, left hand holding the tag, rubbing it on his lips and nose. My daughter didn't catch this but always points it out to me. Lol glad to know I'm not alone!!!
Mar 25, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thought I was only one
by: Anonymous

For years I have had the habit of biting, twisting, rubbing and digging my upper lip. I will press down with the tip of my pinkie and rub across the inside of my upper lip until it cracks and stings. Sounds weird but I will purposefully split open the middle of my upper lip & then either dig into it with my pinkie nail or start rubbing it. I don't understand why, but I like the pain from the stinging. My lip will swell & seems like the more it swells, the more I rub it. Only Carmex helps me stop. I have been wondering if I subconsciously do this to force my brain to release more endorphins...I am a recovering opiate addict. From my understanding, the brain stops releasing natural dopamine when you abuse pain meds. So could it be that I do this as a way to subconsciously release endorphins by creating pain? Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Mar 11, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Clinical diagnosis??
by: Katie

Hi there! I too wonder about the "label" for this odd behavior. I suck my thumb as well from time to time. But "scratching" as u call it happens on a regular basis. Im just taking it as SPD for now...there really arent any studies that have explored this behavior. I agree it would be nice to know! Nice to meet another fellow scratcher!
Mar 11, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Is this called sensory processing disorder?
by: HE Ghosn

I have this too! Ever since I was a baby. I used to fall asleep scratching my fingers peels and sucking my thumb.. odd right?

So is this callas sensory processing disorders after all??. I'd like to have a name to call it~
Mar 07, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Not alone!
by: Anon Med Student

I don't like to catch hangnails on things per se but I do get some perverse sort of pleasure from ripping them off and letting the side of my finger get sore and then pushing on it. It helps soothe my anxiety and stress levels (which I have a lot of currently due to med school) and it just feels really fricken good like when you push on a sore knotted muscle.

I also hate filing my nails, and my mother always thought I was weird (I am but in other ways haha) that I would cringe when she gave me mani pedi when I was younger. These days I have to listen to loud music so I can file my nails smooth and I have to keep them regularly trimmed and filed as per med school regulations.

And god forbid a kush ball or anything like it touches me. Serious heebie jeebies!

In closing I'm glad I'm not alone. :)
Feb 22, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Holy cow
by: Summer

I'm stunned! I've been thinking that I was all alone in this. I also have the very keen sense of smell, my family and friends comment on it often and I smell everything before I eat or drink it.

I'll use one finger or nail to rub the sides of the fingernails to create a hangnail, and then rub it back and forth or try to catch it on fabric and have it pull. I have always done this and I'm a 30 year old woman. I do it to the point where it hurts and is sore and bleeds, but the comfort I get from doing it makes me feel so much better.

I've tried to stop many times because it makes my fingers and nails look bad, but the satisfaction I get always wins. I'm so so so glad to know that I am not alone! How weird/awesome is it that most of us share the sense of smell trait?
Feb 14, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Yikes
by: Anonymous

I am currently reading this, while rubbing my hangnails on my blanket (blankie from childhood) and I am a 26-year-old wife and mother. Yes, I totally get it! Also rub it on my lips and am a blanket sniffer....
Feb 12, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My other half hates it...
by: Anonymous

I catch myself driving to work rubbing the strings of my Hoodie, rubbing anything my dry skin can catch on. No understandING what I do it, frequently catch myself doing it. I always thought it was an A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. thing or maybe ocd. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. It causes alot of turmoil between me and my other half. I'm glad to see there's other people out there. Thank you
Feb 07, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Me too
by: Anonymous

Add me to the list. I'm a 49 yr old male and have done this as long as I can remember. Some of the descriptions here are uncanny in describing fabric and textile surfaces that I am drawn to. Unlike some here I will not create a hangnail to perform this but can always find some bit of loose skin around the fingertips that will snag on the right surface. A lot of automobile headliner material can be a very attractive nuisance, btw! ;-)
Feb 02, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		So weird
by: Anonymous

I thought I was the only one who did this.
Feb 01, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I feel normal now
by: Anonymous

I can't believe I came across this thread I always thought I was freaky because people would look weird when I randomly whip out a piece of silk and just feel away at it, it feels so nice to know it's common maybe lots of people do it but won't admit to it but I cannot resist sometimes I'm 20 and I've been doing it since primary school with the labels on my polo shirt ahhhh it's pure euphoria
Feb 01, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		another one
by: Anonymous

Hi all,
as i was typing in google about rubbing fingers on clothes, i was expecting it to come back 'sorry no match found'! I was just floored to see the list come back - and then these comments from all of you guys!!!.

So it sounds like i have had spd pretty much my whole life, earliest memories of skin picking on ears and fingers, lips, around 8-9yo. pushing 45 now.

Pick certain places till it bleeds and then poke at those with rough dry finger tip skin and side nails to make it sting. Love it!

Recently started to run fingertips over fabric- the dry skin catch on the fibers - the feeling and sound is too captivating. To visually describe it when the skin is catching on is like when a jet fighter lands on an aircraft carrier, the hook that catches on the cable to help stop the plane.

I feel relieved that i am not alone in whatever it is that we suffer from. I too have the other characteristics of sensitive smell and depression issues.

Thank you all for sharing.
Jan 05, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		it just feels good
by: cyndi

I rub my hang nail with my other fingers. I like it so much that I've used clippers to make a hang nail so I can rub it with my other fingers. I do it every day to the point that my fingers hurt and are sore from constent movement. And burning from the hang nail I made. It's crazy. But I've done it as long as I can remember. What's worse I'm an adult thumb sucker. 33 years old and still suck my thumb. Wow it feels good to type that. I've never told anyone. My siblings think I've stopped. The only person that knows is my husband...thanks for this blog
Jan 02, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Me too
by: lsu14soccer

Oh my gosh I am the same way! Mine aren't hangnails it's the skin below the finger tips that I pick at to make like a hangnail so that it catches on different fabrics. Mainly tshirt seams, hair ties, scrub pant strings, and some microfiber cloths. But I usually rub it to much to get the same effect. Doesn't work for me if it's too furry. Sometimes when I'm standing talking to people I know well I will just start rubbing their tshirt seam on their sleeve. And they look at me like I'm nuts. I do it all the time. On my wedding day I totally forgot about not having anything to rub until I was walking down the aisle and I had nothing to rub. As soon as we took our pictures I got a hairtie to keep in my hand. My kids think I'm nuts. My husband is used to it. I've been doing this since I was a kid as well. Helps me calm down and focus.
Dec 13, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hang nail disorder
by: Anonymous

Oh my! I thought I was the only one. I like to rub my sore hang nail spot after the hangnail is gone. I like to rub it to feel he pain which comforts me and helps me to sleep. I do this all the time, and will do it on sharp corners of sheets, paper naplkins, tags on anything. I also have a heightened sense of smell and I am 46 years old. I'm a female.
Nov 04, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still loving it
by: Anonymous

I love that more and more people are commenting and relating to me. I will also bring a certain blanket with me in the car if i know I have to drive a long way. And even tho I can sleep without it I really prefer not too. As it helps me to relax and fall asleep as well. If I dont have it with me I will then use the inseam on my tshirt or sweatshirt. Love hearin bout the hair tye, and the sock and how some of u have labeled the behavior. Even tho Im 34, my inner child rejoices each time she hears shes not alone :).
Nov 04, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sensory needs
by: Anonymous

Oh yes, the right kind of material is a lovely feeling when rubbing, catching hangnails and rough skin around nails that have picked. Problem comes when stressed, pick too much, get very sore fingers have to put on plasters.

Driving is a big picking time so often have to wear gloves. As a child, I sucked my tongue whilst rubbing, my Mum thought i had SEN but stopped when had a brace. We all need to meet our sensory needs!!
Oct 29, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hair tie rubber
by: Melissa

Oh my goodness! I thought I was the only one! I am 31 years old and have this very odd habit as well. I used to have a stuffed animal that I would sleep with every night and had to rub it's ears with my fingernails & cuticles. I literally rubbed the long ears off to nothing!

I now rub a hair tie every night to fall asleep. Sometimes I rub it when I'm driving and when I'm just watching tv. I like to stick with the same hairtie because the more often you rub it, it changes the texture, making it easier to snag on my fingernails and cuictals. I've lost several of these hair ties and end up having to start over with a new one lol it sounds so crazy but it's just so relaxing to me. I've also rubbed blankets and even shoe laces. And as you said, I have a very heightened sense of smell. I'm so glad I'm not the only one :)
Oct 18, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Scratching
by: Anonymous

My whole life i thought i might be the only one in the world who like to rub on fuzzy stuff and catch it with dry lips dry flaky cuticles. Wow i found my family lol
Oct 12, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Yesssss
by: Anonymous

I've rubbed flaky skin at the tip of my fingers and dried lips on cloths my whole life. Some cloths are much better than other ones. Farthest I remember doing this is at 3 years old and loving my then blanket. BUT my grandpa once was hospitalized and my mom stayed the night with him and saw him do the same thing! I've never seen my grandpa go to sleep. This is a completely genetic thing, not learned at all. Today, I have a sock with stretchy cloth that is my "Sockie". I lose my shit when it gets lost because it is my relaxer and helps me get sleepy. I do it automatically all the time without noticing. I wish there was a term for this behavior or know what it is that it does chemically to us. I'm sure us who do this release serotonin or something when we do it.
Sep 21, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I can't believe there are others like me.
by: Anonymous

I can not remember how my habit started but I know I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. I'm a male, 22 years old and I love scratching my hangnails.

When I was little I had a blanket that had thin ropes that swing from both ends and I always slept with it, I will scratch it and sniff it and fall into a deep sleep. I call my habit "scratchy" I have a string that use to be inside my shorts to keep them from falling and I took it off and to this day I still use it to go to bed. Over time the string created particles around it so my hangnail could get stuck and feel the amazing pain from it. I LOVE IT!

Sometimes when I loose it I ask my siblings... Have you seen my scratchy? Lol my shirts are all used up from scratching them. My blanket is all torn up from all the edges, but the feeling is just too addicting.

Sometimes I take my string scratchy while I drive or when I'm watching tv. It helps me think clear or fall asleep when I'm tired. I'm so glad that there are people I can relate with. Thanks for submitting your responses.
Sep 05, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Wow!! :)
by: Kathleen

Thanks for all the responses!! :) It is so nice to see that I'm not the only one! I will also rub the hangnail "spot" even after the hang nail is gone...so odd haha! You guys are my peeps! Love you all...cheers to the woobie and t-shirt rubbing. I also have holes in some of my t-shirts from compulsive rubbing...its so soothing! lol...so crazy!
Aug 19, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		omg there are others out there!
by: Amy

I do the same thing!I have an old pillow case that's a rough silk feeling and I rub my fingernails or even dry lips on it at bedtime. I'm 33 years old and I have a hard time sleeping without it. Sometimes I rub on other materials like scarves or clothing and it makes me sleepy when I do it. I call it "picking" and my boyfriend finds it funny how sleepy it makes me. Such a comforting feeling.
Aug 09, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Similar
by: Anonymous

I pick at my hang nails. I like peeling the skin back and exposing the new skin. That sharp pain very soothing for some reason.
Jul 08, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		So I'm not alone
by: Anonymous

First I have found of anyone talking about this. Sense of smell, hangnail pain, yes to both. Wife will squeeze the hangnail for me until it bleeds sometimes. I only wish there was some type of small automated vice that could squeeze the hangnail. I've actually thought of designing one, though pretty sure the market for hangnail vices is fairly small. Ha.

Wife has the extreme belly button fear. Older sister told her when she was a child that she would bleed to death if you put anything in there.
Jul 03, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hangnail rubbing
by: Anonymous

I do the exact same thing! I ruin my shirts from tubing so much to the point wear u have made holes. And I pick at the skin around my nails .
Jun 30, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fun with hangnails
by: Anonymous

I love playing with my hangnails, rubbing them, hanging things on them
Jun 10, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		yes
by: Anonymous

i thought i was the only person in the world like this
May 11, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		!!
by: Tbuck

I was trying to explain my habit to a patient today and was left feeling like a complete weirdo. Ever since I can remember, my mom and I would share our scratchy blankets and relax. To this day I scratch while relaxing and often put myself to sleep, though nowadays I snag my three year-old's paw patrol blanket. Seems ridiculous, but humorous to know I'm not the only one :)
Dec 14, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mee too
by: Anonymous

I do the same thing. I take it even further and rub the hangnail or the sore finger where the hangnail used to be and I rub it on anything. Hair ties, cardboard, etc. For some reason small moments of the slight pain feels good and I get obsessed with it for a couple of days and then stop. I feel really strange about it and don't like to tell people. I do ask my husband to rub it sometimes and grab it and let go. He laughs at me. I have done this since childhood also. Funny thing I have a keen sense of smell also. I ALWAYS smell things before everyone else and I have to smell everything before I eat or drink it. I also LOVE the small of New rubber tires.
Nov 13, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		yes someone else does it too!
by: Richard

So glad to see others do this too. I'm nearly 40 years old and the calming effect of doing this is just the same as when I was child. I think it began because i used to have a comfort blanket that would get frayed and just felt nice I guess. It's certainly a bit of a weird habit when you think about it but its not doing anyone any harm so I'm not too concerned about stopping it. It's funny you mention a heightened sense of smell too I have pretty much the same experience with them must be a link there.
Jul 25, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Hangnails
by: Anonymous

OMG SAME!!!!
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!!!

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