Bad Hair Habit! (Hair twirling)

[Reptilia]

I have a horrible habit I've had for YEARS, I twist and twirl my hair. I'll take about a 1 inche section, twist it up, undo it, twist it up, twirl it up between my fingers, comb and sometimes rip through knots, and end up with a ton of breakage.

It's a bit of a nervous habit I guess. I often don't even realize I'm doing it. Or sometimes I just WANT to because I like the feeling of my hair between my fingers.

I've had friends, family, and coworkers try and help by letting me know when I do it, but they all eventually give up because no matter how many times they catch me and stop me, I keep doing it later.

I even used to keep an elastic band on my wrist, and would snap it on myself if I caught myself!

Even if I wear it up, I'll pull a piece out to play with.

Has anyone else ever had this issue? Or anyone with tips on breaking the habit?

[jivete]

I'm a hair twirler. I try to put it up to ignore it. It's a hard habit to break, especially when bored (like driving, sitting at a computer, etc). I guess that's not very helpful, but know you're not alone.

[JessTheMess]

LOL I do this whenever I have my hair down, I even catch myself picking at my updo to find some loose strands to play with. Unfortunately I have no clue how to stop myself from doing it. The snapping a hairband on the wrist idea sounds good though

[Reptilia]

Well, at least I'm not the only one! haha

I think I may just have to try putting it up in a bun for a few weeks until I get used to not touching it, lol.

[Periwinkle]

Putting it up is good. Another thing you can do is to put something on your finger that you'll notice when you twirl. I used to be a chronic hair-behind-the-ears-tucker (I'm talking every ten seconds or so!), and I cut down by wearing a plaster on my finger that I'd feel when I went to tuck.

[Reptilia]

Hmm I'll have to try that!

I'm thinking of carrying something with me I can fumble with when I get bored/nervous instead of using my hair. Maybe even just some silly putty.

[embee]

Maybe you can to find some yarn or string and make a tassel to play with? Perhaps a Koosh ball would do? It's a habit and you can make a substitute habit. Try various different yarns, see what is satisfactory. Fuzzy, smooth, thick, thin, longer, shorter. Or you could buy a rabbit skin and cut it into little patches and play with them until you wear them out?

[CopperHead]

You could make a strand of worry beads to fiddle with. Just go to a craft store and buy some inexpensive beads, ones that feel good to the touch, and string them together into a sort of short necklace. Nothing too fancy, but you can keep them close by to 'worry" with when your hands are idle. Many parts of the world use these beads to stay calm.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry_beads

[lind01]

I do this too and can't stop myself! It's awful. It's always with my left hand too- never the right.
You know how they say that if you want to access the right hemisphere of the brain, do an activity with your left hand? I have seriously come up with the theory that while I'm using the right hemisphere of my brain, my left hand automatically wants to do some movement. And it's twist my hair.
It's completely subconscious.

[Kirin]

Put me on the list, and I too also with the left hand only! I tend to do it when i am working or concentrating on a thought provoking activity.