About me
From chronic nail biter to app creator
I've been biting my nails for over 22 years, and I've tried pretty much everything you can think of. From bitter nail polish, to those mental tricks that work for about a day before you forget all about them. Nothing stuck.
Here's what I finally realized about nail biting: it's not really about willpower. I could spend hours promising myself I wouldn't do it, only to see my hands full of scabs either way. The real issue wasn't that I didn't want to stop, it's that I didn’t notice I was even biting/picking in the first place.
It’s not that I didn’t want to stop, I just didn’t even notice I was biting/picking.
That's when it clicked for me. I didn't need more willpower, I needed someone to tap me on the shoulder the exact moment my hand started moving toward my mouth. Since hiring a person to follow me around wasn't exactly practical, I decided to build an app to do it instead.
The first version was pretty rough around the edges, but it actually worked. For the first time in over two decades, I managed to go a full week without biting my nails, then a month, and it's been working ever since. I built Hands Off because I was genuinely tired of catching myself doing it again, and if you're reading this and thinking 'that sounds exactly like me,' then this app is probably for you too.
About Hands Off
Acknowledge your habit
Hands Off is a revolutionary desktop application that helps users break free from body-focused repetitive behaviors like nail biting, nose picking, and hair pulling. Using advanced AI technology that runs entirely on your device, the app monitors your webcam feed in the background and detects when your hands approach sensitive areas of your face.
The moment a potential habit is detected, Hands Off intervenes with a customizable visual overlay that gently acknowledges the behavior. This real-time intervention is crucial because these habits often happen unconsciously, especially during moments of stress or concentration. Unlike traditional solutions that rely on willpower alone, Hands Off provides the in-the-moment awareness needed to break deeply ingrained patterns.
About the AI model
Your privacy is our top priority
All AI processing happens locally on your device. No video data is ever uploaded or stored remotely. With features like progress tracking, streak monitoring, and customizable sensitivity settings, Hands Off offers a comprehensive solution for anyone struggling with unconscious habits that traditional methods haven't been able to solve.
