Hands Off is a desktop app that intercepts nail biting, skin picking, and other BFRBs in real time. It runs locally on your device, pops up when your hands get near your face, and gradually retrains your brain. All without sending data to the cloud.
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.
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 app is actually helpful! Lennert, thank you for developing it 🙌🏻 And the design is so pretty. 😍
I’ve had the same habit for years and completely get what you mean, most of the time you don’t even realize you’re doing it. I like that this app doesn’t try to “fix” you with motivation talk but just helps you notice the moment it happens. That alone can make a real difference.
I've struggled with skin picking for 10+ years, so I'm really fascinated with the idea of using AI to combat it. Unfortunately my main PC doesn't have a webcam, but I am on my phone a lot. Is there any intention of an Android solution in the future?
Congrats on the launch, Lennert! I have a question: how does the app detect the hand movement?
I’ve been pulling my own hair for 10+ year, and the only person who ever stops me was my mom when she catches me doing this. Never thought there could be such a clever and useful tool for this bad habit, really awesome!
It's super cool Lennert! Loved the style and even more the value proposal. All the best here!
These apps for health are the best. To be honest, I haven't seen something such useful lately and I am glad that more makers started focusing on wellness. Wishing you good luck! :)
Hi all!
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.
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.