Mittens will slow the grip down and with most will des tact the consisince of pulling on the hair more on what the hand have u can sew on faces or a clear front and ad pic of the pocket of what they like most with a cover it will distract The child or be creative if adding anything to the mitenson always make sure that it's something that they can't or won't choke on or put in the mouth just a ideal I used with my boy. It helped it is just one of those 😏 lucky thought for my use that worked

My son did this, right around the same age.

He pulled out all of his eyelashes, and started on his eyebrows and hair around his temples.

It is related to anxiety, much like OCD & Tourettes. My son seemed to do it more when he was upset at gymnastics or just when watching tv (he also has a lot of tics when watching tv).

Alternative picking methods didn't really do much for him either. But having a stress ball with him helped a bit at the beginning. You can look up online how to make one which he might enjoy, getting him involved in the process.

We explained why he has eyelashes in the first place. To protect his eyes from dust, germs, etc. We need our eyelashes! My son wanted to stop. That is key. He needs to have the desire to stop the behaviour.

When we caught him pulling, we would just give him a wink or 'ah-hem', or just gently take his hand and pull it away from his eyes. Distraction is huge. As soon as he stops pulling, get his hands busy with something else. Don't lecture, or say anything else.
But tell him beforehand he will eventually get the hang of stopping it before he does it. But it takes practice.

If its really bad, you might start with practicing. Have him pretend he is about to pull his hair, and pull his hand away. Have him do it again and hand him something to distract him to interrupt the behaviour. Practice, practice, practice.

My son no longer pulls his lashes. He does still grab at his hair when he's upset, but we keep his hair very short so he can't get a good grip on it. Not sure if we're just avoiding dealing with it, but he can't pull it out that way...

Good luck...it's a weird one. *hug*

@Twins2003
Yes! Thank you! I totally forgot we did that too!
We just ordered a pair online for less than $10. It is a great tool especially for school days when you can't be there to help him. It is a silent reminder when he goes to pick and hits the lens! ;)

Does he do this in his sleep ? does your son complain of itchy skin ? or headache - is his eye contact good or does he tend to look down and do this while watching TV? or board or is it when he is anxious- does he have constipation and Gi issues like problems swallowing ? Thanks in advance for answering my questions it helps me understand further the internal workings

I was researching this supplement and found it was used for this purpose. No real experience but thought I would share.
http://www.ijtrichology.com/article.asp?issn=09...

the supplement is n acetylcysteine available over the counter in the alternative supplements