Nails have been a core part of my aesthetic for as long as I can remember. As someone whose style tends to be androgynous (I even had a shaved head for a couple of years), I rely on my talons to bring a ‘feminine’ edge to my look. From squareletto to almond, acid neon to dark rouge, I spent most of my 20s experimenting with acrylics, and became addicted to that fresh set feeling. Inevitably, this affected the condition of my nails and cuticles, and not for the better. If I'm honest, I wasn’t too concerned, choosing to ignore the issue and only noticing their paper thinness and ridged beds for that brief moment between having an old set removed, and another applied.
Where skin health, hair health, even scalp health movements have grown in recent years, nail health is yet to reach the masses. Most of my conversations in nail salons centred solely around the design of the nail art, or the shape of the extensions—no one encouraged me to try something different or advised protecting my long suffering nail beds.
Then, a few years ago, I decided it was time my acrylic nails and I went on a break. As all nail girlies know, lengthy extensions can make every day tasks a challenge. Combined with the sad state of my nails, it felt like the right time to switch things up. Which is where BIAB came in. At the time, it wasn't officially on the treatment list at the salon yet but the nail tech asked if I wanted to try it and I instantly said yes. She explained it was a thicker gel that encouraged nail strength and growth, aka just what I needed. Not that I gave its benefits much thought - as long as I could still get coloured tips, I was happy.
Luckily, it did exactly what it promised. I noticed that my nails grew longer than they ever did with regular gel polish, and they definitely felt stronger. So far, so good, so why had I never heard of BIAB before?
What is BIAB?
First things first, BIAB stands for 'Builder In A Bottle', and the formula was first created by gel nail experts The GelBottle Inc, a Brighton based company founded by Daisy Kalnina. Since its creation, its nail growth benefits, not to mention its vegan and PETA-approved formula, have made it a hit with salons and clients alike.
'We’ve solely been using TGB as our gel polish of choice since 2019 and stay up to date with all of their new colour and product launches, so we purchased BIAB to test out as soon as we could,' explains Tazmin Osborne-Sanders, brand director at Shoreditch Nails. In just five years, it's fair to say BIAB and other builder gels have blown up. Pro nail artist Julia Diogo has witnessed this shift firsthand. 'So many of my clients used to think they needed to wear extensions or hard gel, but regular manicures and home care have transformed their nails.' Her top tip? 'Keeping the nails and cuticles hydrated and moisturised is the key to strong and healthy nails. Daily use gets you the best results.' She also stresses the importance of 'NOT picking off your gel polish—this is key!'
What are the benefits of BIAB?
Thanks to BIAB, my nails are in the best condition they’ve ever been in—they’re long, sturdy, and best of all, they’re my own. And, whilst this journey undeniably started with using BIAB, the most important thing I’ve learned throughout this process is to pay attention to the whole picture. As Lucy Francis, founder of The Nail Room & Co explains, 'It's not that acrylics aren’t good for you— they're the same as having shellac, they're the same as having BIAB, but it's when they're done incorrectly.
'A lot of people are now scared of the drills and the e-files, which unfortunately have got a bit of a bad rep due to plenty of salons not using them properly,' she continues. Francis says her mission when opening The Nail Room & Co was 'just getting clients' nails back into a healthy state, and then educating people on how to look after their natural nails.' Without her and her team, I would never have broken my cycle of acrylic nail addiction.
So I started over. After seeing a trained professional, regularly topping up my BIAB, applying cuticle oil every day, and absolutely no biting or picking in sight, it was finally time to have some fun. 'Airbrushed nails seem to be picking back up. I also really like Korean and Japanese styled nails, they’re so funky and artistic,' says nail artist Hang Nguyen aka The Hang Edit, on what she believes will be big for the rest of 2023. Luckily, even BIAB can enter the nail trend conversation. '3D nails (which you can create with BIAB) are huge at the moment and I don’t see that trend dying,' says Osborne-Sanders. For me, it was all about the ‘Hailey Bieber 2.0’—a glazed doughnut chrome, with subtle 3D wave shapes, sparkling gems, and molten silver outlines.
If this is the future of natural nails, I’m in.
