BIAB is the most popular treatment in nail salons in 2024. The number of clients choosing this treatment has increased significantly. In this blog post, I'll explain why, share my tips for choosing the right product for treatments on natural nails, and explain whether every BIAB is the same. I'll also share my step-by-step guide for the perfect builder gel-in-a-bottle application. Let's start with what exactly BIAB is and where the term originated.

What does BIAB mean?

BIAB stands for "Builder In A Bottle." The word "builder" refers to builder gel , a gel that allows you to create a subtle curve on the natural nail, resulting in beautiful architecture, an even finish, and strengthening. "In a bottle" means this gel is thinner (more fluid) than usual and can be applied directly from the bottle, just like a base coat, gel polish, or top coat.

So, BIAB refers to a product that allows you to perform a specific treatment, but it's not the treatment itself. In fact, it's a brand name for a specific patented product. However, the term has become so popular that customers have started using it generically, similar to how "Pampers" is often used synonymously with diapers or "Shellac" with gel polish.

What clients usually mean when they request a BIAB treatment is a thin, even layer of cover gel over their natural nail, which lasts for four weeks without filing. In this blog post, I'll call the BIAB treatment "Natural Nail Treatment," and the product I use for this treatment is T-Gel, or our *Builder Gel In A Bottle*.

What is the difference between BIAB and builder gel?

What's the difference between BIAB (builder gel in a bottle) and regular builder gel? Are they the same? Not quite. Builder gel in a bottle is thinner than regular builder gel, otherwise you wouldn't be able to apply it from a bottle. Because the product is thinner, it's also more flexible. A flexible product moves with the natural nail, which is ideal if you want to apply a thin layer of product. The downside is that such products often have limitations when it comes to extensions, and you can't always extend them (and not with every BIAB product).

Which BIAB product does TS Nails use?

The product we use for the Natural Nail Treatment (BIAB) is T-Gel . This product was specially developed for natural nail treatments and has proven itself as a top product. Hundreds of salons in the Netherlands, Belgium, and other European countries use it daily. What are the advantages of T-Gel compared to other BIAB products?

• T-Gel is produced and packaged in Europe, using raw materials of the highest quality.
• The T-Gel formula is safe. Our most important requirement is that the product is safe for our clients' natural nails. In the four years of T-Gel's existence, there has not been a single recorded case of chemical burns or onycholysis of the natural nail. While we regularly see shocking images of colleagues experiencing problems due to products (not from TS Nails) with a high acid content, T-Gel remains safe to use without the risk of chemical burns.
• T-Gel is more versatile than a regular builder gel in a bottle. Although originally intended for Natural Nail Treatment, it has also proven suitable for other techniques. Combined with builder gel or acrylic gel , you can create extensions on forms or with upper forms . We call this technique the Easy Nails technique: the tip is built up with hard product and the crown with T-Gel, so you no longer need to file the nail. T-Gel can also be used for baby boom, color boom, glitter inlay, or touch-ups of extensions.
• T-Gel is available in over 30 shades, with a variety of mixable colours to suit every skin tone.
• T-Gel is available in 15 ml bottles and 30 ml and 50 ml pots. Although it's a builder in a bottle, I find it most comfortable to work with a gel brush straight from the pot. This is a personal preference; you can, of course, also continue working directly from the bottle.