Builder gel can help you grow your natural nails, though not by making them grow any faster. What it does is protect them while they grow. That is the thinking behind BIAB for nail biters: an overlay covers each nail and adds strength and structure. It cannot break the habit for you, and it is fairer to say so at the start.
In short
- Builder gel is a protective overlay on your own nails. It is a good option if you want to strengthen them and grow them longer.
- It is not a growth treatment. Nails grow at their own pace.
- For someone who bites, it covers the nail and makes it look finished. Dermatologists list both as things that can help.
- Very short or sore nails are worth a conversation with Jade before you book.
What does builder gel do for a nail that is growing?
A nail is made at its base, under the skin, and pushed forward from there. The part you can see is already formed by the time it appears, which is why a coating on top of it does not change how quickly it arrives.
What a coating can do is look after the length once it is there.
Builder gel is thicker than gel colour and goes on as an overlay, sitting on the natural nail as a protective layer. On our menu it is described as a great option for those looking to strengthen and grow longer natural nails. The nail underneath is still yours. It simply has cover while it gets there. Our menu calls the treatment builder gel; BIAB is the name many people know it by, and the builder gel (BIAB) nails page explains it in full.
Is BIAB for nail biters a good idea?
It can be a useful part of stopping. It is not a cure.
Here is the fair case for it. The American Academy of Dermatology publishes advice on how to stop biting your nails, and two of its suggestions are to cover the nails and to keep them looking nice, on the grounds that you are less likely to bite nails that look good. A builder gel overlay does both in one appointment.
The same advice is clear about the limits. If you have tried repeatedly to stop and cannot, it suggests speaking to a doctor, because the habit can sometimes have more behind it than the nails themselves. A manicure does not replace that.
What if your nails are very short right now?
Then ask before you book. There are two ways to have builder gel on your hands here, and they suit different starting points:
- The Builder Gel Overlay goes on your own nail, at the length it is today.
- The Builder Gel Extension adds length straight away. The builder gel is applied with tips and sculpted into shape.
Which of those is right for nails that have been bitten down is a judgement for Jade to make once she knows what she is working with. Send a message through the contact page and describe your nails as they are, or call the studio on 01977 804416.
How long before you see a difference?
In how they look, straight away: that is the overlay.
In real length, think in months. Fingernails grow at an average of roughly three and a half millimetres a month, and the rate varies with age, season and other things you cannot do much about. A fingernail takes three to six months to grow out completely. So the aim is a patient one: keep hold of what grows.
What else helps while they grow?
The dermatologists' advice has more in it than manicures, and it costs nothing to try alongside one:
- Notice when you bite. Boredom, stress, anxiety or a hangnail can each set it off. Just knowing when you are inclined to bite may help.
- Give your hands something else. A stress ball or a fidget toy is the usual suggestion.
- Stop one set of nails at a time. Thumbs first, for example, and the rest later.
None of this is a test you pass before you are allowed nice nails.
When you are ready, book a builder gel overlay online. The studio is on the High Street in Upton, near Pontefract in West Yorkshire, and every appointment is one-to-one, with nobody at the next desk. The rest of the menu is on the nail treatments page.
