K18. Nothing has been this hyped since Olaplex, so in 2 years, this is the latest and greatest on the haircare scene.
It’s available at Sephora and the first drop sold out within days. After they refurbished their stock, I bought mine, but by then I had already heard from countless people that it had made a difference on their hair.
To be clear, the science is there. This works to temporary repair the broken bonds in your hair. There are three kinds of bonds in your hair, and you damage them through heat styling, hair dying, and daily management. All of that can make your hair look and feel unhealthy. That’s why sometimes the top of our hair often feels healthier than the bottoms. The top just hasn’t been subjected to as much. Because of this, if you have short hair, or don’t subject your hair to much, or if you just wear your hair in a bun, you might not even need k18! My hair is long, highlighted, and I like to straighten it, so something that repairs those bonds is ideal for me.
Actually, Olaplex also claims to do something similar and that’s why hairstylists love it so much. K18 helps with that damage and after using it 5 times, you’re on a maintenance schedule.
You start with one pump… it seems like too little but it spreads easily… (the last picture is 1 pump of k18) I use about 4-6 pumps in total for my hair, but my hair eats product so it’s not surprising that I used so much.
I’ve used this 5 times already… I think it’s ok. I’m sorry, I know people want to hear that it’s a holy grail, it’s not. It does make my hair feel softer, maybe a bit smoother, but for my hair type, I like a product with keratin in it, so if I’m layering that on top anyway, I’m not sure this is worth the coin.
Can this prevent further damage? Maybe? But also limiting heat styling and not washing and blow-drying your hair so often will go further and that’s free.
What do you think? Share your experiences so that others can decide if it’s for them.