K18 Hair Treatment Review

There is nothing better than a good hair day! Not only does it look good but you actually feel better. A great hairstyle can be as good as a great outfit. One of the key elements to a great hair day is healthy hair. The combo of coloring my hair and using hot tools definitely take a toll on my hair health. I am always looking for products that help prevent damage. I have rarely found a product that actually repairs damage until I used the K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask. I’ve been using it for over a year now and have notice a difference in my hair.

K18 Hair Treatment Review

The K18 treatment is a leave in molecular hair mask. It is beneficial to all hair types. What makes it different from many other hair treatments is that it actually is repairing your hair. It reverses the damage! Many products can make your hair feel smooth by coating it with silicone or other products. While this can make your hair feel softer and smoother, it doesn’t actually repair your hair and is only a temporary fix. K18 works different.

How the K18 Hair Mask Works

Once you apply it all over, their patented K18 peptide travels deeper into the inner layers of your hair than other products do. Keratin, a type of protein, is the building blocks of your hair. When hair is damaged the keratin chains that are in the inner structure of your hair becomes weakened and break. This is what causes the loss of strength, elasticity, resiliency and shine. The key ingredient in K18, K18Peptide, is small enough that it actually fits in and reconnects broken keratin chains. This results in stronger hair with more softness and smoothness.

The K18Peptide also repairs chemically treated hair. Salon services like bleach, color and chemical services can all damage hair. We all know heat causes a lot of damage too and K18 helps repair that as well! The repairs from this mask last because the peptide lasts thru shampooing. The K18 has a lot more information on all the science behind the product (see here).

How to use the K18 Hair Mask

In place of Conditioner

Shampoo your hair like regular. Make sure when shampooing to leave it in your hair for a few minutes. This allows the shampoo to break up the dirt and oils and your hair will wash cleaner. If you use a lot of styling products or dry shampoo you may try a clarifying shampoo. I only wash my hair maybe twice a week and I use a lot of dry shampoo. So I actually like to double wash my hair.

Do not condition your hair! Conditioner can coat your hair and won’t allow the product to sink in. You want towel dried hair. Your hair should be just damp not super wet or dripping. Most hair types can start with one pump of the K18 hair mask. Work it evenly through your hair from root to tip. Fine hair will probably stop at 1 pump. If you have shoulder length or longer hair or it’s pretty thick, you may need another pump (see the dosage guide below). Once the K18 is worked in, wait 4 minutes before adding any other products. Then you can style your hair as usual, you don’t have to rinse.

When you first start using K18, use it 4-6 washes in a row. This will depend on how damaged your hair is. Once it feels pretty smooth and you feel alot less damage you can start using it every 3-4 washes. This will help maintain the strength the mask has achieved.

To Refresh your Ends

Many hair types can need a little bit of extra care to their ends. If your hair is long, color-treated or just dry, split ends and breakage can happen pretty easily. I am always trying to repair my damaged ends. Start using the K18 hair mask like described above. Use it all over for 4-6 washes.

Once you are back to using your shampoo and conditioner, just use the K18 mask on your ends. Start with just half a pump and work it into the ends of your hair. This will allow you to help repair the most damaged part of your hair while not putting too much product on your roots and the mid part of your hair.

I find this to be the most useful for anyone with longer hair that is struggling with breakage on their ends. Long, chemically treated hair will have this type of issue the most.

My honest K18 Hair Mask Review

I have colored my hair for my entire adult life. I go to my hairdresser about every 8 weeks to freshen up my roots. While I currently don’t use any bleach any chemical service will damage your hair. I also have been growing out my hair so I don’t get as much caught off at each salon visit.

I have been trying to air dry my color-treated hair more often. But I still use a curling iron on my hair every other day. I will typically know my hair is dry by the hair feel. The ends will get super dry and won’t hold any curl.

I am definitely a convert to this product! All of my hair, but especially my ends, are in need of moisture and repair. I started by using the K18 hair mask for 4 washes in a row. After the first wash I actually noticed my hair felt softer and smoother. After 3 washes I could tell that K18 did was different from other masks because it did repair damaged hair. The ms most noticeable on my ends. Even when I let it air dry it looked good! I now use it on my ends once a week and on all of my hair ever 3-4 washes. It has really helped strengthen my hair and is now a staple in my hair routine.

The full sized bottle of the K18 mask is $75 but will last a really long time. This and the fact that it truly does repair your hair means it is definitely worth the price for me!

Purchasing the K18 Hair Mask

The K18 hair mask comes in three sizes on their site. If you aren’t sure it is worth the money, I recommend getting the “try-it” size. You’ll get around 3 uses out of it and will be able to see the benefits of it so you’ll know if you want the full size. It is also available at Sephora.

Disclosure: I may earn an affiliate commission on any purchases or clicks thru the links in this post. This is no cost to you and I only share things I love.

This post was originally posted in June of 2023 but has been updated.