Our hair can suffer a lot of damage: not only from daily aggressions, but also from chemical services like bleaching and coloring, straightening, perming, and even heat styling. When it comes to hair repair, there’s one product that often appears as a secret miracle solution for damaged hair: K18. But what is K18, you might ask? How does it achieve the restorative results it’s so famous for? It’s time to dive into the world of K18, the innovative K18PEPTIDE™, and learn how to use it for in-depth, lasting results.
What is K18?
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
K18 is a biotech-powered hair care brand best known for developing the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, a 4-minute leave-in treatment that reverses hair damage caused by bleach, color, heat styling, and chemical services.
The mask delivers progressive and long-lasting repair through the action of K18PEPTIDE™, a patented technology developed by a team of European researchers led by Prof. Artur Cavaco-Paulo at the University of Minho Biological Engineering Center.
And what is K18PEPTIDE™, you may be asking? Well, scientifically speaking, it’s “the longest chain peptide that can penetrate into the hair cortex to reconnect polypeptide chains broken by alkali and chemical processing.”
What does K18 do for your hair?
K18 delivers long-lasting repair to all hair types, restoring strength and elasticity while reversing damage from color treatments, chemical services like straightening and perming, and heat styling.
As we’ve mentioned, K18 is powered by K18PEPTIDE™, a patented biomimetic molecule–a peptide, in this case–that matches the hair’s natural keratin structure to perfection. The peptide penetrates deep into the hair fiber in order to reconnect broken polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds, reinforcing the hair along both its length and width.
Is K18 a bond builder?
K18 has a lot in common with bond builders, but it’s got an added benefit. Like bond builders, K18 repairs disulfide bonds in the hair structure–but it goes further, working at the molecular level to repair broken polypeptide chains as well. This helps restore strength and elasticity to the hair, delivering lasting repair.
Is K18 a heat protectant?
The K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask is not a heat protectant. This may seem confusing, since we said K18 can repair heat damage, but there’s an important distinction to keep in mind: while K18 can repair existing damage caused by heat styling, it doesn’t offer real-time protection when you’re about to style your hair with heat tools. Make sure to always protect your hair with a dedicated heat protectant!
What’s in K18? Formula & ingredients
We’ve talked about what K18 does, now let’s take a deeper look at the formula:
Is K18PEPTIDE™ in every product?
K18PEPTIDE™ may be found in the ingredients list of K18 products as “sh-Oligopeptide-78”. According to the brand, this technology serves different purposes depending on each formula: in the molecular repair products, it actively works to reverse hair damage; in prep products, such as shampoos, its main task is to reduce protein loss and help maintain the integrity of the hair fiber.
Is K18 a protein treatment? Does it contain keratin?
K18 is not a protein or keratin treatment. The K18PEPTIDE™ can match and mimic the hair’s natural keratin structure, but it doesn’t add any extra protein or keratin to the hair.
Is K18 sulfate-free? What about gluten-free?
K18 is formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, artificial colors, sodium chloride, and animal ingredients. The formulas are, therefore, vegan.
If you’re concerned about gluten, keep in mind that K18 products do contain ingredients derived from wheat, such as hydrolyzed wheat protein and hydrolyzed wheat starch.
How to use K18 products
Time to get into the products. When and how should you use K18 products for best results?
Which K18 shampoo should you use?
K18 offers two types of shampoos, as well as a dry shampoo. If you’re wondering which one to use and when, here’s a simple guide:
The K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo is a gentle clarifying shampoo that removes product buildup, sebum, and metals found in tap and hard water, which may accumulate on the hair over time. The formula contains activated charcoal, to help absorb oils and impurities, so don’t be surprised by the black color of the formula! If you’re not sure when to use this shampoo, check the name for guidance: this is the “Prep” shampoo, meaning it’s ideal to prepare your hair for the application of in-depth repair treatments, like the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask.
The K18 Damage Shield pH Protective Shampoo is a mild, frequent use shampoo for everyday use. With a gentle, pH-optimized formula, this shampoo helps maintain the health, strength, and vibrance of the hair with every wash. The formula is respectful of the scalp microbiome, so feel free to use this shampoo as often as you want, on days when you’re not applying the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask.
K18 AirWash Dry Shampoo
The K18 AirWash Dry Shampoo is the cleansing alternative you can use to keep your hair fresh between washes. The non-aerosol formula features patented odorBIND™ biotechnology, which identifies and eliminates odor-causing molecules on contact, for hair that feels clean, fresh, and light for longer.
In what order should you use K18 products?
K18 offers a variety of products, but you’re not supposed to use them all once. The star product is the K18 Molecular Repair Hair Mask, right? So it helps to remember that, when you use the mask, you don’t need to use any other conditioners or masks beforehand–in fact, you shouldn’t, as they can create a barrier that blocks the K18PEPTIDE™ from penetrating the hair fiber.
Here’s a cheat sheet:
| Your K18 treatment routine
(1x week, with the mask) |
|---|
| Apply K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo |
| Rinse, then towel-dry your hair |
| Apply K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask |
| Let the mask sit for 4 minutes, do not rinse |
| Comb through and style and usual |
| Your K18 maintenance routine
(other washes, without the mask) |
| Apply K18 Damage Shield pH Protective Shampoo |
| Rinse |
| Apply K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner |
| Rinse |
| Comb through and style and usual |
Want to know even more about K18 and everything this highly restorative brand has to offer? Then make sure to stop by the shop, where you’ll find our full range of K18 hair care products!
