I bleach my dark brown Asian black hair blonde every 6-8 weeks, so when I first heard stylists at the salon raving about K18, I was instantly intrigued. And it turns out people all over the world love it too, because when I first tried to buy it, it was sold out at Sephora. I ended up getting a mini bottle and was amazed at how soft my hair was. Seriously. I was touching it all day and even my boyfriend agreed that my hair was noticeably silkier.
Before trying K18, I was a big Olaplex user. I still stick with the product, but I really love that K18 is a leave-in treatment rather than a mask you use in the shower. Leaving Olaplex on for 10 minutes felt like an eternity, especially when I wasn’t having an all-in-one shower (one that exfoliates and shaves). With K18, I leave it on my hair for 4 minutes after the shower to activate it before styling (or just air-drying like me).
I found that my hair was softest the next day, so don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t change the look or feel of your hair on the day you use it. One last thing: it’s pretty pricey, but a little goes a long way. A full-sized 50mL tube will last you about 4 months. Ultimately, K18 is meant to be a maintenance product, so you don’t need to use it every time you wash your hair.
Promising review: “My hairdresser has been using this product every time I color my hair for the past 6-7 months. When I first left the salon, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two products. But with continued use, I’ve noticed that my hair looks better after the salon. There’s less color fading. I can go longer between washes because my hair is healthier and I need to use fewer other products every day. My ends don’t split as much, so my heat styling lasts many days longer. K18 is a keep-it-all for me! I re-color my hair every 5 weeks, and combined with this product, my 50-year-old hair looks lustrous and youthful.” —polkm
You can get it at Amazon and Sephora for $29+ (it comes in two sizes).
