K18 hair mask review: worth the hype?
8.2.2022
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Hair treatments are a dime a dozen. What they can and can’t do is roughly the same. For instance, they can’t mend split ends. But the hair mask by K18 promises just that. Is it a game changer?
My hairstylist normally never tries to sell me on a product. But during my last visit, I basically begged her to. She held out a hair product in front of me that I wasn’t familiar with. When I asked her about it, she started waxing lyrical about it. «The molecules contained in the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask penetrate broken hair for long-term repair,» she gushed. As she applied the mask to my hair, she said it would even patch up my split ends. «That’s why I won’t have to cut off as much today.» Because I’ll take every centimetre of hair I can get, I took the mask home, no convincing necessary.
The technology and what the mask can do
Having never heard of the product or brand, I start by doing some research. K18 is short for K18 Biomimetic Hairscience and was founded by Suveen Sahib and Britta Cox. Using biomimetics, which models nature, they hope to develop a peptide against hair breakage. One that repairs and builds your mane with the very building blocks of hair. In order for hair to be ready for external influences such as chemical treatments or mechanical styling, it must be strong from the ground up.
Developing the K18 peptide took ten years of research. The technology adopts and copies the structure of healthy hair: the peptide enriches the hair cortex with strengthening amino acids. Unlike conventional treatments, which fill in surface damage in the short term, this molecule is designed to permanently repair and strengthen broken hair structures from the inside out. And all that is supposed to come in one handy bottle of «K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask», a leave-in mask. The brand’s only product to date was launched during the pandemic at the end of 2020 in over 25,000 salons.
Application
The more elaborate a product’s application, the more likely I am to give up on it prematurely. Luckily, this mask isn’t complicated at all. In fact, it even speeds up my standard beauty routine. The K18 is a conditioner and mask in one, so it lets me skip the step of applying conditioner. Instead, I simply wash my hair with shampoo and then apply the mask to my towel-dried hair from the tips to the roots. You have to let the mask sit for 4 minutes after application. I do my skincare routine in that time and then style my hair as usual.
Admittedly, the price of the mask is steep. But it does last you a long time. For best results, you’re supposed to use the treatment for the first four to six washes. After that, it’s enough to apply it once every three hair washes. Ever since I started using it on my hair four times a month, my damaged ends no longer look dry, but healthy. And there’s barely any trace of split ends. The fact that, thanks to the K18 mask, I don’t have to get my ends trimmed as often makes up for its price.
Verdict
Yes, the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask is a game changer and worth every penny. Because I’m impatient, I love that it saves me time under the shower. Shampoo, mask, wait four minutes, done! I spend the four-minute activation time in front of the mirror doing other things. Since I started using the mask, my hair looks healthier and shines from the roots to the tips. My split ends are as good as gone. And although leave-in treatments usually weigh down my fine hair, this one makes it voluminous and shiny – like fresh from the salon.
When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.
Beauty
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