K18 Hair Treatment-Rebuild Keratin Bonds Permanently

[Napp]

I've never heard of keratin bonds. They didnt teach about them in beauty school. A part of me feels this is a gimmick but maybe this may be the next thing after olaplex

 

[LushLox]

Has anyone else used this, and are people still using it?

ETA: I just noted the "do not condition" bit. Yeah I'd find that difficult!

 

[Colocha]

Has anyone else used this, and are people still using it?

ETA: I just noted the "do not condition" bit. Yeah I'd find that difficult!

I posted already but I'm still using it after keratin treatments (which means infrequently). Still like it a lot.

 

[TLC1020]

I just purchased the travel size bottle and I'm going to try it and compare it to Olaplex.

 

[Chicoro]

 

[Chicoro]

 

[LushLox]

I use both of them, both bloody excellent! K18 is very expensive though, but it doesn't need to be used every week at least (after the initial treatment). I'm on the maintenance mode now so I use K18 around every 6 weeks. And I initially thought that it wouldn't condition my hair but it really does. In actual fact let me suck it up and just repurchase it now.

 

[Chicoro]

 

[Chicoro]

 

[LushLox]

Oooh Chicoro are you thinking about buying it? If you do buy it what will your strategy be for the no conditioning beforehand bit? I'm hearing that some BW are washing their hair, applying the K18, leave it on for the time needed, rinse out and then condition.

It actually conditions my hair fine, I just use a good moisture rich shampoo, apply the K18 then afterwards my leave ins. Makes my wash day nice and easy when it's a K18 wash day!

 

[Chicoro]

Oooh Chicoro are you thinking about buying it? If you do buy it what will your strategy be for the no conditioning beforehand bit? I'm hearing that some BW are washing their hair, applying the K18, leave it on for the time needed, rinse out and then condition.

It actually conditions my hair fine, I just use a good moisture rich shampoo, apply the K18 then afterwards my leave ins. Makes my wash day nice and easy when it's a K18 wash day!

@LushLox, I'm so glad to hear that this product works for you!

I never heard of K18 until about 5 hours ago. The name reminds me of K9, as in dog, but I digress...


I am not going to buy it right now.

BUT, I love the purported technology.



That creature climbing up the ladder is placing his hands and feet and touching what are called the rungs [of the ladder]. The outer parts in which the rungs are inserted, are called the rails of the ladder. The rungs are horizontal to the ground and the rails are perpendicular to the ground.

The rungs represent the 'side' bonds of hair, such as sulfur disulfide bonds, water bonds and salt bonds.

The rails represent peptide bonds of the hair which are large molecules.

K18 fortifies the rails or large peptide bonds by bonding with them. The result is that the broken peptide bonds are bonded together. K18 reconnects peptide bonds but also as re-bonds disulfide bonds, too, at the same time.

K18 rebonds and fortifies the rail of the ladder. Olaplex rebonds the rungs of the ladder.

Based upon the little bit I know, it seems like K18 is like a 'rescue' bonding. You see, when the peptide bonds are damaged, the hair dissolves. Depilatories dissolve the hair. A depilatory is something like Nair or Magic Shave. K18 would probably have the biggest effect on hair that has been severely damaged. That would be hair that has been bleached and dyed to the point of straw, or hair that has moderate to severe heat damage. Thus, I am not sure how or even IF it would have a huge noticeable impact on relatively healthy, undamaged afro-textured hair. In addition, the K18 product includes hydrolyzed protein and alcohols. Although the protein content is minimal, it STILL has protein in it. This product seems to be able to bring hair on the brink of disintegration, but not yet disintegrated, back to keep the hair strand intact and on the head. This product may be able give the hair or make it look like it saves the hair. I say look like, because once you damage your hair strand, you can never truly repair it.

In contrast, Olapex fortifies damaged hair but it may work as a PREVENTER or MINIMIZER of damage. Meaning, you use Olaplex before a service with the intention of trying to minimize the effect of chemical and thermal services. Unlike the K18, it has NO protein in its formulation.

As a conclusion, it seems to me that these two products K18 and Olaplex complement one another. I think the ideal head of hair where one would see a radical change in the 'health' of the hair would be a head of hair that is bleached and dyed root to tip, on a regular basis.

I think afro hair would benefit from both these products as well, as stated by the ladies within this thread. Afro textured hair that is color treated or relaxed or where heat is used frequently would be helped by this product. I also think natural afro textured hair would benefit too because of the shape of the hair strand. Afro textured hair has an elliptical shape. At the thinnest part, the hair is vulnerable to breakage. In addition, at the point afro-textured hair curls and changes direction to form a natural spiral, the hair is more fragile there, too. So the K18 could also serve to fortify natural, afro-textured hair at these two very vulnerable and fragile points.

 

[Bette Davis Eyes]

I purchased it last month. I still have braids in though. When I take them out though, I plan on using it.

 

[Chicoro]

I copied everyone because this looks like another possible game changer product, especially for the ends, too! I just learned about K18 and wanted to share the love. I hope I included everyone from the Luscious Ends Challenge. If I left out a name, please know that it was purely be accident as I went through 14 pages of posts to try to ensure to include everyone. I didn't just want to link it because this product is potentially too important to overlook and miss. I don't you all being 7 years late to the party like I was for Olaplex!


@GGsKin
@Napp
@caribeandiva
@IDareT'sHair
@frizzy
@keranikki
@snoop
@LushLox
@GettingKinky
@DVAntDany
@SpiritJunkie
@faithVA
@yamilee21
@Theresamonet
@Mapleoats
@BonBon88
@silverbuttons
@BellaRose
@TamaraShaniece
@Royalq
@PagingSunshine
@ItsMeLilLucky
@Kiaray8
@naturaldoll
@princess_peach
@MizzBFly
@iamyattababe
@BeautifulRoots
@NaturalEnigma
@ThatJerseyGirl
@londonfog
@Lylddlebit
@Meritamen
@CurliDiva
@awhyley
@WYSIWYG
@NatalieMochaccino

 

[Chicoro]

 

[caribeandiva]

K18 is definitely getting added to my hair regimen! I’m tryna figure out how to fit my deep conditioning into it though. Since you apply it to unconditioned hair as a leave in.

 

[Napp]

She has a great hair cut! It makes me want to get a tapered cut but I have length goals lol

 

[DVAntDany]

I don’t know if I like this product. It is more cumbersome to apply than using Olaplex. I have the 15ml bottle. Trying to distribute the amount for my hair is not easy. With this bottle size, 3 pumps is equivalent to the 50ml bottle’s 1 pump. 1 pump= 1ml= 1 dime size.

I’ve been quickly towel drying my freshly shampooed hair and diving it into 6 sections. So imagine trying to distribute this small amount of product to hair that leaves no residue. I can not feel what hairs it has touched. It is not like a silicone serum. It has no slip

For my short hair length “2 to 3” pumps is all I need and it’s so difficult to get adequate coverage. I hate applying it. I hate having to be so diligent and precise. I hate doing my hair now. I have 3 more applications to make a total of 6.

I have tried just wringing out the water, but it doesn’t help much. I haven’t seen anything impressive yet. In fact, I’ve had minor breakage trying to put it through all of my hair. I do not think I’ll repurchase once I finish the bottle. Something has to change by application 6 to change my mind.

What am I doing wrong? Should I forgo their amount recommendation?

 

[caribeandiva]

What am I doing wrong? Should I forgo their amount recommendation?

I would! That’s what I’m planning on doing. We know that most recommended amounts are not for our hair type.

 

[faithVA]

I'm going to try this and order at the end of the month. Since I color my hair every 2 months, I think this will help me feel more comfortable about the frequency in which I color my hair.

 

[Colocha]

I just used this again last wash day! I was feeling a bit concerned about the state of my hair and after using K18 and blow drying, I feel heaps better. I still need a trim/dusting but my active breakage is significantly reduced.

I use K18 and Olaplex (#3, 6, and the deep conditioner sold to stylists).

K18 definitely feels like it does more permanent work than Olaplex. Now that I'm keratin-treated and my hair isn't at its peak health, I'd say K18 is a rescue product (like the gross-smelling Aphogee was for my natural hair) and Olaplex is a regular maintenance product. I use K18 as directed (although I probably use more than the suggested sprays/pumps). I don't find that my hair is dry without the additional conditioner.

 

[LushLox]

I don’t know if I like this product. It is more cumbersome to apply than using Olaplex. I have the 15ml bottle. Trying to distribute the amount for my hair is not easy. With this bottle size, 3 pumps is equivalent to the 50ml bottle’s 1 pump. 1 pump= 1ml= 1 dime size.

I’ve been quickly towel drying my freshly shampooed hair and diving it into 6 sections. So imagine trying to distribute this small amount of product to hair that leaves no residue. I can not feel what hairs it has touched. It is not like a silicone serum. It has no slip

For my short hair length “2 to 3” pumps is all I need and it’s so difficult to get adequate coverage. I hate applying it. I hate having to be so diligent and precise. I hate doing my hair now. I have 3 more applications to make a total of 6.

I have tried just wringing out the water, but it doesn’t help much. I haven’t seen anything impressive yet. In fact, I’ve had minor breakage trying to put it through all of my hair. I do not think I’ll repurchase once I finish the bottle. Something has to change by application 6 to change my mind.

What am I doing wrong? Should I forgo their amount recommendation?

Absolutely. I split my hair into quarters and use a pump per quarter. And then one pump which I focus on my edges and hairline. I wouldn't use anything less. This is probably over the top, but I'm okay with it lol.

 

[snoop]

Oooh Chicoro are you thinking about buying it? If you do buy it what will your strategy be for the no conditioning beforehand bit? I'm hearing that some BW are washing their hair, applying the K18, leave it on for the time needed, rinse out and then condition.

It actually conditions my hair fine, I just use a good moisture rich shampoo, apply the K18 then afterwards my leave ins. Makes my wash day nice and easy when it's a K18 wash day!

This part has me intrigued because outside of my leave in conditioner I've stopped conditioning my hair. I've been wondering how this or Olaplex would work with my clay wash routine. I'll sleep on these for a bit longer.


I'm glad that the picture of the products were posted. I saw this on an instagram stylist's page a few months ago and thought she made the product herself. I hadn't heard of it before and if memory serves correct, she made it seem like a game changer in terms of the way she cared for her client's hair. I'll see if I can find the page, again.

 

[DVAntDany]

@caribeandiva and @LushLox the last two times I left my hair much wetter than towel dried. That helped. I actually could feel it on my hair. I also for sure did 3+doses of it instead of 2. I’m not sure if I have enough left for the final 6th treatment.

 

[caribeandiva]

@caribeandiva and @LushLox the last two times I left my hair much wetter than towel dried. That helped. I actually could feel it on my hair. I also for sure did 3+doses of it instead of 2. I’m not sure if I have enough left for the final 6th treatment.

Ok so the key is to make sure your hair is wet enough and use extra. At this rate I might as well buy the bigger bottle. I won’t get 6 treatments out of the small one either. The bottle is 1/3 the size of the Olaplex bottle. I was shocked!

 

[TLC1020]

I don't have a verdict on K18 yet, I shampooed my hair then used Olaplex No. 3, conditioned, used K18 then molded my hair. My hair cameout soft when I put it in a bun though, but I still cannot say if it work for me or not, I'm going to give it to the 4th use as directed.

 

[GettingKinky]

I don't have a verdict on K18 yet, I shampooed my hair then used Olaplex No. 3, conditioned, used K18 then molded my hair. My hair cameout soft when I put it in a bun though, but I still cannot say if it work for me or not, I'm going to give it to the 4th use as directed.

I thought you had to apply K18 to bare hair. Does it still work if you use conditioner.

 

[VinDieselsWifey]

I don't have a verdict on K18 yet, I shampooed my hair then used Olaplex No. 3, conditioned, used K18 then molded my hair. My hair cameout soft when I put it in a bun though, but I still cannot say if it work for me or not, I'm going to give it to the 4th use as directed.

You should be using K18 on freshly shampooed and un-conditioned hair, let it sit 4 minutes, then you can add other leave-ins/styling products on top. It probably isn't working cause it's not penetrating your hair like it should.

 

[TLC1020]

I thought you had to apply K18 to bare hair. Does it still work if you use conditioner.

Oh wow, I don't think I used conditioner now that I think about it. I was skeptical of not using conditioner, I don't believe I conditioned my hair. Applied K18 then applied Nairobi foam lotion to mold.

 

[faithVA]

I got my bottle of K18 yesterday. I shampooed once, towel dried and then used 2 pumps on each side. I let it sit for 4+ minutes, used TGIN leave-in and put it into 2 flat twists. I plan to use it weekly during my mid-week wash. For my hair 2 pumps isn't really enough to replace conditioner or a leave-in. Fortunately, it is easy enough to add the leave-in of my choice and put it up in a simple style. I couldn't use this as part of my curly set regimen because I would need more water.

I'm going to give it a few uses before evaluating. I plan to color my hair the end of March, so this gives me several weeks to prepare my hair and to see if I notice any difference. If it reduces breakage and thin ends then I will feel like it is worth it.

 

[Bette Davis Eyes]

Ive tried it twice so far.

Once immediately after taking down a 12 week protective style, and once before installing this new protective style.

I havent seen anything over the moon in the two times. I will try it two more times to see but I dunno * kanye shrug*