Boasting the power to repair hair damage in as little as four minutes, we had to put K18's newest – and science-backed – launch to the test.
Celebrity endorsements can come and go, and just because someone in the public eye is “obsessed” with a certain product, is, we all know, not reason enough to follow their lead. But in the myriad of new product launches, it can be hard to separate the great from the good so sometimes excellent word of mouth is exactly what you need. And the latest high-end hair product to hit the Irish market certainly comes with plenty of good press.
The K18 hair mask has already received numerous awards and won legions of fans before launching in Ireland last month. And there is a lot to recommend it. There are ten years of bioscience research packed into this little tube. Founded on a molecular breakthrough with K18Peptide, a biologically active peptide with a formula that is able to reconnect the interchains and intrachains that make up the structure of the hair, it boasts the power to repair hair damage in as little as four minutes.
The Long Game
K18 is touted not just as a temporary fix though. As the first product to use biometrics to reconnect keratin chains once broken by bleach, colour and chemical services, the reparations are long term. And in practice, it works. It effectively acts like a keratin treatment in one or two pumps from a bottle. The concentration of the formula is such that very little needs to be used, which goes some way to offsetting the high price.
The cutting of time needed for hair maintenance is also a big plus. You just shampoo and rinse as normal but skip your conditioner. Once out of the shower, towel dry your hair thoroughly before applying the mask. Then just wait four minutes before applying your normal styling products and styling as usual. Described as “progressive treatment” it is designed to be used consecutively for four to six washes. After that, you can use every three to four washes to maintain the benefits.
That said, you will notice the difference immediately. Hair is smoother, more manageable, and even stands up with considerable success to the challenges of our warm, wet and windy weather. While the first use gives you the most dramatic results, you do notice a continued improvement in the hairs texture with frequent applications. K18 products are also vegan and cruelty-free, free of parabens, sulfates, silicones, phthalates, sodium chloride, artificial colours, formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors.
So is it worth it, in a word, yes. This is a gamechanger in terms of at-home treatments for damaged or hard to manage hair with long-lasting effects that other masks just don’t achieve.
K18 is available to purchase on K18hair.ie and in selected salons nationwide.
