Do I need a K18 treatment?

You’d be surprised how often the answer to this question is “no.”

Don’t misunderstand, I absolutely love K18’s molecular repair treatment, and there's definitely a time and a place for it. But if you don’t actually need one, you’re just wasting your money (and your stylist’s product). Neither of us wants that.

So how do you know if you really need a K18 treatment? Understanding what K18 actually is and does is a great place to start.

What actually is K18, and what’s a K18 treatment?

K18 is a popular biotech haircare brand that officially came on the scene—after a decade of research—in 2020. 

They’re most well-known for their leave-in repair mask that uses a patented molecular repair peptide to work with nature from the inside out. It essentially “clicks into” the polypeptide chains that make up the internal structure of your hair strand to reverse damage from heat, color, and bleach. And it works for all hair types in just 4 minutes. 

So cool, right? Learn more about their mission and research in this interview with the Co-Founder and CEO of K18, Suveen Sahib.

To book it? Or not to book it? 

At the end of the day, you can do whatever you want. A K18 treatment isn’t going to hurt if you don’t need it. What it comes down to is whether your hair is actually damaged and needing repair or dry and needing moisture.

You’re a great candidate for a K18 treatment if you regularly heat style, bleach, and/or color your hair and experience visible damage. You can: 

• add it onto a highlighting service as a two-step process that will help prevent the damage before it starts (it’s included in the cost of a Silver Session).

• buy your very own leave-in mask for home use to maintain color and health between appointments (bonus points if you pair it with K18 shampoo & conditioner).

• add it on to a haircut appointment.

You probably don’t need a K18 treatment if your hair is just feeling a bit dry and frizzy, but you don’t regularly heat style, bleach, and/or color it. This is the case for a lot of the clients I see adding a treatment to a haircut because “they heard it’s good.” 

It is good. But it’s overkill if you don’t have real damage. Kind of like taking too much vitamin C.

There are other options

Don’t fret if your hair feels like it needs some love but you fall into the latter category above. There are still great options you can schedule on their own or add to a haircut to make your hair feel smoother and more manageable. 

Deep conditioning treatment 

This is great for all hair types, especially curly or textured hair. We start with a clarifying shampoo to detox and remove any buildup that could be preventing moisture from penetrating the hair strand, then we follow it with a deep moisturizing conditioning treatment for 5 minutes and a pH balancing spray to seal the moisture in.

The result: lightweight, extra soft, detangled hair.

Gloss/toner

Also great for all hair types, especially if you’ve had highlights that have faded, silver hair that’s turned a bit yellow, or want to see some kind of undertones in your darker hair. There’s also the option to do a clear gloss for that extra shine without shifting the tone. This is a great haircut add-on, and it processes for about 10-20 minutes at the shampoo sink. 

The result: smooth, shiny, refreshed hair.

Moral of the story

A K18 treatment works literal wonders for damaged hair, but there’s a difference between damaged and dry. 

The good news is, even if you don’t need a bonding treatment, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the (appropriately rated) hype around K18. They have a ton of other haircare and styling products, like shampoos, conditioners, thermal protectant, and more. All based on really cool science—if you want to nerd out with me.

Not sure how to tell what you need? Ask your stylist! It’s our job to educate you and guide you to the right option that will work best for your hair’s unique needs.