It’s been a month since my first ever silk press (post-relaxer days) and while I’d love to tell you all it went well and my coils reverted back effortlessly, that’s just not the case. My hair is colour treated and I wear it out in its natural state most of the time so I’ll admit after my first wash I started feeling equal measures of panic and dread the longer I waited for each curl to bounce back (news flash: they didn't). I had damaged my hair, I thought, but, even more embarrassingly, I had done it voluntarily for £80.
Fortunately, my natural response to these kinds of situations is to find a solution or at least make a plan of action ASAP, so I hopped online and ordered the K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave In Molecular Repair Mask (kind of a mouthful).
Following its consumer-facing launch in December 2020, K18 has quickly grown into one of the most exciting hair products on the market today. Born from a desire to understand hair from a biological approach first and foremost, K18 co-founder and CEO Suveen Sahib left the tech industry to start a project that addressed major failings in an industry that seemingly put cosmetic results above radical hair transformation, he says.
Asides from water being the first ingredient on the INCI list, the K18 Leave In is composed of a bunch of ingredients most of us either couldn't pronounce or wouldn’t try to.
Luckily for me, the term “biomimetic” in the brand's name gave some indication as to how the science of it all was meant to work. Biomimicry is the practice of learning from and mimicking nature meaning K18’s bioactive peptide is formulated to mimic the natural structure of keratin building blocks (amino acid sequences) making it recognisable as natural to the hair.
What the K18 peptide does is travel to the inner-most layers of our hair to reach the core polypeptide (keratin) chains and affect and reconnect broken chains and disturbed disulfide bonds on a molecular level. Simple enough I suppose.
I bought the 15ml bottle because I didn't want to commit and although you can’t see how much product is actually in there I’m sure it could last four or five uses, maybe even more if you use the recommended amount.
The packaging boasts a 4 minute action time before a like-new look and feel so I went into things optimistic of quick results. I started my routine off with Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo before towel drying and applying the K18 treatment like the instructions said. Having to skip conditioner in this routine might throw you off if you're used to a traditional shampoo-conditioner-leave in sequence but I was desperate so I didn't even bat an eye.
Immediately after application my strands felt softer and well moisturised considering the lightweightedness of the product and instructions to only use 3 pumps to start (I ended up using about 9 but I’m an overdoer, sue me).
After 4 minutes I can’t say I noticed a major difference in my curl pattern, which had loosened since my silk press and even straightened in some areas. My hair was considerably softer though and felt well hydrated from the inside out as opposed to how some leave-in conditioners just sit on top of the strand with no penetration.
I ended up doing jumbo twists before bed and by the next morning I was surprised my hair had retained most of the hydration from the night before.
The website predicts it takes 4-6 wash days to truly see results and I’m definitely ready to see it through to the end.
It’s a little bit pricey but options for 5ml and 15ml bottles offer something for anyone who wants to try. If you’re looking for a high performing leave-in that truly leaves your hair feeling moisturised I would definitely recommend this - it’s a win for me.
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