k18 vs olaplex

[makayla11703]

can anyone who’s used k18 give an honest opinion? my hair is bleach damaged and i’ve been using olaplex no 3+ no 8 whenever i straighten my hair and i love it, but k18 says not to use any type of conditioner before using it and the olaplex no 8 mask is a necessity in my routine. is it really worth it or should i just stick to olaplex?

[faeriegirl]

@makayla11703  I love K18. It has helped my hair more than olaplex did. 

[Sockets]

I have bleach damaged and very dry and tangly hair. I started using K18 in the past few weeks and am very happy with it. I was also skeptical of skipping the conditioner with K18. Skipping conditioner is a one way street to rat's nest for me. But I was very surprised that after K18 I didn't miss the skipped conditioner at all. After leaving the K18 for 4 minutes or more, I just add a leave in conditioner if I feel I need it, but usually I don't feel I need to.

Something to consider if you haven't already, you use K18 for 4-6 washes and then only use it when you feel you need it again. I found the mini K18 was enough for my long thick hair for the 6 treatments. Just note that the pump size for the mini is different than the full size. I also found using it with a good quality clarifying shampoo gave the best results.

[CynthieLu]

Back story: I have been using Olaplex for just over a year and K18 for 7 months. I have very damaged hair from high lights and getting regular hair colour.

I started k18 in May based on a reccomendation to try it, and I love it. It took awhile to figure out how much to use for my long fine hair(you don't want to use to much, it's expensive so no sense to waste any) and followed the directions to use it exclusively for a few weeks. Now i only use it every other week or so and still do Olaplex when my hair looks like it needs it. 

My hair type is dry, so not conditioning does not work for me. For k18 you use it before conditioner. After you let it work for 4 minutes you can condition or spray in condition, just not *before*. I have had great results using both (separately, not in the same hair wash routine) but if olaplex is working for you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. But if you think you want to try it, and it's not too expensive, having both in your hair care arsenal is not a bad thing ‌😉‌ @makayla11703 

[curlychiquita]

@makayla11703 if the Olaplex is working well for you, I wouldn't bother switching.  They're both good.  The K18 is simpler to use than Olaplex 3 but is very expensive.  

[makeupjunkie65]

@makayla11703 , if your current hair care is working for you I definitely would stay stick with it! I use K-18 and really like it. I have thick, wavy(prone to surface frizz) color treated hair but I do not lighten my hair more then two level to keep damage to a minimum. What K-18 says about the mask is do not apply conditioner in the shower . They do say if you go to their website that after you apply the mask and wait four minutes you can use a leave in conditioner and any styling products you normally would. I find my hair much softer and less frizz after using K-18. I have both versions of shampoo and the mask. The big difference is protein. If your stylist says you need protein stick with Olaplex. You can overdo protein and that’s when you read the complaints from people who say it dried out their hair. The product didn’t dry out their hair they just didn’t use any moisturizer or deep conditioner along with the Olaplex.