K18

K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner.

Haircare

About this product

A protective conditioner formulated to shield hair from UV damage, pollution, and heat styling while hydrating, detangling, and adding shine.

Full ingredients

Water (Aqua) (Eau), Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Isopentyldiol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, SH-Oligopeptide-78, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweer Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Phospholipids, Jojoba Esters, Calcium Gluconate, Hydroxypropyl Guar HydroxypropylTrimonium Chloride, Ceramide NP, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Polyquaternium-16, Stearalkonium Chloride, Isopropyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Gluconolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum), Hydroxycitronellal

Guru Score

71%

Mixed

3 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

This conditioner earns praise for hydrating dry and color-treated hair without weighing it down, even on fine textures. Gurus note it conditions effectively when used as directed and leaves hair soft with visible shine and bounce. The formula includes sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, ceramides, vitamin E, and K18's signature peptides, making it suitable across hair types, though so far only a couple of voices have weighed in on it.

Synthesized from 3 expert reviews · most recent take July 2024

What they liked

Hydrates dry and color-treated hair
Lightweight on fine hair, no limpness
A little goes a long way

What they flagged

Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

Type

HaircareLiquid

Key actives

Vitamin ECeramidesPeptides

Formula notes

Contains fragranceContains drying alcohol

Where to buy

Sephora → Amazon → Google → iHerb →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Yay

"The K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner [...] is really wonderful if you have dry dry hair or treat it with colors and things like that. This does a really nice job of hydrating it and if you follow directions to a tea it's great and you don't have to use much. I used it in my hair after my shower last night and it feels nice and soft."

Abbey Yung

887k subs

~Mixed

"It just wasn't making my hair look and feel softer, smoother, silkier, or shinier. I wasn't getting that from this conditioner, and for a brand that has products I really love and that is not cheap, that was definitely a bummer. So even though I don't hate this and I don't think it's a horrible product, I also don't personally think it's worth $36. You could find a conditioner at the drugstore that's a fraction of the cost and that'll give you much better results."

Sincerely Miss Ash

196k subs

~Yay

"It's great for all hair textures and hair types. It has sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, ceramide, vitamin E, and the peptides that K18 is known for. I've had such a great experience with K18 because their shampoos and hair mask work really well on my fine hair. My hair is never limp, it's not lifeless, it's not weighted down. [...] My hair always feels and looks clean and I have that bounce and shine to my hair as well, so I'm [...] definitely going to pick this up."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner?

A protective conditioner formulated to shield hair from UV damage, pollution, and heat styling while hydrating, detangling, and adding shine.

Is K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 71%.

What is K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner's Guru Score?

K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner holds a Guru Score of 71%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected.