Index / K18 / Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo
K18

Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo.

K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo
Haircare

About this product

A clarifying shampoo formulated with activated charcoal, salicylic acid, and K18 peptides, designed to remove product buildup and oil from hair and scalp while minimizing dryness.

Best for

Dry skin
Haircare

The Guru Index verdict

86%

Approved

Approved · 86%
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
8Reviewers
7Approved
0Mixed
1Skip
#1 in Haircare

What the gurus are saying

The gurus who tested it praise the shampoo for delivering a deep clean without the dryness and crunchiness typical of clarifying shampoos, thanks to the K18 peptide that helps protect hair strength during cleansing. Activated charcoal and salicylic acid work to remove buildup, sebum, and dead skin, while color-treated and damaged hair come away feeling soft and detangled rather than stripped. Most recommend using it once a week at most to prep hair for treatments or manage oily scalp and product buildup, though one person flagged that a sulphate ingredient in the formula caused dryness for their particular hair.
Synthesized from 8 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Salicylic acid (BHA)PeptidesAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Water (Aqua) (Eau), Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Salicylic Acid, Charcoal Powder, SH-Oligopeptide-78, Panthenol, Glycerin, Sodium Phytate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene

Every take, in full

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 Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"This is one of my personal favorite detox shampoos. I use it once a week regularly or before I actually do the K18 treatment. It's a great gentle detoxifying shampoo with the K18 trademark peptide that really helps to remove buildup, that really helps to clarify your scalp and your hair and prep your hair for the K18 treatment, but at the same time doesn't make your hair feel really stripped or dry. It removes up to 99% of product buildup, 95% of sebum buildup and the other kind of hard minerals that you may get from the water or pollution. So it is really one of the most gentle detoxifying shampoos, but at the same time works well at removing everything."
Top Pick: clarifying shampoo
All 6 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
Budget Haircare That Performs Like Luxury | Dermatologist Dr. Jenny Liu
"This is one of my personal favorite detox shampoos. I use it once a week regularly or before I actually do the K18 treatment. It's a great gentle detoxifying shampoo with the K18 trademark peptide that really helps to remove buildup, that really helps to clarify your scalp and your hair and prep your hair for the K18 treatment, but at the same time doesn't make your hair feel really stripped or dry. It removes up to 99% of product buildup, 95% of sebum buildup and the other kind of hard minerals that you may get from the water or pollution. So it is really one of the most gentle detoxifying shampoos, but at the same time works well at removing everything."
Dermatologist Favorite Haircare Products of 2024 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"This is one of my favorite clarifying shampoos because it works so well but yet so gentle on hair. I actually use this shampoo right before I use the K18 Bond repair treatment to really set my hair and scalp up for that. Ingredient-wise it's got activated charcoal to absorb the sebum buildup and other residues, metals from the water, etc. that can build up on your hair and scalp, along with salicylic acid that is a great exfoliant, and then the K18 peptide that helps to strengthen hair and reduce the damage that shampooing naturally brings on to your hair and scalp. It's a lovely gentle clarifying shampoo that I highly recommend for anyone that has more dry and damaged hair, color-treated hair, chemically processed hair looking for a clarifying shampoo that will not wreak havoc on hair."
Hair Cycling Routine according to a dermatologist | Dr. Jenny Liu
"The one that I really love is K18 detox shampoo. Of all the clarifying shampoos I've used, this is the one that feels the best on my hair afterwards. Often clarifying shampoos, because they're so effective at cleansing, make my hair feel a little bit dry and crunchy after rinsing it out, but this K18 detox shampoo does not do that. It is very gentle and contains the K18 peptide that is in their bond repair, which helps to reinforce hair strength and reduce breakage. At the same time, I do feel that there's no residue. My scalp does feel clean, so it's not like it's not effective. It contains activated charcoal along with citric acid as well as the K18 peptide together to really give you an effective cleanse without over-stripping your hair."
Dermatologist's Favorite Sephora Skincare & Haircare Products | Dr. Jenny Liu
"I am obsessed with it and I have to say probably is by far to date my favorite clarifying shampoo. This shampoo first of all is safe to use on color treated hair. K18 is a line that really formulates for those that have dry damaged color treated chemically processed hair so you know the formula is going to be gentle on hair but overall it's just lovely at cleansing your scalp and as I'm rinsing off it just magically keeps my hair soft and helps to detangle with my hair too which is not what I typically find with clarifying shampoos in general. Clarifying shampoos are really meant to give your scalp a good cleanse and so in general they tend to be a little bit more aggressive at cleansing and so strips away everything including the natural sebum that our scalp makes to protect our scalp and hair and that's the problem. But this one has that delicate balance with the product. I use it once a week and that is what the brand recommends as well. You don't want to be using a clarifying shampoo on a regular basis because that's just too aggressive. I highly recommend it if you have a dandruff prone scalp needing to wash your hair more frequently and worry about getting your hair dry and brittle. If you're looking for a good clarifying shampoo that gets a job done while minimizing dryness to the hair, you got to check out K18's detox shampoo."
Sephora Spring Savings Event 2024 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"K18 their detox shampoo is a lovely great clarifying shampoo to use once a week, especially to prep your hair for the K18 treatment mask if you use that, but it's just really nice at removing all the buildup, the sebum, the debris, whatever products, dry shampoo that you may use on your scalp. But after I rinse it through my hair my hair actually feels softer. It actually magically detangles my hair, which I feel like I normally don't get that with a clarifying shampoo because the idea behind a clarifying shampoo is they tend to have a little bit more aggressive cleansing ingredients to remove everything and so with that they may strip your hair's oil or make your hair more tangled up, but this one I love the way it not only works for my scalp but also how my hair feels afterwards. Ingredient-wise it contains activated charcoal that helps to absorb all the sebum, the debris, excessive oil from your scalp. It also contains salicylic acid that is a great chemical exfoliant to gently remove the buildup, and then the K18 peptide that is part of all of their products, that really is the core peptide that helps to strengthen the hair at the same time."
Dermatologist updated Haircare routine | Dr. Jenny Liu
"One of my favorite clarifying shampoos that I absolutely love is from K18, their detox shampoo. I absolutely love this shampoo because it's very gentle on all fronts but works really well. When I'm shopping for clarifying shampoo I always worry about what it makes my hair feel like, does it cause my hair to be more brittle and dry, but this one does not. At the same time, afterwards my scalp also feels very refreshed. It contains activated charcoal that helps to absorb excessive sebum and remove buildup, including heavy metals that may build up in our hair from water. It also contains salicylic acid that helps to remove dead skin buildup and excessive sebum, as well as the K18 peptide that helps to strengthen hair and repair dry and damaged hair. I use this once a week at most. If you use this shampoo and pair it with your K18 repair treatment, the shampoo actually sets up a good environment and creates a clean canvas so that the K18 repair treatment can better work through your hair."
Approved
"The K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo really delivers that deep clean without stripping your scalp skin barrier, and it does help prep your hair for treatments, for heat styling or if you're going in for hair dyeing or for curling or things like that. It contains activated charcoal which helps to draw out dirt, oil and impurities. It also has salicylic acid which helps to gently exfoliate your scalp, lift off those dead flakes. Salicylic acid is a great ingredient actually for dandruff. It also contains the signature K18 peptide which helps to protect and strengthen your hair even while you're doing this detox treatment."
Approved
"I use it once a week, probably closer to every two weeks. It really gets down to the scalp and I feel like it fluffs everything up. If you're someone who uses a lot of product and you tend to get buildup, using a clarifying shampoo occasionally is so good. Or even if you have an oily scalp and fine hair, using a clarifying shampoo occasionally just makes such a difference. You'll notice so much more volume in your hair. I've really been liking this one. I already bought another one because I ran out of it."
Approved
"One of my favorites that I have tried is by K18. I find that their Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo strikes a really nice balance of making my scalp and hair feel really clean but not dried out. I will often use this K18 clarifying shampoo in conjunction with a detox spray, and I do that about once a week where I'm going to do the spray first, let it sit at least 15 minutes, and then go into the shower and use my clarifying shampoo. That combination keeps my scalp feeling good and keeps my dandruff and flaking at bay."
Approved
"This is literally the best clarifying shampoo I have ever used. I have used many different clarifying shampoos in the past and they have all made my hair look and feel like straw. I really hate when my hair looks and feels crunchy because the clarifying shampoo just literally stripped all of the goodness out of my hair. When you have blonde hair or lightened hair your hair can be on the drier side already, so some clarifying shampoos can make your hair feel and look worse. This one does not. This is incredible. I use this about once or twice a month, you could use it more often than that especially if you're someone that really has that oily scalp or you're using a lot of products and you get that buildup in your hair. Every time I use this I have that bounce to my hair again, my hair has that shine as well, and my hair just looks so fresh after I've clarified my hair."
Top Pick: clarifying shampoo
Approved
"I use K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo."
Approved
"This is K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo. I love my Head & Shoulders, but this has converted me, I'll be honest. It's a color safe, clarifying shampoo with skincare inspired ingredients, plus micro dosed with the K18 peptide to nourish hair while removing buildup for clean, healthy hair canvas. It has a non-stripping lather which helps to unclog hair follicles while banishing dirt, oils, silicones and things left behind from heavy product buildup. The idea behind this is that there's a polypeptide chain which you find in the innermost layers of your hair, which are responsible for the strength of your hair and the elasticity. And these shampoos help repair any damage that's caused by external aggressors, heat tools. I don't know if the science behind this is rooted in anything, but whatever it does, it makes my hair feel so good. I'm not fussed about hair product at all. But there's something about this K18 that's just so good, that makes it feel like I've had a professional treatment. This makes it feel like I've paid good money to have my hair properly washed."
Skip
"I used the detox shampoo and this one has the ingredient that I really don't like which is that sodium c1416 olefin sulfonate. My hair does not like that. That just dries my hair out like crazy."
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