We’ve been hearing about Olaplex’s amazing products for the past few years and it has quickly become many people’s favorite products that they can’t live without. I too have been very impressed with Olaplex products and a few of their products have become some of my go-to haircare products. But the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask has recently entered the scene and has shaken up the haircare industry. How could another product possibly be better than Olaplex? So when I heard these claims about how people preferred K18 over Olaplex, and that K18 is the new Olaplex, I knew I had to test it out for myself. Especially since it claims to work within 4 minutes! And in this day and age of impatience and quick results, this is a major selling point.
So let’s get into the differences between the Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask and the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask and find out which hair mask is better!
About The Companies
K18
K18’s mission is to liberate expression and make the impossible possible with the right technology. They focus on forward-thinking, risk-taking, and fearless innovation. After 10 years of complex lab research, they came up with a patented molecular breakthrough that is clinically proven to reverse hair damage in just 4 minutes. Their K18Peptide is just the right size and makeup to fit in and reconnect broken chains in the hair.
Olaplex
Their products are made to repair all types of hair damage and you can pretty much see immediate results. Olaplex restores damaged hair by repairing it from the inside out with their patented ingredients. With over 100 worldwide patents, they pave the way for a completely new category of haircare called “bond-building”. Once all the bonds are intact and in alignment, you have healthy, beautiful, shiny, touchable hair.
What It Is
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
This leave-in treatment mask for all hair types clinically reverses damage in 4 minutes. The patented peptide technology works to repair damage from bleach, color, chemical services and heat to restore strength, softness, smoothness, bounce, and even adds shine to the hair. It also provides intense moisture to treat damaged hair. As mentioned above, the K18 hair mask is powered by the patented K18Peptide, which is just the right size and molecular structure to reach the innermost layers of hair and re-connect broken keratin chains responsible for hair’s strength and elasticity.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
The highly concentrated Olaplex hair mask is infused with patented Bond Building technology and adds shine, smoothness, and body while providing intense moisture to treat damaged hair. It helps strengthen fragile bonds with every step of your hair care routine for the healthiest hair possible.
Benefits
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
- Good for damage such as split ends and breakage, frizz, and dryness
- Increases shine
- Restores strength, softness, smoothness, and bounce
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
- Moisturizes
- Smooths, straightens, and reduces frizz
- Adds body and shine
Hair Type
Both the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask and the Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask are perfect for all hair types.
How To Use
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
- Shampoo hair as usual
- Skip the conditioner! (I know – it was so hard for me to skip this step since I rely heavily on conditioner to help detangle my hair)
- Gently towel dry hair until damp
- Begin with 1 ml or 1 dime-size amount of the K18 hair mask
- Add more as needed. The average us is 2 ml or 2 dime-size amounts as it’s a highly concentrated formula so you’ll need much less than traditional hair masks.
- Work evenly into hair from ends to roots.
- Let sit for 4 minutes to activate and do not rinse out.
- Style as usual. It is also fine to add a heat protectant or styling product if needed.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
- After you shampoo your hair, apply to clean, damp hair mid-length to ends and work through with fingers.
- Start with 2 pumps for shoulder-length hair. Use more for longer, thicker hair and less for fine or short hair.
- Leave on for 10 minutes.
- Fully rinse the product out of hair and style as usual.
Olaplex Tip: For the deepest repair possible at home, use with No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment and No. 3 Hair Perfector once a week or as needed.
How Much To Use
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
I really wanted to use less of this considering how expensive it is, but 8 to 9 pumps seem to work perfectly for me to distribute through my hair. I do get very tempted to use more though and have to refrain myself!
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
About 3 to 4 pumps for mid-back length hair is the perfect amount.
How Often To Use
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
Use for the first 4 to 6 washes, then swap to maintenance mode (every 3 to 4 washes) and use as needed.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
Use once a week for best results.
How Long It Takes To Work
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
The K18 activates 4 minutes after application, so set your timer! You can feel the immediate results of the hair mask working and understand why you don’t need a conditioner and how effective this hair mask really is.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
The Olaplex moisture mask works after you wash the product off, and when your hair is damp, you really start to feel how easy it is to comb through. Once your hair is dry, you can tell that your hair is even softer than normal, less frizz, and much smoother.
Product Texture
Both the K18 and Olaplex hair masks have a creamy, but light texture.
Product Scent
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
This hair mask has a light, fruity scent.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
The Olaplex hair mask has a light floral scent that features notes of jasmine and peony.
Product Packaging
Both the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask and Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask are in pump bottles which makes it very easy and convenient to use.
How Much Does It Cost?
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
Standard Size 50 ml – $75 USD / $89 CAD
Mini Size 15 ml – $29 USD / $36 CAD
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
100 ml – $28 USD / $38 CAD
Where To Purchase
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
You can purchase the K18 hair mask on the K18 website or at Sephora.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
You can purchase the Olaplex hair mask on the Olaplex website or at Sephora.
Sustainability
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
In collaboration with Plastic Bank, they are stopping ocean plastic by contributing efforts to build recycling ecosystems. K18 products are Certified Plastic Neutral by Plastic Bank.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
Olaplex is committed to developing products that deliver dramatic results while respecting environmental and human health. To help reduce their carbon footprint, they limit the use of secondary packaging for a majority of their products. Olaplex has been able to save 0.7 gallons of water per product, eliminate 0.4 lbs of greenhouse gas emissions, save 44,000 trees a year from being cut down, and save 8,239 acres of US land from being deforested.
How It Worked For Me
To give a little background on my hair, I haven’t dyed it for over 3 years. My hair is straight and medium-thick with little to no damage. I have some split ends that I promptly like to get rid of. It is also smooth and somewhat soft, but it also gets very tangled after I shampoo it and I tend to need to wash my hair every other day or every 2 days. If I curl my hair, I can go 3 days without washing my hair.
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
As soon as I read the amount of positive reviews of the K18 hair mask I knew I had to try this product and come up with a verdict myself. I was luckily able to grab one during the recent 2022 Sephora Spring Saving Event and get a 20% off discount. And to be able to give a true review, I used it for over a month before writing this blog post.
I used the K18 Repair Hair Mask as per instructions, which had a recommendation of using it between 4 to 6 times in a row to start. I used it for 5 shampoos in a row and the hardest part was having to skip my conditioner since that’s the most crucial step in ensuring my hair doesn’t get tangled and too painful to brush out. But after the first use (in which I used about 11 generous pumps), after a few minutes (I estimate about 5 minutes since I didn’t set a timer) I could tell my hair was easily brushable since the hair mask activated and I didn’t have any trouble using my Wet Brush. The K18 hair mask got rid of any frizz and my hair was very smooth and shiny. What shocked me the most was how soft my hair was after I dried it. I’ve literally never felt my hair this soft before and I was convinced K18 was better than Olaplex. My hair was still very soft the next morning, but of course, it wasn’t as soft as it is fresh compared to a night of sleeping on it.
For my next 4 shampoos, I was trying to conserve a little more of the product and used between 6 and 8 pumps. I definitely think a couple extra of pumps makes all the difference in how soft my hair can be as it didn’t feel as soft as the first time.
I continued to use the K18 hair mask for maintenance after 3 shampoos and during that time, it felt that my hair somewhat went back to normal but was still much healthier than before. I was also able to maintain some volume from having used K18.
I really think that using the K18 hair mask has made a huge difference in my hair, but I think I would prefer to use this for more intense and emergency-like situations or when I feel like pampering myself. For example, after a vacation where I’m at the beach and in the salt water all the time, when it is very dry during the winter and my hair needs extra care, or even when I need some hair maintenance.
This product is quite expensive compared to Olaplex and my hair isn’t so damaged that I need intense repair all the time. It definitely feels luxurious using this and I like the scent as well. I love how quick it works and that this is technically the last step in my hair care routine because I rarely have time to wait around in the shower to wash it out.
I love the K18 Leave-In Hair Mask and will have this as a permanent part of my beauty arsenal.
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
I’ve been using Olaplex for a couple of years now and have a few favorite products that I can’t live without. Unfortunately, with the moisture mask in particular, since I need to leave this on after I shampoo and wash it out, it makes it more difficult to add this into my hair care routine. With my busy schedule, it’s really hard for me to even spare that amount of time to wait around in the shower.
But when I do have time, I shampoo my hair, apply the hair mask and leave it in for about 10 minutes and wash it out. I then apply conditioner to seal in the benefits of the Olaplex hair mask. I also really love the scent of Olaplex products and this one’s no different!
Once my hair is dried, I can tell my hair was frizz-free, smooth, and very straight. It also doesn’t flatten my hair. It too makes my hair very soft to the touch, but not quite as soft as it was the first time I applied K18 a little too generously.
Overall, I think the Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask is a great option to have in your hair care routine if you have the time for it and it is very affordable. It’s a good product to have in your collection for maintenance as well as to ensure healthy hair and it is a great alternative to K18.
Verdict
I really believe that both the K18 and Olaplex hair masks are amazing products that work. I think the differences you need to consider can be:
- How much time do you have? If you’re short on time, K18 is the go-to!
- Is price important? The more affordable option is Olaplex and you get more of it too.
- How damaged is your hair? Olaplex is great for weekly use, but K18 feels a little more like an intensive treatment.
Personally, I have both of these products in my hair care collection since they work very well. But since I am very tight on time, I usually prefer to use the Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother than the No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask. My hair has the same softness with both products, but obviously the moisture mask is better for bond building, repairing the hair, and adding moisture and shine.
You can’t go wrong with either products, it’s just a matter of preference! Do you need both? No, but it doesn’t hurt to alternate once in a while if you like.
For more Olaplex reviews, here are The Best Olaplex Products For Beautiful, Healthy Hair.
For healthy hair, here’s the Ultimate Guide To Getting Healthy Hair.
For more hair care recommendations, Shop My Favorites – Hair.