Category Archives: NATURAL HAIR

K18 Leave-in molecular repair hair mask Review

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hey hey! I hope all is well. today I’m sharing my thoughts on the very popular K18 leave in mask

Since its launch in 2021, the K18 leave in mask has been EVERYWHERE. Everybody and their mama and best friend in the hair community has tried K18 by now so when it finally appeared in one of the advent calendars I was so excited.

K18 is a peptide leave in mask that promises to work in just 4 mins on all hair types and textures reversing damage from heat, chemical services and bleaching/coloring. You are directed to use it 4-6 times consecutively for progressive results then switch to maintenance use

Experience

I used K18 as directed for the 1st time back in 2024 and I HATED it! I hated it so much that I didn’t use it again until March 2026- LMAO. It left my hair so dry and CRUSTY and it felt weird not rinsing it out or not using a conditioner. I think I have PTSD lol because how can still remember this almost 2 years later LOL

Anyways this year I was really determined to finish and give it another chance so I did a bit more research on 4c hair use and a lot of people use as directed but follow up with a mask for hydration so I thought to try that. So in March I used it 4 times consecutively, leave it in for 4 mins before following with a mask, I used the Amika hydrorush mask left on for additional 20 mins before washing it out. I took a break in April as it was then time for my usual Olapex treatments- I didn’t want to use them together in the same wash day. I also then had a wig on for holiday. I used the last bit last week.

Usage is pretty easy: after washing and towel drying my hair, I split my hair into 4 sections, use a pump and a bit per section and cover with a shower cap. The texture is lightweight and feels like a lotion so it spreads well. it is not slippery so I didnt even try to detangle with it

Results

In total K18 lasted about 5 wash days. 1st time in 2024, in March 26- 4 weekly washes then final use last week but there was only a little left and it did half my head

Honestly I don’t know if it did anything to my hair. I was sure to pair it with masks I was already familiar with so I could tell if there was any additional benefits. My hair didn’t feel any different in March after using it weekly. I had my routine trim in April and I was told I have a few travelling split ends and some damage and I immediately thought but I’ve been using k18? I don’t think they explicitly say it repairs split ends but I feel my damage might be from heat? back in feb I got the wavy talk thermal brush and I may have abused it on my fine hair lol so if k18 repairs heat damage then shouldn’t my hair app have gone differently?

Verdict

I don’t know. I don’t feel like my hair is any different after k18 use. I have now finished the bottle, I had the 50ml size. I might have been heavy handed as it lasted 5 washes. I wont buy this again, I think for now I will stick to Olapex as my standard bonding treatment.

K18 is available from SpaceNK from£30

Elevate Hair Salon Brixton

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Hey hey everyone!

Gosh my last post was really Aug 2025?! Sigh! I took an extended break from blogging but I’m back and hope to bring regular updates like before!

This year I want to try out new salons. Whilst I love Maison style (my usual go to salon) I don’t like the wait, it’s a small salon so it comes with the territory, but it just takes forever and the nearby parking is not cheap. Plus, it’s really in my nature to try new things so this year I’m bringing back my salon series and I have 3 salons in mind I want to visit.

At each new salon I will be going for my usual hair services: wash, treatment, blow-dry and trim when needed. I will then review the salon and customer services.

My first salon of the year was Elevate based in Brixton. Ive been considering this place for a long time! Back in 2024 when I was thinking about texture releases, it was between Elevate and Maison style and the only reason I went with the latter was because the head stylist there had done it herself and had so many informational videos on it.

Elevate have 2 locations in Brixton which is about 5 mins walk apart. I didn’t drive this time but its right in the heart of Brixton, I saw some side roads for parking but there’s also a few car parks near by. I got there on time for my app and I was shown to a chair right away! The first stylist came over for a mini consultation and Latisha the stylist I had booked also came over for the consultation. I was given some advice and some new product recommendations. I loved she didn’t just say to stop everything and switch but to finish them and try the new products(I’ve had that before)! She also asked for the products she recommended to be used for my shampoo and treatment and I LOVE that! I got to test the products right there and then- this is something I’ve never had before.

After a thorough wash, I sat under the dryer for 20 mins, was rinsed then back to the chair for my blow-dry. There was a short wait between the rinse and the start of the blow-dry but it was very short probably about 15 mins or so. ( I have waited longer). Blow-dry was gentle, no excessive heat or pulling. My hair was trimmed- I didn’t need much taken off then I was done

The whole service took about 2 hours and I was happy with the fact that there wasn’t a lot of waiting time in between services.

My only issue is that I was told because it was my first visit to the salon, it is classed as a cut rather than a trim I believe that added about an extra £10 to my total- not sure why because it was a trim ???

Overall verdict

Will I visit again? Yes, my stylists were welcoming and knowledgeable and I didn’t have to wait around too much.  I went on a Friday afternoon, the salon was busy, but I found the service to be efficient. I love that I got to test out the recommended products , she used the Loreal Absolute Molecular Repair (black packaging) which I have just purchased. I loved how soft and good my hair felt, even the stylist caught me playing with my hair LOOL.

It seemed to be a good vibe in there. Music and jokes between the stylists made it a nice atmosphere. Drinks and snacks were offered which were a nice touch. I would recommend Elevate and I will go back

This post is very late lmao. I went to Elevate in January , wrote the review but never got round to posting.

Ive already been to the 2nd place on my list twice and I will post the review shortly

Catch you later!

Take care

Snm Salon experience

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hey hey hey everyone, I hope all is well.

Sorry its been a while since my last post, work got incredibly busy and I inadvertently had to take a break from blogging! But now that its now back to the normal busy pace I can get back to doing things I love again and I have a few exciting posts coming your way!

To kick things off I have a healthy hair check in and I went to a new salon! Whilst I love my usual salon, its far from me, the parking is too expensive and I spend too much time waiting around! I decided to go to Snm hair salon which is only a few minutes from me. I have heard of this salon and been following them for a while, so it wasn’t completely new to me. I decided to book a wash, treatment & blow dry with a clip in install as my new clip ins arrived!

I had a late appointment simply because I could as the salon is very close to me – a huge plus and because it was after 5, parking was free- another huge win for me! After waiting for a few minutes, I was asked about what style I wanted for the clip ins and it was then we came to the conclusion that I needed to book a silk press package not the blow-dry and because it was close to closing time, I couldn’t unfortunately change the booking. I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted to get my clips in done but it was understandable. We couldn’t agree on a suitable day and time so I just decided to go ahead with my service without the clip ins.

At the shampoo bowl, the lady mentioned my hair was dry to touch which I found somewhat surprising. My salon appointment was on a Thursday and I had washed my hair on Monday albeit I did use more of a strengthening conditioner plus K18 ( I have lots of thoughts but I will use it a few more times before sharing). Anyway she proceeded to wash my hair 3 times which I absolutely loved and quiet frankly I had never had any salon do that. After washing she mentioned my hair was quiet dry and whilst I booked a moisture treatment I would benefit from a more intense steam treatment which would be £5 extra and I agreed to. After applying the treatment, I went under the steamer for about 20 minutes. I haven’t had a steam hair treatment before and my hair felt incredible after but it was also a really warm day so I was so hot under there hahaha

My hair was detangled again before it was rinsed out then we proceeded to blow dry in sections. I was familar with the 2 keracare products she used prior to blowdrying then finished off the service with my 2 plaits.

Thoughts on the service

I arrived very early for my appointment but it didn’t take too long before we started discussing my service and the lady really did try to find me another time but we just couldn’t find a suitable time. The clip in service was promptly cancelled and taken off my final bill which I liked. I loved how my hair was handled during the shampoo process: she really focused my massaging my scalp making sure it was clean and shampooing 3 times to ensure build up is effectively removed. I wish my hair was detangled more after she applied the treatment but my hair wasn’t that tangled anyway as I had only washed and blowdried my hair 3 days prior so maybe I didnt need it. She did detangle in small sections.

After the steam treatment I did have to wait about 10-15 mins before I was seen, infact I had to go around and mention it was finished before I was seen again. This isn’t that unusual as I have had to had in between services at my usual salon however I did feel slightly more forgotten here because I was in a different room and because there was only one other customer there with all the staff in the next room I did feel forgotten. The other staff that rinsed out the conditioner and blow dried my hair did seem younger but I think she did a good job. She used the Keracare leave in conditioner & the silken seal liquid before the blow dry. These 2 products do contain heat protection but I would have preferred a dedicated heat protectant too. She blowdried in larger sections using the tension method but went in smaller sections with the paddle brush. Again I would have preferred she fully stretched out the hair in smaller sections using tension before going in with the paddle brush as I have 4c fine hair prone to breakage. The blow dry did turn out great so I’m not too bothered by this. She said my ends were a bit tangly and mentioned it could be because my last trim(last month) didn’t quite catch all my split ends however I don’t think its down to that but the way she stretched my hair prior to going in with the paddle brush. My last trim was pretty much a hair cut because I neglected my trim routine( more on this later in another post!) and also because she was drying my hair in larger sections which for my 4c fine hair mean tangles.

I didn’t appreciate taking a personal call with the other staff member whilst she was doing my hair but I will put this down to her been younger as I thought that was unprofessional.

Verdict

Will i go to Snm salon again. Yes simply because it much much closer to me and the service wasn’t particularly bad. I loved the shampoo and blow dry and my hair felt incredible after the steam treatment, I just didn’t like a few bits. I am debating if I go back there for the silk press or somewhere else. But I will definitely go back there for a wash, treatment and blowdry when I don’t feel like doing my hair

This year I do want to try out other salons especially if they are closer to me. Maison style will always be my go to but I think its time to start experimenting again.

My service: wash, blowdry and intensive steam moisture treatment came up to £65 which is what I usually pay. It would have been £60 without the extra £5 for the intensive moisture treatment. It was pretty easy to book online via their website which is a huge plus. The salon is in Croydon.

I have a few posts coming up! catch you laterrr

The Doux SWEETEST THING Honey Moisture Mask Review

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The Doux seems to be the latest natural hair brand making the girlies talk! I had heard of the brand in a few videos I watched but when my hair stylist recommended some products I decided to take the plunge and try the Honey Moisture hair mask. I wanted to try more honey hair masks as the TGIN one worked so well for my hair.

The Doux describes this as the sweetest mask you’ll ever know.  Hydrates stressed hair beyond the cuticle layer to improve texture, reduce friction, and bring that ol’ elasticity and strength back. Restores moisture balance and hydration to the scalp.  

Main ingredients: Barbadensis: For strong, poppin’ curls Honey: Super-charged to fizzle frizz out Aloe: Protects + hydrates stressed out strands

Experience

I’ve used this mask in 3 consecutive wash days to get a feel of it and I do not like it! For a moisture hair mask, it doesn’t leave my hair soft and conditioned as other moisture masks have left my hair. Comparing this to the other honey mask I love, the TGIN honey miracle, this one falls very short!

I noticed the Doux mask has 2 forms of protein in it, Keratin Amino Acids, Silk Amino Acids and I wonder if that’s why I don’t like it. It doesn’t leave my hair stiff at all just not softened. I’ve also noticed some breakage in my crown area- the same breakage I noticed when I was using the Briogeo don’t despair, repair mask which is protein rich very frequently. I think the mask too much protein for my low porosity fine hair and I was using it on my wash days every 2 weeks for at least 3 wash days!

Verdict

I think this is more of a strengthening mask for me than a moisture mask – I’ve noticed this too late though! I’ve stopped using it now and will be using it for strengthening instead. Looking back at my wash days( I keep a wash day log!), I saw that I had used the ApHogee 2 min keratin treatment prior to using the Doux honey moisture and I used it for the next 3 wash days after the Aphogee!! I think the keratin & amino acids in the Doux with the ApHogee keratin was too much protein and I think this combo is responsible for the breakage I saw! sigh

I’ve now switched to the Amika hydro rush hair mask and its a winner! I’m also going back to my TGIN Honey miracle mask as that product left my hair feeling beautiful! I think I will curate a list of protein free moisture hair masks because its really frustrating getting a hair mask that says its moisturizing only have it for more protein in it- I have fine low to medium porosity hair and protein overload can happen very quickly for me. Honestly keeping my hair log is so helpful because I am able to look at the products I’m using to see what is causing issues. If you can do this, try it for a few months- I’m sure you will find it helpful.

The Doux is now available in Boots to check out