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Side by side

K18 DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner vs Virtue Labs Scalp Remedy Conditioner

98% function match · 9 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 12%. K18 DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner and Virtue Labs Scalp Remedy Conditioner share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner — maximum slip
  • Scalp Remedy Conditioner — fragrance-free

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
K18 DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner — 8.5 oz container K18

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Virtue Labs Scalp Remedy Conditioner — brand photograph Virtue Labs

Scalp Remedy Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$31–39 8.5 oz · $4.59/oz
$44 6.7 oz · $6.57/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 89% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 95% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
High Your hair
High Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Conditioner
Conditioner
Line
DAMAGE SHIELD
Scalp Remedy
Where to buy
Brand website · Sephora · Ulta
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
—
Not vegan · ingredient list
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · brand states
—
Scent
Scented, not described
—

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientDAMAGE SHIELD Protective ConditionerScalp Remedy Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Propanediol
Moisturizes
#4Supporting
#8Supporting
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#6Supporting
#5Supporting
Tocopherol
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Buildup
#12Below the 1% line
#31Below the 1% line
Jojoba Esters
Buildup
#14Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner

Scalp Remedy Conditioner

Full ingredient list — DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner (35)
Full ingredient list — Scalp Remedy Conditioner (58)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsDAMAGE SHIELD Protective ConditionerScalp Remedy Conditioner
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
0
2
Potential conflict
0
0

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner

  • Fortifies, softens, and detangles damaged hairPartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.

Scalp Remedy Conditioner

  • Hydrates and rebalances scalpSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • 93% saw reduced itchiness and irritationStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 93% saw less flakinessStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner

Leaves hair noticeably softer and shinier after just a few uses

general users, including several post-menopausal/dry-hair users

Conditions well without feeling heavy or greasy

general users

Effective for chemotherapy-related or otherwise severely compromised hair regrowth

users recovering hair after hair loss/chemo

Frequently reviewed together with the matching shampoo rather than standalone, making it hard for some reviewers to isolate which product drove the improvement

general users reviewing the two-step system

Scalp Remedy Conditioner

Some reviewers with diagnosed scalp conditions such as psoriasis or chronic dandruff describe meaningful relief and reduced flaking, though the product is not marketed or labeled as a medicated treatment

psoriasis/chronic dandruff sufferers

Reviewers with itchy, oily, or irritated scalps report noticeable reduction in itch and irritation with regular use

oily/itchy/sensitive scalp

Fragrance-sensitive reviewers, including some who report migraines, specifically call out the scent-free formula as a purchase driver

fragrance/migraine-sensitive users

First-time buyers note the scalp-focused application method (massaging conditioner into the scalp rather than just lengths) is unfamiliar but easy to adopt

new/first-time users

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$4.59/oz vs $6.57/oz — Virtue Labs Scalp Remedy Conditioner costs about 1.4× more per ounce than K18 DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $4.59/oz DAMAGE SHIELD Protective C $6.57/oz Scalp Remedy Conditioner

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readDAMAGE SHIELD Protective ConditionerScalp Remedy Conditioner
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner vs Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl ConditionerOlaplex · 96% function matchScalp Remedy Conditioner vs Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl ConditionerOlaplex · 98% function matchDAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner vs SOFT BOUNCE NATURAL TEXTURE & CURL CONDITIONERR+Co · 95% function matchScalp Remedy Conditioner vs SOFT BOUNCE NATURAL TEXTURE & CURL CONDITIONERR+Co · 96% function matchDAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner vs Plumping Deep ConditionerMelanin Haircare · 95% function matchScalp Remedy Conditioner vs Plumping Deep ConditionerMelanin Haircare · 95% function matchDAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner vs Rosemary Repel ConditionerFairy Tales · 92% function matchScalp Remedy Conditioner vs Curl Talk Clean Slate Daily ConditionerNot Your Mother's · 93% function match

DAMAGE SHIELD Protective Conditioner · Scalp Remedy Conditioner · All conditioners in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 12 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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