Review: New Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Moisture Lock Shampoo & Conditioner

Remember last year when I first posted about Vidal Sassoon making a return to drugstores? I know that a lot of us were also hoping for a return of the iconic brown bottles and almond-scented products. Well, I'm sad to report that neither one of those elements made a comeback, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to get excited about. I've been using both the new Moisture Lock Shampoo and Conditioner for several weeks now, which I purchased at Rite Aid the minute I spotted them. Let's see how they've been working for me.

 New Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Moisture Lock Shampoo & Conditioner

(retail: $4.99 each, 25.3 oz)

The new Vidal Sassoon Pro Series features a collection of shampoos, conditioners, styling products and hair color. To view the entire range, click here.

Vidal Sassoon is owned by P&G and when I discovered that (by reading the bottle), I was curious if these products were going to be more in line with Aussie, Herbal Essences and Pantene (also owned by P&G) or perhaps more like Wella and Clairol Professional (also owned by P&G). I'll let you know my opinion on that in a moment!

Keep reading for my full review...

For the record, these bottles are HUGE. I mean, they feel (and look) like bricks in the shower.

I've always had the philosophy that I don't care how something comes packaged as long as 1) it's sturdy and 2) the product inside works. Those of you who prefer prettier packaging might not gravitate toward the bare-bones design of these bottles, but I honestly don't mind them. Sure, they're not gorgeous (or even cute) but I care more about how cute my hair can look by using them. Plus, if simple packaging helps keeps the retail price down, I'm all for it.

I usually like to show you what the actual product looks like, but since both the shampoo and conditioner are opaque, white creams, there's not much to see.

As you can see, these products are not sulfate-free or silicone-free, but they are paraben-free.

 In-shower experience:

The shampoo is not my favorite in terms of how it feels during use. I don't have a problem with getting it to lather (I would certainly hope not, since it contains two forms of SLS) but what I don't care for is that the film it leaves in my hair after I rinse makes it difficult to know when to stop rinsing. In other words, I always kind of feel like there's still some lingering product in my hair after I rinse this shampoo out, but since I've used it so many times now, I'm kind of used to that feeling. 

The conditioner, on the other hand, is quite amazing and it fully exceeded my expectations. It's not a super thick formula, but it's way thicker than Vo5 conditioners, for example. It's easy to distribute and it has excellent detangling properties. It rinses easily and after I've rinsed it from my hair, my hair doesn't feel heavy or waxy--it just feels soft.

Both the shampoo and conditioner have a very pleasant clean, floral fragrance to them. They actually remind me of old school Agree shampoo in the green bottles (if you're old enough to remember, I'd love to know if they remind you of Agree too!).

Post-shower experience:

Here's a photo of my hair after using both the shampoo and conditioner. I applied no styling products to my hair after I got out of the shower, and I allowed my hair to air-dry. I basically just combed my wet hair, gave it a few scrunches and let it do its thing:

If you've a longtime reader, you know that my hair is naturally wavy, and it doesn't take a lot for me to get loose, beachy waves. But if I use the wrong shampoo or conditioner, my hair can look heavy, greasy and flat. Sometimes moisturizing shampoos and conditoners can literally pull all of the wave from my fine hair, so I'm extremely happy to report that these products did not do that.

It's kind of hard to see in this pic, but these products also gave my hair some nice shine, as well as a bit of added volume. My hair feels quite soft and manageable when I use these products, and the best part is that, even though I have very oily roots, I can easily go a full day (almost two days, actually) between washings and not have greasy bangs.

I'd say the only thing these products lack, in terms of my out-of-shower experience, is that my hair is a tiny bit frizzy and not as smooth as it could be. To be fair, very few drugstore shampoos and conditioners can give me super-smooth hair (I always prefer to use a leave-in conditioner or styling creme when I get out of the shower to combat frizzies and flyaways) so this isn't a deal-breaker for me.

I'd also like to note that I did try straightening my hair a few times while testing these products, and the results were wonderful. My hair looked quite smooth and shiny with lots of volume and bounce. It also felt very clean, without feeling dry or stripped.

FINAL VERDICT: I'm not wild about the shampoo when it comes to the in-shower experience, but when used in tandem with the conditioner, I think the results have been wonderful for me and my particular haircare needs. I have oily roots and dry ends, so if your hair is dry through and through, you may have different results and find that these products are not hydrating enough. But I'm always looking for conditioners that do a great job at detangling and don't leave my fine hair looking heavy, dull or flat, and this conditioner has been a real gem for me. For under $5 you get a huge bottle of product, making these products an excellent value (if they work for you).  In terms of how these products compare to other haircare brands also owned by P&G, I'd say that they actually work as well as some Wella products I've used in the past, but they share the same price range as Aussie and Herbal Essences. So in that respect, it's kind of the best of both worlds and a very pleasant surprise. If anything, I would consider trying the conditioner (if you blow through conditioner as quickly as I do, you'll appreciate how large this bottle is, and you can always keep it as a back-up to your favorite conditioner in the shower).

Have you tried any of the new Vidal Sassoon Pro Series products yet? Thoughts?