Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Hair Color Review

It's been nearly three months since I colored my hair with Olia and I was finally ready to say goodbye to the red. Three months of root growth looks pretty lame when the dyed color is reddish and the natural color is a greyish-tinted mousey brown. Since I've had a stash of Vidal Sassoon coupons, I decided that would be the brand to try. At this point, it's probably the only brand of home hair color I haven't yet used.

To mask the red, I chose an ashy cool shade of brown, the Pro Series 5C Medium Cool Brown. Though there are 18 Vidal Sassoon colors to choose from, including 8 browns, I found the only box of medium cool on the shelf. I'm starting to think my Minnesota location is the reason there are always way more light browns and blondes in the hair color section than medium and dark browns.

My biggest fear with trying a new product was what happens if the color comes out way too dark. It's always easy to fix light hair, but near impossible to safely lighten unintended black dye. I've been there and it stinks. Normally, I first choose a light ash with a new brand, just in case, but this time, I took the risk and just went for the medium. I'm at a point where I don't want to keep coloring my hair over and over to find the right shade.

Vidal Sassoon promises 8 weeks of lasting color with 100% gray coverage. I rarely have a problem covering gray hair, but 8 weeks, I laughed at that. If it does, I'll be sure to post a follow up.

There is nothing unusual in the box. No special oils, no extra steps. Just mix the color and the developer in the applicator bottle and apply to your hair. Like most products, a small tube of conditioner was included, and gloves to keep fingers free of color stains.

Unlike Olia, it was incredibly easy, like it should be, to mix up the color. The bottle fit in my hand and was easy to squeeze.

My hair is pretty thick, but it's only shoulder length, so I expected one bottle to be enough product. Unfortunately, I was a little short, so I didn't color entirely underneath the back, where no one would notice. If I use this color in the future, I'll have to buy two boxes. That isn't enticing.

I had relatively few drips, but it wasn't as messless as the Olia. You can see a few skin stains on my neck in the photo. I also dripped a bit in the sink, but unfortunately didn't realize it until after I'd washed my hair, 45 minutes later. Sink cleanup required Lysol with Bleach - just an FYI.

Here's me after coloring, using the provided conditioner, and letting it dry naturally. There's no product in my hair yet, but it was noticeably dryer, more dull, and a bit frizzy. Since coloring, I've not yet flat ironed, but I have tried enhancing the curls with some curl spray, and tried Aveda's smoothing serum. Unfortunately, I think the frizz is here to stay.

Regardless of the frizz and extra cleanup, I actually like the color. It's almost exactly like my natural shade, meaning less noticeable roots, and it's almost exactly the color on the box too!

The ends are a shade darker than the top half, but my husband said it's not noticeable. One or two washes with clarifying shampoo just on the ends should even things out.

Honestly, if it didn't require two bottles, I would probably use Vidal Sassoon again. I can live with a little frizz. But until my hair is another three inches longer, I don't think I should require so much product. That just kills the affordability factor.


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