Cheong Dam Style Forest Black Change Shampoo
Cheong Dam Style Forest shampoo is a hair blackening shampoo that promises to cover grey hair while providing cleansing and hair care to the scalp. It also assures to declog pores, improves oily scalp, and purifies hair follicles in general. It is hypoallergenic and suitable for all scalp conditions, including sensitive scalp and skin types.
This hair blackening shampoo caught my attention when I saw its TV informercial the other day. The Wonder Shop hosts were presenting the Cheong Dam Black Change shampoo, and a few of its features intrigued me. As someone who uses hair dye to cover my greys and touch up grey roots, I dread having to leave the dye in for several minutes before rinsing, and the hassle to avoid staining my light coloured towels. So when I saw that As-Seen-On-TV Show as the hosts were demonstrating and highlighting on how the white towel stayed clean after drying the shampooed strands, I knew I had to lather up a new routine with this one.
Blackening Shampoo vs Black Hair Dye for Grey Hair
Firstly, we need to know the differences between blackening shampoos and black hair dyes when it comes to covering grey hair and roots. Black hair dyes are typically permanent pigments and provide instant black color change with longer-lasting colour results. They penetrate deeper into the hair shafts and take a longer time to fade. Hair blackening shampoos are semi-permanent hair dyes, just like henna hair dyes, and blacken hair gradually. These shampoos usually darken the hair cuticles by coating the exterior surface of the hair strands, and can fade with repeated washes.
Ease of Application/ User-Friendliness
Even the most convenient black hair dyes involve mixing two creams and a thorough comb-through. This is for the base colour and oxidant to chemically react to achieve the desired shade. Even if it’s just for touching up grey roots, you’ll need 15 to 20 minutes to leave the product in between application and washing off. You’ll also need to shampoo and nourish with conditioner or follow up with a hair treatment for damage repair and color protection. Whereas for blackening shampoo, simply towel-dry your hair after rinsing the shampoo off like you do in your usual hair washing routine.
While both hair dyes and blackening shampoos do stain, Cheong Dam Style Forest shampoo apparently does not, or so it was seen and sold as on tv. This contradicts to what its distributor JML Singapore’s website says. The product does not stain my hands, however it does stain my towel, unlike what was shown on tv.
How To Use Cheong Dam Style Forest Shampoo
You use Cheong Dam hair blackening shampoo just like a normal shampoo. Simply pump the product out and create a lather while massaging in to the scalp. The shampoo comes out a duo-toned black and white thick gel. It is recommended for long hair to use 5 to 6 pumps and short hair to use 4 to 5 times of the product per wash. It does not foam much so do give it a good 2 to 3 minutes rubdown for even coating before rinsing off.
The instructions also recommend to use the shampoo for 5 consecutive days for the initial usage before we can see the full colour change result. Thereafter, either repeat this process every 3 to 4 weeks, or whenever there is visible new growth of grays again.
Cheong Dam Style Forest Black Change Shampoo Review (Dark Brown)
Grey Hair Coverage Results
The above photos show the results of Cheong Dam Black Change shampoo in the shade Dark Brown after I used it once daily, for 5 consecutive days. The shampoo has managed to cover most of my grey roots along the middle of my hairline. It even darkened the lighter brown strands from my previous colour-dyeing. There are just a few grays that stuck out; but only if you take a closer look.
Colour Longevity
Hair Color Options
Cheong Dam Style Forest Ellixi Shampoo comes in two hair shades – Dark Brown, and Natural Brown. The one I’m using is in Dark Brown. My hair colour came out almost black, but it is still pretty close to my natural hair colour. After all the purpose of using a blackening shampoo is to enhance my natural hair colour.
Fade Resistance Concerns
The color retention is what disappoints me though. The staying power waned as soon as my hair went on the second day I used another shampoo. I was expecting the colour endurance to last longer. So I repeated the 5-day cycle with Cheong Dam Style Forest after only 3 days apart because my greys had begun to show. The second experience was the same. And the color was supposed to last from 2 weeks to a month, as what its distributor says.
The typical issue with colour-depositing shampoos like this is that they don’t necessarily work better over repeated uses. Some have claimed that using colour-enhancing shampoos over time helps to maintain the hair colour, or even deepen it over time. Sadly, the colour stability in my case did not work out.
No Side Effects/ Health Hazards
Ingredients in Cheong Dam Black Change Shampoo
The Cheong Dam Black Change shampoo boasts a comprehensive list of 17 natural ingredients of which they call the ‘Black Food Complex” that contributes to the natural hair color for grey hair coverage. It also contains 7 peptides, 5 ceramides, 8 hyaluronic acids, and 4 plant oils to enhance hair keratin for strength, structure, shine, and volume. Additionally, it is ammonia-free and does not have any harmful chemicals.
Scent
Since there is no ammonia, you don’t have to worry about it smelling pungent. It does, however, give off a soapy scent. Nothing quite unpleasant.
Taking everything into account, Cheong Dam Style Forest Black Change Shampoo is kind of missing the forest for the trees, no pun meant. The whole point of a blackening shampoo is to replace hair dye for grey hair and roots. When this purpose is nowhere near fulfilled, although it’s chemically safe, it didn’t quite win me over.