Catnip for split ends?

**Melisande** · February 11th, 2009, 11:21 PM

I'm a catnip convert. I even ordered better catnip online after my pet shop catnip looked old and dry and un-blossomy. I have been using it for two weeks now, as pre-wash rinses and instead of conditioner. It's wonderful and my ends look very good. Thank you for the good advice!

**Treecrown** · February 12th, 2009, 04:11 AM

I finally tried catnip the way Ktani suggests (bagging it for an hour) and wow, I'm so happy with the result. I don't think I really believed it would work for me, because I've always felt like I needed tons of conditioner. Lately, though, no matter how much conditioner I used, my ends still felt dry and crunchy and my hair was getting more and more damaged and fly-away. In the last few weeks I have experimented with soapnuts, very diluted shampoo, coconut oil and finally catnip. My hair is SO much softer and shinier. It's probably a combination of all these things, but the catnip soak is the magic touch--my hair feels nicer today than it has ever felt...

**ktani** · February 12th, 2009, 04:56 AM

Originally Posted by Melisande

I'm a catnip convert. I even ordered better catnip online after my pet shop catnip looked old and dry and un-blossomy. I have been using it for two weeks now, as pre-wash rinses and instead of conditioner. It's wonderful and my ends look very good. Thank you for the good advice!

You are most welcome. The best part of it for me, is that almost 4 years in with it exclusively as my colour/conditioner, I still see better and better results.

**ktani** · February 12th, 2009, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by Treecrown

I finally tried catnip the way Ktani suggests (bagging it for an hour) and wow, I'm so happy with the result. I don't think I really believed it would work for me, because I've always felt like I needed tons of conditioner. Lately, though, no matter how much conditioner I used, my ends still felt dry and crunchy and my hair was getting more and more damaged and fly-away. In the last few weeks I have experimented with soapnuts, very diluted shampoo, coconut oil and finally catnip. My hair is SO much softer and shinier. It's probably a combination of all these things, but the catnip soak is the magic touch--my hair feels nicer today than it has ever felt...

I am very pleased for you that you are so happy with it. It does not seem that so little of it, diluted so much, can do what it can but it can, lol. I am still thrilled with it and will not give it up. I keep finding more uses for it and no downside.

**rymorg2** · February 12th, 2009, 05:18 AM

Originally Posted by catfish

Catnip is wonderful

I'm glad to hear it is so multi-purposeful for you.

I'm curious

I am experimenting with some long term oiling, very heavy oiling left in scalp and length for about 7 days at a time, would it be useless to use catnip tea as a wash ( CO style) after having oil soak in for so long? Would the catnip even penetrate, or do I need to wash all the oil out first to get the benefits from the catnip?

Thanks,
catfish

Catfish, my experience using catnip as a wash after a heavy oiling is that it WILL NOT remove the oil. So you'd need to wash the oils out first.

**ktani** · February 12th, 2009, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by catfish

Catnip is wonderful

I'm glad to hear it is so multi-purposeful for you.

I'm curious

I am experimenting with some long term oiling, very heavy oiling left in scalp and length for about 7 days at a time, would it be useless to use catnip tea as a wash ( CO style) after having oil soak in for so long? Would the catnip even penetrate, or do I need to wash all the oil out first to get the benefits from the catnip?

Thanks,
catfish

Thank you.

I agree with rymorg2. I doubt that catnip alone can remove a heavy oiling.

It has been reported to help with that, used prior to soapnuts, but I think, that it was the combination.

When you used catnip alone, and used some oils on your hair, I do not think the catnip was that successful in removing them. Catnip removes my oil well but vegetable oils are different.

Soapnuts have been reported to not remove vegetable oils easily and that is confirmed by research, when soapnut saponins are used at low concentrations.
" At lower concentrations of the surfactant ... solubilisation of crude oils in saponin was better than synthetic surfactants .... where as, the solubilisation of vegetable oil was better in synthetic surfactants."
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18303686.

So, I have no doubt that catnip alone cannot remove vegetable oils in quantity, or enough of them, to get hair clean.

**ktani** · February 12th, 2009, 01:43 PM

Update

I have been running around in the wild, wet weather here, with my hair loose, as usual and today I found a small snag in my hair. I straightened it out without too much bother and did a quick end check at the spot. No white dots, that I otherwise used to find, when stressing my hair. This is the 2nd time I have noticed this, (my hair rarely snags).

The only difference to my routine, is that I now use straight catnip as my "2nd shampoo", rinsing it out with no timing, post using less of my regular shampoo and just before doing my usual colour/conditioning with catnip.

I am extremely impressed.

**catfish** · February 12th, 2009, 02:08 PM

Thank you rymorg2 and ktani, I think you guys are right that catnip will not remove a heavy oiling. Yet do you think that I could still get some extra moisture out of a catnip rinse even if it is over a lot of oil?

I am trying to get my hair in the best shape possible for a special anniversary in march

and want my hair as soft as can be. I'm letting it stay as oily as I can and thought that catnip on top would be extra nutritious. Do you think it's worth a try or would I be wasting catnip?

**ktani** · February 12th, 2009, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by catfish

Thank you rymorg2 and ktani, I think you guys are right that catnip will not remove a heavy oiling. Yet do you think that I could still get some extra moisture out of a catnip rinse even if it is over a lot of oil?

I am trying to get my hair in the best shape possible for a special anniversary in march

and want my hair as soft as can be. I'm letting it stay as oily as I can and thought that catnip on top would be extra nutritious. Do you think it's worth a try or would I be wasting catnip?

Wasting catnip no. It was reported to be helpful over a pre oil and before soapnuts were used.

However, I do not use any oils and my hair is great with just catnip and shampoo.

I suggest trying to go without the oils, and increasing the catnip timing, once per week and thereafter trying "catnip shampoos" in between.

Or trying my current method. I have not gone "straight catnip shampoo" alone yet.

I think that you may find, that catnip alone can give you what you want, once the oils and any oil build-up are gone.

**NorthernDancer** · February 12th, 2009, 02:21 PM

I need some help from those of you who use catnip regularly.

I've been using catnip for several months now with very inconsistant results. Sometimes I end up really dry with major tangles, and sometimes it is simply wonderful, even better then when I tried CO (which is the reason I have kept trying and trying and trying).

I've read this thread over and over again trying to see where I go wrong. But I haven't found anything that has helped.

Here's my routine: (I normally make a double batch, but I'll list the single use amounts)
- Heat up 250-300ml of water to just below the boilling point
- Put in 1 level teaspoon of catnip
- I have found I get better results if I stir or shake it at this point. It seems to get more of the oils out of the catnip.

- Then I let that sit until completely cool with the cover loose enough so it doesn't explode (which actually happened the first time!) but still on tight enough that the condensation drips back inside.
- If I happen to go into the kitchen during the cooling time I will give it another stir or shake. (again, this seems to give better results)
- Once completely cool (a couple hours) I then strain the catnip out and put it in container I use in the shower. If I made a double batch (which I normally do) I put the other half into the fridge.
- Once in the shower, after I shampoo, I pour it over my head and leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes while I do other shower things and then rinse it out right before getting out.

About a month ago I realised that I was getting better results from the second half of my batch. The one that I kept in the fridge for a few days. I thought that was the answer to all my problems.
So I started making a single batch 2-3 days ahead. While that seemed to improve the overall results, it was still very inconsistant.

So tell me, what am I doing wrong? I am using the same batch of catnip, the same amount of catnip, the same containers, the same routine, so I don't understand why I keep getting different results!
I've tried to stay as close to the same routine as possible, I even went so far as to time how long I let it steep, how long after that I used it, and how long I left it on my hair.
But none of that seems to matter. Sometimes it's terrible, sometimes it's wonderful.

Just when I've decided to give up I'll have a wonderful result that pushes me to keep trying. But as much as I want to keep going, after doing this great/terrible yo-yo thing for months I'm about ready to give up on the whole thing.

Has anybody had similar issues? Any advise on what I'm doing wrong?

Any help will be very much appreciated!