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Arete
August 21st, 2017, 06:44 PM
Ever wanted a detangler or leave in that kept up slip in ypur hair for more than a day, didnt weigh your hair down, and was silicone free?
Have I got a solution for you: Marshmallow root tea soak and rinse!

It's easy.
Step 1: brew 1-3 tablespoons of marshmallow root (find at health food stores). Allow to cool. You have two options. You can either strain outthe root bits or leave them in the water. Leaving them in will add more slip, BUT you have to deal with picking root bits out of your hair later.

2: Soak your bottom half of your hair in the cooled tea. You can either out your hair in the mug/pot if you're lazy, or pour the tea into a gallon plastic bag and rubber band it towards the top around your hair (rubber band making contact with bag only!)
Step 3: Remove your hair from the soak after twenty minutes or so. Pour the remaining tea over your canopy. If you left the root bits in, now is the time to pick them out.
Step 4: gently squeeze excess water out of your hair so you aren't dripping. Allow to dry some before detangling. Will work best on damp to dry hair.

The slip is *fantastic* and lasts up to a week if I don't strain out the root bits. I now wash biweekly, alternating traditional CWC followed by a marshmallow root soak and rinse and then just an apricot oil piling followed by a marshmallowroot tea soak and rinse the next week. I no longer use silicone conditioner, yet still get my slip and moisture retaining properties.
The marshmallow root leaves a light "film" (not quite the right word, you just can feel that there's a bit of product there so to speak) that doesn't build up or feel crunchy.

My results on almost dry hair:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4366/36288948390_6b01621a22_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/XhJm4Y)

ErinEM
August 21st, 2017, 08:23 PM
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Arete! Sounds very cool! And that's awesome to hear that it works so well for you! I might have to hunt down some marshmallow root just to try it.

Also, your hair is completely gorgeous!

FennFire911
August 21st, 2017, 08:48 PM
Your hair is gorgeous! I wouldn't even know where to get that tea around here though. Is it local to you or can I find it online?

Ophidian
August 21st, 2017, 09:18 PM
Thanks for sharing your method! I use fenugreek a lot in my herb washes which gives a similar effect to marshmallow root, which I have also tried in the past with good results. I've never done it as a soak like you describe though, and it sounds like that's been working really well for you. I remenber reading about someone here using catnip as a conditioner and doing a similar thing with the baggy to keep it on the length for a longer period of time than just a rinse.

If you're into nerdy haircare stuff there's a pretty cool discussion/explaination of plant gels that act as film forming humectants on sciency hairblog (will try to find link). In addition to marshmallow and fenugreek, this would also include things like flax, slippery elm, and aloe. This discovery was a game changer for my hair too, helping to give slip and retain moisture between washes without weighing my hair down.

Anyway, neat stuff!

ETA: Fennfire, I know mountain rose herbs has it, and in my area anyway it's pretty easy to find on the bulk section at health food stores.

Meggypoo
August 22nd, 2017, 01:07 AM
I'm going to try this sometime but in the meantime I am lazy and use kinky curly knot today - the two primary ingredients are slippery elm and marshmallow root. I mix just a bit in with my post shower acid rinse (1 tbsp per 2 cups dilute vinegar)

lapushka
August 22nd, 2017, 04:41 AM
Thanks so much for sharing! :D :thumbsup:

Sapeli
August 22nd, 2017, 05:18 AM
Hi! What a coincidence! I just ordered some marsmallow root on Sunday for the exactly same reason. I have read a lot about marsmallow root and also slippery elm powder. I didn't order the latter, because in Finland I could only find it in pet stores (it wouldn't probably matter), but I try with MMR first. Thank you for sharing your routine!! Lovely, shiny hair you have!

proo
August 22nd, 2017, 05:22 AM
Waiting for the wise nymphe to chime in

Arete
August 22nd, 2017, 05:28 AM
Your hair is gorgeous! I wouldn't even know where to get that tea around here though. Is it local to you or can I find it online?

Did some digging and found the root here:

https://www.bulkherbstore.com/marshmallow-root-c-s-organic-1-2-lb

triumphator!
August 22nd, 2017, 07:22 AM
Hm I wonder what a little marshmallow root in a spray bottle could do for me on a daily basis. I suppose it depends on how stable the tea is over time.

Arete
August 22nd, 2017, 04:41 PM
Thank you everyone for the compliments about my hair :crush: I hope those experimentimg have as fantastic results as I have!

Hairkay
August 22nd, 2017, 05:31 PM
Thanks for sharing your method! I use fenugreek a lot in my herb washes which gives a similar effect to marshmallow root, which I have also tried in the past with good results. I've never done it as a soak like you describe though, and it sounds like that's been working really well for you. I remenber reading about someone here using catnip as a conditioner and doing a similar thing with the baggy to keep it on the length for a longer period of time than just a rinse.

If you're into nerdy haircare stuff there's a pretty cool discussion/explaination of plant gels that act as film forming humectants on sciency hairblog (will try to find link). In addition to marshmallow and fenugreek, this would also include things like flax, slippery elm, and aloe. This discovery was a game changer for my hair too, helping to give slip and retain moisture between washes without weighing my hair down.

Anyway, neat stuff!

ETA: Fennfire, I know mountain rose herbs has it, and in my area anyway it's pretty easy to find on the bulk section at health food stores.

Okra also works well.

Ophidian
August 22nd, 2017, 05:53 PM
Okra also works well.

I've heard that too, but was never really clear what part of the plant would be used or how you would go about extracting it. Have you used it before?

Hairkay
August 22nd, 2017, 06:49 PM
I've heard that too, but was never really clear what part of the plant would be used or how you would go about extracting it. Have you used it before?

Here's how it's made, fresh or frozen okra works fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD_Md7UDkyc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AceRX__p8I

Synester
August 22nd, 2017, 09:16 PM
I've never clicked a thread so fast. Im a knot monster on a daily basis. ordering some MMR asap!!

Arete
August 22nd, 2017, 09:24 PM
I hope it works well for you, Synester!
For reference, I have mediun stranded hair with some coarse. I tend towards dry and porous and my hair has a tendency to form dreadlike tangles.

Synester
August 23rd, 2017, 12:27 AM
I have ultra fine/thin 1c/2a hair that tangles like crazy, a bit on the dry size with some minor breakage at the ends, TangleTeezers...Wet brushes...wide tooth combs. you name it. My hair will get snagged in it. The longer my hair gets the more unmanageable it gets. If i get around to using it ill post a update here!

Ophidian
August 23rd, 2017, 03:37 AM
Here's how it's made, fresh or frozen okra works fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD_Md7UDkyc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AceRX__p8I

Thanks Hairkay!

Nymphe
August 23rd, 2017, 08:01 AM
Waiting for the wise nymphe to chime in
Who me? Hardly.

For me, the more root I use, the better. I wish I could leave it in my hair, but it flakes something awful. I still need to try slippery elm and fenugreek; I have some powder to try as a hair mask.

pili
August 23rd, 2017, 08:29 AM
I need to give this a try.

Ligeia Noire
August 23rd, 2017, 07:39 PM
I bet I will be able to find it here, I live in a very "organic" obsessed town so I will surely give it a try, very curious about it, I have never heard about that plant. Will surely post the results.

Rhoward
August 24th, 2017, 05:02 AM
I add marshmallow root powder to my cassia treatments, might have to try your leave in spray idea

Ophidian
August 24th, 2017, 06:22 AM
If anyone does try it as a leave-in spray, do be aware that it is not shelf-stable. You could get maybe a week if you keep it refrigerated. Freezing it in ice cube trays and then defrosting a few at a time might be an option. There's a lot of recipes and info on marshmallow based detangling sprays on YouTube and blogs from the natural kinky/coily/curly community so that might be a good source of info if you want to make a spray instead of making one batch to use right away as a rinse.

lapushka
August 24th, 2017, 06:49 AM
If anyone does try it as a leave-in spray, do be aware that it is not shelf-stable. You could get maybe a week if you keep it refrigerated. Freezing it in ice cube trays and then defrosting a few at a time might be an option. There's a lot of recipes and info on marshmallow based detangling sprays on YouTube and blogs from the natural kinky/coily/curly community so that might be a good source of info if you want to make a spray instead of making one batch to use right away as a rinse.

Maybe adding some preservatives to it (like vitamin E) might help it? Or real synthetic preservatives. I'm sure you can get those online quite easily.

Ophidian
August 24th, 2017, 06:58 AM
Hey lapushka! Some of the recipes I've seen do use things like vit. E to improve shelf stability. I've gotten results I'm happy with just from using my "slimy" herbs as a rinse but for those who want to try a spray that's definitely something to look for.

Cherriezzzzz
August 24th, 2017, 03:38 PM
Do you think this would work with the marshmallow root POWDER? I'd really love to try this! I'm going strong with shampoo bars and acv but I miss that slip.

Dark40
August 24th, 2017, 05:39 PM
Thank you for sharing!:)

Ophidian
August 26th, 2017, 10:10 AM
Do you think this would work with the marshmallow root POWDER? I'd really love to try this! I'm going strong with shampoo bars and acv but I miss that slip.

Hey! I've never tried marshmallow root powder, but I use other powdered herbs. The biggest issue you might run into is getting herb "bits" out of your hair afterwards if they want to cling. The root pieces give the benefit of being easy to strain out. You could brew a tea with the powder and strain it through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer though, that would probably remove the majority of it.

Also, I didn't catch this in the original post:Arete you don't rinse out the marshmallow infusion afterwards, do you? I haven't tried it that way. I was worried about it being crunchy or sticky but it looks like you haven't had that issue.

enting
August 26th, 2017, 03:22 PM
Okra also works well.

That makes so much sense. People who don't like eating okra often complain of it being "slimy" and here that's precisely what we want!

Ophidian, freezing it sounds like a great idea.

Cherriezzz I'm guessing that it would work with the powder. Isn't it just powdered dried root? It should still have mucilaginous properties. Try it and see?

I want to try this for my hair. The idea that the slipperiness would last days is really attractive. We have a lot of field mallow that grows wild around where I live. The fruits of the field mallow are sometimes used to make old fashioned marshmallows, vs the root of the marsh mallow. I'm thinking that in season I could go collect a bunch of the mallow fruits (also called "cheeses") and see how well that works for this recipe. I think the leaves might work too, they're mucilaginous.

Arete
August 26th, 2017, 03:56 PM
I have not tried the powder. The problem I foresee is you'd need to do it in a tea ball vs. Free which might reduce the mucogens in the mix. Try it and let us know!
I do not rinse out Ophidian. It doesn't cause unwanted build up with shampooing every other week. I'm not sure how it would do with water or sebum only routine

Cherriezzzzz
September 4th, 2017, 05:48 PM
Ok I will try it. Why not? I'm starting to use indian herbs...

enting
October 28th, 2017, 02:07 PM
I'm thinking about making this this week. I have a few questions on how to make it, though.

How much water do I use per tablespoon of marshmallow root?
How long do I brew it for, and is that at a simmer or at a boil?

Becs
October 28th, 2017, 10:30 PM
I'm presuming you would do this first, prior to using any leave in conditioners or oils? And after, can you/would you still want to use such leave in products?

Beeboo123
October 29th, 2017, 06:18 PM
This sounds brilliant! Do you still have to condition when using marshmallow root?

Arete
October 30th, 2017, 06:10 AM
I'm thinking about making this this week. I have a few questions on how to make it, though.

How much water do I use per tablespoon of marshmallow root?
How long do I brew it for, and is that at a simmer or at a boil?

Enough water to soak your hair in. I'm classic and I use about 15-20 oz to three heaping tablrspoons.


I'm presuming you would do this first, prior to using any leave in conditioners or oils? And after, can you/would you still want to use such leave in products?

I do it after oiling on my off weeks the day before, and I do it after washing and conditioning on wash weeks. I don't use leave ins as this functions as such for me. Depending on your hair type, you may want a leave in. Experiment to find what works best for you :)


This sounds brilliant! Do you still have to condition when using marshmallow root?

I do every other week. If you have a tendency to drier hair, you may want to condition on a more regular basis and use the marshmallow root as a leave in.

enting
October 30th, 2017, 07:43 AM
Thanks, Arete!

Rushli
October 30th, 2017, 08:38 AM
I tried adding some marshmallow root to my vinegar rinse and my hair was horrible. However the recipe I was following did not have me making a tea. It just tossed it in. I might give this a try and see how my hair likes it!

For those who want to extend the shelf life, Vitamin E is not a preservative. It is an antioxidant. As far as using a conventional preservative, herbs are notorious for being hard to preserve. Big companies have tricks up their sleeves, like using extracts vs the actual herb, and much more powerful preservatives at their disposal. They also can test to make sure their preservative is doing the job it is suppose to. Not all nasty things bad for your skin and hair show up in the form of mold, a product can go bad and you can't even see a thing wrong with the product. Best bet is to do the ice cube freezing tray and thaw what you need as you need it.

Katia_k
October 30th, 2017, 03:44 PM
I may try this. I did a rinse with the powder, and that didn't work out well, but I may not have done it right and, as you say, it may have left weird stuff behind because I couldn't strain it out. I'm usually too lazy for whole herb bits but I might just have to bite the bullet and try this out.

I might have missed it, but have you ever done this on wet hair? Was it a problem? Only asking because I'd kind of like to do it as a final rinse after my herb-wash, when my hair needs detangling and is just miserably tangled, but I wouldn't have time to let it dry first.

Arete
October 31st, 2017, 09:15 AM
I may try this. I did a rinse with the powder, and that didn't work out well, but I may not have done it right and, as you say, it may have left weird stuff behind because I couldn't strain it out. I'm usually too lazy for whole herb bits but I might just have to bite the bullet and try this out.

I might have missed it, but have you ever done this on wet hair? Was it a problem? Only asking because I'd kind of like to do it as a final rinse after my herb-wash, when my hair needs detangling and is just miserably tangled, but I wouldn't have time to let it dry first.

Yeah, you definitely need to make a tea out of it to release the mucigens in it. I have used it as a leave in on war hair. It works just fine. The marshmallow root conditions some, but it mostly functions by coating the strands lightly to add slip. I like catnip tea soak for conditioning purposes or an SMT deep condition

Kae612
October 31st, 2017, 10:02 AM
Thanks for sharing your method! I use fenugreek a lot in my herb washes which gives a similar effect to marshmallow root, which I have also tried in the past with good results. I've never done it as a soak like you describe though, and it sounds like that's been working really well for you. I remenber reading about someone here using catnip as a conditioner and doing a similar thing with the baggy to keep it on the length for a longer period of time than just a rinse.

If you're into nerdy haircare stuff there's a pretty cool discussion/explaination of plant gels that act as film forming humectants on sciency hairblog (will try to find link). In addition to marshmallow and fenugreek, this would also include things like flax, slippery elm, and aloe. This discovery was a game changer for my hair too, helping to give slip and retain moisture between washes without weighing my hair down.

Anyway, neat stuff!

ETA: Fennfire, I know mountain rose herbs has it, and in my area anyway it's pretty easy to find on the bulk section at health food stores.

Hey I know it's been a bit since you posted this comment, but any idea where said sciencey hair blog might be, even if you can't locate the exact link? Definitely would be interested in that!

Rushli
October 31st, 2017, 06:34 PM
Hey I know it's been a bit since you posted this comment, but any idea where said sciencey hair blog might be, even if you can't locate the exact link? Definitely would be interested in that!

http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com is amazing. It really helped me figure out how to deal with my hair. Forget figuring out how to deal with "wavy/ 2C" hair; figuring out (mostly) non-porous hair has made a big difference. ETA: I think this is the post (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/film-forming-humectants-what-they-are.html) she is talking about.

I make my own products and really like http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca (http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca). Even if you don't have any intentions of making your own items, it is a great place to keep up and read about ingredients.

This morning my husband asked how my "marshmallow dip" went. I was completely lost because we try to eat whole foods and have not had marshmallows in the house in forever. Then he added, "you know, for your hair." Ooooooh. lol. I did soak the lower half for 30 min. I left the root in as it soaked. I shook some of the root out and then plopped it for a while then let it loose to dry. I put it in a bun while still damp, but it was mostly dry by morning. When I brushed it in the morning the last bits of root came right out.

I'm not sure I can tell a difference. I've played with my hair several times today and I can't pinpoint where the soaking started. Good news is that it obviously does not leave much residue! My ends do feel a tad different (they are bleach bathed the heaviest) but I only notice because I am looking for it. I will be trying this again on wash day and try pouring the leftovers over the rest of my hair too. Maybe there was just not enough on it.

Rushli
November 6th, 2017, 02:33 PM
It's official. I concur this should be held at "holy grail" status. I boiled the 4 TBS in 4oz of water for 5 minutes. Let cool and used it when still slightly warm. Soaked hair for 30 minutes. Dumped the rest over the length, but not the roots/head. Squeezed it out and plopped over night. Next morning I put it up without combing because it was still wet. The next day I took it down and then twisted it and put it in a figure 8. I slept with it like that over night and got a neck ache from it. I have a cold and was too lazy to change it. lesson learned. Change it! lol

So today I finally take it down. It's damp still near my head but the curls are dry. I ran my fingers through the bottom and was surprised by how easy it was to do. I went up towards my shoulders and was shocked by the ease of detangling. SHOCKED! I'm also not use to bun waves staying when I finger detangle. I'll try with a wide tooth comb next, but even if it goes frizzy then, I'm impressed with the stay with finger combing.

Now I just need a leave in cream that will help with frizz. When I make my next DIY supply I am going to try try some marshmallow and horsetail extracts and see if I can get results like this with a leave in curl cream. In the mean time, I do have horsetail, beet, and burdock root powder to add to the marshmallow. Some store creams use beet and horsetail to help with curl, so I will see if it does anything.

ETA: forgot a pic and then was able to add one of after the combing. Not perfect curls, but I'm actually wearing it "down" tonight!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4465/26446816749_f5d1c0cf71.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/26448550489_ef79de0103.jpg

Ophidian
November 7th, 2017, 08:51 AM
Rushli, your hair looks amazing! :agape:

Ophidian
November 7th, 2017, 08:56 AM
I think I'm going to do a marshmallow rinse this weekend. I've been washing with rye flour from time to time which cleans my hair well and gives nice volume but tends to make it feel a little more "grippy" than it does after an Indian herb wash. I've used marshmallow in the past and really liked it but I'm going to give this method a shot and see if it might be a good complement.

Rushli
November 7th, 2017, 01:28 PM
Rushli, your hair looks amazing! :agape:

thanks! I ended up putting it into a side braid and then leaving the ends, shoulder down, loose. I played with my hair all night. It swished around and never got any major tangles.

I wore a flexi 8 last night to bed. It's something I had been avoiding since my hair became so easily tangled. If my hair snagged on a part of the flexi, I could not just gently pull out. I would have to spend waaaaay too much time detangling my hair below the flexi, just to be able to pull the flexi out. Even then, I often break a strand or two. I think it has been a year at minimum since I wore one. Woke up with a bit of my hair caught on the flexi but it slid right out! I'm so excited to be wearing them again!

Arete
November 8th, 2017, 10:45 AM
Love your hair, Rushli!

Rebeccalaurenxx
November 8th, 2017, 04:52 PM
Well I do not have marshmellow root on hand but I do have fenugreek so i will try this method with that sometime :)

enting
November 10th, 2017, 07:22 AM
Rushli I love your results!
I just simmered about 4 heaping teaspoons of MMR for 15 minutes in a cup and a bit of water. I stuck it in the freezer to cool but I'm very impatient so I'm currently soaking my (freshly washed) ends in it while it's still warm. It's no hotter than my showers are, I don't think. Here's hoping the warmth doesn't counteract the slip by opening the cuticle too much. I'll report back in a day or so after it's all dry and I've had time to play with it.

ETA the results:
It was ever so slightly easier to comb, though there are still tangles. It seems fluffy without the usual attendant velcro feeling, so that's nice. I poured the remainder over my head as I understand that marshmallow helps itchy skin, and my scalp is often itchy. I very lightly oiled my hair today when dry. My hair seemed to need far less than usual, it almost immediately looked like I had over-oiled slightly. That was also something different.

Verdict: requires more experimentation. Perhaps next time I will either wait for it to cool fully, or make a more concentrated tea, or both, and see how that goes.

Shadri
November 11th, 2017, 01:30 PM
I made a tea with marshmallow root a week or two ago, and I noticed a bit more slip, and detangling was easy. I'm going to try boiling it next time and see if I get better results.

Rushli
November 11th, 2017, 04:14 PM
Rushli I love your results!
I just simmered about 4 heaping teaspoons of MMR for 15 minutes in a cup and a bit of water. I stuck it in the freezer to cool but I'm very impatient so I'm currently soaking my (freshly washed) ends in it while it's still warm. It's no hotter than my showers are, I don't think. Here's hoping the warmth doesn't counteract the slip by opening the cuticle too much. I'll report back in a day or so after it's all dry and I've had time to play with it.

ETA the results:
It was ever so slightly easier to comb, though there are still tangles. It seems fluffy without the usual attendant velcro feeling, so that's nice. I poured the remainder over my head as I understand that marshmallow helps itchy skin, and my scalp is often itchy. I very lightly oiled my hair today when dry. My hair seemed to need far less than usual, it almost immediately looked like I had over-oiled slightly. That was also something different.

Verdict: requires more experimentation. Perhaps next time I will either wait for it to cool fully, or make a more concentrated tea, or both, and see how that goes.

This time around I decided to take advantage of the heat and bag my hair. MMR is a film forming humectant. It is excellent at drawing in moisture and the film helps keep it there. I want to open my cuticles open for max moisture, at least right now with our winter dry air. As for the slip, it seems slightly less, but i have two factors that might also play into that. I did not soak my hair in as much liquid as before. I read the catnip thread and wondered if I could saturate my hair, place a plastic shower cap on and then my lined shower cap (for heat). I kept the proportions the same, but only used 1 cup and at least 1/3 of it dripped off before or during the soak.

The next factor is that DH played with my hair the morning after washing. Normally I don’t let him do much to my hair because he has ZERO idea on how not to tangle hair. I thought it would be a good experiment to see how well the MMR did. We laid around and talked for awhile and then I realized that I had to go in 20 minutes. I jumped out of bed and ran a comb through roots to just past shoulder. It was not wet thanks to the massage helping air it out, but I did not try to get through the wet part. I put it up and forgot about it. I detangle the rest today and was pleasantly suprised how easy it was. I had a few knots, but they were easy to get out.

Oh and the other change was that I skipped conditioner and only relied on MMR. Too many factors to really be able to pinpoint anything, but I’ll keep moving on to my next experiments.

Next experiment will have added horsetail power or burdock root. Might to burdock first since it can be boiled with the MMR. Horsetail powder should not be boiled but can be added after I take it off the burner. Times like this make me wish I washed more than once a week. I also got some catnip. I want to see if my hair can handle it as a leave in and be added to everything else as well as try it on its own. They say it does not do well with penetrating conditioners, so I’m not sure what it will do in conjunction with MMR, but it will be fun to see.

lapushka
November 11th, 2017, 04:33 PM
Rushly, that looks lovely. I know the marshmallow root is in the KCKT (Kinky Curly Knot Today) leave-in, cult status, that thing for the "slip" that it gives.

Rushli
November 11th, 2017, 06:50 PM
Thanks Lapushka, Enting, and Arte.

Lapushka, have heard amazing things about kinky curly knot today but not tried it. It has a few of the basic ingredients I use in my conditioner. I can’t wait to get some extracts and play with making a leave in!

enting
November 12th, 2017, 11:24 AM
I read on some website that the mucilage from MMR is actually extracted well in water without boiling, so I followed their instructions and infused a bunch in lukewarm water for 4 hours and then used that (I wash my hair every other day or so, otherwise my ends get too dry). I then soaked my length in a bag of the filtered infusion for a half hour, and at the end I poured the remainder over my canopy.
I will say that my canopy feels nice and slippery without feeling like it's coated, but my ends are still damp and not really slippery. I'll have to see how it is when it dries.
I changed two things today which was bad of me - I switched to a cold infusion rather than a boiled tea, but I also prepoo oiled my hair which I forgot to do on Friday. Now I won't know which thing is giving me my results! Prepooing also gives me that slippery feeling at my crown. Either way I don't seem to be getting any amazing results yet, nothing very noticeable. Maybe it doesn't work for me? :(

Ophidian
November 12th, 2017, 11:31 AM
Mountain Rose Herbs mentions in their "info" section about Marshmallow that cold infusion and decoction are the best ways to extract the mucilage:
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/marshmallow-root/profile

I like cold infusion because it's less work for me :), but I leave it longer than 4 hours--at least overnight. I also find that I have to squeeze it to get all the slime out. Yesterday I used an old nylon for this and it worked really well.

All that said, I've had very hit or miss experiences with marshmallow when I've used it in the past. Either it works super well or I don't notice a big difference. That was with rinsing it out though. Yesterday I did a rye wash and followed it with a marshmallow soak prepared as above that I didn't rinse out. Hair is still drying but so far so good, and will report back later in more detail.

Arete
November 12th, 2017, 01:03 PM
I'll have to try the cold method. Intereating. And enting, I often don't feel the slip until it's almost or completely dry.

enting
November 12th, 2017, 03:05 PM
I'll have to keep that in mind, Arete.
Ophidian, that's interesting that it was hit or miss for you.
I'm wondering if I should next try it on dry or damp hair, not sopping wet straight after a wash. Maybe that diluted it or acted as rinsing it out. I will report back again :)

Ophidian
November 14th, 2017, 07:15 AM
Enting, I think the hit or miss had to do with how thoroughly I was rinsing it out afterwards. I think the best results were when I let it soak for a long time so it was nice and slimy and then didn't rinse it out completely. I never had bad results, just didn't always notice a difference once my hair was dry. But I only tried it a handful of times before now.

And for that update: I am very pleased with the results! It seems to have a 'cone like effect in that it flattens out my waves a bit and my hair does feel like it has a light coating on it, but it is smooth and shiny and not static-y or weird feeling at all. It seems to be a great way to add some extra slip after rye washing, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I've had some success with ACV for that purpose but my hair isn't that crazy about it.

I plan to repeat the rye/marshmallow combo for the next few weeks to see if the results are consistent.

Oh, and for the sake of posterity, I prepared the soak by mixing 3 Tbsp marshmallow root pieces in 2 cups hot tap water and leaving it on the counter overnight. On wash day I strained it through a nylon, squeezing it really well to make sure I got plenty of mucilage out. After washing, I poured it over my hair, which was draped into a super attractive grocery bag situation, tied it on, and left it to soak for around 20 minutes. Then I just squeezed out the excess and air dried as usual.

Ophidian
November 14th, 2017, 07:20 AM
I'll have to try the cold method. Intereating. And enting, I often don't feel the slip until it's almost or completely dry.

Arete, slightly off topic but you mention in your original post that you alternate CWC+MMR with apricot oiling+MMR--can you elaborate on the oiling part? Do you just do a light oiling and then the soak, or a heavier one? If the latter, do you find that it removes any more oil than say a WO wash would?

Rushli
November 14th, 2017, 04:52 PM
MMR over my scalp does not work for me. It started looking greasy yesterday, day 3. That is a couple days ahead of schedule. Today was full blown slick back greasy that I normally don't get until I go past washday. Plus, my self diagnosed mild SD came back. My conditioner had gotten rid of it, but I did without the condish this last time. Now that I know herbs can do amazing things, I'm jumping ahead of schedule and have catnip in my hair. Since it is great for scalps I'm going to experiment with it. If the detangling properties match up to MMR, I'll keep going with CN experiments, if not, I'll come back to MMR but not use it on my scalp.

Robi-Bird
November 14th, 2017, 04:59 PM
If you want to get some marshmallow root benefits without fighting with teas you can get an oil soluble extract from Brambleberry (soap supplier) I use it, and a couple of others, in my hair oil.

Rushli
November 14th, 2017, 07:16 PM
If you want to get some marshmallow root benefits without fighting with teas you can get an oil soluble extract from Brambleberry (soap supplier) I use it, and a couple of others, in my hair oil.

I was interested in it being oil soluble (https://www.brambleberry.com/Mallow-Extract-P4935.aspx), but noticed it is made from the Flower/Leaf/Stem, not the root. I had to go double check the water based one (http://www.formulatorsampleshop.com/FSS-Marshmallow-Extract-p/fss16693.htm) I have on my buy list, and it is root and leaf. I have not look much into how they would be different, just thought I would point it out.

I look up the cold infusion and many (non-scientific) sites state that cold infusing gets the most mucilage, so next time I give it a go, I'll try that way too! If I am using body heat to warm up my cuticles, there is no need for the infusion to start off warm.

Isobibbel
November 15th, 2017, 05:27 AM
need to remember to try this!

Arete
November 17th, 2017, 05:36 AM
Arete, slightly off topic but you mention in your original post that you alternate CWC+MMR with apricot oiling+MMR--can you elaborate on the oiling part? Do you just do a light oiling and then the soak, or a heavier one? If the latter, do you find that it removes any more oil than say a WO wash would?

I lightly oil my length the night before, and yes, it's about the same as a water only in terms of getting the last extra but that didn't absorb off the hair

Rebeccalaurenxx
November 17th, 2017, 07:33 PM
found a deep treatment packet from shea moisture with marshmellow root in it, im going to give it a try and see what it does!

enting
November 19th, 2017, 07:58 AM
I've now tried it about 4 different times. Really regretfully, I think I have to stick my oils and creams for detangling. Somehow, oddly, this seems to dry my hair out and make it have even less slip:confused:. Maybe in a while I'll try it with okra or fresh mallow leaves and see if that's any different, but making it with dried root seems to be a no-go :(. It smells nice, though, and my skin seems to like it.