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View Full Version : Shedding again-- is it the catnip? The non-sulfate shampoo?


PrincessFurball
July 18th, 2010, 06:07 PM
Ugh! I'm encountering massive shedding AGAIN!! After I quit using conditioner, and went to a catnip tea rinse back in October of '09, my shedding went to almost nothing. It was fantastic! I thought my problem was solved. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and I began slowly seeing increased shedding, and it's now back to where it was before the catnip.

I went sulfate-free several months ago-- I would say probably about six months, but I'm not really sure. It might not be quite that long. My hair seemed fine with that, still hardly any shedding. I use the Queen Helene Mint Julep shampoo that comes from Sally Beauty. It is concentrated, so you mix it with water. You can make one gallon of 'heavy' shampoo, or two gallons of regular. I started out with the regular, but a couple of months ago I started diluting it even more.

Like I said, I've been using the catnip since last October, so it doesn't seem like that could be the culprit, since it seems like the shedding would have shown up sooner. I'm really hoping that it's not the problem, anyway, because I would be at my wits' end for what to use as a moisturizer/detangler treatment, since conditioner causes me to shed as well!

I'm wondering if I should go back to using sulfates and see what that does for me. I haven't noticed any scalp changes/problems, like flaking or anything, although it's possible that it's itchier than usual. I haven't decided yet if that's just my imagination or not, though!

Any ideas... suggestions... tips... advice? I do not want to go through a huge shed again!!!
pepperminttea
July 18th, 2010, 07:28 PM
I don't know if you're in the Northern hemisphere, but I normally get a summer shed each year?
PrincessFurball
July 19th, 2010, 07:08 AM
Yes, I'm in the US. I thought at first this might just be a normal shed, but I'm not so sure. I've never noticed such a huge 'normal' shed before, and this seems to be going on too long. I still hope that it could be, though, and will quit on its own!
Deborah
July 19th, 2010, 08:35 AM
CATNIP is the ONLY thing that caused shedding for me, so maybe it is doing the same for you. I've never gone back to it; I think it's pretty scary stuff!
PrincessFurball
July 19th, 2010, 09:26 AM
CATNIP is the ONLY thing that caused shedding for me, so maybe it is doing the same for you. I've never gone back to it; I think it's pretty scary stuff!

I really hope that's not the case, because I really like using it. How soon did the shedding start after you began using catnip? I've been using it since October of '09, and the shedding that I experienced previously actually cleared up after starting the catnip. It seems to me that if catnip was the issue, my shedding would have gotten worse after starting it, or at least not have gotten any better. I don't know, though. I just really hope that the catnip is not what is causing it!
Gumball
July 19th, 2010, 02:07 PM
If it's not simply a seasonal shed or caused by another factor such as stress/health/nutrition, and you're really just deciding if it's the catnip or the shampoo, then the best way is to wean off of one of them for a while to see how your hair reacts. If it persists, then wean yourself off of the other and see if that helps. :) That way you take away one thing, give yourself time to adjust, and reassess. I hope you can figure out what's causing your shed!
PrincessFurball
July 20th, 2010, 07:38 AM
If it's not simply a seasonal shed or caused by another factor such as stress/health/nutrition, and you're really just deciding if it's the catnip or the shampoo, then the best way is to wean off of one of them for a while to see how your hair reacts. If it persists, then wean yourself off of the other and see if that helps. :) That way you take away one thing, give yourself time to adjust, and reassess. I hope you can figure out what's causing your shed!

Thanks! I think that's what I'm going to try. I used a diluted SLS shampoo yesterday to do my scalp only wash, so we'll see where that gets me. Crossing my fingers it's the shampoo and not the catnip!!! :p
Deborah
July 22nd, 2010, 12:37 PM
I really hope that's not the case, because I really like using it. How soon did the shedding start after you began using catnip? I've been using it since October of '09, and the shedding that I experienced previously actually cleared up after starting the catnip. It seems to me that if catnip was the issue, my shedding would have gotten worse after starting it, or at least not have gotten any better. I don't know, though. I just really hope that the catnip is not what is causing it!

My shedding began after only a few applications, so maybe your experience is unrelated, as you have been using it a long time. I just don't know.