Catnip for split ends?

First, I'm SO GLAD the boards are back. I almost cried when they went down. Yay!

Second, I remembered (and even, in my own journal) that someone said that catnip can help stop spilt ends. Well, my hair has started splitting like crazy (I just got to lower back and am heading towards tailbone- it's completely changing how my ends act).

What, exactly, should I DO with said catnip to make it help my hair? I have been playing with the bag but I don't think that's what needs to happen.

Should I make a vinegar rinse with it? Steep catnip tea? Stew it in alcohol? Run it through as a rinse? Use it as a leave-in spray? Eat it?

I have catnip. I have split ends. I wish to somehow combine the two so the former prevents the latter. Help!

ktani, please pick up the white courtesy phone.

Raederle

Update: I wrote a catnip Article, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&articleid=118 which may make things easier to understand.

Copy that.

Ok - you make an infusion of catnip.

I have a sensitive scalp and my ends were dry so I do not want to make the catnip astringent. My hair is no longer dry.

I use 1 level tsp of cut and sifted catnip to over 250ml under 300ml boiled water.

I make mine in a bone china mug from the dollar store.

Catnip needs to be covered and steeped, never boiled.

I cover my mug with a bone china demitasse saucer. Covering it preserves the volatile oils.

I now buy my catnip - organic - from a pet store - it is fresher bought in see through containers than bulk which I used to buy from a health food store.

Let it steep for 30 minutes - you can steep it longer than that.

Then I deactivate it buy straining it into a 2nd mug to cool down, cover it and let it completely cool. When I uncover to strain, I tap the condensation from the inside of the saucer on my finger back into the mug - I do this each time.

I then strain it into a creamer - easier to pour - and strain a 3rd and final time into a washed out shampoo bottle and store in the fridge until use.

It will keep refridgerated 7-10 days.

I do not use the full amount on my hair each time - I use the remainder on my skin - face and hands.

Ok - method

I am covering grey/white as well as conditioning so I apply on freshly washed hair - hair forward - or upsidedown in the shower.

I apply small amounts - poured into my hand and applied contiuously to the back, sides and top underside plus the length - pin it up and bag it for 1/2 and hour.

I then take it down, and apply catnip to the front sides, top, and top back, leaving the length down and rebag it, leaving the length out of the bag - another 1/2 hour.

I then remove the bag - apply some more to my greyer areas, let it cool down and rinse.

Catnip does not build-up if it is washed, I find. I use shampoo - it removes enough that the only thing I use to condition is the catnip.

I have less breakage than ever before with this herb and method and I have no split ends - which I did used to get.

MadPirateBippy

If you are not using catnip to colour - it yields a light yellow dye - not red/yellow, not brown/yellow - light yellow, apply to your hair all at once - I have never used the pouring it over the hair 15 times and catching it in a bowl method.

Applying it a little at a time more than once to saturate the hair thoroughly works for me with no mess or waste.

If you want to condition after - use a smaller amount of conditioner than normal - you will find that you need less.

Catnip will not stain over conditioner - it blocks the colour.

My hair is a dark brown/red, so I am not worried about the light yellow staining it. I figured the blond won't stick around, and I only have three or four silver hairs, so I'm not worried about those either.

Should I be?

MadPirateBippy

No worries - catnip dye is not permanent - I reapply it every time I wash my hair - the colour does not completely wash out each time by any means but it would wash out eventually.

This topic facinates me as I have loads of splits for not apparent reasons ( My hair is moisturized, virgin and I keep it in updos most of the time)

Do you think it would be effective if I kept a strong solution in a spray bottle and misted my hair with it on a daily basis?

Stagecoach

I initially tried catnip all sorts of ways including misting it on and using it as a leave-in on my ends.

It can be slightly sticky not rinsed out and I did not find it helpful at all sprayed on the hair.

The key I believe is body heat - bagging it and definitely the timing - an hour all together, although iris used it for less time - I think 15 minutes or so and found that to be conditioning enough for her purposes.

It depends on your hair and what you need and want it to do.

I find I need the extra time for the colour although I may experiment with less time now that my hair is in so much better condition than before I started using catnip over 2 years ago.

Ok, thank you ktani!

I continue to experiment with catnip - not for conditioning but to intensify the colour.

I have discovered this.

Catnip from the pet store is fresher. You can still get organic.
It is more expensive than bulk but it is better quality, IMO.

It is sold in closed containers and usually has a higher turnover than bulk.

For more intense colour - steep the catnip longer than 30 minutes - the last batch I did - I steeped it for almost an hour.
The colour is a darker yellow (not gold or brown or reddish) and is still a light yellow on the hair - I just get better grey/white coverage.

Wow -- this is really interesting. I had no idea catnip would do more than stain the hair. Any idea why it conditions and strengthens? Is it a property of the volatile oil?

ktani, I have seen a similar process recommended for horsetail. Have you tried horsetail as well? Can you tell me how it differs from catnip?

Thanks!

Wavelength

Catnip also contains fixed oil and pantothenic acid.

One of my links - I keep a research stash. The catnip I buy is the leaves and flowers - that is how it is sold for the most part - the flowers contain more oils than the leaves.
http://www.monroecountymi.net/Medica...rbs/catnip.htm

I am not sure exactly how it works but it does.

I got conditioning benefits from it straight away but I wanted more.

I have been using it for over 2 years now and within the first year - I forget at which point - I no longer got split ends.

I think I did find one tiny one in the last year or so.

Conditioners never did that for me.

It did take a while for me to get to where I am now - my hair is softer, shinier and most importantly for me - my ends no longer taper between trims.

I still get some breakage - catnip is not a miracle - but I have less breakage than I have ever had before.

Catnip will not stain over conditioner - I have sensitivity to many chemicals and I was determined to see if I could get catnip to the point where I would not need conditioner - I did.

Morag

I have never tried Equisetum arvense or horsetail.

The one thing I do before I try any plant is check out the constituents the same way I read ingredient labels - and of course check out its safety or toxicity.

After chamomile and my linden tea disaster, I avoid these things in a plant - mucilage, polysaccharides, resins - all of them can build up on hair.

Horsetail, from my research contains both mucilage and resin. Linden tea contains mucilage. Catnip contains none of the above.

I did find one reference on catnip that said it contains mucilage but only one reference and from my results - I would say that the amount is insignificant.

Chamomile built-up on my hair - breakage city and dryness (German chamomile, Matricaria recutita - the one I used, contains polysaccharides - Roman chamomile, Anthemis nobilis - which I never tried on my hair, contains resin). I was using 8-10 teabags at a time though, for colour.

So, part of what makes catnip work so well for me is that it does not have anything in it that would require me to clarify.

Enough of the catnip washes out with just shampoo so that I can reapply it each time I wash and get colour and conditioning.

From my experience, in reading constituent listings, if a constituent is in a high enough percentage, it shows up in more than one reference and is considered an "active ingredient". Apparently, mucilage is in most plants - it is the amount that makes the difference for use on hair, IMO.

You have to find what works best for you.

Thanks for all the info on preparation and application, Ktani! I tried it and am happy with the results. It gave my fine hair fullness as well as making it a little brighter.

I am wondering if anyone has tried adding a little 'catnip tea' to their cassia mixtures? I have had good results using chamomile tea in cassia obovata (with a squirt of conditioner and a few drops of olive oil). Cassia also made my hair a little fuller, the color a really nice, deeper gold.

I may try this tomorrow and post results if this is a new experiment!

GoldLady

I am glad to hear that you are so pleased with catnip.

My hair is fine/medium - catnip not only makes it fuller but increases my natural wave pattern - something conditioners never did.

I haven't gotten around to purchasing any cat nip yet, but I did have one more question.

Do you think it would effect my hair color? (Dark, dirty blonde/light brown.)

Stagecoach

Catnip does not lighten hair - it is can and does stain my hair light blonde and cover my grey/white.

It might "brighten" your hair a bit but probably not much.

I have some natural copper tones in my hair - they seem less deep in colour than before - but that is probably because I no longer use products with any dark colours in them - my shampoo is light yellow.

When my hair was very dry - years ago - it tended to absorb FD&C colours from products not designed to deposit colour.

Stagecoach, my natural color is similar to yours, and catnip didn't change it. I wasn't using the catnip the way ktani does, though. She leaves it on for a long time to get the color, I just left it on for five minutes or so.

I got PLENTY of conditioning by leaving it on for only five minutes. In fact, my length became extremely oily after a week of so of using catnip for five minutes a day (I was washing daily, I never shampoo my length, just the roots/scalp, and I was using the catnip every day instead of conditioner). I was baffled at how oily it apparently was. If I were to use catnip regularly (too lazy right now) I should either shampoo the length, like ktani does, or not use catnip every day.

So, you don't need to keep it in for long to get the conditioning, and if you don't keep it in for long you also won't get a lot of color, if any.

Iris

Thank you Iris and Katini!!!

Stagecoach

When I first started using catnip, I applied it like conditioner in the shower and left it on, uncovered about 10-15 minutes or so - it did give me some colour but not a lot.

I had a build-up of linden tea on my hair at the time though.

I did not find that it made my hair that oily but I do shampoo my length every time - just by working the lather from my scalp down the length and squeezing it through the length and ends, not adding separate shampoo to the canopy or ends. I only lather once and do not use too much shampoo.

I find dilution does matter too - I started out with a heaping tsp to a cup of water then a level tsp to 250 ml and for a long while now - 1 level tsp to over 250 ml just under 300 ml of boiled water.

More dilution means less astringency and my hair does not get stringy - the lower dilutions did cause a bit of stringiness way back.

Okay, dumb question time. I have 8 cats. If I use a catnip infusion in my hair, will the furkids be into my hair all the time?

ColoradoDreamer

That is not a dumb question at all - it has come up several times before.

I have visited friends with my hair freshly washed (when any catnip odour would be the strongest, if it was there) and their multiple cats have not been interested in my hair at all.

When you do the infusion - the catnip needs to be covered.

When it is brewed, it has minimal odour.

When it is rinsed from the hair - there is no odour left in the hair.

This sounds interesting.. And if the cats are unaffected I think I'll give it a go! Having four cats rolling in my hair isn't the ideal situation. I do however need to find a way to prepare the catnipe behind locked doors. :p

MoonCreature

If your catnip is in a sealed container - you should be ok.

From the container to the mug - yes - probably a good idea to be cat free.

Once the mug is covered - you should be fine.

My next experiment is steeping the catnip until it cools down and not deactivating it into a second mug.

I want to see how that affects the colour.

I read on one site that you can steep it for 6 hours but that was for making it as a medicinal beverage - too long for me - cool down should be about 1.5 to 2 hours.

I will report back as to how that goes.

How do you all think catnip EO would work? I have some (super bug repellent, but pricey) and was wondering if a dilution of the EO would give the same split-resistance as a tea. Or is most of the benefits in the water-soluble components of catnip, you think?

birdiefu

An EO is much much stronger than the oil in a plant from what I have read.

I definitely think that all of the components of catnip working together, not a single one, give me the results I have gotten.

Hmmm. I just might have to raid the furkids' stash!

There is another reason I believe pet store catnip is better - quality control.

While bulk catnip was my first choice for a long time, it proved unreliable even though the store I bought most of it from is excellent.

Pet supply companies are in a very competitive field and need to ensure that the quality is there.

Aside from the pet food recalls of late I think that this does apply.

There have been enough human food recalls not to challenge that.

If a pet store does brisk business the catnip turnover should be fairly high.

But more importantly - a company's product better sell well and be good quality or it can very easily be replaced.

So, sealed containers, fresher catnip to begin with from companies who specialize in being in the pet supply market (quality control) and higher turnover = better catnip IMO.

One more point.

Pet suppliers specialize their catnip - you can buy leaves only, buds only, (the ariel parts with flowers), and cut and sifted leaves and flowers which I buy.

Cut and sifted leaves and flowers are usally cheaper and that is what I use and have used from the beginning - no need to spend extra money on the specialized, more expensive goods.

The flowers as I have said, contain more oils than the leaves.

I spoke with a catnip wholesaler a while back - a catnip farmer.

He turned out to be a chemist as well.

The catnip leaves contain the yellow dye itself, which is actually a tannin. Tannins are astringent.

The flowers, he confirmed, do contain more of the oils.

From icydove's report on using leaves only being drying, although she used about 6 times more than I use in a batch, I will still go with leaves and flowers mixed - I want colour and conditioning. The tannin leaf content, unbalanced by the leaves not being mixed with flowers, may account in some part for the dryness.

Catnip stems - useless, although there are 2 kinds - the ones from the leaves - small and fine and the larger ones - which should not be too plentiful IMO, in a mix.

What you prepare the catnip in.

I wanted to figure out the best, most herb friendly method.

From everything I have read on herbs, they should never be prepared in metal - stainless steel being the exception.

But stainless steel can react with acids. Catnip is acidic - pH approximately 6.

So, while I use a stainless tea strainer, I prepare my catnip in porcelin - bone china to be exact.

Bone china was a fluke - a dollar store find - but it turns out to be a bonus - bone china retains heat better than other porcelin and is lighter in weight - more convenient and easier for me to use.

For people in countries where pet stores do not sell loose catnip (in plastic containers or bags - same thing IMO) or the catnip you want, pet store catnip can still translate. I have seen catnip sold in tins (I am not sure how that would affect dried catnip) - not for me and it was priced outrageously.

Order online from a large pet store chain that ships internationally or a pet store supplier that ships to individuals.

I probably did not mention this.

When I make the catnip it is usually in advance - not more than a day or so but it does keep refridgerated up to 10 days.

Before I use it - I let it warm up to room temperature - I do not add heat.

The logic - that when I apply it for colour - I do not want the coldness to close the cuticle down even more than the acidity of it and not allow the colour to stain as much as possible.

One thing I have always done with a herb rinse, including catnip is shake it before applying it - catnip does not separate to my knowledge but shaking it is a habit for me.

I think my logic way back pre-catnip was to make sure that the oils are distributed evenly - in any case it cannot hurt to do it.

ok, so my local two pet stores did not carry fresh catnip, only dry stuff. I know we have a couple catnip plants on the property, but they are not growing yet.

So, I picked up some dried stuff.. but it claims to be very good quality, so we'll see how it goes. I'm gonna try and use it every wash for the next few months and see if it lowers my splits... I know I"ll notice within a couple months if it's cutting it for me.

I think what I'll do is braid my hair, and soak my braid in the catnip tea, the bun it and put a plastic cap over my bun, and leave that for about 1/2 hour.

Oh and I wanted to add, thank you Ktani for your detailed directions! They're a big help. :flowers:

Stagecoach

You are welcome.

I use dried catnip - cut and sifted leaves and flowers.

I have never seen it fresh anywhere I have bought it.

Sorry I left that out and you were confused by the ommission.

Oh ok, my misunderstanding! Well, I'm glad to know I've got the right stuff! I've checked it, and it has the flowers with it too! I can hardly wait for wash day to come around so I can give this a shot!

So you think if I made a very strong tea and mixed it with my conditioner that might do the same?