You are most welcome! Thank you for the kind words.Quote:
Originally Posted by wahmof9
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You are most welcome! Thank you for the kind words.Quote:
Originally Posted by wahmof9
To Those of you who grow their catnip:
I've just recently (a couple weeks) planted some catnip seeds, and they are starting to sprout up! I was wondering if you had any particulars for your care and maintenance of your catnip plants. I wanted to start them off right. :)
I know that the plant itself can easily grow big and take things over, so I doubt it will be hard to care for, but I wondered if anyone had any care rituals specifically for the catnip plants.
I forgot to update on the results of my latest directed application (pouring out small amounts of catnip into my hand and applying it to sections of hair), where I used less catnip than usual. No problems, at all. I was out in the wind yesterday with my hair loose and when I came back home, 0 tangles. I just smoothed my hair out with my hands, gently separated my waves and that was it. Less really is more with catnip, for both the dilition and the application for me, in terms of conditioning!
Originally Posted by Ishtarthemis http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...s/viewpost.gif
Ktani thank you so much for replying - I'm very new to forums so I didn't know how to make sure you saw my post NOW B4 you got off line. 1. I boiled it w/ chamomile & lavender; even if the catnip is useless, can I use the tea for anything else (lightening from chamomile), or did I kill all useful properties of the flowers? Just want to know if I should throw it out, or use it for a lightening rinse, etc. 2. Also, what oils after coconut are best for hair (I was impressed by the info you posted w/ links to scientific articles backing up your info.), and do they come close to coco, or are they all way inferior? 3. I just bought some ayurvedic oils which use sesame as a base (maybe almond too - can't remember - not mineral oil though). One use overnight and washed out next day w/ shikakai, neem, lotus, amla...my thigh length curly hair was so shiny the next day that my roomate commented on it. Takes alot to get curly hair so shiny! Sorry for what I hope is not "hijaking" but am afraid might be...I am pressed 4 time and rarely have time to go online like this. Thanks sooo much 4 your time and energy and thorough research!
You are most welcome.
First, Welcome to LHC!
1. It is useless for lightening. I would pitch it unless you just want to drink it as a beverage.
2. It depends on what you want the oil to do, condition? Both coconut and argan oils can do that and be absorbed but argan oil can make the skin sun sensitive so try coconut oil first. Camellia oil is a nice conditioning oil but it is not absorbed like coconut oil is into hair. No other oil absorbs as well as it does, as far as I know. Argan oil is pretty close. You can overnight oil with it and wash it out in the morning.
3. Different arurvedic oils do different things and there may be individual cautions for each. Sesame oil can cause allergic reactions, so watch for that over time.
just wondering if anyone has ever tried grinding the catnip finer and making a hair pack?
Someone did use catnip powder in a dilution ages ago (I have never seen it in that form) but catnip becomes more astringent the more concentrated it is from my experience, so I would not recommend that, offhand.Quote:
Originally Posted by ratgirldjh
Ok, catnip only shampooers, my turn for questions, lol.
Now, catnip cleansing qualities are somewhat limited. It cannot remove vegetable oils or other coatings well, based on reports.
How does catnip only shampooing leave the hair feeling?
1. Is it easier to manage?
2. Is the hair smoother?
3. Is the hair shinier?
I find using it as a second shampoo is easier on my scalp because I need to use less shampoo (even though I have no problems with my shampoo but I need to use more of it when my hair is oilier, with my own oils). I have not tried catnip only as a shampoo.
I am not going to condition with it at the same time if I have already left on it for an hour, the time before I try this (used following shampoo). I am going to try this anyway but I would love some feedback, please. I intend to try it as a shampoo, rinsed straight out, with no timing whatsoever and nothing else used, to follow it. My logic is this. Catnip removes skin oils and my silicone based sunblock. It has removed excess hair oil, when use as a second shampoo, with no dryness. Even nail polish removes dried nail polish, if applied and then wiped off immediately. So this should work. The conditioning benefits of having left it on previously for an hour, should be unaffected by this.
ETA: By using my direct application method (using catnip in small amouts repeatedly on sections of hair), I get the same colour coverage and conditiong with half the catnip I used to use and my length does not get as oily as it used to, by the time I need to wash my hair again, if I let my hair go longer, between shampooing.
This thread is big! wow!:thud:
I am a catnip newbie :D
I am very sorry if these questions have already been asked :flower:
* How does catnip work? How does it help the splits?
* Where can I buy it in the UK?
* Would it work as a vinegar rinse? So I can use it with shampoo bars?
* Can you grow it in the garden? Or would it kill all my pretty flowers?
* Are there any health dangers using it? such as rosemary being bad for high blood pressure etc
Thank you everyone :flowers:
No apologies necessary. I wrote a catnip article, that should give most of the information, including the only cautions I know of except not to drink too much of it. It can make one a bit drowsy (it has sedative properties for humans but is non toxic). I always post cautions on herbs/plants. In this case, because I recommend catnip, I have posted my research about it from the beginning (I am not sure it I did that at the beginning of this thread but from the beginning of when I first posted about it, and several times, in this thread).Quote:
Originally Posted by janeytilllie
As to where to purchase it where you are? A pet store.
It may not work as well following shampoo bars as a vinegar rinse. It is not as acidic. You can use a vinegar rinse first, then catnip.
Yes it loves gardens but from what I have been told it can take them over, lol.
Thank you for the information article and link :flower: I will have to try catnip :D Thanks again :)Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
You are most welcome. I edited my post to you to fix poo bars to shampoo bars (for non English language speakers and add a bit more for you) while you were replying to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by janeytilllie
:) Thank you. If I can't find it in the pet store, I will try my garden centre for it :) Thank you again :)Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
This place has it. The brand I currently use is Hagen Catit catnip.Quote:
Originally Posted by janeytilllie
If you try the garden centre, buy Nepeta cataria, common catnip. This will tell you about the different species. Common catnip is not catmint but the names are used interchangeably.Quote:
Originally Posted by janeytilllie
Thank you :) the price is really good! :cheese:I will definitely invest in some :D Thank you again for your help :flower:Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
Yo are most welcome. I just added the species information, to the Article. You do not have to buy Hagen Catit catnip. I just like it and it is organic. It is reasonably priced here in Canada.Quote:
Originally Posted by janeytilllie
I'm sure this has been discussed in this thread, but I have two large catnip plants, can I use the leaves fresh, or do I have to dry them first?
I checked the article and it didn't say anything about using fresh leaves.
I have never seen fresh catnip for sale. I think that you can use fresh catnip but use the buds too, before they open at all. They contain more oil than the leaves. Drying catnip just lets you use it out of season. It blooms between June and September.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldaran
My husband and I grew it in our mini greenhouse, so it grows in my house all year long.Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
So I'd follow the instructions for using the dried leaves then? How much catnip do people usually use?
A number of people follow my dilution but it is based on dried, cut and sifted catnip leaves and buds, 1 level tsp to just under 300 ml of boiled water. That dilution seems to work for more than just me and is great for sensitive skin and dry hair.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldaran
I have not done a thorough s&d for months and months. I am in the middle of one now, taking breaks to rest my eyes, going through every section of my hair. My hair has not been catching on itself much except lately (I have been hurrying my hair washes and not smoothing the ends carefully afterward). So far, I have found 1 tiny split end and about 3 knotted hairs. Not bad for about 6 months of not looking for anything. I do have a bit of breakage but it is nothing compared to what I used to find before catnip.
ETA: This is the really weird thing with catnip. I can tell from some white dots on my ends, that the hair has broken. but the hair does not split, even when the white dots are higher up on the hair. I know that white dots and splits are different but white dots can lead to split ends. Other than that tiny one, this does not happen to me, with catnip use. I could tell from my growth that I did not have a breakage taper, just a growth taper and this confirms it. When I use conditioner and do an s&d, I would look at a section of hair and say to myself, "OK, where do I start first." With catnip use, I have to look really hard for white dots. I am using a bedroom lamp that has really good light and wearing 325 magnifying glasses that are too strong for me to read text with.
Ok, done! I did find one other "split end", a hair that was split in the middle of the shaft about half way up. It looks like it had been there for a while. I haven't seen any split ends in over 1.5 years so I do not consider this that significant, out of the thousands of hairs I just went through. I have lowered my conditionig timing every so often and I have been experimenting with catnip again lately. I may stop doing that. My old routine of just shampoo and catnip has worked very well for me before. I may still try just a straight catnip shampoo as planned or I may not. I did seem to notice a bit more drag to my hair with using catnip as a 2nd shampoo. More stress on the hair can mean more problems. The directed catnip application was part of my old routine as well. I just may continue to use the old amount of catnip, not less, as I have been doing more recently.
I was just reading the thread about what do people do with their white dots and someone posted this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by kdaniels8811 View Post
I use my catnip tea soaks and my split ends have dissapeared. Seriously. I took a photcopy of my ends just to make sure I was not missing anything and they are seriously gone. I ponytail my hair and soak the ends in the tea twice a week, put a plastic bag over the wet hair to keep it from dripping. Leave on for a half hour.
My hair used to not grow, it broke off and split and no expensive treatment or trims could keep it from happening. So I really feel the catnip made a huge difference.
So now I am curious about the catnip stuff. Gonna have to start reading this thread. Is catnip something you can find at walmart? Does anyone have a link of what the package looks like? I won't ask any more questions till I read some.
Oh one more thing what is the difference between a white dot and a split? Or are they the same? I don't cut or trim at all so this may be a good thing to try.
Beldaran, be my catnip growing guru! Will you help me and my baby plants, please? :o I know that catnip can stand about anything, and can go out of control easily, but I was wondering if there was anything in particular I need to do for my plants (currently potted and will likely stay that way for a while) to make sure they stay happy as they grow? (I have been growing them from seed for a few weeks now, in tiny planters to start them off, and will transplant when I'm not too scared of killing them.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldaran
As for the dilution of catnip, I follow ktani's main method and use about 1 tsp to 250-300 ml (I eyeball it mostly, bad me!) and let it steep. If I'm making it up as a mix with something else, I sometimes make it a tiny bit stronger. (ETA: this is for my dried catnip, I have not yet gotten my baby plants big enough to experiment with fresh. In fact, I'm going to be growing more from seed soon.)
I'm not sure if it will be at every wal-mart, but I have found it at both wal-mart and at some dollar stores, like Dollar General. It is likely not as fresh that way, but they DO often sell organic. You could also go to a pet store, likely they have fresh catnip. Here's a pic of the kind I found at the dollar store a while back:Quote:
Originally Posted by plainjanegirl
Ok pic not showing up, one minute and i'll repost it.
ETA: Got it showing up!
ETA: Forgot to say, white dots are usually some form of breakage on mishandled hair, before it begins to split (which it does not always do.) I see you don't trim, but do you S & D, and if so, do you use actual hair scissors that are sharp enough?
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...ipbagone-1.jpg
janeytilllie I use catnip and CV shampoo bars. I use the poo bar and then mild vinegar rinse and then I do a catnip treatment. Sometimes I do a quick rinse just like with vinegar. Sometimes I put catnip on my hair and leave while I wash myself. Sometimes if I feel I need more conditoning I will soak my hair in catnip and leave it over night. I rinse in the morning and my hair is wonderful. With all of these treatment I have had detangling success. The longer I leave it on the more conditioning I get.
I also sometimes soak my braid tassel in catnip and leave it until the next wash. It does seem to build up and eventually my hair will look greasy if I do not rinse.
ETA It rinses out easily with plain water!
plainjanegirl I use Cosmic Catnip. I steal it from my kitties stash lol. It comes in a round plastic container but you can also find catnip in baggies. You can find it in almost any grocery store, Walmart or pet store in the cat section.
Honey Geek
How do you use catnip on your face and what does it do exactly? :)
Well, I'm trying the catnip thing again. I haven't really stuck with it, because I haven't gotten this amazing slip that people rave about. My hair tends to come out feeling un-conditioned instead.
Has anyone else experienced this, and does adjusting the dilution (stronger?) help? I'm currently using Cosmic Catnip from the petstore, and I had been using the recommended 1 packed teaspoon in ~275 ml, according to the graduations on my beaker mugs.
I use one level teaspoon to a full cup of water. I tried using it stronger, but it made my hair less slippery and my comb caught on the hairs more often. You might want to try a weaker solution and see if that works any better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anje
Honestly we grew some outside last summer and provided you don't have friendly rabbits eating it, it should grow no problems with little attention and regular waterings.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nynaeve
Right now my husband is growing all kinds of other hydroponic plants (we just had the first 2 red cherry tomatoes from there, they were awesome) so he let me plant some catnip for the cats in his system. It's obviously a weed, but the leaves on it are so huge due to the nutrients it's being fed.. it's a little crazy.
Anyway, it grows like a weed and if you have what you would call baby plants instead of seedlings, I'd say you should be good to go from here on out. Make sure you keep the soil moist and it should be just fine.
The best dilution for me is 1 level tsp catnip to just under 300 ml of boiled water, details here. Bagged for 1 hour after shampooing, gives me the best slip and conditioning. I am just going back to that.
Catnip does not build-up but lower dilutions or using too much on the hair at one time or too little, does not seem to be as optimal with results, as finding the right balnce to use and staying with it.
For skin use, I just apply it, no timing and rinse. I have also reapplied a bit and left it on after rinsing. Both methods work well on skin.
Timing? The longer I leave it on my hair the better the results. However, I have slept with it on at lower dilutions and the results were not as good as just leaving it on for an hour at the higher dilution (the one named above) and rinsing it out. IMO, sleeping with a catnip treatment on is not necessary.
A white dot is hair breakage. A split hair is a hair shaft that is exactly that, split. White dots do not necessarily result in split ends.
For the record, I have tried catnip; with glycerin added, acv added, oil added, sprayig it on and leaving it in, using lower dilutions, sleeping in it (bagged) at lower dilutiions, using it rinsed out at higher dilutions, and using it straight as described in the article.
My results after almost 4 years are best, using catnip straight, bagged for 1 hour at the dilution and with the method named in the first paragraph of this post and the article, and rinsed out.
Anje, Try a higher dilution. I experimented a bit and its amazing how the tiniest change can affect the slip with catnip.
If you are not getting slip with 275 ml. Try a tad more water and work your way up untill you find the right dilution for you. I too find that if its not diluted enough it is more drying then conditioning.
I have had great luck with leaving it on over night . I think its a very individual thing. I actually started leaving it in overnight out of lazyness lol...The first time I used catnip I soaked it and bagged it and an hour later I was ready for bed and too tired to rinse it out. The next morning I rinsed it out and my hair was awsome!! So it was really by accident that I found my hair loves catnip overnight.
Mostly I use it as a rinse and only leave it in while I am in shower. Once a week or so I do an overnight treatment.
Yes, catnip does respond to slight changes. That is exactly what I found. There is nothing wrong with leaving it on overnight. It is just that it is not neccessary if it is left on for an hour all at once. By using it for less time and then sleeping with it on, you are making up the time difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Suldrun
I assure you, they are seedlings, I just love them enough to call them "baby plants" since I was so excited about them actually germinating. :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Beldaran
I keep being afraid I'm not watering them enough or too much since they're still so tiny.
btw, Thanks SOO much for the advice! :cheese:
Ktani, why do you have to enable me so? Now I have to try some sort of catnip compress or something on my face!! :justy:
You do not need a compress. Just pour some into your hands, run it on your face and rinse it off. That's it. And my pleasure!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nynaeve
I have also left catnip, at my current dilution, on my hair longer than 1 hour. It did not seem to make a difference to the results. What does make a difference with catnip, from my experience, is bagging it and the 1 hour. Hair can only absorb so much of anything at one time. With catnip, continued use with the method and dilution named, made the difference for me. Catnip results get better over time.
Let's just say I'm glad I have lots of catnip dried and waiting for me to attack. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by ktani
I guess I need to be a nice furmomma soon and ACTUALLY make my kitty a catnip toy....
Oh, by the way, I was talking to some friends recently who like catnip tea, and I found it amusing that their infusion had just about the same dilution as your hair recipe! :p
Cool! It just so happens to be what both my dry ends and sensitive skin prefer. My face loves it and my hair ends are no longer dry!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nynaeve
Catnip is a miracle "weed." Happy Hair, Happy Skin, and supposedly it has a ridiculous amount of health benefits when used a s a tea! It's like the Herbal version of ACV or something. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by ktani
It is not a miracle, but it is safe, (there is the pregnancy/brestfeeding caution), it works for me and it is as close to perfect as I can imagine. My breakage is mechanical damage. My hair right now is just a few inches short of my waist, which is not a goal length for me. I am taking that as it comes. My hair though has never been healthier, or stronger.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nynaeve
Kroger/Fred Meyer's catnip in the bulk herb section is excellent.
It may well be but I have found pet store catnip to be better than any bulk catnip I tried. It is fresher and more potent. It also (it would depend on the brand) contains more buds.Quote:
Originally Posted by ljkforu