I was very surprised and flattered and appreciative, when I read them. My only 2 are "natural blonde colour" and "skin moisturizer". I rarely read tags.Quote:
Originally Posted by hennaphile
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I was very surprised and flattered and appreciative, when I read them. My only 2 are "natural blonde colour" and "skin moisturizer". I rarely read tags.Quote:
Originally Posted by hennaphile
Quote:
My hair is thicker, not because I have suddenly sprouted more hair folicles. But because with catnip, I no longer have any breakage taper.
This is my hope as well. I am sure that breakage along with split ends is the reason I have never been able to get my hair past my waist were it has been for years. I am already noticing an improvement and I when I measured my hair yesterday after, 3 months, I had just over 1.5 inches of growth which for me is a miracle. DH jokingly said Catnip must be acting like fertiliser for hair.;)Quote:
That is just FANTASTIC. I am so excited to get to the point where I have no breakage! I hope and pray to get there!
My hair growth rate was pretty good pre catnip. A former stylist once challenged me when I told him my hair grew about .75 inches a month, so the next trim, he measured, lol. I was right.Quote:
Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv
The difference is my hair ends between trims, pre catnip, always wound up looking ratty and I did not try to grow my hair longer than just past shoulder length. I was determined to stabilize the breakage and split end problem first. I did and no one was more surprised than me that it was catnip that did it. I had no idea when I started to use it, that it could do any such thing. It was just persistant experimenting on my part with it, that resulted in my current hair's condition (current being quite some time by now). I believe that my growth rate with catnip is improved as well but I do not measure my hair length exactly. I am just surprised every time I have been trimming it, that it has grown so fast. I do not have a goal length. I am taking it "an inch at a time", lol.
If your growth rate was .75 inches each month a while ago goodness knows what it must be now!Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
The ends of my hair always looked ratty due to breakage and I was sure that my hair had stalled as I was getting hardly any real growth. I trimmed off 2 inches of the ratty ends in May so I was really surprised that it had grown nearly 2 inches since then and the ends certainly don't appear to be as ratty as they were. I intend trimming about 1/2 an inch at the end of the month just to keep the ends looking neat but at least when I do that I'll probably have even closer to 2 inches of growth.:D I've no real goal length but I'd certainly like to see my ends looking thicker.:)
Growth rate was never a concern for me. Quality of growth was the concern.Quote:
Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv
Your profile and avatar pics are the same and to me, your ends look great. It sounds as if you are making progress. From my experience, be patient. Catnip use improvement can take time but it depends on what is on the hair, timing and method etc. You sound like you have that well under control. Congratulations on the progress you are seeing now. It feels good, I know.
Thanks ktani for the reminder about the henna. I did my last henna on July 8th so I think it's a good time to start the catnip rinses. I hope so, becuase I sit here with wet, catnipped rinsed hair under plastic wrap as we speak! I got the Cosmic Catnip brand and my cats are, as usual, going wild. So I think that bag I got at Wal-mart must have just been old or something.
I plan to do two rinses this week and then post something.
You are most welcome! Good luck!Quote:
Originally Posted by mugglemomof3
I will be concentrating on school work projects and enjoying my school break over the next 2.5 weeks but I will still be checking in on threads.
Good luck to everyone with catnip! I will still answer questions, if anyone has any, for me.
I finally did the full hour soak and I am just completely totally impressed! :cheese: WOW. Up until now I had just been doing rinses with very minimul results and couldnt figure out how it could be so conditioning. I definately saw results after the soak. My hair was so conditioned I didnt need anything other than the catnip and it felt like I gained twice the thickness. Im am absolutely sold on catnip now. I cant believe I waited so long to give it the real go. I wish I hadnt wasted what I did on the rinses.
In a post earlier someone said you could keep it in the freezer? Does it stay fresher longer that way?
Thanks...very grateful for this thread! :flower:
I found the timing key as well as bagging it, as I have said.Quote:
Originally Posted by LaurelSpring
Better late than never, lol. I am glad that you finally got the results you were after.
Freezing it is a good option. I have never done that and my catnip has kept extremely well in a cupboard, away from heat, light and moisture.
I believe 2 things about catnip and the timing. Its percentage of conditioning constituents require longer timing to be absorbed into hair, and body heat helps that, with bagging.
At the start of my experimenting, though I saw improvement with my hair, only when I increased the timing and started bagging the treatment, did I get the results I have now.
Pleased to hear we have another convert. As already said its the timing and bagging that does the trick and produces the best results. Once you experience the results you can achieve by using catnip this way you will not want to stop.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by LaurelSpring
I guess that means I am enabliing catnip conditioning addiction, lol, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv
Definitely! http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/.../biglaugha.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by ktani
I think the problem before was that I left it on for a half an hour unbagged, and it must have just evaporated as I noticed no results. I'll try it again soon :)
You will see results with repeated usage of catnip soaks. At least, that is what worked for me!
That is the way it has worked for me. Timing and bagging proved to be key for optimal results.Quote:
Originally Posted by kdaniels8811
I have not said that catnip is guaranteed to prevent split ends for anyone. I have only reported what it has done for me and that I know it has prevented split ends for my hair. I have said that catnip use gets better with time and that it can prevent split ends. I stand by that.
I took issue once (privately) with someone who stated that it was impossible after stating (also privately) that catnip works like silicone. I thought they had misread or misunderstood something I had written (with no reasons given though science was hinted at, along with mysterious experiments they did that were never detailed, and that I should just "trust them"). I edited the Catnip Article to be more clear and thanked them, thinking that if they had misunderstood how catnip works from something I wrote, others may as well.
They then implied that anyone who claimed that they had no split ends was lying. I considered that to be the height of hubris and said so (again privately). That turned out as I hear but did not read, (I have seen quoted parts of it) into a semi-public issue I want no part of, period. People who use areas of these boards to indirectly attack others and use inaccurate information to do so, are not people I want to deal with for any reason, period. I had said good luck and goodbye in a final pm prior to this, clearly stated as such. I did not contact any mods on this topic nor have I heard from any mod on this issue. There was and is no need, as far as I know. Everything between this person and I was said privately, and ended the day before the issue was raised semi-publicly.
People who comment on private correspondance with an inaccurate version, make false accusations, and others who make judgments on information with knowing only one side of a story are not those I give any credibility to, whatsoever. I have edited my "friends" list accordingly. I obviously have a different definition of friend, than some people. Oddly enough, those just deleted, remained on my list throughout this. I monitored that from the time I heard about it.
Okay, I'll admit. I was a huge skeptic. I was skeptical while I was making the tea, and even more so while I was sitting around with it on my head for an hour in a shower cap.
But oh my god, I’m not a skeptic anymore. When I rinsed it out of my hair, my hair felt awesome. I used a tiny, TINY blob of conditioner just because I didn’t yet trust catnip enough to go without, but I don’t think I really needed it. I even went to bed without using a leave-in conditioner.
In the morning, my hair was still silky smooth. When it finally dried completely it was a bit poofy, so I don’t think I can go without a leave-in, but still. The catnip was really good as a conditioning agent.
From skeptic to believer – I’m sold! I’ll have to sit down and come up with a chart of hair treatments and how to fit them all into my regimen. But catnip is definitely getting adopted into it.
LOL, the "poufy" hair I think is just your hair not being weighed down by conditioner, even a light one. Catnip conditions without weight, from my experience. It sounds from your results, that you did not have enough of any residue on your hair to prevent catnip from being absorbed into your hair. The little leave-in you did use should wash out easily with your next shampoo, I hope.Quote:
Originally Posted by simone_rodrigue
I am glad to hear that you are pleased.
I went cone and sulfate free about 3 weeks ago. I don't think I have any residue left from my coning days. I use AO Calaguala Fern Treatment shampoo:
INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Soap Bark Extract, Yucca Root Extract, Carrageenan, White Pine Bark Extract, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Calaguala Extract, Cade Wood Essential Oil, Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Aubrey's Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).
And AO Honeysuckle Rose conditioner:
INGREDIENTS: Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile, Yarrow, Chrysanthemum, Angelica, Forsythia and Magnolia; Honeysuckle Oil, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).
The leave-in is still up in the air, but I've been filling the gap by using the conditioner or some coconut oil. I'm now trying Karen's Body Beautiful stuff, all of which have vegetable wax as the only waxy ingredient in it. Nothing that won't wash out with shampoo in one wash.
So ... yeah. I don't think I had anything to prevent the catnip from being absorbed into my hair. But that's good, right?
I've learned now that no matter how tasty my hair feels after catnip, I have to use a leave-in, and preferably one good at detangling. My hair was so light and fluffy that it tangled a lot more easily after a catnip treatment than I remember it doing in a while. Of course, previously I was using cones, so ...:D
I put in bold the things I know that can leave a residue. I suggest trying a vinegar rinse after the shampoo, if your hair has tangled that much. I get no tangling at all following my shampoo and catnip.Quote:
Originally Posted by simone_rodrigue
Try using less leave-in each time, but go by how your hair detangles. Catnip does tangle when there is residue on the hair from anything, as I remember.
Yes, it is good not to have any residue so catnip can access the hair more. I think from the tangling, that you have some but not a lot.
Okay, so you suggest shampooing, then apple cider vinegar rinse, then catnip treatment?
What shampoo do you use, that leaves no residue? I'm not married to my shampoo choice.
1. Only if you continue to use the shampoo you listed. Yes, shampoo, vinegar rinse to help remove residue, then catnip.Quote:
Originally Posted by simone_rodrigue
2. I use a sulphate shampoo I import, Sunsilk Lively Blonde Shampoo I get from http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatalog/Sunsilk.html
It has one cone but I get no buid-up from it at all. I have used the newst formula for over 3 years now. I love it. With shipping it works out to something like $20 a tube and a tube lasts me over 6 months. There is no equivalent Sunsilk shampoo in North America. I prefer the European formulas. They contain less film formers.
Thanks for the tip! I'll try that next time. I don't want to switch to sulphate shampoo, as that tended to make me shed a lot more and increased the breakage I experienced. Also, I use only non animal tested products, and sunsilk is made by Unilever, so I can't use it.
No worries. I have used other shampoos but my problem is a sensitive scalp. I shed very little with my shampoo but you should find a non suplhate one that can work as well. I am sensitive to certain additives, including some fragrance oils.Quote:
Originally Posted by simone_rodrigue
As long as an ACV rinse will get rid of the residue I seem to have left in my hair, I'll stick with the shampoo I'm using. I really appreciate the tips! I might be back for more later. :D
It should help. You should be able to tell by the tangling how well the vinegar is working. The more you use catnip and the longer you leave it on, bagged, the better it gets, in terms of results, from my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by simone_rodrigue
There is a difference between white dots and split ends but a white dot can result in a split end. Mine do not since my catnip use has improved, from a good while back. I know my white dots are from mechanical damage. I have found hairs with more than one white dot on them, from the hairs catching, and my not having done an s&d in a while.
When I was recently briefly, experimenting with catnip "shampoos", and then a catnip treatment, and the treatment was not being absorbed into my hair as well as following conventional shampoo, I was just starting to see split ends again and my hair was knotting. Since going back to my regular routine, of conventional shampoo followed by the catnip treatment, I have not seen any split ends. I think the difference is a matter of dryness. Catnip as a treatment, bagged and timed, keeps my hair balanced with moisture and protein and breakage does not result in my ends getting frayed and split.
A white dot is actually breakage that can but not always, result in a split end. I still get a few white dots but they do not result in split ends (I have found them between long times between s&ds (search and destryoy or snippong off ends and they have not resulted in split ends) and I used to get split ends, with no white dots on them.
"Trichorrhexis nodosa is a defect in the hair shaft characterized by thickening or weak points (nodes) that cause the hair to break off easily.... The hair actually grows but is broken before it can become long. .... the defect often appears at the ends of the hair shaft with splitting of the ends, thinning and whitish discoloration. .... This condition is self-limiting. Improvements in grooming techniques and in environmental conditions will correct the abnormality."
"Hair disordersSymptoms of hair shaft disorders are split ends and hair that is dry, brittle, and coarse, as well as skin and other abnormalities."
"Definition of Trichorrhexis nodosa:
Trichorrhexis nodosa is a problem in which thickened or weak points (nodes) along the hair shaft cause your hair to break off easily. .... Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Your genes may play a role in whether or not you develop trichorrhexis nodosa. Certain things you do to your hair -- such as blow-drying, over-brushing, perming, or excessive chemical use -- appear to trigger the condition. In some cases, trichorrhexis nodosa may be caused be an underlying disorder such as hypothyroidism, argininosuccinicaciduria, Menkes' kinky hair syndrome, Netherton syndrome ...."
Thank you for these links. I have had a difficult time in convincing my best friend that my individual hairs are weak (and different than hers). She is able to grow long and strong hair with no babying or care whatsoever and claims that all these things that we do here at LHC are just hogwash. I used to have better hair but do suffer from hypothyrodism and think that's my main problem. I also apparently suffer from this "Trichorrhexis nodosa" !Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
I've only been able to do one catnip soak but have another in the fridge which I hope to do tomorrow. My hair did feel great after the first soak, and I have full faith this will be one of the greatest things I can do to strengthen my hair from this point on - thanks to all those who have gone before me! Thanks again
You are most welcome! I was just editing for clarification and adjusting text while you were posting and I added this.Quote:
Originally Posted by mugglemomof3
"When I was recently briefly, experimenting with catnip "shampoos", and then a catnip treatment, and the treatment was not being absorbed into my hair as well as following conventional shampoo, I was just starting to see split ends again and my hair was knotting. Since going back to my regular routine, of conventional shampoo followed by the catnip treatment, I have not seen any split ends. I think the difference is a matter of dryness. Catnip as a treatment, bagged and timed, keeps my hair balanced with moisture and protein and breakage does not result in my ends getting frayed and split."
I do not know if you saw this, but genetics plays more of a role in hair strength, than most people realize. I posted this in the peroxide thread because the topic there is conventional lightening and colouring chemicals, and preventing as much damage as possible when doing those processes.
Very interesting link. I'm sure my problem was Trichorrhexis nodosa as my hair would break very easily and I believe that the breakage certainly contributed to my splitends. I am sure that is why I have not been able to grow my hair past waist length before. I also brushed my hair twice each day. I washed my hair once each week and used a hairdryer only on a low heat setting. I stopped brushing as soon as I joined LHC and have put the hairdryer away. I've been doing catnip rinses now for 3 months and rinses combined with other changes have certainly made a difference. I'm noticing far less breakage, my hair feels better and its growing. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by ktani
Fantastic! I took out the word more before frayed, because my white dots just stay as they are or the hair breaks but fraying implies split ends, and with my regular routine I do not get split ends. Wording is a delicate thing, lol and I do not want to be misleading. I have finally after many years, been able to grow decent looking hair long, with catnip use.Quote:
Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv
This is so cool!
The many names of hair of hair breakage, from The Trichological Society, in Britain.
Split ends has its own name, Trichoptilosis but it/they can also be the result of Trichorrhexis Nodosa (white dots). And the difference is dryness. I thought so. And my breakage is from mechanical damage, as I thought too, knowing my limited routine (conventional shampoo and catnip tea, no leave-ins, no added oils). I wear my hair down and loose over 98% of the time (it is 2 inches from my waist, pulled down).
My white dots no doubt do look frayed under a microscope but I had no problem finding split ends quite a long while ago now in general, or a little while ago, during my brief experimenting with catnip as a shampoo. I wear 3.25 magnifying glasses to do an s&d, lol. I had not found split ends prior to that, in a very long time, nor have I found any, since I went back to my regular catnip routine, even though I still get a few white dots. The difference I believe, is that catnip moisturizes and strengthens my hair, when used a certain way (bagged and timed for 1 hour). I have proven that to myself. Naysayers please note: to "myself".
I added the last post above, to the Catnip Article, as well as this post, and this one.
Ktani,
I would like to experience the benefits of catnip but bagging my wet hair for an hour is out of the question; that would never fit into my lifestyle. Do you think I could get some benefit from adding catnip extract to my cone-free leave in conditioner? I found catnip extract at my health food store.
You can try it and it may help but optimal results? No, IMO. I do not think it will do much of anything at all used that way and it depends on what is in the extract. Some contain alcohol. Catnip does not play well with conditioner in any case, for the best results, from my experience but you may get something good out of it. It may add more slip but it will not be absorbed into the hair as an addition to a leave-in. Most leave-ins contain film formers of some kind. I never found catnip all that helpful as a leave-in on its own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Canarygirl
When I first experimented with catnip, I just applied it after shampooing and left it on for the duration of my shower (having washed my hair first). That did produce results but I still had breakage and split ends. I also had a lot of build-up on my hair at the time.
I kept experimenting, trying catnip as a leave-in too, following using it as a conditioner in the shower.
Over the course of all of my experimentation I have observed that catnip needs 3 things for optimal results for me.
1. Direct access to the hair (no build-up or coatings on the hair)
2. Bagging (body heat helps it get absorbed into the hair as much as it can be)
3. Timing (approximately 1 hour bagged and timed)
Once hair has been fully saturated with catnip and rinsed off (like with a catnip shampoo), its own oils prevent more catnip applied after that, from being fully absorbed into hair.
Catnip applied as a leave-in on freshly washed hair would not have the advantage of body heat to help absorption, like bagging.
I noticed right away when I first tried bagging the treatment that body heat was a missing element that improved results for me.
The dilution also helped but that is more personal as some people have more or less sensitive or dry scalp and hair than others but my dilution (1 level tsp to just under 300 ml of boiled water or about 10 oz), seems to work well for others, as reported here.
Ktani, I do have a question: if I use green tea as a wash or rinse prior to applying the catnip, will it interfere with the catnip absorption?
Excuse me if this has been asked before. I've read the entire thread, but most of it was awhile ago, and I wasn't interested in using green tea then, so if it was mentioned, it didn't stay in my head. ;)
OMG! I just read all 168 pages of this thread.... it took me 4 days to do so :thud: but, I think it was most worth it.
First of all, Kudos to Ktani for all the excellent guidance and all the others who experimented and posted thier successes and failures.
I did my first catnip treatment yesterday and as skeptical as I was I was VERY impressed with the results. I steeped my catnip for 8 hours, strained it and then refridged it because I had no plans on washing my hair that day. The next day I took the concoction out of the 'fridge to warm up a bit (that ended up being about 4 or maybe even 5 hours) and then I hopped in the shower, shampooed my hair with AO Honeysuckle Rose shampoo, rinsed, and then squeezed the excess water out of my hair and dunked my length in the catnip several times then I bagged my head and went about my other showerly duties. I only had the stuff on my head maybe for 5 - 10 minutes then I rinsed. I didn't use any conditioner or leave-in conditioner afterwards.
Well.... my hair detangled easy and as it dried it was SOOOO soft. Even the next day it was still the same (usually my ends get dry the next day, but not this time).
One thing I want to point out, tho, is I just had a major trim so most all my splits have been cut off already (you can see my album for what happened to my hair and what it was like pre-trim if anyone is interested). I really want to see if the catnip can keep me free of splits and breakage.