Quote:
Originally Posted by veryhairyfairy
Thanks for doing this, I always found catnip in the traditional way made my hair dry and tangly too. I'll definitely be trying this as a spritz for dry hair!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by veryhairyfairy
Thanks for doing this, I always found catnip in the traditional way made my hair dry and tangly too. I'll definitely be trying this as a spritz for dry hair!
I've been sitting in my first catnip rinse for at least an hour now and, after reading the results of the Hairy Fairy's experiments, I'm not sure if I should even bother to rinse out the catnip tea? I just don't feel like dealing with my hair when wet, in general. I was mostly worried about the stickiness factor and planned to also test out using the tea as a leave-in next week. Hm...Quote:
Originally Posted by veryhairyfairy
From what I understand Ktani's method suggests to cover hair with plastic (saran or old plastic bag etc) for the hour , and not just letting it dry in your hair . For rinsing I think ktani rinses. that's what i've been doing her method seems to really work with my hair.
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/20...oaches-to.html
I've been a catnip addict for years using Ktani's method and wouldn't want to give it up now as the results have been wonderful. In the beginning I did experiment with not rinsing it from my hair but my hair felt sticky and unnatural. However, I know there are others who do leave it in their hair and have been pleased with the results. I'd say experiment and see what works for you.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by alishaxmarie
What'd you end up doing and how did it turn out?Quote:
Originally Posted by alishaxmarie
The way I've been using it as a leave in is to spray it into dry hair until just damp, so it's not like I'm soaking each strand in catnip tea. I've done this a couple of times now and I really like it! :)
I recently started catnip as conditioner, I found that it was softer if I didn't rinse the catnip out and just let it air dry.
Well I prepared 1 tsp of catnip to what I think was about 8 oz/237 mL of water (in a metal tea ball might I add) and let it sit (covered by a small plate/saucer) until it was about shower temperature because I'm impatient :) lol. Most of the tea is in a spray bottle I have in the fridge, but I had originally planned to rinse out the portion in my hair. The results are super soft and super shiny hair which has taken forever to dry! :rolleyes: I bagged it for maybe 30 minutes but decided to braid it after that because I had company. My hair then remained braided for several hours and then in a bun for several more. I just put it in a french twist-braid and parts of it may still be a bit damp after nearly 24 hours. However, the weather is really wet and cold (but nowhere near freezing) here in Florida and my hair does take forever to dry when it's up.Quote:
Originally Posted by veryhairyfairy
Other benefits: added slip, feels thicker and smoother, and my ends look very healthy/moisturized.
Glad to hear it worked for you, alishaxmarie! Did you do your normal wash routine and just add in the catnip leave-in, or did you use the catnip instead of conditioner?
I still haven't tried using catnip tea as the water phase in my conditioner yet... I'm wondering if the heat necessary to dissolve the conditioner pellets will evaporate all of the good essential oils away.
I need to buy some more, I just used the last of my tea and yesterday the Butt-Butt Twins (my two cats) got into the 'nip and ate it all!!! It was old, though, so now I'll have fresh stuff.
I need to get a spray bottle.....maybe I could spritz my roots with the catnip when I'm not doing a full on soak. That stuff is very cold if it's been sitting in the fridge
I recently decided to get serious about using catnip again, and I am really pleased with the results. Last week I did a cassia treatment, and decided to use it to jump start my catnip experiment. I brewed my catnip tea (2 batches, I use 2tbp per quart mason jar), clarified my hair, squeezed as much water out as possible, then dunked the length a couple of times into my tea and poured the remainder over my scalp and crown. I did not rinse out.
I air dried for about half an hour until my hair was damp instead of soaking wet, then applied my cassia. I used my second batch of catnip tea as the liquid element of my cassia treatment, and I think it REALLY made a difference. After leaving the cassia on for roughly two hours, I did a mermaid soak, followed with a brief shower rinse to get the remainder out. It rinsed out much easier than it has in the past, and felt smooth and slippery in the shower. While I had my cassia stewing on my head, I had brewed up yet another batch of catnip, so I used that as a final rinse. Again, I did not rinse the catnip out, just let it dry on my hair.
On my next wash day I shampooed with my non-SLS herbal shampoo and followed up with the catnip tea only. Again I did not rinse out. I've been detangling in the shower right after I dump the tea on it, and letting it drip dry. It feels a little odd about halfway through drying (kind of crunchy and coated, as others have mentioned), but once it is dry I have tons of body, a decent amount of slip and lots of shine. I've been lightly oiling with a little bit of avocado oil when it is nearly dry. I'm quite pleased, and I'm really hoping that my good luck continues with this. I would absolutely love to pare down my routine to gentle shampoo, catnip, and a light oiling...and it looks like it just might happen!
I honestly just did it out of the whim of wanting to try the catnip since I bought it on Thursday :gabigrin: So, I didn't even wash my hair lol but I CO anyway. I'm CO washing right now and then I'm going to try a flat beer rinse even though I know I shouldn't try so many new things all in one weekend. I have Suave Naturals Coconut conditioner in my hair as well as whatever is left of the catnip tea (since I never rinsed it out) and I'm going to rinse after I drink my random 3-in-the-afternoon coffee lol, it's like a DC with catnip added! :) I would use more catnip today but I'm at my SO's apartment and didn't bring my spray bottle that is full from the other night.Quote:
Originally Posted by veryhairyfairy
How quickly did you long-term catnip users notice a difference in your hair's breakage? Was it a gradual decrease or did you suddenly realize one day that you didn't need to S&D as often as you once did?
I'd say it was gradual. I used catnip as treatments and as part of mixed herbal tea leave-in for over a year, maybe a year and a half. I wasn't sure it was really making any difference. Then a month or two ago I ran out, and didn't bother to buy more at first. I'm fairly certain I've been dealing with a good deal more splits since shortly after I ran out than I was used to dealing with before. I bought some fresh catnip the other day, and used it as a part of my leave-in today. Hopefully I'll notice a difference again soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by alishaxmarie
As I micro trimmed off the frazzled ends they didn't get right back worse like they normally do. They were progressively better. It seemed like every time I trimmed 20 splits off maybe only one would come back. Which for my hair this was amazing!!
I ran out a few months ago and my ends are back to being hideous. I can absolutely tell the difference between when I'm using catnip and when I'm not. My hair needs it!
I just started cat nip rinses, I've probably done only 5 so far (ktani's method), I can't really tell if there is a difference in splits but I'm starting to notice my greys are going a bit yellow which is good . i mainly started this cat nip rinsing to stain my greys , but I notice my hair is quite silky too.
I noticed the difference from the first batch—it was like my breakage just halted! I did a 4.75hr steep with a 1 hour treatment under a cap. Want to do another soon! I've only done two...not so much for splits but for strength in general.
Learning experience...if you leave catnip tea in your bathroom for 2 days uncovered, it gets pretty rank. Ew.
I definitely want to try this! So, if I understand everything correctly, is this what I'm supposed to do? - I buy catnip in a pet store, let it steep (put it in a pot on the stove--making it hot but without boiling the water, is that what 'steep' means?) for 30 minutes, soak my hair (and scalp?) in it and lastly rinse it out? The next time I go to town I will definitely look for it. Are there different kinds of catnip, and a certain kind I should be on the lookout for? I read something about the actual dried flowers being the best to use...?
Generally, it is suggested to use a combination of the stems and flowers but I suppose what's best really depends on what you're using the catnip for? From Ktani's blog: "The buds (flowers) contain more oils and the leaves and stalks more tannins (the yellow stain from catnip is a tannin), and the best place to purchase catnip is a pet store or pet section of a larger store, where organic (if possible) pet catnip can be found. It is fresher and better quality than health food store or bulk catnip."Quote:
Originally Posted by Wosie
You steep catnip like you would any other tea (or coffee even). Boil the water and then remove it from heat. Pour the hot water in with the catnip and then strain the catnip out of the tea once it's cooled. I steep mine in a tea ball but you could use a french press or a coffee filter or some other straining method. After it's cooled, you apply it to all of your hair but it's up to you if you want to rinse it out or not. Try experimenting but many users(such as Ktani) suggest that you let it sit for at least an hour.
Thanks a bundle, alishaxmarie! I would use the catnip for prevention against split ends. What other properties does it have? I read somewhere that it can stain your hair (yellow)? Do you reckon buying the buds would be enough, or should I buy a mix of leaves and stalks as well?
I have a tea ball, so that'd work perfectly. I'll make sure to come back to this thread and write about my experience after I've tested it out. :)
Just wanted to give an update - I've been using catnip exclusively to condition my hair, and I continue to be happy with it. I've detailed my method in the last couple of pages. Another benefit that I'm noticing is a serious decrease in shedding. I used to shed massive amounts in the shower with conventional conditioner, regardless of how careful I was to limit contact with my scalp. Now, I shed maybe 15-20 hairs per shower (down from well over 100). Also, my hair has a lot more body, and my waves are more defined with this routine. I use avocado oil as a leave in and to oil between washes.
For those that are new to using catnip you might be interested in reading Ktani's original Article which was on the old forum before it went down. Here is a link to the Archived article http://web.archive.org/web/201112211...&articleid=118
I found Ktani's recipe from the archived forums here two months ago, that's how I learned about catnip rinses. I don't keep it for an hour as Ktani does, I wash it out after using it as a final rinse.
I need to get back into this! My butt-butt twins (cats) found and destroyed my stash of nip, but I should be able to afford some more now.
I used it as a spray on leave in, and had great success the three times I tried it.
It'll be interesting to see how adding catnip to my hair routine again affects my strands now that I'm using "homemade" conditioner. I feel like the catnip made my hair feel as good as my new conditioner, so I wonder if I'll even notice a difference...
I did a catnip rinse today. I used ktani's proportions of 1 tablespoon into 300 ml of water. Previous catnip rinses, I only steeped for 5 hours, and I don't think that was quite enough time for my hair.
Let my catnip steep overnight, strained it and poured it into a squirt bottle. I shampooed my hair, including sudsing up the length and squirted the catnip over the entire thing. I clipped up my hair, and put a plastic bag over it for an hour. Rinsed it out in the shower.
I was surprised how easy it was to comb my hair when wet after just having the catnip as a conditioner. I didn't use any mineral oil to leave in my hair this time, but I wished I had. My hair seems a bit more tangly than usual, but it also looks way thicker than it has been in a long time.
So, I've tried this method a couple times, now. When I leave it on for an hour, following the original instructions, it leaves my hair feeling/looking kind of greasy. Any suggestions?
So, first off - I am in love with catnip. My new favourite thing. I've been doing leave-in, love my hair now, hate it without it. I've also been Making a shampoo mix of catnip tea, a scoop of baking soda, and two drips of my old organic clarifying shampoo. That's been working well.
So my question is this:
What are your thoughts on catnip as a leave - in after an apple cider vinegar rinse after shampooing? I'm no chemist, lol and am not familiar with the properties/ph levels/residues involved. I just know the couple of times I tried a baking soda shampoo followed by ACV rinse, I loved how the vinegar left my hair feeling soft and smooth. I love how it feels now with catnip, I'm just curious to know if I might get it doubly as nice if I used both. Perhaps that's greedy. Lol.
You might want to brew it for less time. Ktani I think said in her blog posts that longer steep time for catnip was attributed to more moisture.Quote:
Originally Posted by synchrostatic
Are there any pictures of the effects of catnip on the color of naturally blonde hair?
I have been using catnip on my neutral dark blonde hair for the last two weeks. I haven't seen any discernible color change yet. I think my hair looks a bit lighter actually now, because I'm not using conditioner on the hair above my ears anymore. I am just using catnip, and a bit of mineral oil on the ends.
My hair photographs strangely in my bathroom (my sig pic is an example). My hair doesn't appear that red in real life, it's really a dark neutral blonde. I am not able to take photographs of my hair by myself anywhere else but my bathroom for the moment.
So I re-read ktani's proportions and it's a teaspoon and not a tablespoon. Oops! Next time I wash, I'll be using the correct dilution.
Hey all, I got myself some more catnip and have been using it all week. I loove it! :crush:
I use the recommended dilution (1tsp in ~300ml water), and I steep it for 5-8 hours.
I'm using it as a leave in styling spray (usually just use water) on dry hair and I really love what it's been doing for me. I've been using it probably once a day, and noticed no stickiness or buildup in between washes (3-4 days). I did soak my hair in the tea a couple of times, and THEN there was some stickiness while it dried (but I think it went away when it had been dry for a good 8 hours). I know that the next time I washed my hair after soaking it in catnip, it felt super slippery when it got wet.
Some benefits I've noticed in the last week:
SHINE! (Oh my goodness, the shine! I've had a lot of difficulty getting my damaged ends to look even a little shiny, and catnip helps)
Detangling! (not that I'm very tangle prone with 24/7 updos, but there are definitely less to comb through now or they're easier to comb out, either way)
Softness! (dry, damaged ends are much less brittle feeling)
Hold! (If I style my hair when it's damp with catnip, not only do those crazy frizzies take more time to show up, but bun and braid waves look almost heat set.)
No comment yet on splits, but I've been regularly S&Ding my braids, so I have a baseline to reference.
I finally had a chance to try this, in addition to changing the dilution to 450 ml, and it worked fantastically. My hair is so soft and silky. I love it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanilla
Thanks so much!
I guess now my question would be, how would this work with co-washing? I know some people do it, but I was wondering if you needed something like a cleansing conditioner otherwise the catnip might not work as well over it? I'm fine using a non-sls shampoo with it for now, but since I'm a curly, I was considering trying out co-washing again.
Hello all, so I'd like to try this catnip rinse since my hair seems to get splits if I look at it wrong.
I have read ktani's article but there are still something I don't get so I wonder if someone could answer a couple of silly questions
Firstly, how often should this treatment be done? Once a month? I wash once a week if that helps. I do not want to stain my hair or anything, I'd be doing this rinse purely for it's split-battling abilities.
Do you have to keep it in your hair for an hour or is that just if you mean to stain your hair?
If I only want to avoid splits, should I steep it less time? I read some people say that steeping less was better if your hair tends to get greasy.
Ruzovy,
From what I understand, Ktani does it every time she washes, so if you only was once a week, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.
I think you're supposed to keep it in your hair as long as you can if you want the full conditioning properties, though I know some people do it for much less. (I do it for about 40 minutes.)
And yeah, I tried adjusting the steeping time and dilution because my hair was getting rather greasy from it.
My hair has been pretty dry since I switched to shampoo bars/ACV, but I'm reluctant to go back to buying conditioner. Brewing some catnip again to see if this helps!
I am using catnip for a couple of weeks now.
The way I do it should be qualify as “catnip soak” instead of “catnip rinse”, I guess.
I put my dry hair in a high ponytail and then soak the entire ponytail into the bowl with catnip tea.
I do a wet bun and keep catnip in my hair for an hour, more or less. Then I CO.
I notice a lot of shine! My ends feel less dry and my hair is also easier to comb out. :D
Butterfly,
I'd love to know if you end up seeing a difference in split ends! Please keep us updated!
Just an update on my use of catnip tea as a leave in styling spray:
It's still awesome!
:lol:
I use it every day, probably about 2-3 tablespoons of the tea spritzed all over my hair. I haven't noticed any help with my (first EVER) dandruff, but the catnip may take some time to do it's magic (and I'm not spraying my scalp very much).
The one caveat is that too much on the roots leads to piecy looking over moisturized roots. I don't find it to be too troublesome because it looks very different from oily/dirty roots to me.
It's only been a few weeks, but I think my weekly S&D of my braids for the last two weeks have been noticeably less splitty. I haven't done a full S&D since before I started using catnip, maybe I'll take some time this weekend and see what's the haps.
Lol, I feel like I did when my Gran first told me about coconut oil; I'm amazed that a single product could make my hair so much nicer, and I want to tell everyone I know in real life about it!
veryhairyfairy - I've been using your spray method. Absolutely drenched my hair yesterday and sprayed it again today and I cannot believe how soft my hair is! I'll definitely be keeping this up :D
I tried doing a catnip rinse today. I shampooed as usual and also shampooed down the length because I had coconut oil on it. Then I poured the rinse (it was still warm) over my head. I let it sit for a minute and lightly rinsed with water. I did not use conditioner.
Verdict: My hair hates it. I probably did everything wrong. I used 2 big pinches of catnip to 1 cup of water and let it brew for 30 minutes. I did not let it cool down. I did not let it sit for a long enough time.
The thing is, I am not keen on leaving hair cold and dripping wet for such a long time. Would the spray method for better for me?