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My dad is a catnip importator. I have split ends. I think I see an opportunity here :p ! I will try it tomorrow.
I'm a full-time catsitter and have five cats at home though, so I will be the ultimate test as to whether or not cats will climb on your hair :D
There is nothing I don't love about this entire post.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bezumi
Catnip is easy enough to grow; I may have to try and find some.
Reporting on this : this worked soooo well for me !
The catnip we sell is pure buds, so that might have helped. After a clarifying shampoo, I bagged my hair in the catnip tea (I had let it steep for three hours). I left it bagged for an hour or so, then rinsed it out and conditionned. My hair was so soft, shiny and moisturized.
I loved it so much. No effect whatsoever on the cats, and I must have seen like, 20 cats that day. So I can safely say it's cat-proof :D
Can anyone tell me what kind of color effect this may have on my henna indigoed hair? I do a two step and I like it dark.
I bought a baggie of cat nip, made little tea bags and I want to make a batch and use it.. but I am a little nervous.
I hendigo my hair black and it doesn't affect the color.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rebeccalaurenxx
I am going to try this too. I usually get split ends around this length so I want to prevent them. If my cat smells catnip she gets really really aggressive, so I may want to steer clear of her while using it. I once sprayed a little catnip on one of her little toys, which is a little stuffed mini me cat, and she almost murdered the poor thing. But everything is fine now they made up! <3
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/3434/42Ry5l.jpg
Hi,
I have not heard about this remedy for treating split ends. Thanks for sharing this tip.
Awesome thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by TatsuOni
Dunked my hair/head in catnip tea post wash,
Baggied for approx 30 minutes,
Vinegar rinse, water rinse, 3 drops mo through length-
The softness/smoothness is off the charts for me.
Definitely a keeper.
I wonder if catmint does the same. We have nepeta x faassenii, which the cats love (neither are that fussed about catnip itself, probably because it's difficult to get it fresh here) and since its related to catnip, I wonder if I can use it for my hair too.
So lately I've been using catnip rinses and I have to say, I LOVE THEM. They are the only thing that keeps my hair soft, shiny and moisturized. For my hair type and porosity (low) it's hard to find products to make it shiny without buildup, but this is my holy grail. I wash my hair every other day and use this in place of conditioner. Ktani's original recipe was a little too astringent for me so I now use 400 ml water (2 cups) to 1 tsp catnip. I also add rosemary and parsley. So far I'm loving that I am now making all of my hair products myself. I plan on playing more with dilution and ingredients in the future.
I also have low porosity hair with similar problems with build up. Almost everything builds up on my hair! There is a tea blend I like to use occasionally that has catnip in it...always makes my hair soft...you've rekindled my interest in trying catnip by itself!Quote:
Originally Posted by likelikepenny
I'm very interested in your tea blend as I'm always looking for new ways to improve. What do you add to it, if I may ask?Quote:
Originally Posted by CoveredByLove
Sorry, I just saw your reply!Quote:
Originally Posted by likelikepenny
Ive been using a tea blend made by Celestial called "Tension Tamer". Here are the ingredients: eleuthero, peppermint, cinnamon, ginger, chamomile, lemongrass, licorice, catnip, natural lemon flavor, hops, vitamins B6 & B12. I love this tea. It has a tingly/refreshing sensation on the scalp and I don't need additional conditioner.
I just tried straight, pure catnip tea on my hair for the first time. I bought it in tea bags. Each tea bag had approx 2 tsp of tea. So I steeped it in 16 oz for 30 minutes, to keep the dilution correct. I didn't use any conditioner. I poured all of it over my scalp and hair, gently squeezed out excess and left it in. My hair is now completely dried and CRAZY curly right now! I LOVE it!!! And it's super soft too, like a lot of other people reported.
In comparison to the tea blend I was using, pure catnip makes my hair curlier (which makes me happy). The tea blend has a more smoothing effect. My best guess is because chamomile and some of the other herbs contain resins and build up on my hair. (But my hair is very build up prone to start with)
I'm looking forward to seeing how pure catnip tea does for me long term! :D
I'm really interested in trying this tea blend now! I love the brand and my hair loves peppermint and chamomile as well as catnip. Definitely gonna check amazon and see if I can get one day shipping :DQuote:
Originally Posted by CoveredByLove
This sounds interesting. I have some dried catnip I grew last year so I'll have to try it next time I wash. Would love to get more curls and softness without buildup
I want to try this but im SO lazy.... Can you make a large batch and use it slowly over a period of a month or so?
I wouldn't unless you freeze it. Tea usually only stays good for a few days.
Bahhhh. *sleeps on couch for 3 days straight*
I reeeeeally need to try this!
What does the rosemary and parsley add?Quote:
Originally Posted by likelikepenny
Me too! One of my cats likes to hug my head anyway so I don't suppose this will make too much difference in that respect... Need to sort out the split ends though, as per username.
Rosemary and Parsley darken hair and add shine. Chamomile is a substitute for light hair if you don't wish to darken.Quote:
Originally Posted by PixieP
I'm curious to find out more about catnip tea rinses. I'm on the look-out for rinse/water based regimes, as my hair just can't seem to handle cones or oils without mega greasy build-up.
The title of this thread says catnip is for split ends, but I don't have split ends. Does it help with moisture? And what does it smell like?
When I was doing a liquid based/diy hair product regimen, I used ACV or green tea as my cleanser and catnip as my conditioner.Quote:
Originally Posted by lizardspots
Catnip helps prevent split ends but it also strengthens the hair without making it "hard" like a protein treatment would do. Earlier in the thread ktani says that because of the particular tannins in the tea, it doesn't build up. It's very moisturizing for dry hair without being greasy.
Deep treatments with catnip is even better. Spritz your hair with the solution, wear a shower cap, and leave it on for 30 minutes.
The smell, well, it smells like herbs? :shrug: I began adding parsley to mine which gave it almost a "sweet" scent.
I definitely recommend you try it, it's great for skin as well. Let us know how it goes if you decide to try it.
I tried it today, not sure I did it right?
I warmed water (a little over 3 cups) to nearly boiling, and put in a generous teaspoon of catnip (and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon for scent). Put it in a plastic container with a lid and left it there for almost 4 hours. Then I strained it.
I wet my hair and put a load of cone-free conditioner in to detangle, rinsed that, shampooed with a cone-free sls shampoo, rinse. Then I put my lengths in a bowl and poured the catnip tea over my head (so it gathered in the bowl and soaked my lengths). Poured it back into the cup and over my head again, repeated 5-6 times with a minute or so between each round. Lightly rinsed my hair and left a tiny bit of coney conditioner as leave-in in my ends.
My hair is soft, but I'm not sure I'd say it's softer than with regular conditioner? And it was way more frizzy. Also I usually do an ACV rinse after conditioner to make my hair less tangly and I really felt the absence of that. But I can't do two rinses, can I? And can I use conditioner AND catnip?
In order to get the effectiveness of the catnip, it's done before adding conditioner. It is possible to use both as long as conditioner is after the catnip.Quote:
Originally Posted by PixieP
I use both ACV and catnip when I do my treatments. Catnip first to treat and prevent split ends, then ACV to close the cuticle. In your case, you can wash, catnip rinse, condition, ACV rinse.
Today, I used my catnip rinse to make Flaxseed gel, instead of using just water. I also added 1/4 tsp. ACV. I can't wait to see how my hair feels tomorrow.
Thanks! I'll try that next wash :)Quote:
Originally Posted by likelikepenny
Actually, today my hair is softer than it's been in a looooong time!
Glad to hear it :cheer:Quote:
Originally Posted by PixieP
I'm in the process of trying this right now, Vesper and Tracy (my cats) love me now because I almost never buy catnip.
Has anyone tried catnip essential oil? Any thoughts on if I could use this on its own to oil my ends or if it would be a bad idea (cause dryness/ build up/ need mixed in a carrier oil)?
I'm not sure if it would have the same benefits as the tea rinse for split ends but I would assume it does, I can't find any info on the oil being used on its own!
You would definitely need to use a carrier oil (if you're not big on the heavy oils, you can dilute it in lighter oils like grapeseed, almond or argan), it would likely be too irritating and strong to use on its own like most essential oils. I don't know about its effectiveness preventing splits, but you can definitely use it in your hair; I'm pretty sure I've seen Nightblooming use it in some of their oil blends. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonineMane
I would search the thread for it. Ktani mentioned it in the beginning pages of the thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonineMane
I did a rinse with fresh catnip leaves, fresh rosemary and chamomile tea yesterday and loved it! My hair seemed so happy. I've heard that it's recommended to use both the flowers and the leaves, but our plant doesn't seem to have any buds, maybe because my two cats chew on it. :) Does anyone have thoughts on this? Sorry if that topic has already been covered, and I know it's been a few months since the last post.
From what I remember when I was on the catnip train a few years ago, it was important that the flowers were also there because they contained the most oils. I really can't be sure though. I'm glad you posted though, it brought this thread back to my attention and might be something I want to try again.Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaAnna
Here you go SeeAna, bumping up this post from the original catnip expertQuote:
Originally Posted by ktani
I might try this come summer. I planted one tiny catnip plant in our garden several years ago and it spread far and wide... Catnip completely consumed the yard :/ However now with this thread giving me inspiration I might finally have a use for the stuff! LHC to the rescue once again haha.
The same thing happened to me, Cheniaa. I started with one small catnip plant, in a huge pot even, and it ended up escaping and consuming all of the area it possibly could. I'm a huge fan of mint plants though, so I really can't complain too much. None of the neighbor cats seem to complain either. I might have to see about putting it to use for my hair as well though.