Catnip for split ends?

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Originally Posted by podo

I've been using catnip rinse for about a week now, and I can really see the results!

I decided to go all natural, so I whipped up my own shampoo and use the catnip tea as a rinse. With both of them, it doesn't feel like commercial products when I'm showering or when it's wet, but it dries MUCH more quickly, and once it's dry it's mostly tangle free (the tangles that are there are more from the shampoo).

My split ends are almost gone - my S&D sessions only last a couple minutes now, and I snip out split ends I missed before or kinks in my hair. It's no longer a case of cutting my hair one hair at a time! YAY!!

It doesn't seem to cover the gray though. I've only got about 6 gray hairs so far, but they're still gray - no blond or anything. I'm considering trying walnut to put some color back in, but one thing at a time!

The first time I used it I put it in and went to bed, and then kept my hair in a snood the next day because I didn't get a chance to rinse it out. By evening, it was almost dry, and seemed ok, though I probably won't use it as a leave-in. I do have some in my mister though, and mist my hair on the days I'm not washing it.

Excellent idea!! I wonder how someone thought of it originally?

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I have no idea who came up with this--but it is brilliant!

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Originally Posted by catfish

I've used the catnip tea (per Ktani's instructions) a few times and so far I really like the results. My skin is improving really quickly, and my hair feels about the same as when I used conditioner.

The only difference in my method of tea rinsing is that I don't bag my hair up, I just soak my length in the cup of catnip tea, then pour the leftovers over my head. I continue with my bath as usual then rinse well at the end. I found bagging to be a bit cumbersome and my hair feels pretty moisturized even though the tea is sitting on my hair (the same way conditioner does) throughout my bath.

I am using a tiny bit of coconut oil on just my ends, do you think the oil will block the catnip from treating my ends? I don't have any buildup at all and the oil makes my very dry ends a little nicer, maybe one day I wont have to use oil at all, just catnip.

Can I still use a little oil without ruining the catnip effects?:o
Thanks, catfish

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catfish

Try it and see.

From my experience, especially if you use my steeping method for preparing the catnip, by covering it and knocking the condensation from the inside of the cover back into the mug (on your finger), catnip has enough oils in it, not to need anything else..

If you prefer to use coconut oil, just do not use too much, as you have been doing, and make sure that you wash it out well enough, so that it will not block the catnip.

dor3girl

Catnip was recommended on the boards about 3 years ago now, for "strength and shine".

A few people tried it in various ways.

I tried it too and noticed the colour possibilities, researched catnip (it is known to yield a light yellow dye and it is safe to use) adapted, it for that, and pressed forward to get it to condition for me to completly replace conditioner.

The end result is far more than I could have wished for.

While I am not the first to have tried catnip on these boards, to my knowledge, I am the first to have thoroughly researched information on it.

The no split ends and reduced breakage were part of the result of continued experimentation on my part, for myself - to get catnip to replace conditioner altogether.

It worked.

Catnip rocks:rockerdud I wish I had known about catnip years ago:rolleyes: would have saved my skin a lot of rashes. I've only been using catnip for two weeks now and even though it isn't miracle stuff, my hair does feel the same as with conditioner, and more importantly my skin is not irritated by it, even the burned/recovering skin.:D

:bowtome: Big time thank you to Ktani and everyone else in this thread for the great info. :bowtome:

Question: The last six inches of my hair are still real dry and kinda crispy, will my ends improve with steady catnip use?

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Originally Posted by catfish

Catnip rocks:rockerdud I wish I had known about catnip years ago:rolleyes: would have saved my skin a lot of rashes. I've only been using catnip for two weeks now and even though it isn't miracle stuff, my hair does feel the same as with conditioner, and more importantly my skin is not irritated by it, even the burned/recovering skin.:D

:bowtome: Big time thank you to Ktani and everyone else in this thread for the great info. :bowtome:

Question: The last six inches of my hair are still real dry and kinda crispy, will my ends improve with steady catnip use?

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catfish

You are very welcome.

I do not consider catnip a miracle for my hair and skin - I consider it close, lol.

The last 6 inches of your hair - I had a similar problem for a while - build-up. The build-up gradually washed out.

I tried using less catnip on the ends - that seemed to help but what really made the difference and what I still do, is the bagged extra timing.

I found that to be the best.

Here is my reasoning.

While the lesser time still makes the hair feel good - the conditioning constituents in catnip are not designed, like those in conventional conditioners, to work in a specific 2-3, or 5-10 minutes.

They are the all in their natural raw form.

It takes more time IMO, for them to penetrate however much of the cuticle they are able to do.

All I know is that the bagging - body heat - and the extra timing worked, whereas using more catnip or less water, or less catnip on the ends, did not work for me.

I will tell you what the biggest difference is that the bagged extra timing of my catnip treatments does for my hair now.

I still have no taper when my hair grows.

It had been 7 months since my last trim.

I modified the Faye method and did it myself, successfully.

I just completed a very thorough s&d.

I had not done one in about 6 weeks.

While there were still no split ends, I do still get some white dots.

But they were the usual very small fraction of the amount I used to get, using conditioner or any herbal treatment that I tried.

I use to separate a strand of hair and go - "where do I start?"

Now it takes a good while to find a white dot, which is usually too faint to see clearly, except under strong light, and while wearing dollar store reading glasses, that are stronger than I need to read text (I bought really strong ones just for s&d's).

Ok, I don't think I've asked this question yet, and Ktani, please forgive me if you've already told me (though I'm sure all we've discussed is its use for hair), but what exactly does the catnip tea do for one's skin? And how is it applied - frequency, method (sprayed on, with a cotton pad?), etc.? :confused:

I have an oil-prone scalp and combo skin - oily t-zone (prone to break outs along and under the jaw which I understand to be hormonal, but rarely breakout anywhere else on my face), and somewhat dehydrated cheeks and areas outside the T. What can I expect catnip to do for my skin? And would it even be a good idea for me to use it considering my skintype?

TIA! :)

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Originally Posted by MermaidGirl

Ok, I don't think I've asked this question yet, and Ktani, please forgive me if you've already told me (though I'm sure all we've discussed is its use for hair), but what exactly does the catnip tea do for one's skin? And how is it applied - frequency, method (sprayed on, with a cotton pad?), etc.? :confused:

I have an oil-prone scalp and combo skin - oily t-zone (prone to break outs along and under the jaw which I understand to be hormonal, but rarely breakout anywhere else on my face), and somewhat dehydrated cheeks and areas outside the T. What can I expect catnip to do for my skin? And would it even be a good idea for me to use it considering my skintype?

TIA! :)

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MermaidGirl

No worries.

I use the catnip for my skin that is left over from the batch I use on my hair. I leave some aside specifically for that purpose.

So, it is a mild dilution.

My skin has always been and still is oily.

I find the catnip to be very soothing and softening and yet when I wash my face with it, and my arms, and neck in the morning (I shower at night), it removes my oil and replaces it with its own.

Right after I wash my face, my skin is soft but no longer oily.

I just put some in my hands, apply it well and rinse.

I do not time it or do anything special.

You can if you wish, (I have done on ocassion) let it sit for 30 seconds before rinsing, but most times I do not.

My skin feels great with it and as I have said, I have received compliments on the quality of my skin since I started doing this.

I had hormonal acne years ago but when I hit 30, my hormones settled down and I had changed my diet - less junk food, which now they say has litttle to do with acne but junk food does have more chemicals added, that I can do without.

If you change the catnip dilution from 1 level tsp to approximately 275 ml water, by making it stronger, it becomes more astringent.

I like using that dilution for both hair and skin.

In the winter, my skin no longer feels dry, and it used to feel that way.

I have never moisturized my face but I do wear a 30 SPF sunblock that has moisturizing properties, on my skin.

Even with that, my face used to feel partched in winter - no more since I use the catnip before I apply the sunblock.

I use it on my hands, the same way as on my face but in the shower, after I have applied it to my hair and that gets the same timing as my hair.

I have not bought or used hand cream in the time I have started using catnip on my hands.

podo

Walnut dye is toxic. Have a look at the research in this thread.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ead.php?t=5378

Catnip only needs to be left on the hair for about an hour, to add colour. I always rinse mine out.

But it will not stain over conditioner.

There could still be some on your hair.

I do not know what your all natural shampoo consists of, but if anything if it leaves a residue, that could prevent catnip from staining as well, IMO.

So I tried bagging my hair this evening:D I let it sit for about 20 min in the bag before rinsing well with water. It's wet now and I'm going to bed, I'll let you guys know if it makes a difference compared to just rinsing it through and then rinsing again with water.

Ktani,
Thank you so much for all of the info you have posted here! I just spent a few hours reading through everything and I am going to head to PetCo tomorrow to get some catnip. I think this is a great idea! I really don't enjoy S&D because it is frustrating. Thanks so much for posting all of your knowledge for us to share! I will keep you updated with my results!

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Originally Posted by Golden21

Ktani,
Thank you so much for all of the info you have posted here! I just spent a few hours reading through everything and I am going to head to PetCo tomorrow to get some catnip. I think this is a great idea! I really don't enjoy S&D because it is frustrating. Thanks so much for posting all of your knowledge for us to share! I will keep you updated with my results!

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You are most welcome.

Be sure to patch test though.

Catnip is non irritating but you could be allergic to it.

After leaving the catnip tea (bagged) on for the 20 or so min. last night my ends feel a lot better. The extra time bagged did help out:D

I'm curious though, do you catnip users rinse with catnip every time you wet your hair or just after a shampoo? :confused:

catfish

I am glad that you like the effect of the bagged timing for 20 minutes.

Now try leaving it on for 1 hour.

I use apply catnip only after I shampoo and then after 1 hour or so - I rinse it out.

I used catnip tea today on my hair. My hair came out extremely soft. It is like the texture changed. I liked it a lot.
I was excited to share the catnip with my kitty, but he had no reaction to it!

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Originally Posted by ktani

Walnut dye is toxic. Have a look at the research in this thread.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ead.php?t=5378

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Oh! Then maybe I won't try using it!

I'll try leaving it on for an hour and rinsing. Other than the first time I used it I've been just using it as a rinse, but since I wash my hair at night too then I can definitely rinse after an hour.

I may have some build-up, but I dunno. I haven't used cones in years, and I started using natural ingredients (home made mostly) for washing but I know that doesn't necessarily mean no build-up. I was using Black Soap, but decided I didn't really care for it, so I got some Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap and used Nanny Pauline's recipe of mixing shavings with water, only I used an infusion of burdock and horsetail instead of water. Works pretty good too, and the smell isn't too much. Makes my bathroom smell like a forest! Do you think it's leaving stuff on my hair? I tried a clarify treatment last night (mixed baking soda with my shampoo mix) so maybe that helped. I dunno.. I'm still too new at all this!

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Originally Posted by podo

Oh! Then maybe I won't try using it!

I'll try leaving it on for an hour and rinsing. Other than the first time I used it I've been just using it as a rinse, but since I wash my hair at night too then I can definitely rinse after an hour.

I may have some build-up, but I dunno. I haven't used cones in years, and I started using natural ingredients (home made mostly) for washing but I know that doesn't necessarily mean no build-up. I was using Black Soap, but decided I didn't really care for it, so I got some Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap and used Nanny Pauline's recipe of mixing shavings with water, only I used an infusion of burdock and horsetail instead of water. Works pretty good too, and the smell isn't too much. Makes my bathroom smell like a forest! Do you think it's leaving stuff on my hair? I tried a clarify treatment last night (mixed baking soda with my shampoo mix) so maybe that helped. I dunno.. I'm still too new at all this!

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podo

I would give walnut hull dye a pass. There are many safe herbs to try.

All soap leaves a residue.

That is why a vinegar rise is recommended.

That is also what very diluted lemon juice and citric acid rinses were used for, before shampoo, to follow soap washing of the hair.

IMO, you do not need baking soda to remove what is commonly called soap scum.

The vinegar and assorted rinses work fine.

I really need to start using catnip again. It gives me good resault, but since I CO, I haven't found a good order in wich to do things before (since I must put the co on my dry scalp 20 min before going to the shower). But I did some experiments yesterday and it worked good, so I'm going to introduce this to my washing routine :D

So far I've been having lovely results with the catnip tea:D I went out of town for the weekend and all I brought was a bottle of catnip tea. I used it along with WO and it worked great.

Funny enough, I am actually having better success with having the catnip on my hair for shorter amounts of time, not longer. I did do a long (20-30 min) bagged soak and it was lovely, but I have found that pouring the tea on my head and length, finishing my shower and then rinsing gives nice results and I can be in and out of the shower in 5 min.:p

I'm still struggling with dry crispy ends:( I have few splits and the ends are not damaged but are still dry. Will adding honey to the tea help moisturize? I am using coconut oil at the moment but it leaves my hair slightly stringy :rolleyes:

My skin is doing great:D No noticeable scars! Does hair keep improving with continued catnip use or will hair reach a state of health and no longer be affected by catnip?

As always, I am truly thankful for all info:flower: catfish

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Originally Posted by catfish

So far I've been having lovely results with the catnip tea:D I went out of town for the weekend and all I brought was a bottle of catnip tea. I used it along with WO and it worked great.

Funny enough, I am actually having better success with having the catnip on my hair for shorter amounts of time, not longer. I did do a long (20-30 min) bagged soak and it was lovely, but I have found that pouring the tea on my head and length, finishing my shower and then rinsing gives nice results and I can be in and out of the shower in 5 min.:p

I'm still struggling with dry crispy ends:( I have few splits and the ends are not damaged but are still dry. Will adding honey to the tea help moisturize? I am using coconut oil at the moment but it leaves my hair slightly stringy :rolleyes:

My skin is doing great:D No noticeable scars! Does hair keep improving with continued catnip use or will hair reach a state of health and no longer be affected by catnip?

As always, I am truly thankful for all info:flower: catfish

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catfish

From my experience with catnip, although leaving on the hair for shorter periods of time yields good results, the longer bagged timing - my minimum is an hour - it is better for the ends.

My ends stay soft - no more dryness and no - I have not noticed a limit with catnip.

But I do use the lather from my scalp shampoo on the length each time.

I am glad to hear of your complete skin recovery.

I love catnip for both my skin and hair.

please bear with the stupid questions!
1. i boil said amount of water and add said amount of catnip loose to water? (not in metal pan... got that part haha!) then i let sit and then strain? i'm not using it for a dye, only a split end cure/moisturizer...
2. i saturate my hair with it and cover then wash, right? can i do an acv rinse or a co wash?
3. can i do it as a wash/rinse? like part of a regular was routine?
sorry, i've read the whole thread but have never made my own infusions and didn't want anything to happen... :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

please bear with the stupid questions!
1. i boil said amount of water and add said amount of catnip loose to water? (not in metal pan... got that part haha!) then i let sit and then strain? i'm not using it for a dye, only a split end cure/moisturizer...
2. i saturate my hair with it and cover then wash, right? can i do an acv rinse or a co wash?
3. can i do it as a wash/rinse? like part of a regular was routine?
sorry, i've read the whole thread but have never made my own infusions and didn't want anything to happen... :rolleyes:

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nostalgic

I do not consider any question stupid.

1. Correct - the way I do it.

2. You have it reversed in order - I wash my hair first - then apply the catnip - bag and time it.

3. You can but what made the difference for me was the extra bagged timing - 1 hour in total or longer.

thanks for such a quick answer! about the washing: didn't i read that it can leave a sticky feeling behind? do i just rinse? i WILL grasp the concept.....!

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

... about the washing: didn't i read that it can leave a sticky feeling behind? do i just rinse? i WILL grasp the concept.....!

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Hi Nostalgic! I'm not Ktani, but I can answer the rinsing question for you. Yes, once you have done at least an hour with the catnip sitting in your hair under a bag, you rinse it out.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

thanks for such a quick answer! about the washing: didn't i read that it can leave a sticky feeling behind? do i just rinse? i WILL grasp the concept.....!

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nostalgic

Sticky was the wrong word actually and that applied only to leaving the catnip in, not washing my hair.

I had meant to say that with unrinsed catnip, my hair felt tacky.

I find that any leave-in, leaves my hair feeling that way though.

I just rinse the catnip out after the bagged timing and I am done.

MermaidGirl is correct.

Thank you MermaidGirl.

thank you both! i will probably be trying this tonight :D. and ktani, i was worried about that tackiness because my hair tends to show any product leave in too and i hate that feeling!

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

thank you both! i will probably be trying this tonight :D. and ktani, i was worried about that tackiness because my hair tends to show any product leave in too and i hate that feeling!

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nostalgic

I understand. That is why I always rinse the catnip out.

However, others in this thread have reported leaving it in and that it felt fine.

I do not like any leave-in and never leave the catnip in.

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Originally Posted by ktani

... Thank you MermaidGirl.

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You are most welcome, Ktani!

Well, I've been doing these faithfully for about 2 months now and I'm happy to report a drastic reduction in my split ends!

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Originally Posted by Stagecoach

Well, I've been doing these faithfully for about 2 months now and I'm happy to report a drastic reduction in my split ends!

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Stagecoach

Wonderful!

I am very happy for you.

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Originally Posted by Stagecoach

Well, I've been doing these faithfully for about 2 months now and I'm happy to report a drastic reduction in my split ends!

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Stagecoach, please tell us your routine, or rather, the frequency you do the catnip treatments. How many do you think you've done in 2 months? TIA!

Let me see. I dont' think I've changed anything in my routine for the past two months so here goes.

I wash twice a week, each time it's the same so I've probably done 16 (20 if you count the first few I did starting in April)

The night before my wash I make my catnip tea. I use 2-3 cups of water to 1/2 teaspoon of ground catnip. I use ground so I don'thave to bother straining the tea!

The morning I wash, I get up 1/2 hour early, detangle and braid my hair. I then thoroughly soak my braid in the catnip tea. Bun it with a hair stick and wrap a baggy around it.

I let that sit for 20-30 minutes. Sometimes it ends up being on there for 40.

I then hop in the shower and resoak my braid quickly, saving any extra tea.
I undo my hair, wet the scalp portion and apply SLS free shampoo from my neck up only. Work that in real well. Rinse, rinse, rinse.

Rinse with a mild ACV solution. 1 tablespoon to 3 cups water.

I then dunk my length into the cat nip tea again, swirl it around to ensure it's all coated, and pour the rest over my scalp. Rinse

I then apply Suave Tropical Coconut condish from my neck down. Let that sit barely 60 seconds and rinse.

Most likely I do not need the condish to keep my hair moisturized. But I love the way it smells, and I do like the way it leaves my hair feeling. It makes it more manegable.

Stagecoach, thank you for going into such detail with your routine. Catnip sounds interesting to use, I have been following this thread a bit and I think I am going to have to try it. If my hair could hold up to splitting better I could leave it down more. Where do you get your catnip from?

Yes, Stagecoach, thank you for the details of your routine, I appreciate the information. Sounds like you use a large container of some sort to hold your tea for braid dunking purposes. I'm looking for something like a small bucket that I can dunk my whole head in for catnip-coating purposes!

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Originally Posted by MermaidGirl

Yes, Stagecoach, thank you for the details of your routine, I appreciate the information. Sounds like you use a large container of some sort to hold your tea for braid dunking purposes. I'm looking for something like a small bucket that I can dunk my whole head in for catnip-coating purposes!

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I use a quart jar for my brewing and dunking. It works great for me.

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Originally Posted by CurlyOne

Where do you get your catnip from?

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I get mine from the pet store.

thank you ktani for all of your help! i tried this yesterday and... i think i liked the results. my hair was softer and i know it will take a routine to keep the split ends at bay... however, it's a little time consuming for me. it's a great treatment if planned ahead of time and done on a lazy day when i lounge in the bath.... i think i'll have a lot of trouble doing it regularly though.
oh, and as a random side note: cats DO like "catnip tea"! dbf thought it would be funny to put my newly brewed mug down in front of the younger one and he proceeded to dunk his face in! ... this is also the cat who dived into the petco bag as soon as i'd put it down and who will wrestle with the container (which has claw marks all over the top...). he's such a strange animal! the older one could care less what i do with it....
so, i think this is something i'm going to downright need as my hair gets longer but for right now, it's just an experimental thing....

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

thank you ktani for all of your help! i tried this yesterday and... i think i liked the results. my hair was softer and i know it will take a routine to keep the split ends at bay... however, it's a little time consuming for me. it's a great treatment if planned ahead of time and done on a lazy day when i lounge in the bath.... i think i'll have a lot of trouble doing it regularly though.
oh, and as a random side note: cats DO like "catnip tea"! dbf thought it would be funny to put my newly brewed mug down in front of the younger one and he proceeded to dunk his face in! ... this is also the cat who dived into the petco bag as soon as i'd put it down and who will wrestle with the container (which has claw marks all over the top...). he's such a strange animal! the older one could care less what i do with it....
so, i think this is something i'm going to downright need as my hair gets longer but for right now, it's just an experimental thing....

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nostalgic

You are welcome.

The tea is supposed to be brewed covered, to protect the volatile oils.

I have never had a cat interested in my hair when the tea is rinsed out.

Time can be a problem but IMO, it is worth it.

i did keep it covered (and tapped all of the condensation back in :D). dbf did this right before i hopped into the tub :rolleyes:. as i said... he's a strange animal ('ll leave you to decide if i'm talking about the man or the cat :p).
and after reading all of your expertise, i'm inclined to believe that's it great! but... i'm lazy :D. i'll probably do it once every week or two until my hair's a little longer... feels pointless trying out all of these new things when my hair's not even to my shoulders yet! i can't even see most of my ends to s&d hehe!

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Originally Posted by nostalgic

i did keep it covered (and tapped all of the condensation back in :D). dbf did this right before i hopped into the tub :rolleyes:. as i said... he's a strange animal ('ll leave you to decide if i'm talking about the man or the cat :p).
and after reading all of your expertise, i'm inclined to believe that's it great! but... i'm lazy :D. i'll probably do it once every week or two until my hair's a little longer... feels pointless trying out all of these new things when my hair's not even to my shoulders yet! i can't even see most of my ends to s&d hehe!

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nostalgic

Your cat sounds precious.

I strain the catnip after it has cooled, into a plastic shampoo bottle and take that into the tub.

Once a week should help you.