Catnip for split ends?

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Originally Posted by Kazazi

I have tried catnip and cassia together a few times now. It has been fine. I have to admit to not having experimented very thoroughly with catnip on its own though, so I cannot really compare the effects.

When using catnip alone, I didn't do very much for me, so for the time being I stopped faffing with it, planning to revisit it later. But since I have to mix the cassia with something I thought I might just as well use catnip. My current cassia routine is as follows:

1) Wash hair, normally with sulfate shampoo on these occasions (for other washes, I also often CO or use non sulfate shampoo alternatives).

2) Apply honey lightnening treatment, close to the instructions in the honey thread, ie I mix 1 part honey with 4 parts water and let sit for one hour before applying, but as I haven't got any distilled water at the moment I just use boiled and cooled tap water.

3) Bag and let sit for about one hour. In the meantime, mix cassia with catnip tea and a glug of olive oil.

4) Apply this mix to hair that still has honey mixture in it, rebag and let sit for another hour or so.

5) Rinse, condition, finished.

I get nice results from this, but as I said I haven't systematically investigated all components of this routine separately so couldn't say which ingredient or technique does more or less good. It was more of a case of combining the treatments that interest me in such a way that I can give them a shot with minimum time and effort involved, avoid any of the known clashes (like adding stuff to honey or applying conditioner before catnip) then cross my fingers and hope for the best!

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Interesting experiment!

For the honey lightening just increase the dilution to 1 part hoey to 6 parts water to get the new dilution 1 tablespoon honey to 6 tablespoons (distilled water preferably) minimum.

Catnip contains iron and other minerals and is not recommended for honey lightening, but by adding it in the 2nd hour, most of the lightening should have already happened, if it is going to in any case (with your honey and chosen water).

I don't have any fancy equipment to make tea from loose herbs, so how can I make the tea with just a simple pot? I'm starting to get a lot of split ends, so I'm really looking forward to some tips. But making the tea seems so complicated!

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Originally Posted by PaddedPushUpBra

I don't have any fancy equipment to make tea from loose herbs, so how can I make the tea with just a simple pot? I'm starting to get a lot of split ends, so I'm really looking forward to some tips. But making the tea seems so complicated!

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You do not need fancy equipment or a pot. It is not a complicated procedure but I use care to make sure that it is done in a way that I consider proper and hygenic, and to ensure consistency.

You need an inexpensive tea strainer or a teaball. I use a stainless tea strainer (about $3.00), a stainless (*stainless is optional) 1 tsp measuring spoon, a bone china mug (bone china is optional, from the dollar store), a demitasse saucer (any saucer will do), a creamer (easy pouring) and a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup.

Boil the water (stainless kettle for me), measure out the catnip (I steralize the mug, saucer, Pyrex and tea strainer each time with the boiled water) measure out the catnip, add to the mug, measure out the water, add to the mug, cover with the saucer, steep untill cooled or longer, if you wish.

I empty the mug into the creamer (through the tea strainer) and tap condensation from inside (underneath the saucer) into the creamer as well and then use the creamer to pour the cooled tea into a washed out plastic shampoo bottle, through the rinsed out (tap water) strainer. I either use the tea right away or store it in the fridge, to use later.

I use a bigger plastic strainer to empty the tea strainer (before rinsing it, to use again to use with the shampoo bottle) and mug, that I gather the dregs from, with a paper towel and discard. I then wash out everything used, except the Pyrex because it only gets boiled water in it.

I've been mixing my cassia with the catnip tea every time I do cassia. I also added a dollop of honey, EVOO, ACV and lemon juice into the mix. The honey and the EVOO help the cassia rinse out easier, and the ACV is to help the color stay on gray hair. I've liked the results. I am also diluting my shampoo in catnip tea as well. It saves money on shampoo and seems to be less drying on my hair than straight shampoo. The hair will feel kind of dry and texturized when it is still wet, but if you let it dry, then it feels soft and silky.

Some times I do a cassia "gloss" by putting in just a teaspoon or two of cassia in with the catnip tea. It is like pouring very runny silt into your hair. I like doing that because the cassia can reach more parts of my hair when it is very runny. My hair seems shiny and more golden when I do that. Again, it feels texturized and almost hay-like when wet, but really nice once it dries.

Tonight I tried catnip for the first time. I used it in my cassia mixture instead of chamomile. I used four catnip tea bags (Alvita brand) in a cup of boiling water, which I let steep for about 15 minutes.

The first thing I noticed was how much creamier the cassia was when I mixed the catnip tea in. Usually it takes a lot mushing and stirring for me to get the clumps to smooth out, but this time it mixed easily (and this is the second half of a bag I used the last time so I know the sift is the same).

Nothing to report about the application, didn't seem any different but getting the cassia out was so much easier than it has been in the past. I used very little conditioner, and most of it rinsed out with WO. Cassia has never rinsed out of my hair this easily! It usually takes several CO and even then there are clumps stuck on my scalp and throughout the length.

It is taking longer than normal to dry but it feels super soft so I'm not complaining. To say the least, I am overjoyed with catnip and I won't be using cassia again without it. Can't wait to see how it my hair likes it as just a rinse.

I am not surprised to read that catnip works well with cassia or that it works better with cassia than chamomile.

Of the 2, I find catnip to be much, much, more conditioning than chamomile.

I do not think that acv is nesessary, added to cassia, to help the colour last longer.

Cassia is pH sensitive though. The acv is no doubt getting the cassia to yield the desired colour. Cassia yields different colours in different pH solutions.

From reports I have read about cassia, the colour it can yield can be pretty difficult to remove. One method reported to remove it successfully, is honey lightening, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=13332.

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Originally Posted by ktani

I have also been continuing to squeeze out extra water from my hair prior to conditioning/colouring with catnip. It is continuing to work better for me, consistantly.

In bitter cold wild winds, no tangles or weather damage to deal with, when wearing my hair loose and free.

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this is what i do too. I am also noticing a lot less splits, just teeny ones on the fine hair. I have got a bit lazy doing this from once a week to once a month, I need to step back to once a week again or even everytime I soapnut wash.

Thank Ktani for your imput with this thread. x

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Originally Posted by jojo

this is what i do too. I am also noticing a lot less splits, just teeny ones on the fine hair. I have got a bit lazy doing this from once a week to once a month, I need to step back to once a week again or even everytime I soapnut wash.

Thank Ktani for your imput with this thread. x

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You are most welcome.

I never thought to add this to the thread.

Do not clean out the plastic shampoo bottle used for catnip tea, with hot water. It is the soap that cleans. Let the bottle warm up to room temperatiure if out of the fridge, if the batch is old and you are making a new one. I rinse it out, add liquid soap, shake it up well, and let it stand for a bit before rinsing very well, until I do not see any more bubbles.

I learned this tip from a rep at my health food store and it is true. Tempeature changes (extreme) stress plastic. Use tepid water only. Your bottle will last longer. I was going through plastic bottles too fast. They cracked.

I did my first catnip treatment today. I had to patch test first. No problems there.

So today I did a wash with my DW, three times (I needed to get my hair really clean) and it was diluted, then followed with catnip tea on my hair and scalp after squeezing out excess water. Left in an hour bagged. It felt SO SOFT when I went in to rinse it! As it dried I did get some crunchy ends, but added a little coconut oil and it is fine now. Very very soft!

Note to self: 1 TSP not 1 TBSP!!!! OY that's 3 times as strong. I was making my second batch today (the first was this way too) and had to dump it and start fresh. That probably contributed to my crunchy ends.