Catnip for split ends?

Thanks Fethenwen and KarpatiiSiv
I will try out an acv and catnip rinse:D Can't do any harm:)

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Originally Posted by haibane

I don't know about the other herbs, but in my experience steeping catnip too short a time makes it more tangle inducing. ktani recommends 4 and a half hours, and that's what I've been getting the best results with too.

If the tea comes out too strong from too much catnip I dilute it with some warm water, and it works just as well. I've learned to sort of eyeball the right color, when it's a nice deep yellow but not too brown.

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Alright, thanks! I will try to not make it too brown next time :)

This seems like a good idea, judging by all the positive responses. I have catnip growing in my garden, and once it grows a little more, this could be a good idea to try. Now that I'm past waist, I have been trying to keep split ends at bay. You say it leaves a yellow colour though. Does it last long, and would it make much of a difference to the appearance of hennaed hair?

I've been using catnip as a wash method (off and on) for a while now. I make the tea per Ktani's recipe (steeping until cool which is at least 2 or 3 hours for me) and rinse my hair with water and then squeeze most out and pour it through my hair and scalp and catch the run off and re-pour scrubbing my scalp during until i run out of catnip tea.

Then I rinse, rinse, rinse with warm water (I usually see a little foam during the rinse!) and finally use a very dilute ACV rinse (32 ounces water/1 teaspoon ACV) and then rinse again well and then finally finish with a cold rinse.

I've found this makes my hair very shiny and leaves it feeling great! I have had to use no oils on my hair when I do this regularly. My hair takes at least 5 days to start to feel dirty after using this method!!! And it doesn't dry out my ends at all.

If I decide my hair needs deeper cleansing I will use a poo bar or do a bentonite clay pack (Syballa's SSS) and then follow the clay with the catnip wash and then the ACV rinse.

This may not work for oilier scalp people but for me it works great!!! For anyone with hair that tends toward dryness and who is looking for an extremely gentle wash method this would be great!!!

This has been working very well for me and my shedding is pretty much down to NONE and I have baby hairs coming in everywhere!

Yay for catnip :)

I've done two treatments now, much to the delight of my cat, and am delighted with the results. My hair is noticeably softer and has mirror like shine, plus it feels HEAVENLY on my scalp. My skin loves it, and I have ridiculously sensitive skin.

The first application I let sit for an hour (bagged) and was delighted. The second one I did late at night so after it was bagged an hour, I unbagged it and let it airdry whilst I slept. It was a little tacky feeling in the morning, and the scalp felt slightly greasy despite looking fine, so I satisfied my curiousity about it as a leave in and then rinsed it out with the expected great results. I'm hoping to see an increase in strength/decrease in splits and white dots with continued use. For those of you who have been using it longer, how long did it take before you noticed a definite reduction in splits?

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Originally Posted by Qamar

I've done two treatments now, much to the delight of my cat, and am delighted with the results. My hair is noticeably softer and has mirror like shine, plus it feels HEAVENLY on my scalp. My skin loves it, and I have ridiculously sensitive skin.

The first application I let sit for an hour (bagged) and was delighted. The second one I did late at night so after it was bagged an hour, I unbagged it and let it airdry whilst I slept. It was a little tacky feeling in the morning, and the scalp felt slightly greasy despite looking fine, so I satisfied my curiousity about it as a leave in and then rinsed it out with the expected great results. I'm hoping to see an increase in strength/decrease in splits and white dots with continued use. For those of you who have been using it longer, how long did it take before you noticed a definite reduction in splits?

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It just occurred to me... does this leave the scent of catnip on your hair? Or does the scent wash out easily? Because I had enough trouble convincing our furball that my hair is not his plaything when he was a baby, I don't want to encourage that again!

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Originally Posted by ouseljay

It just occurred to me... does this leave the scent of catnip on your hair? Or does the scent wash out easily? Because I had enough trouble convincing our furball that my hair is not his plaything when he was a baby, I don't want to encourage that again!

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While I have to be careful when setting up the steep (and lock it in the bathroom until it is done) after that point my cats ignore it. I get no more interest in my hair than before. And several of my cats are nip fiends...:taz:

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Originally Posted by islandboo

While I have to be careful when setting up the steep (and lock it in the bathroom until it is done) after that point my cats ignore it. I get no more interest in my hair than before. And several of my cats are nip fiends...:taz:

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Good to know, thank you. This is definitely on my list of things to try, then.

Three treatments in and my hair is FAR less tangly when combing it out after a wash. Its also kitten soft and uber shiny. I do still use some argan oil on the ends, but I'm not needing as much as normal. I've been doing my usual S&D, and its hard to tell, but I think I'm getting ahead of them. Hopefully I'll see fewer and fewer of them as I get the ones I started with nipped off.

Oh, I don't notice ANY catnip scent on my hair after a soak, and even when its in, it's minimal. Vermin, my cat, doesn't seem to notice it at all. As an aside, I had my honey put catnip tisane on my badly sunburnt back tonight and it INSTANTLY soothed it and made it feel moisturized and supple. Nice bonus.

Alrighty, I got a bit of catnip from the store while I was out. Of course the cat knew before I even got in the door, he inserted himself into the bag and then tried to eat my hand when I took the 'nip out. I'm storing it in the fridge, it's the only place he can't reach (yet).

If someone wouldn't mind answering some more questions: Do I have to use a specifically clarifying shampoo, or would a standard SLS shampoo work? I've read that in the beginning the catnip isn't enough conditioning for some people, but I don't have any leave in conditioners, what about doing the catnip treatment and following with a rinse out conditioner? Would that just wash the catnip right back out? Oh, and how many washes do you think it'll take for the split end protection to kick in? Thanks. :kitten:

I use a clarifying shampoo because I have some on hand, but unless you have a lot of build-up I think an SLS shampoo would be fine. I use a leave in immediately following the treatment but then CWC the next time I wash - I might be afraid to wash it out immediately after. Could you maybe lightly oil the ends and then use your rinse out conditioner the next day? I noticed a significant reduction in splits after my third treatment. YMMV

I'm doing a catnip soak today:) Will report later on results:)

I don't think my hair liked the catnip:( Was very tangled after so had to put some tresemme naturals on to sort it out.
But I do suffer with tangles if I use the wrong poo's and conditoners as well, always had to be careful:)

I figured since its almost summer and all... I could use some nice fresh catnip for my hair instead of the dry stuff I buy.
Alas, a stray cat came along last night and rolled in it!! The whole plant is broken! You can just see how the cat was rolling over and over again and smashed the plant right into the ground :(:(

I have been using fresh catnip lately. I found I have to use about 5x as much (or more) fresh catnip as I'd use dry, and steep it at least twice as long to get the same strength tea (judging by the color of the tea.)
Doing it this way my hair seems to come out even softer than with tea made from dry catnip though.

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Originally Posted by pixiestar

I don't think my hair liked the catnip:( Was very tangled after so had to put some tresemme naturals on to sort it out.
But I do suffer with tangles if I use the wrong poo's and conditoners as well, always had to be careful:)

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My hair is fussy too, but the second or third time I tried catnip I had a tangly mess too - I figured out it was because I didn't leave a lid on the brew while it soaked. Volatile oils can evaporate and they are much needed for this method to work! Now I brew it in a mug with it's own lid and make sure to allow the condensation to trickle back into the mug when its time to remove the catnip tea-ball which I use to easily strain it! :D

I've not catnipped for ages, but I will again soon.

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Originally Posted by littlenvy

I figured since its almost summer and all... I could use some nice fresh catnip for my hair instead of the dry stuff I buy.
Alas, a stray cat came along last night and rolled in it!! The whole plant is broken! You can just see how the cat was rolling over and over again and smashed the plant right into the ground :(:(

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I am sorry to hear that :( - a wire cage will help (like they use for tomatoes). Hopefully the plant will come back from the roots, but you can take the broken parts and harvest the leaves to dry and use later (or use them fresh now, it shouldn't matter if they are smashed a bit)

I bought some cat nip for my kitty and he couldn't care less. I guess I'll make some tea and try a rinse!

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Originally Posted by owlathena

I bought some cat nip for my kitty and he couldn't care less. I guess I'll make some tea and try a rinse!

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So your cat is enabling you? :D

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Originally Posted by islandboo

So your cat is enabling you? :D

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Haha yes! Not as much as you guys do though...

Earlier in the year I bought two packets of catnip seeds, determined to grow my own supply for my hair.

A few days ago I harvested my first catnip and made an infusion from a mixture of buds, leaves and a little stalk - OMG it was much more moisturising on my hair than the Haagen dried catnip I usually use!

I'm now determined to make the most of the catnip flowering season and am deeply regretting that I didn't buy more seeds.........

Did you grow them in a greenhouse or outdoors? Once harvested do you dry them,then sore?(Sorry for all the questions..lol). I was thinking of buying some catnip seeds from ebay.

I got some seeds from an eBay seller (sfr909tvcat) and planted them a few weeks ago. For a long time there was nothing but now they are coming up - hooray! The biggest challenge won't be germination, though - it will be protecting them from the neighborhood cats. (He also included a baggie of dried catnip. I won't use it on my hair because there are stems, but my cats are going NUTS for it, even the ones that usually are indifferent to catnip)

Oh, and I am growing them in pots on my patio. I plan to harvest the same way I do my catmint - cut in the morning and then either hang the stems to dry (for leaves) or leave the flower buds loose in a wicker basket and let them airdry for a few weeks, then store in a zip-top baggie.

I went with pots because as a member of the mint family, I was afraid catnip would be pretty invasive.

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Originally Posted by islandboo

(He also included a baggie of dried catnip. I won't use it on my hair because there are stems, but my cats are going NUTS for it, even the ones that usually are indifferent to catnip)

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Stems are fine. Just do not use the big thick ones. I remove the very few that come in the Hagen catnip. The smaller, thinner stalks are no problem at all.

In my experience, a mix of leaves and buds (and thin stalks) works perfectly for my hair.

I have used just dried catnip leaves in the past (from health food store dried catnip that contained almost no buds contrary to what was on the label). I found them to be more astringent and results were not as satisfactory.

Buds only did not work well for my hair either. I tried that last year.

I find a mix much more conditioning.

ETA: I have been using catnip as my only conditioner for over 6 years straight (with minor temporary diversions early on only).

I will have to grow some catnip and try this!!! I used to always keep catnip plants for tea but never tried in my hair. It reduces fever in babies and helps with colic also. Great remedy for a hangover too LoL!!!!!!! If my hair likes it, it will be a cure all at my house!!

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Originally Posted by islandboo

I got some seeds from an eBay seller (sfr909tvcat) and planted them a few weeks ago. For a long time there was nothing but now they are coming up - hooray! The biggest challenge won't be germination, though - it will be protecting them from the neighborhood cats. (He also included a baggie of dried catnip. I won't use it on my hair because there are stems, but my cats are going NUTS for it, even the ones that usually are indifferent to catnip)

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I will definately look into buying some catnip seeds! I dont have any cats in my area to worry about and i will grow them in pots as i dont want it taking over my garden. I learned my lesson with mint! lol.

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Originally Posted by ktani

Buds only did not work well for my hair either. I tried that last year.

I find a mix much more conditioning.

ETA: I have been using catnip as my only conditioner for over 6 years straight (with minor temporary diversions early on only).

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Thanks for sharing that ktani. I tried a regular catnip (buds and leaves) blend at first but personally I found the all-buds to work better for my hair. However, it is a different supplier than the blend I used so it may be more due to the source than the part of the plant. I will try a blend again when my own plants get big enough to harvest (I have lots of buds left to use up and since my hair is so happy with them I am willing to wait to do more experimenting)

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Originally Posted by BohoClassic

Did you grow them in a greenhouse or outdoors? Once harvested do you dry them,then sore?(Sorry for all the questions..lol). I was thinking of buying some catnip seeds from ebay.

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I sowed my catnip seeds in February, put the pots on an indoors eastern facing window legde and kept the compost moist. They stayed indoors until May then I put them outdoors once the danger of frost had passed.

I didn't transpant them into bigger pots until their roots were well developed.

Good luck with your seeds!

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Originally Posted by islandboo

I got some seeds from an eBay seller (sfr909tvcat) and planted them a few weeks ago. For a long time there was nothing but now they are coming up - hooray! The biggest challenge won't be germination, though - it will be protecting them from the neighborhood cats. (He also included a baggie of dried catnip. I won't use it on my hair because there are stems, but my cats are going NUTS for it, even the ones that usually are indifferent to catnip)

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Try growing your catnip in wall pots or hanging baskets, that way the cats can't reach the plants.

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Originally Posted by clairenewcastle

I sowed my catnip seeds in February, put the pots on an indoors eastern facing window legde and kept the compost moist. They stayed indoors until May then I put them outdoors once the danger of frost had passed.

I didn't transpant them into bigger pots until their roots were well developed.

Good luck with your seeds!

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Thanks for the advice! Im guessing its too late in the year for me to start growing them now (U.K)? You can tell im not a gardener lol.

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Originally Posted by BohoClassic

Thanks for the advice! Im guessing its too late in the year for me to start growing them now (U.K)? You can tell im not a gardener lol.

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If they are anything like the catmint I already have, it is not too late. The catmint grows until about November here in the Midwest - it is pretty hardy.

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Originally Posted by islandboo

If they are anything like the catmint I already have, it is not too late. The catmint grows until about November here in the Midwest - it is pretty hardy.

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We get frost here from mid-September. Would growing it in the greenhouse help...or inside?

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Originally Posted by BohoClassic

We get frost here from mid-September. Would growing it in the greenhouse help...or inside?

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I don't have much experience with greenhouses but I bring my potted perennials into the garage to overwinter them (it has windows so they do get some light). If the greenhouse is similar (gets cold but doesn't freeze) that could work to extend their growing period. I think trying to grow them inside would mess up their dormancy (but this is only a guess - I am far from being knowledgeable about such things!)

The other option would be to buy a live plant - that would give you several weeks head start on harvesting it

I picked up some catmint at the local nursery today. I asked them if it was the same as catnip, and they said no; they looked at the label on it and it said something about butterflies. Anywhoo, it was sitting on my front stoop waiting to be planted and Spartacus (the cat) started grubbing on it. It has since been moved inside, and Steve the Cat just got caught eyeballing it. LOL! So I suppose it's the same thing as catnip! It will be going in a hanging planter, and hopefully the cats won't be doing handstands off the roof to get to it!

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Originally Posted by islandboo

I don't have much experience with greenhouses but I bring my potted perennials into the garage to overwinter them (it has windows so they do get some light). If the greenhouse is similar (gets cold but doesn't freeze) that could work to extend their growing period. I think trying to grow them inside would mess up their dormancy (but this is only a guess - I am far from being knowledgeable about such things!)

The other option would be to buy a live plant - that would give you several weeks head start on harvesting it

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I shall have to look into buying a plant. I will let you know if i manage to get one :)

I tried catnip for the first time three days ago. Since my new cat isn't interested in the catnip we got him and I have a ridiculous number of white dots (accompanied by quite a few actual splits), it would be worth a shot.

I brewed 1 tsp in more or less 275 ml of water for an hour or two, shampooed my hair, put the catnip on my hair, bagged it, and tried to soak anything not properly in the bag. I let it sit for an hour before rinsing.

It's too early to see a difference in the number of splits, but I am otherwise impressed. I used only a teeny tiny bit of conditioner to comb out my hair at the end of the shower (I usually use a whole bunch of conditioner when I shower). My ends, which were going through a grumpy dry crunchy stage, are a LOT happier. The rest of my hair feels slightly different too, in a good way. I think it's softer. I keep petting it tonight. It's also nice and shiny, but I'm not sure if that's different as I usually don't pay that much attention to shine, and I have been reading this thread, and people keep bringing up their shiny hair.

Even if it doesn't end up reducing my splits, if this keeps up, I'll be sticking with this routine.

Bumping up this thread as I have been mentioning catnip tea soaks as a split end preventative and people are asking so here it is! My hair is just getting long enough to benefit from the catnip tea.