Catnip for split ends?

I've used catnip 3 times in a row now. I'm sad to say results weren't as good the second and third time anymore. The first time I let it sit on my hair for 15 minutes or a bit less and my hair was amazing. The second time I left it on for 30 minutes and my hair was quite soft, but had a few tangles. The third time I couldn't really brush my hair, so I had to use a conditioner, but still, even after the conditioner, my hair is dry and has some tangles. I was so looking forward to the same results as the first time :(. I think the next time I'll try leaving it on for 15 minutes only, maybe that will do the trick.

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Originally Posted by Majala

I've used catnip 3 times in a row now. I'm sad to say results weren't as good the second and third time anymore. The first time I let it sit on my hair for 15 minutes or a bit less and my hair was amazing. The second time I left it on for 30 minutes and my hair was quite soft, but had a few tangles. The third time I couldn't really brush my hair, so I had to use a conditioner, but still, even after the conditioner, my hair is dry and has some tangles. I was so looking forward to the same results as the first time :(. I think the next time I'll try leaving it on for 15 minutes only, maybe that will do the trick.

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This has happened to me too - it's really easy to over-do it with catnip, especially if you have fine hair! I have found that gently shampooing the length (blasphemy, I know), rather than just letting the lather run down, keeps the catnip from building up and causing that dry feeling. Might be different for you though!

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Originally Posted by Majala

I've used catnip 3 times in a row now. I'm sad to say results weren't as good the second and third time anymore. The first time I let it sit on my hair for 15 minutes or a bit less and my hair was amazing. The second time I left it on for 30 minutes and my hair was quite soft, but had a few tangles. The third time I couldn't really brush my hair, so I had to use a conditioner, but still, even after the conditioner, my hair is dry and has some tangles. I was so looking forward to the same results as the first time :(. I think the next time I'll try leaving it on for 15 minutes only, maybe that will do the trick.

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I've never had this problem myself and I leave the catnip on my hair for an hour before rinsing it off. It could be that whatever you are using to wash your hair isn't removing enough of the previous catnip to allow the new application to condition your hair. I hope you manage to work out what the problem is.

Thank you for your answers, Iolanthe13 and KarpatiiSiv.

I always oil my hair before washing so I always shampoo the length as well since otherwise my hair stays oily.
But I was thinking there could be a few factors at work here. The first time I tried catnip it was the first wash after henna so the conditioning effect could be, at least partly, due to henna. I was also visiting my parents and water there is softer than where I live. Maybe it could just be that I've put too much catnip - the first time I was very careful not to put more than a small spoon into 300 ml of water, the second and third time I wasn't so careful, so I might have put a bit more.
I'll experiment a bit to see what it might be.

I have tried catnip a couple of times now. I didn't notice any effect whatsoever. I have fine hair, no poo and no silicones (where have the classifier notes on the siggy gone, I miss them since the upgrade). I will give it another go though, there could be lots of things at play. Did you all notice an immediate effect or gradually after several applications?

/ CMG

I tried catnip and it was a complete disaster! I followed ktani's method exactly. Left the nip on my head for an hour. While wet my hair felt ok, but not great. It dried into a plasticky, velcroey, tangled mess! I get a good deal of splits and breakage, as my hair is very fine and I have dye-damaged ends, but after catnip it got so much worse. My hair was splitting and breaking like crazy. Honestly, I should probably trim off 2-3 inches, but I'm too stubborn. I'll be S&Ding a lot to keep the damage under control, plus keeping up with frequent small trims.

Maybe it was too much for my hair and I'd get better results if I only left it on for 15 minutes or so. I am sure it wasn't because I had buildup, as I had just clarified and I got the same plasticky feeling on the hair near my scalp, which is touched only by shampoo. At any rate, I don't think I'll try this again. It's a shame, though. By the sound of it, catnip should have been a HG product for my hair.
Oh well, my kitties will appreciate the leftovers from this experiment... :kitten:

Locally all I find is "catnip buds"

Does this work?

I use catnip as a leave in and don't have any problems. I do get build up over time from something in my routine, but only have to shampoo every couple of months.

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Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv

I've never had this problem myself and I leave the catnip on my hair for an hour before rinsing it off. It could be that whatever you are using to wash your hair isn't removing enough of the previous catnip to allow the new application to condition your hair. I hope you manage to work out what the problem is.

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I notice my hair is smoother right away, and less tangly, but the decrease in splits is only obvious over time.

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Originally Posted by cmg

I have tried catnip a couple of times now. I didn't notice any effect whatsoever. I have fine hair, no poo and no silicones (where have the classifier notes on the siggy gone, I miss them since the upgrade). I will give it another go though, there could be lots of things at play. Did you all notice an immediate effect or gradually after several applications?

/ CMG

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I've been diluting my conditioner 50% with catnip tea. I put it on my length every day when I take my shower. I'm noticing less splitting.

I am wondering if I have the measurements right. 1 teaspoon of catnip to approximately 1 cup of water? Thanks

Sounds right. Catnip is pretty forgiving. Secret is to lrt it soak for 15 minutes or so before rinsing.

I cooked up some rosemary, catnip, nettle, horsetail, and lavender tea and added it to some Dr. Bronners in a ratio of 8:1 (I also added just a couple of drops of tea tree oil). It makes a very nice scalp wash. I hadn't thought of doing something similar for conditioner.

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Originally Posted by lydiajo

I've been diluting my conditioner 50% with catnip tea. I put it on my length every day when I take my shower. I'm noticing less splitting.

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Sorry, double post. :flower:

Hey, guys! :) I jumped onto the catnip wagon and I'm loving it--but I have an issue + question that I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can answer.
So I clarified my hair multiple times and started using catnip per the guidelines. After the initial clarifying I used a shampoo that doesn't build up. My hair never became greasy with the catnip and I only had to wash my hair about every ten days. I love catnip, but the problem is that I have eczema on my scalp and just wetting my scalp and/or washing it every ten days with shampop (ouch) isn't moisturizing enough for me.

So I went back to co-washing with my non-buildup coney conditioners (happy scalp :>) and am clarifying every second week and then applying the catnip treatment. Are the conditioners able to wash out the catnip or is it only shampoo that is able to remove it? Also, if conditioners are able to wash out the catnip, what would I be able to do so that I can still get the benefits of catnip? Someone posted earlier about how they would use conditioner and then apply the catnip treatment with noticeable results. Would this work?

Thanks for all the help! :)

ETA: I co-wash my hair daily. Also, I've tried mineral oil on my scalp but it isn't moisturizing enough.

Yep, I CO and only use shampoo every couple of months to clarify when I notice buildup. Even when I do use shampoo, I try not to get it on my scalp because my scalp isn't keen on SLS. I find I only get buildup faster if I start adding other herbs to my catnip, but sometimes I can't help experimenting.

ETA: I CO right down to my scalp, rinse the heck out of my hair, do an ACV rinse to combat both scalp itchies and hard water, and rinse that out very well. Then, after I have turned off my shower and gently squeezed the excess water out of my hair, I pour the catnip rinse over my hair and hop out of the shower without rinsing. I have also rinsed it out, but I get better slip and smoother hair if I use it as a leave in.

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Originally Posted by Starblanket

Hey, guys! :) I jumped onto the catnip wagon and I'm loving it--but I have an issue + question that I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can answer.
So I clarified my hair multiple times and started using catnip per the guidelines. After the initial clarifying I used a shampoo that doesn't build up. My hair never became greasy with the catnip and I only had to wash my hair about every ten days. I love catnip, but the problem is that I have eczema on my scalp and just wetting my scalp and/or washing it every ten days with shampop (ouch) isn't moisturizing enough for me.
So I went back to co-washing with my non-buildup coney conditioners (happy scalp :>) and am clarifying every second week and then applying the catnip treatment. Are the conditioners able to wash out the catnip or is it only shampoo that is able to remove it? Also, if conditioners are able to wash out the catnip, what would I be able to do so that I can still get the benefits of catnip? Someone posted earlier about how they would use conditioner and then apply the catnip treatment with noticeable results. Would this work?

Thanks for all the help! :)

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Originally Posted by ravenreed

ETA: I CO right down to my scalp, rinse the heck out of my hair, do an ACV rinse to combat both scalp itchies and hard water, and rinse that out very well. Then, after I have turned off my shower and gently squeezed the excess water out of my hair, I pour the catnip rinse over my hair and hop out of the shower without rinsing. I have also rinsed it out, but I get better slip and smoother hair if I use it as a leave in.

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Thanks for responding so quickly, I love LHC! :)

I'll try co-washing today and leaving in the catnip treatment. Do you know if cones would be an issue? I only use cones that don't build up and/or are water soluble. I'll see if it works and will report back later. :)

YW! I hope it works for you. I don't know about cones, sorry. I get build up really easily because I have such hard water, so I have cut them out entirely.

I've just done my second catnip tea soak and so far my hair adores it! So much smoother and shiner. My scalp so far seems okay with it - might this be the rare thing my hair and scalp can agree on I wonder?!
I used 1 tsp catnip to 275ml boiled water and steeped it for 5 hours. I washed my hair with a tiny amount of shampoo that seems to contain no build-up-able ingredients (happily a very cheap experiment at 40p per bottle) and soaked it in the catnip tea for an hour before rinsing. I used a few drops of baby oil to help detangle it. Think this might be my cheapest hair experiment yet! And so far so good. Really hope it helps with the dryness and splits long term.

I'm back! :flower:

Unfortunately my experiment did not work. I cowashed my hair as I usually do and then left the catnip tea on my hair without rinsing. It left my hair feeling over-moisturized and slightly greasy so I decided to just not add it into my routine. I`m not going to try using it as a treatment again because I don`t have enough time for it.

It was nice while it lasted :flower:, but my dry scalp can`t handle being only washed since it`s too painful.

starblanket: how about as a pre-wash? chuck it on you hair prior to going in the shower, since you cowash, probably a lot of the benefits will still remain, it might help with the scalp :king:

So, I tried catnip yesterday after trying it once a couple of years ago. Maybe its the humidity (for me, this is a good thing), but I have had TWO amazing hair days in a row! I shampooed, soaked my hair in catnip, did showerly things, rinsed, then applied conditioner. I haven't seen my 2c spirals in ages, but I've had two days of gorgeous, shiny waves with lots of body. I was really struggling with coarse feeling ends and lank, piece-y waves that were 2a on a good day. I'm going to try it again next wash to see if I get the same result. Fingers crossed!

I brewed up some catnip tea today and was going to use it and see what it does, but my whole family ended up sick so I have to wait until tomorrow. I really hope this helps as I have not been able to make any length progress due to splits and breakage, and I get so depressed about it. Splits are why I mostly only lurk here, how can I give hair advise with my hair being such a mess!

I have been doing catnip tea as conditioner for the past 2 weeks with good results. Yes, more wave and the strands are thinker. I use it as the conditioner and leave in. And use a few drops of baby oil as a sealer.

Hey guys <3 I'm steeping my catnip for my first try right now. Is there more information available in one compact place (when articles are back up?) about the differences between steep times and setting-in-your-hair times? My hair is awkwardly damaged from trichotillomania and I don't want to make any mistakes. From what I read so far, I saw both "longer is better" and "longer is worse" so hahaha. I will just have to trust my hair-instincts perhaps. Also wondering if the results vary based on the water temperature it's steeped in. I am very particular about making my teas with the right temperature water (I use http://bettersteeping.com/fish-eyes-in-your-kettle/ method to eye it).

I bring to boil and take off heat,then add the catnip to steep, covered. Longest has been 2 hours, shortest 15 min. Doesn't seem to have mattered so far. I strain through a paper coffee filter and do a soak when lukewarm, tho once I diluted to speed up cooling. and soak from 20 min to one hour. You can google catnip tea and find some of what Kitani has said, but the articles don't seem to be on this site anymore.

For those who are interested here is a link to Ktani's blog which goes into more detail about the use of catnip.:) I've been using catnip now for nearly 4 years and admit I am an addict.:D

You may have to try it out yourself to see what works for you. I haven't found a bad way to use it yet. I initially used it as a final rinse and had a great reduction in split ends. I started using it as a leave in and now have very, very few, even though my hair is much longer than when I started. FWIW, I use a lot of catnip compared to Ktani's original recommendations. I have no idea what temperature my water is, I just nuke a mason jar for three minutes and then let it steep anywhere from half an hour to overnight.

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Originally Posted by Liesel

Hey guys <3 I'm steeping my catnip for my first try right now. Is there more information available in one compact place (when articles are back up?) about the differences between steep times and setting-in-your-hair times? My hair is awkwardly damaged from trichotillomania and I don't want to make any mistakes. From what I read so far, I saw both "longer is better" and "longer is worse" so hahaha. I will just have to trust my hair-instincts perhaps. Also wondering if the results vary based on the water temperature it's steeped in. I am very particular about making my teas with the right temperature water (I use http://bettersteeping.com/fish-eyes-in-your-kettle/ method to eye it).

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Ravenreed, how much is "a lot of catnip compared to Ktani's original recommendations"? I've never really tried using stronger tea, but now I'm curious.

I use a heaping teaspoon to a mug of boiling water and cover it to keep oils from evaporating. Let it cool, strain, and dunk my ponytail. Put a baggie around the ponytail to soak it and leave on 20 minutes, rinse, do not wash again. Soft silky hair without needing a separate conditioner. Good luck!

I don't measure, but I would guess a couple of tablespoons to a mason jar (old spaghetti sauce jar) full of water. I sometimes add a bit of nettle, lavendar, or horsetail.

ETA: I have learned that some herbs will build up on me. I now avoid hibiscus in my catnip rinse, for instance. However, the three I mentioned above seem fine.

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Originally Posted by Naiadryade

Ravenreed, how much is "a lot of catnip compared to Ktani's original recommendations"? I've never really tried using stronger tea, but now I'm curious.

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I am skipping from here to the split end support thread and back again. Suppose I should stay here as, right now, catnip tea is my answer to not only less splits but better looking hair. It's 2 days post wash day and I'm wearin it down because it looks so good. For me, that's unheard of. Best of all, my hemline looks thicker.

Ok, so I spent the whole weekend reading this thread. We always have catnip around so I thought what the heck? I'll give it a whirl. I tried my first catnip treatment Saturday. Second one today. The first one I made per katina's instructions using her original seeping time (hadn't been through the whole thread). I washed with the silicone free version of Pantene (scalp, then worked suds down the length). When I made the infusion, I did up a double batch and put in a mason jar, so after washing, gently squeezing out excess water, I dunked my ends, and length in the jar, then pored some on my scalp making sure I didn't miss any hairs. Then I gently flipped my head and put on a shower cap with a turbie towel over it. Stewed for 1 hour. Hopped in shower, then rinsed. My hair at that point felt completely stripped, no slip whatsoever, tangly mess. I expected this. My hair doesn't care much for any kind of acidic rinses. As carefully as I could, I detangled with the help of my tangle teaser (lost some extra hair during the process), gave up half way through and added 2 drops of Argan oil (which helped a little). Then I let it air dry. The roots and most of the length were nice and soft, the ends very crispy. The crispies brushed out, but I had several single strand knots. :(. The crispies returned the following morning, but brushed out fairly easily. Now for the good part. My hair was very full, extremely shiney, and of course, very wavey. Also virtually frizz free (in hot, humid conditions) :). What's weird is I could feel the Argan oil on my hair the following day after washing, I usually can't. I did a second catnip treatment this morning. This time I used well diluted prell to wash scalp only (since I only used 2drops oil after last treatment), gently squeezed out excess water scrunch/squeeze style, split hair into 2 sections, swished ends quickly in my infusion, then poured in sections over scalp and applied some with my hands. I then carefully put shower cap on making sure my ends were stewing in any drippings within the lip of the shower cap, covered with turbie again. Left it for an hour then removed and dumped my little bit of catnip brew over my scalp where the hair seemed to be almost dry. This time I decided to not bother rinsing it out. Once again, very tangly, no slip! When I take the shower cap off, I have major clumping! The clumps are too big, kind of stiff, and get kind of pi....ssed at me when I try to separate or detangle them. Once again I tried to detangle with nothing, gave up and used a pea sized amount of Loreal eversleek leave-in condish (which helped some, but could have used more). Let air dry, got the same results as the first treatment except not as crispy ends this time. No single strand Knots though. Dry, it looks great, soft, very shiney, hardly any frizz on yet another humid hot day. I should also mention that I have hardly any frizz even after sleeping on my hair with it loose! Crazy! Usually I have a morning halo! I also have more tangly hair with less slip when dry too. I have to be more careful when tangle teasing in the morning.

I normally wash every other day, sometimes 3rd day if I can afford to be lazy. I'm normally CWC during winter using a leave-in condish mixed with 2drops oil, then coneless serum. During the spring I didn't need all that and started just wash/condition then 2drops oil. I have very fine 2b/2c II bsl length hair low to normal porosity. Everything builds up on my hair so I usually don't use cones, alternate sulfate/non-sulfate shampoos, and alternate condish. I wash build up of the length as needed. I also use Henna. I usually only do roots only once a month to two months. I still do the whole length every 6 months or so. It's been more than 4 weeks since my last Henna. I'm hoping to reduce hair taper from breakage by using these catnip treatments, I don't get splits (my hair is too fine, it just breaks), but I do get white dots. So conditioning and strengthening is my end goal both of which I'm getting from the treatments. I could tell immediately after my first treatment.

Questions:

What shampoos do you guys use that will not build up? Prell is pretty harsh, but I'm pretty sure my other ones have ingredients that build up, even my vo5 kiwi lime squeeze clarifying shampoo, which is also somewhat harsh. No herbs. If I'm giving up condish, I'm keeping my good smelling shampoo. I've looked at the ones that Katina has mentioned in the oil shampoo article (the ones in red) but would like something gentler and easy to pick up. Cheap would be a bonus too. :D

Any recommendations on how I can increase slip by changing my dilution or method? Leave-ins that won't build-up? I'm hoping the catnip will produce more slip as I go, but in the meantime, there's no point in continuing the treatments if I'm breaking hairs detangling.

Any swimmers here? I swim a lot in the summer, no swim cap and loose hair. I don't use chlorine in my pool, but usually use a good shower rinse and condish to detangle afterwards. I hate swim caps. Should I just shower rinse then use more catnip infusion as a leave-in? I use Baquacil in my pool.

I should also note that using the catnip as a leave-in felt a little sticky when it first dried, but it's not now. Just feels like soft hair. :D I'll have to reserve judgement until my next wash though.

I apologize in advance for any typos or wrong phone auto corrections. My eyes are just too tired right now to proof anymore.

Holly cow! Sorry guys, I didn't realize I was writing a book! Lol.

CurlyMopTop, I start with Vo5 tea therapy conditioner which seems to dissolve the baby oil on my hair. Then I wash with Desert Essence Organics (sorry, expensive) red raspberry shampoo. I gently squeeze water out. Then I plop the length right into my pot of catnip tea that is lukewarm. And I sit and do something fun on the computer, anywhere from 20 min to 45 min total, changing sides the pot is on half way through, then I go to the bathtub and squeeze out (gently, no wringing) as much tea as I can. Since my hair is basically in the hanging down position all the time, it does not really tangle badly, but does more than if I were to use conditioner. Then I gently comb with my wide tooth (Madora) comb and drip/air dry the rest of the way, occasionally finger combing. When it is about 1/3 dry, the ends still damp, I apply 2 drops of baby oil (I use generic, doesn't smell as strong as Johnson's) by rubbing those drops on my hands and gently apply to the ends mostly and the length. I continue to air dry. Going on week 3 and I have more texture, volume and density to my hair. The reddish tinge I always have in sunlight seems to be a little enhanced, but maybe that's my imagination. I also apply 1 drop baby oil at night before bunning. I wash every 3 to 4 days. My hair is 2b med thickness and 36 inches long.

Be sure to strain your catnip tea. I strain through a paper (organic) coffee filter. I use about 2 tablspoons catnip to 3 to 4 cups of water steeped at least an hour.

Hope this helps.

You might have better luck trying the rinse after conditioning. I CO, then do an ACV rinse, and a catnip leave-in. I don't get crispies or build up, and it never feels sticky...

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Originally Posted by CurlyMopTop

snipped...

Questions:

What shampoos do you guys use that will not build up? Prell is pretty harsh, but I'm pretty sure my other ones have ingredients that build up, even my vo5 kiwi lime squeeze clarifying shampoo, which is also somewhat harsh. No herbs. If I'm giving up condish, I'm keeping my good smelling shampoo. I've looked at the ones that Katina has mentioned in the oil shampoo article (the ones in red) but would like something gentler and easy to pick up. Cheap would be a bonus too. :D

Any recommendations on how I can increase slip by changing my dilution or method? Leave-ins that won't build-up? I'm hoping the catnip will produce more slip as I go, but in the meantime, there's no point in continuing the treatments if I'm breaking hairs detangling.

Any swimmers here? I swim a lot in the summer, no swim cap and loose hair. I don't use chlorine in my pool, but usually use a good shower rinse and condish to detangle afterwards. I hate swim caps. Should I just shower rinse then use more catnip infusion as a leave-in? I use Baquacil in my pool.

I should also note that using the catnip as a leave-in felt a little sticky when it first dried, but it's not now. Just feels like soft hair. :D I'll have to reserve judgement until my next wash though.

I apologize in advance for any typos or wrong phone auto corrections. My eyes are just too tired right now to proof anymore.

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That might work for me, CWCatnip! I have a couple different Vo5 conditioners and already have the same DE Rasberry Shampoo! Maybe start with the same dilution that I started with then adjust as I go along?

Ravenreed my hair does like a CO wash once in a while, especially after a lot of swimming, but if tried repeatedly I get massive shedding. I've tried ACV rinses too and they were a no go. :(. I have no idea why my hair dislikes them so much. Even heavely diluted. My hair didn't seem to mind a really diluted lemon rinse on occasion, but it was too drying for every wash.

Double post.

Hey guys!

I really want to try this out!
I do have some questions though...
So from what I understand, the first thing you have to do is shampoo your hair.
Then you apply the catnip on your hair and leave it on for an hour. And then you rinse?
Is it usefull to use conditioner after you've rinsed the catnip out? Or do you use catnip instead of conditioner?

I don't have a lot of time to wash my hair, so the Ktani method is not really an option
(Maybe I can do it once a month, but that doesn't give the same effects I think).

So I've also read that some of you use it as a final rinse? Does this have the same effects? Do you rinse it out?
And what is your routine before the rinse? Shampoo, conditioner and rinse? Or only Shampoo and then the catnip rinse?

Woah these were a lot of questions.. I hope someone can help me.
You guys are awesome! :joy:

yes, you rinse it out after letting it soak for 15-20 minutes. use instead of conditioner, won't work over conditioner.