So ACV is not needed after poo bar if I use catnip?
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So ACV is not needed after poo bar if I use catnip?
Ok, weird question that I think I've got answered before, but now I can't find it and I'm being a space cadet....
I know the catnip will not cure the split ends I already have. But if the hair is damaged already, just not split or white dotted, is the catnip going to help with that - or help keep the ends from resplitting once I cut the splits off?
Tho I'm tempted to just start nipping my hair on a weekly basis and attempt to stop with these blasted split end hunts that don't get me anywhere because I can't see the stupid split ends..... I know they are there, I can feel the velcro in my hair. I just can't find them with my eyes and I'm not randomly chopping hair on the back of my head yet.
It was originally tried by others for conditioning but not the way I use it and no one tried it previously on skin here that I am aware of, nor was using catnip to stain hair or cover grey/white hair previously mentioned. When I researched catnip I found references to it producing a light yellow dye. That was what I wanted it for too. Split ends and their reduction or prevention were never mentioned by others. I just got stubborn and persisted with experimentation to get unadulterated catnip to work for me and no split ends was a result. I just wanted to be able to use catnip as a colour/conditioner with nothing else necessary, following shampoo.
Velcro ends does not automatically mean split ends. It can mean build-up. I do not think that you need to start chopping.
If you cannot see split ends that to me means they are probably not there.
Try clarifying your hair. Nothing drastic. Use a shampoo for normal hair.
Catnip can from my experience strengthens and balances hair and the breakage I still get, which is minimal, does not result in splits.
See, I use normal shampoo every wash because my hair doesn't like shampoo bars I've tried and I've just not gotten around to trying anything else. So I'm back on dilute shampoo.
For me, it's that I can't focus on an individual strand of hair enough to see the splits well - plus my hair in back isn't long enough for me to see either.
So I think I'll just get on board with frequent nipping and use Nightshade's method to grow out damaged hair.
can this cat nip be used
http://www.walmart.com/ip/SmartyKat-...-5-Pk/10026752
So, I did a one hour catnip rinse two days ago and my hair still isn't feeling greasy. That's a looong time for me. Is this just a coincidence or is it one of the side effects of catnip I wasn't aware of?
And a little question: How much is a US teaspoon in grams? I used 4-5 grams, but that seemed to be the same volume as two tea bags, not really the less is more option I had in my mind.
According to this http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cooking...nversions.aspx it is about 4.74 grams.
I use a very level, well packed measuring teaspoon to about 10.4 oz or just under 300 ml of boiled water. Less is more I guess is relative. 1.5 oz of cut and sifted leaves and flowers (buds) catnip has lasted me over 2 years and I still have some left.
I can go about a week without washing my hair with catnip. My hair typically will just start to get oily at the roots at about the 5 day mark. That will vary depending on how oily one's hair gets naturally, the catnip one buys and the mix used (buds contain more oils than the leaves) and how much catnip one applies to the hair, from my experience.
I just got my organic flowers and leaves catnip in the mail today! I will use it on my next wash day- in a cpl days. I am so excited to use it LOL
I am wondering tho, if it contains protein? I saw online that catnip seeds have 18.4% protein, but what about the flowers and leaves?
All info I found about this by doing a search, just comes up with catnip affecting the protein receptors, or something like that LOL
My hair cannot stand protein, and adores moisture. Does anyone know if the catnip rinse contains protein?
Some protein, yes http://www.liberherbarum.com/pn0450.HTM. Catnip does not behave like any protein treatment I have ever used though. It balances my hair, strengthening it and adding moisture. When my hair has breakage, it does not split. That is because my hair is not too dry, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1674
Thank you ktani! I can't wait to try it out it a couple days!
Other protein i used made my ends crispy. I don't think the catnip will have this effect.....well at least I hope not LOL. Oh well, if it does, my cats will be very happy for a very long time!
Oh, one more question- you mentioned that the catnip can keep in the fridge for about a week. I made my infusion tonight, but will not use it for a couple days. Will it still work on my hair? Or did you mean it will keep but will lose it's potency for your hair, but will still work for your face....if that makes any sense LOL
Catnip for me depends on the dilution as well as brewing time, and the treatment time (about an hour), for maximum results. I use 1 level teaspoon to just under 300 ml (about 10 oz) of boiled water, steeped covered for 5 hours.
I have had catnip keep for 2 weeks in the fridge and used it on my skin but I would never recommend that. I sterilize with boiled water before making a fresh batch: my strainer, mug, saucer, and pyrex measuring cup even though I wash out everything with liquid soap after each batch.
I do not know your preparation. I have never had catnip go off on me. If your catnip goes cloudy or smells funny at any point, discard and make a new batch. A few days should be fine if kept in the fridge and prepared well. I have used week old catnip on my hair with no potency difference noticeable.
Well, that stuff at very least is a recommended favorite to my CATS, so it at least smells like nip :)
Used catnip over my newly hennaed hair, since it was freaking out being grumpy and dry, and it still doesn't want to dye my roots, I figured not going to ruin anything.
Improvement over the upper 2/3 or so of my hair? Softer, happier, lays better. Bottom 1/3 is still a crispy velcroy mess, but I don't like the length I'd have to cut to, so I'm going to learn to deal with crispies for now and let them grow out with slow trimming. At least I hope I can keep up with the above sections not breaking or getting damaged, so I can gain length of the splits.
24 hours about - but I obsessively wash the henna until I get the resin out when I wash out. Keep in mind tho', my version of cutting off 1/3 of my hair is cutting 4" off. Big change, but not cutting off THAT much in the end. I've only got 2" of LHC growth, and really, I guess to me, having 1 years worth of growth being all that's decent to me doesn't seem that shocking given my evil brushing habits that were dismantled upon learning the truth of the brush. I'm also noticing a "line" of good vs bad in my hair, it goes from about only 1 1/2" of problem hairs in the front - that's been pulled back since I could get it back - to the 4" or so in the back that is never up because it's not long enough at all.
I would never suggest cutting off length if that is not what you want to do. I had build-up from hell when I started catnip use. I do not clarify my hair ever. I just let build-up wash out and I did. Even with that I saw results with catnip but not the results I have now. I had not settled on a dilution or method then. That took time and patience and a lot of experimentation.
Your hair will grow. Catnip may help. It certainly has for me. I can only speak for what it has done for my hair and my skin. I love the stuff.
It took over 4 years for linden tea stain to completely wash out of my white and grey shower curtain but it finally did (I also bought a new washing machine which helped, lol), and I had scrubbed it and washed it in hot water, every few weeks. I could not bleach it. Catnip has not restained it. My hair washed more often, recovered much more quickly, lol. Linden tea left my hair with cruncyy ends and a lot of breakage, splits and a breakage taper, none of which I have now. I get minimal breakage now (mechanical), no split ends and no breakage taper.
I did steep it for an hour back then. Since then and in the catnip article I changed my brewing time to 5 hours, initially to darken the stain but I also get better conditioning. You can experiment with a brewing time that suits. you. I started out with a brewing time of 30 minutes which worked well too but from my experience, catnip needs about 1.5 hours to cool down enough to pour into a plastic shampoo bottle.
I bought catnip! I'm excited to start my catnip experiments on my next wash day (probably Friday, unless I get bored tomorrow). Unfortunately, my pet shop only had it in 1/2 oz amounts, so if it does work out, I'll have to find somewhere else to buy it. But I have a 1/2 oz bag to be getting on with :)
Tried another nip soak last night (was bored, why not....) Still feeling crispy ends, but maybe another 1/4" or so of "good" towards the end. I need to try to get a decent picture of my ends so others can maybe see what they think.
Tho' this weekend is trim time, gak, can't stand the pixie grow out. I keep thinking now I'm almost done having to trim, but not quite yet. And I don't want long hair more than I hate the mullet look, so it's trimming time.
I have a couple of questions before I use catnip later today (it's steeping now :D).
ktani mentions sifting/filtering the steeped mixture. Is there any purpose to this other than for messiness/stuff-in-your-hair reasons? Will it matter if there are pieces of catnip in the mixture when I apply it to my hair? Would it be alright to sjip this step altogether, for laziness reasons?
It's also mentioned in the article that catnip cannot penetrate as well if there is coating/buildup on the hair. I use (cone free) conditioner, and a little oil, and I usually wash only my scalp with shampoo. I don't feel like there is build-up on my hair -- but should I shampoo my length before trying the catnip, just in case?
Thanks very much to anyone who answers :)
I once used catnip without filtering out the bits, the catnip worked as usual, but my hair was full of bits of catnip leaves/buds/sticks which took forever to wash out. I still found bits after it had tried which I spent forever brushing out. So it's far easier to strain it and get rid of the bits. I just use a little tea strainer, easy peasy.
I never wash with 'poo anymore (last time I did, it took my hair over a week to forgive me!), just condish or herbs, and I've had wonderful results with catnip soaks. I even added some tea to my CO and my hair *loved* it!
I have catnip on my head! :D
Okay, so, after reading this thread and the article, thank you all for your amazing knowledge. This is what I did today:
I boiled the kettle, and poured ~350ml of boiled water into a mug. I took that upstairs to my room, added approx 1/3 of a tablespoon (yeah, I couldn't find a teaspoon :o) and covered with a small plate. I left it for about 2 hours, occasionally lifting the plate to stir again and pour condensation back in.
I then seived the catnipwater mixture to get the 'bits' out. It wasn't perfect, there were still lots of tiny fragments in, but the larger amounts of 'gloop' seemed to be gone.
When I showered this afternoon, I washed all of my hair (including length) with SLS-free shampoo. I then squeezed the majority of water out of my length, and attempted to coat my hair with catnip, sometimes rubbing it in with my hands, sometimes pouring it straight from the mug. When the whole mug was gone, I ponytailed my hair, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and tied the bag on with a hair elastic. I left this on for about an hour, then rinsed out with the showerhead, kneeling over the bath. I applied a TINY TINY bit of conditioner (a little bit more than a 'pea sized drop') through my length to help with detangling and slip. I then rinsed this out, and used cold water for the last rinse.
I dried using a t-shirt for a few minutes, and I'm now air drying.
So far, my hair feels much the same as normal (it's still a little damp). I'll update when it's dry :) I really have no idea how I will be able to tell if it's working for stopping splits, though. I guess I'll have to keep it up for a little while, and S&D a lot, and see if they begin to disappear :)
Forgive me if thus question has already been asked and answered, but has anyone successfully used catnip as a rinse/leave in after shampooing and conditioning?
I would still love to use catnip for less breakage and splits, but I can't give up my shampoo and conditioner combo! LOL (tried 'poo bars, just didn't work for me)
I find I only have really "happy" hair when I use my shampoo and conditioner both. I have tried catnip after shampooing only, but my hair was still pretty tangly, so I thought it might work after shampooing AND conditioning.
Thoughts?
Interesting. I never thought of that. I don't know if mixing it with condish and leaving it in for a few minutes would be as effective as just soaking my hair in catnip for a half hour after condish tho. I have tried leaving condish in for a long time like that, but it makes my length super greasy after I rinse it out
Catnip can "work" a number of ways. It depends on what you want it to do. For split end prevention and colouring and maximum conditioning in my experience, it is best not used over anything that coats the hair, like certain herbs, shampoos and conditioners. A shampoo that contains no coatings has worked best for me and catnip over conditioner did not.
I use shampoo and conditioner every time, and have no problem! What I do is shampoo, rinse well, then apply catnip and let it sit for as long as I can... then rinse a little, and condition my hair from there. I usually need way less conditioner than usual which is an added bonus.
So that's my advice, to try using it in the middle! It works really well for me so hopefully you will have success too :)
I know I keep popping in and out of this thread but as much as I find it annoying to do the catnip soak, it really is lovely!
It really does not do anything for my splits, but it makes my hair SOO shiny! And it helps with the manageability factor.
ETA: What seems to work for me is this.
The night before I'll put 2 t. of ground catnip into a quart jar with 3 cups of boiling water.
I let it stew over night and in the morning I put my hair in a loose braid and soak the braid in the tea.
I wrap the braid into a bun, the pour some of the tea into a little spray bottle and spritz my scalp hair till it's all nice and wet.
Cover that with a shower cap and leave for 1 hour.
Shampoo in the shower. Condition and let the conditioner sit a few minutes.
Once everything else is rinsed out, I re-soak my hair in the rest of the tea and rinse it out with cold water.
Ooh Stagecoach, I like the braid idea! Thanks!!
I want to try catnip/nettle rinse. I'm thinking that i'll wet my dry hair with it, put some oil in my scalp and massage it while the rinse soaks in for about an hour. But the hair will be dripping wet! Are there any good solutions for this? My first thought was a hard plastic bib on my back, but they are probably too small around the neck.
I would not mix catnip with nettle. Nettle is resinous. Try them separately if you like to compare the differences. I would do the oil separately too.
I do 2 things that work well for drips. 1. I pin my hair up for the first part of my treatment. 2. I use a plastic food storage bag that fits fairly snugly on my head, although I stretech out the opening. I take my hair down for the 2nd part of my treatment to do the top of my hair and the front for colour but I am in the bath/shower for that so that part for me is drippy but I do not care. Part one should help you.