Re: Catnip for split ends?
I have not done a thorough s&d for months and months. I am in the middle of one now, taking breaks to rest my eyes, going through every section of my hair. My hair has not been catching on itself much except lately (I have been hurrying my hair washes and not smoothing the ends carefully afterward). So far, I have found 1 tiny split end and about 3 knotted hairs. Not bad for about 6 months of not looking for anything. I do have a bit of breakage but it is nothing compared to what I used to find before catnip.
ETA: This is the really weird thing with catnip. I can tell from some white dots on my ends, that the hair has broken. but the hair does not split, even when the white dots are higher up on the hair. I know that white dots and splits are different but white dots can lead to split ends. Other than that tiny one, this does not happen to me, with catnip use. I could tell from my growth that I did not have a breakage taper, just a growth taper and this confirms it. When I use conditioner and do an s&d, I would look at a section of hair and say to myself, "OK, where do I start first." With catnip use, I have to look really hard for white dots. I am using a bedroom lamp that has really good light and wearing 325 magnifying glasses that are too strong for me to read text with.
Ok, done! I did find one other "split end", a hair that was split in the middle of the shaft about half way up. It looks like it had been there for a while. I haven't seen any split ends in over 1.5 years so I do not consider this that significant, out of the thousands of hairs I just went through. I have lowered my conditionig timing every so often and I have been experimenting with catnip again lately. I may stop doing that. My old routine of just shampoo and catnip has worked very well for me before. I may still try just a straight catnip shampoo as planned or I may not. I did seem to notice a bit more drag to my hair with using catnip as a 2nd shampoo. More stress on the hair can mean more problems. The directed catnip application was part of my old routine as well. I just may continue to use the old amount of catnip, not less, as I have been doing more recently.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
I was just reading the thread about what do people do with their white dots and someone posted this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by kdaniels8811 View Post
I use my catnip tea soaks and my split ends have dissapeared. Seriously. I took a photcopy of my ends just to make sure I was not missing anything and they are seriously gone. I ponytail my hair and soak the ends in the tea twice a week, put a plastic bag over the wet hair to keep it from dripping. Leave on for a half hour.
My hair used to not grow, it broke off and split and no expensive treatment or trims could keep it from happening. So I really feel the catnip made a huge difference.
So now I am curious about the catnip stuff. Gonna have to start reading this thread. Is catnip something you can find at walmart? Does anyone have a link of what the package looks like? I won't ask any more questions till I read some.
Oh one more thing what is the difference between a white dot and a split? Or are they the same? I don't cut or trim at all so this may be a good thing to try.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Beldaran
My husband and I grew it in our mini greenhouse, so it grows in my house all year long.
So I'd follow the instructions for using the dried leaves then? How much catnip do people usually use?
Beldaran, be my catnip growing guru! Will you help me and my baby plants, please? :o I know that catnip can stand about anything, and can go out of control easily, but I was wondering if there was anything in particular I need to do for my plants (currently potted and will likely stay that way for a while) to make sure they stay happy as they grow? (I have been growing them from seed for a few weeks now, in tiny planters to start them off, and will transplant when I'm not too scared of killing them.)
As for the dilution of catnip, I follow ktani's main method and use about 1 tsp to 250-300 ml (I eyeball it mostly, bad me!) and let it steep. If I'm making it up as a mix with something else, I sometimes make it a tiny bit stronger. (ETA: this is for my dried catnip, I have not yet gotten my baby plants big enough to experiment with fresh. In fact, I'm going to be growing more from seed soon.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
plainjanegirl
So now I am curious about the catnip stuff. Gonna have to start reading this thread. Is catnip something you can find at walmart? Does anyone have a link of what the package looks like? I won't ask any more questions till I read some.
Oh one more thing what is the difference between a white dot and a split? Or are they the same? I don't cut or trim at all so this may be a good thing to try.
I'm not sure if it will be at every wal-mart, but I have found it at both wal-mart and at some dollar stores, like Dollar General. It is likely not as fresh that way, but they DO often sell organic. You could also go to a pet store, likely they have fresh catnip. Here's a pic of the kind I found at the dollar store a while back:
Ok pic not showing up, one minute and i'll repost it.
ETA: Got it showing up!
ETA: Forgot to say, white dots are usually some form of breakage on mishandled hair, before it begins to split (which it does not always do.) I see you don't trim, but do you S & D, and if so, do you use actual hair scissors that are sharp enough?
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...ipbagone-1.jpg
Re: Catnip for split ends?
janeytilllie I use catnip and CV shampoo bars. I use the poo bar and then mild vinegar rinse and then I do a catnip treatment. Sometimes I do a quick rinse just like with vinegar. Sometimes I put catnip on my hair and leave while I wash myself. Sometimes if I feel I need more conditoning I will soak my hair in catnip and leave it over night. I rinse in the morning and my hair is wonderful. With all of these treatment I have had detangling success. The longer I leave it on the more conditioning I get.
I also sometimes soak my braid tassel in catnip and leave it until the next wash. It does seem to build up and eventually my hair will look greasy if I do not rinse.
ETA It rinses out easily with plain water!
plainjanegirl I use Cosmic Catnip. I steal it from my kitties stash lol. It comes in a round plastic container but you can also find catnip in baggies. You can find it in almost any grocery store, Walmart or pet store in the cat section.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Honey Geek
How do you use catnip on your face and what does it do exactly? :)
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Well, I'm trying the catnip thing again. I haven't really stuck with it, because I haven't gotten this amazing slip that people rave about. My hair tends to come out feeling un-conditioned instead.
Has anyone else experienced this, and does adjusting the dilution (stronger?) help? I'm currently using Cosmic Catnip from the petstore, and I had been using the recommended 1 packed teaspoon in ~275 ml, according to the graduations on my beaker mugs.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Anje
Well, I'm trying the catnip thing again. I haven't really stuck with it, because I haven't gotten this amazing slip that people rave about. My hair tends to come out feeling un-conditioned instead.
Has anyone else experienced this, and does adjusting the dilution (stronger?) help? I'm currently using Cosmic Catnip from the petstore, and I had been using the recommended 1 packed teaspoon in ~275 ml, according to the graduations on my beaker mugs.
I use one level teaspoon to a full cup of water. I tried using it stronger, but it made my hair less slippery and my comb caught on the hairs more often. You might want to try a weaker solution and see if that works any better.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nynaeve
Beldaran, be my catnip growing guru! Will you help me and my baby plants, please? :o I know that catnip can stand about anything, and can go out of control easily, but I was wondering if there was anything in particular I need to do for my plants (currently potted and will likely stay that way for a while) to make sure they stay happy as they grow? (I have been growing them from seed for a few weeks now, in tiny planters to start them off, and will transplant when I'm not too scared of killing them.)
Honestly we grew some outside last summer and provided you don't have friendly rabbits eating it, it should grow no problems with little attention and regular waterings.
Right now my husband is growing all kinds of other hydroponic plants (we just had the first 2 red cherry tomatoes from there, they were awesome) so he let me plant some catnip for the cats in his system. It's obviously a weed, but the leaves on it are so huge due to the nutrients it's being fed.. it's a little crazy.
Anyway, it grows like a weed and if you have what you would call baby plants instead of seedlings, I'd say you should be good to go from here on out. Make sure you keep the soil moist and it should be just fine.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
The best dilution for me is 1 level tsp catnip to just under 300 ml of boiled water, details here. Bagged for 1 hour after shampooing, gives me the best slip and conditioning. I am just going back to that.
Catnip does not build-up but lower dilutions or using too much on the hair at one time or too little, does not seem to be as optimal with results, as finding the right balnce to use and staying with it.
For skin use, I just apply it, no timing and rinse. I have also reapplied a bit and left it on after rinsing. Both methods work well on skin.
Timing? The longer I leave it on my hair the better the results. However, I have slept with it on at lower dilutions and the results were not as good as just leaving it on for an hour at the higher dilution (the one named above) and rinsing it out. IMO, sleeping with a catnip treatment on is not necessary.
A white dot is hair breakage. A split hair is a hair shaft that is exactly that, split. White dots do not necessarily result in split ends.
For the record, I have tried catnip; with glycerin added, acv added, oil added, sprayig it on and leaving it in, using lower dilutions, sleeping in it (bagged) at lower dilutiions, using it rinsed out at higher dilutions, and using it straight as described in the article.
My results after almost 4 years are best, using catnip straight, bagged for 1 hour at the dilution and with the method named in the first paragraph of this post and the article, and rinsed out.
Re: Catnip for split ends?
Anje, Try a higher dilution. I experimented a bit and its amazing how the tiniest change can affect the slip with catnip.
If you are not getting slip with 275 ml. Try a tad more water and work your way up untill you find the right dilution for you. I too find that if its not diluted enough it is more drying then conditioning.
I have had great luck with leaving it on over night . I think its a very individual thing. I actually started leaving it in overnight out of lazyness lol...The first time I used catnip I soaked it and bagged it and an hour later I was ready for bed and too tired to rinse it out. The next morning I rinsed it out and my hair was awsome!! So it was really by accident that I found my hair loves catnip overnight.
Mostly I use it as a rinse and only leave it in while I am in shower. Once a week or so I do an overnight treatment.
