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Update - between an SMT and the catnip soak, my hair is soft, shiny, full and back to where it should be! The only trouble is now it is slippery so ficcares are all that work to hold it any more. Sticks slide right out, sigh. Oh well, I love my ficcares!
So, I tried the catnip. FANTASTIC!!! I sprayed it on as a leave in conditioner and saturated a cotton ball for my skin as well. My hide and hair are happy! Hair feels conditioned and hide's blemish sores are healing quickly.
I don't know why I didn't think of using it sooner.
PS- my Persian/Himalayan thought the infusion was quite tasty and proceeded to lick the heck out of my cotton ball, but didn't go for my hair.
I have a question...
In the beginning post Ktani says she lets it steep for 30 minutes but it seems like what I've read recently is that people are letting it steep 5 hours? Which is correct? :confused:
I have been using catnip for years and steep it for 4.5 to 5 hours which I find works well for conditioning. Here is a link to Ktani's old article about the use of catnip and her experiments with it. Hope this helps. :bluebiggrQuote:
Originally Posted by hidetheice
Hmmm... Thanks. So she does hers for 4.75 hours. Well I let mine steep today for a little over 1 hour and left it on for 1 hour. I really love the results. Best my damaged hair has looked in quite a while and I've been trying SMTs, oil, you name it. Next time I'll let it steep for the 4.75 hours and see what happens. =)
I do not pay attention to how long it steeps. I have used it less than an hour when I failed to plan. I have also steeped it over night.
I also do not accurately measure. Here is what I do. I take a hefty pinch (maybe 1 to 2 Tablespoons) and put it in a small steel saucepan. I boil a cup of water and pour it in. Cover and let steep. Strain through a coffee filter. Then I dilute it to the color of medium tea. I put it in a tall stainless steel water bottle and stick in the last 1 to 2 feet of my hair. I can carry around the bottle without it sloshing or having to stay in one place for a long time. it works well.
Right now I have my tea in the refer because plans to wash the hair 2 days ago did not happen.
ave now been doing catnip soaks and leave in for 2 years.
I steep for 20 to 30 minutes - until it cools enough to use and soak the length for 20 minutes and rinse. I have used catnip for years.
I did a rinse with catnip the other day and my hair was still kind of dry. I did not condition prior to the rinse. Should I have? I also only steeped mine for about an hour; does increasing the steeping time increase the conditioning?
Quick question, and sorry if it's already been answered somewhere, I can't be bothered to search through 300 pages :rolleyes:
But, I use manic panic to dye my (unbleached) hair purple every other month. Do you think that the catnip could affect the color or fade the dye in any way? Will I still get the benefits on dyed hair? Thanks in advance if anyone has answers! :)
I don't think the tea would fade. And I don;t have experience with dye. But on my untreated, dark blond hair with ends a bit lighter due to sun exposure over time, the tea imparts a reddish cast. It cover gray also. It is not permanent, it washes out. But since I soak in catnip tea every wash, it is always like this.