Catnip for split ends?

Sure thing, I'll definitely let you guys know how it all works out for me. I'm definitely going to keep using catnip for the conditioning & curl defining properties. Matter of fact, I've got a bunch on my head right now. :D

Ktani, it's interesting to hear that information about the various shampoos/conditioners stripping color, thank you. I actually stopped using any chemicals on my hair several months ago. I used herbal rinses exclusively for a while (left a buildup on my hair, didn't clean well enough) then added yucca root as a "shampoo" (worked wonders for a month, then stopped working so well). Now I'm trying aritha powder & catnip exclusively - so for anyone interested in the coloring, if I achieve any, please remember that I'm not using any chemicals or heat on my hair. Ever.

Also, I shouldn't have said that no color sticks to my hair, that wasn't strictly accurate. I should have said that herbal rinses intended to temporarily color grey hair haven't worked for me. :) Never tried henna or chemical dyes.

For now, as I have a bit of time where I can work from home, I'm doing a lot of long catnip treatments. Once I'm back to school (masters program) and work, I'll probably only be able to do one long treatment a week.

Oh, also, Ktani was right and catnip is doing very nice things for my skin as well. My face is less dry, which is a lovely side effect.

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Originally Posted by Hekuro

Sure thing, I'll definitely let you guys know how it all works out for me. I'm definitely going to keep using catnip for the conditioning & curl defining properties. Matter of fact, I've got a bunch on my head right now. :D

Ktani, it's interesting to hear that information about the various shampoos/conditioners stripping color, thank you. I actually stopped using any chemicals on my hair several months ago. I used herbal rinses exclusively for a while (left a buildup on my hair, didn't clean well enough) then added yucca root as a "shampoo" (worked wonders for a month, then stopped working so well). Now I'm trying aritha powder & catnip exclusively - so for anyone interested in the coloring, if I achieve any, please remember that I'm not using any chemicals or heat on my hair. Ever.

Also, I shouldn't have said that no color sticks to my hair, that wasn't strictly accurate. I should have said that herbal rinses intended to temporarily color grey hair haven't worked for me. :) Never tried henna or chemical dyes.

For now, as I have a bit of time where I can work from home, I'm doing a lot of long catnip treatments. Once I'm back to school (masters program) and work, I'll probably only be able to do one long treatment a week.

Oh, also, Ktani was right and catnip is doing very nice things for my skin as well. My face is less dry, which is a lovely side effect.

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Catnip is wonderful on skin but like on the hair, you need to find the right dilution. For me, the dilution I use on my hair, works perfectly on my skin.

I have a theory about aritha or soap nuts.

Aritha contains mucilage. That could over time build-up and prevent hebal stain. Aritha has been reported to darken light coloured hair.

From my experience with linden tea, which contains a fair amount of mucilage, it did build-up and stained my bathtub and shower curtain but it did not cover my grey/white hair well. Linden tea also contains saponins. I tried it as a shampoo but it did not work well for that.

I used 2 species of yucca as well, as a shampoo. My hair got clean but felt slimey and was stringy.

How I prepare catnip.

I start by letting any left over catnip refridgerated in my shampoo bottle, warm up to room temperature.

I use it up on my skin or pour it out.

I add tepid water to the bottle (plastic stresses with extreme temperature changes), add liquid soap, shake it up and let it stand for a while. Then I rinse it out.

After boiling water, I use it to rinse out the washed out bone china mug I use, the saucer I use to cover it, the stainless steel tea strainer, and my 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, to sterilize them.

Then I measure out the catnip, add the measured out boiled water, cover the catnip and let it cool.

I also rinse out the creamer I transfer the catnip to, before pouring it into the shampoo bottle when cooled, with warm water.

Even though I wash everything afterward, I like to sterilize the main equipment each time.

I think that it helps keep the catnip last longer each time.

As I have said, I have never had catnip go bad and my last batch lasted more than 1 week, refridgerated.

you all are such amazing folks! Thank you for your experiments and reports... makes things much easier for us Johnny Come Latelys!

Will try this soon, as long as my fuzzbaby's ok with me taking some of his stash.

Catnip with maple syrup afterward update.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...3&postcount=95

While skin absortion is a real issue IMO, with anything applied to the scalp, I have never had a problem with catnip use.

I do however use a very diluted mix. Even though I soak in it, and use it on my skin, rinsed out, it has never caused me to have any side effects that I am aware of, in over 3 years.

That said, one can be allergic to anything. So, patch test any substance that has not previously been used on skin or scalp.

Can catnip help with velcro ends?
I did my first catnip treatment today.:D

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Originally Posted by Heidi_234

Can catnip help with velcro ends?
I did my first catnip treatment today.:D

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It can but it depends on what is causing them. I had velco ends with catnip a while back. I had not used the right dilution and had overwashed my hair. The next shampoo, my ends were fine once more.

If you have build-up, you may need to clarify first. I never clarify and when I first started using catnip it still helped but not as much as when the build-up finally washed out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ktani

It can but it depends on what is causing them. I had velco ends with catnip a while back. I had not used the right dilution and had overwashed my hair. The next shampoo, my ends were fine once more.

If you have build-up, you may need to clarify first. I never clarify and when I first started using catnip it still helped but not as much as when the build-up finally washed out.

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I always thought velco ends are caused by damage. I only have them if I don't trim my ends for "too long", like now.

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Originally Posted by Heidi_234

I always thought velco ends are caused by damage. I only have them if I don't trim my ends for "too long", like now.

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They can be an indication of breakage but that for me is when I get impatient on how I separate them, mechanical damage.

I did an s & d afterward and found a few more white dots than usual but for me, velcro ends were a raised cuticle that had not been smoothed enough by the correct catnip solution. The raised cuticle was partly to do with my hair type being wavy, humidity, and the fact that I used too much shampoo, which left them a bit drier than normal.

Wavy hair can go frizzy. Mine used to a lot. I air dry it. With catnip done right, for me I do not get the frizz I used to. My hair wil curl now almost in ringlets at times but it separates beautifully. Catnip coats the hair like conditioner but without heaviness or build-up and keeps my hair moist. If done right ends bend, not sharp bends, round ones that produce less friction that produces white dots. Round bends do not produce white dots for me.

I still get white dots but the amount of them is a fraction of those in the past. In the past, my ends, by the time I had a trim were thinned out from breakage even though I had done s & d's.

An s & d is to me an overall reduction of the worst breakage (you can never get all of them IMO) that catches other hairs and makes tangling a damage producing process, if separating hair becomes a struggle. It can be worse if there are also split ends.

My hair still reacts to humidiy and if I am in a hurry I can misjudge the amount of catnip and water that is best. In the winter and lately I have been more careful. I am back to a very level tsp of catnip and a touch more water and I am also more careful with the amount of shampoo used and the catnip application.

Hair changes with the conditions it is exposed to too IMO. A bit of playing with the catnip dilution is fine.

It is no different than using shampoo and conditioner. A change in seasons or over or under use of shampoo or conditioner will produce hair changes too, from my experience.

Sometimes things are so automatic with my catnip method, that I can neglect to mention them. One thing I do not think I mentioned was this. I have found that the conditioning/colour takes best, when I have squeezed as much excess water out of my hair as possible, just with my hands, gently, before applying the catnip tea. Nothing that requires any special help, like a towel, just less water in my hair.

I stopped by the pet store on the way home and got some catnip, steeped some last night and tried it this morning. I did not try the timed session because I got up too late to do anything like that and I don't have a shower cap of any sort, but I plan to get one for the next wash. I also plan to change my hair washing routine so I can get the full soaking effect for longer.

So far, with my hair not all the way dry yet, it feels like my hair has a somewhat smoother texture. I was used to it being 'soft' after I had switched to aubrey organics shampoo and conditioner, but it was soft and fluffy, rather than soft and hairlike. My individual strands seem a bit smoother. Well we'll see. I understand it'll take a few months for me to really tell. I'm hoping for less split ends so I'm gonna try this long term. This is a very cool thread, so thanks Ktani for all your work and methodical explanations!

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Originally Posted by MsBubbles

I stopped by the pet store on the way home and got some catnip, steeped some last night and tried it this morning. I did not try the timed session because I got up too late to do anything like that and I don't have a shower cap of any sort, but I plan to get one for the next wash. I also plan to change my hair washing routine so I can get the full soaking effect for longer.

So far, with my hair not all the way dry yet, it feels like my hair has a somewhat smoother texture. I was used to it being 'soft' after I had switched to aubrey organics shampoo and conditioner, but it was soft and fluffy, rather than soft and hairlike. My individual strands seem a bit smoother. Well we'll see. I understand it'll take a few months for me to really tell. I'm hoping for less split ends so I'm gonna try this long term. This is a very cool thread, so thanks Ktani for all your work and methodical explanations!

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You are most welcome.

Your results may not take months. It depends what is on your hair, how you use the catnip and what else you may use after it.

I had plant build-up on my hair that took forever to budge. I am not even sure if every last trace of it is gone but my hair is 1000 times better overall, than before I started using catnip.

I just posted this in another thread but it applies here too.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...8&postcount=13

I have started using catnip rinses in hope of decreasing the number of splits my hair gets. It's too soon to tell much difference, but I do like the conditioning effect.

I bought organic dried catnip (leaves & flower buds) at the pet store. It was very inexpensive, and using only 1 teaspoon per batch will make it last a long time. I use a small ceramic teapot to brew the tea, it holds just under 300 ml of liquid.

My routine: wash with a shampoo bar, use a mild vinegar rinse, then soak my hair in the catnip tea and cover with a plastic cap. I leave it on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chickpea

I have started using catnip rinses in hope of decreasing the number of splits my hair gets. It's too soon to tell much difference, but I do like the conditioning effect.

I bought organic dried catnip (leaves & flower buds) at the pet store. It was very inexpensive, and using only 1 teaspoon per batch will make it last a long time. I use a small ceramic teapot to brew the tea, it holds just under 300 ml of liquid.

My routine: wash with a shampoo bar, use a mild vinegar rinse, then soak my hair in the catnip tea and cover with a plastic cap. I leave it on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing.

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Sounds good!. I suggest covering the teapot spout while it brews. The idea of covering catnip tea while it steeps, is to preserve the volatile oils. I tap the condensation from the inside of the saucer I use to cover my mug, back into the mug, to get every last bit of goodness.

Ktani I wonder if you can help. I grow catmint and I've tried googling it and some folks say its the same, and some say it's "similar" to catnip

Would you know if catmint has the same properties for hair? If so, it smells delicious and maybe next year I'll start harvesting it for my hair instead of the cooking pot :)

But I am also going to try this on my husband. He has very thin, fine hair and he's been trying to grow it for five years now, with very little success (he has a small rats tail pony) and I think this might stop the velcro effect and also stop his hair splitting.

The problem will be persuading him that "another one of my hippy ideas" will work :cheese:

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Originally Posted by Comfrey

Ktani I wonder if you can help. I grow catmint and I've tried googling it and some folks say its the same, and some say it's "similar" to catnip

Would you know if catmint has the same properties for hair? If so, it smells delicious and maybe next year I'll start harvesting it for my hair instead of the cooking pot :)

But I am also going to try this on my husband. He has very thin, fine hair and he's been trying to grow it for five years now, with very little success (he has a small rats tail pony) and I think this might stop the velcro effect and also stop his hair splitting.

The problem will be persuading him that "another one of my hippy ideas" will work :cheese:

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I also found conflicting infomation on catmint, until I found the following information. They are 2 different species, out of 250. They are often referred to by the same name though. I do know from what I have read, that the constituents are different enough between the species for cats to react differently to them, and the degrees of the differences may be enough to affect how I use it. The lemon variety for example, referred to below.

"Nepeta cataria var. citriodora .... contains a relatively high proportion of lemon oil.
.... cultivar Citriodora has a mild lemon aroma .... more appealing to most people for culinary purposes than regular catnip, but less appealing to cats (Miske 1994)."
http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/r...-sample_e.html

"Common Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
White flowers, grows up to 3 feet. .... variety most cats enjoy.

Catmint (Nepeta mussinii)
Purple flowers. .... plant has smallish, grey/green leaves. It grows up to 15 inches high."
http://www.cat-world.com.au/Catnip.htm

It may be harder to convince your DH that catnip (I would try to grow it or buy it from the pet store) needs to be left on the hair for up to an hour, lol. I do know that it works very well for me and others have found that it works well for them (with various times).

Please have him patch test it, but if he is not allergic to catnip, I think that he may find it pleasant to use. It is soothing to the scalp with the right dilution and is very nice used on the skin.

Ktani, thank you :)

Now all I have to do is stand on hubby's head and force him to use it :D

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Originally Posted by Comfrey

Ktani, thank you :)

Now all I have to do is stand on hubby's head and force him to use it :D

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You are most welcome. Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ktani

Sounds good!. I suggest covering the teapot spout while it brews. The idea of covering catnip tea while it steeps, is to preserve the volatile oils. I tap the condensation from the inside of the saucer I use to cover my mug, back into the mug, to get every last bit of goodness.

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oh good idea, thank you! It never occurred to me to cover the spout.

I'm pleased with how well the catnip conditions. Even if it doesn't help my split ends, I'm glad to have a natural alternative to commercial conditioners.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chickpea

oh good idea, thank you! It never occurred to me to cover the spout.

I'm pleased with how well the catnip conditions. Even if it doesn't help my split ends, I'm glad to have a natural alternative to commercial conditioners.

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You are most welcome.

My latest catnip-soaking attempt:

Wash day again. Got up a whole hour early so I could soak my hair in the catnip solution for 1 hour after shampooing. I got my new supply of shower caps and last night's steeped catnip. First time I steeped it 3 days ago I read the instructions wrong and put in 1 tablespoon instead of one teaspoon. I did not notice any kind of slip, or essential oil-like feel to that batch. Last night I tried 1 TEASPOON full in 375ml, and it felt oilier this time.

I did not intend to dump this stuff over my scalp because my scalp is naturally a grease pit. However, not quite having the knack of getting the catnip onto my hair from the ears down, or wearing a shower cap, I ended up dumping it all over my scalp when I put the towel over the shower cap. I started to worry that I'd make my scalp greasy today, and today is my son's 14th birthday, so I wanted to not worry about my hair all day. I almost reshampooed and start all over again minus the catnip but my S.O. suggested that if it did end up a greasy mess that I could just wash it this afternoon.

I ended up soaking my hair in the catnip for about 45 mins. Afterwards I did not enjoy the hair untangling itself like other folks here have described, and I had zero slip to my hair, as usual. So I used my normal conditioner.

So far now it has dried it looks fine, and the greenish tinge I had from the lowlights-over-fried-white-highlights has gone and my hair looks a normal blonde color again. So yay for that!

I will continue to try the catnip/soaking because I am hooked on the idea of less, or no split ends :).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MsBubbles

My latest catnip-soaking attempt:

Wash day again. Got up a whole hour early so I could soak my hair in the catnip solution for 1 hour after shampooing. I got my new supply of shower caps and last night's steeped catnip. First time I steeped it 3 days ago I read the instructions wrong and put in 1 tablespoon instead of one teaspoon. I did not notice any kind of slip, or essential oil-like feel to that batch. Last night I tried 1 TEASPOON full in 375ml, and it felt oilier this time.

I did not intend to dump this stuff over my scalp because my scalp is naturally a grease pit. However, not quite having the knack of getting the catnip onto my hair from the ears down, or wearing a shower cap, I ended up dumping it all over my scalp when I put the towel over the shower cap. I started to worry that I'd make my scalp greasy today, and today is my son's 14th birthday, so I wanted to not worry about my hair all day. I almost reshampooed and start all over again minus the catnip but my S.O. suggested that if it did end up a greasy mess that I could just wash it this afternoon.

I ended up soaking my hair in the catnip for about 45 mins. Afterwards I did not enjoy the hair untangling itself like other folks here have described, and I had zero slip to my hair, as usual. So I used my normal conditioner.

So far now it has dried it looks fine, and the greenish tinge I had from the lowlights-over-fried-white-highlights has gone and my hair looks a normal blonde color again. So yay for that!

I will continue to try the catnip/soaking because I am hooked on the idea of less, or no split ends :).

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From what I am reading, you are still having problems with the suggested dilution.

1 very level tsp to just under 300 ml of boiled water works well for me and my hair is not greasy or difficult with this dilution. Just under 300 ml is done by eye, as it does not exist as a measurement on my 2 cup Pyrex cup. I get very nice slip using this and moisturized ends.

Ok I will try 1 level tspn. I do have a 300ml mark on my cup, so that makes it easy! My hair isn't greasy yet but if there's a problem I'll find out by tonight, probably.

I feel that I'm all thumbs when it comes to manipulating my hair, and when it's wet it's worse. Anyway, by messing about in this project I at least take my mind off how long it'll take for my layers to grow out :D.

Thanks for the quick reply, Ktani.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MsBubbles

Ok I will try 1 level tspn. I do have a 300ml mark on my cup, so that makes it easy! My hair isn't greasy yet but if there's a problem I'll find out by tonight, probably.

I feel that I'm all thumbs when it comes to manipulating my hair, and when it's wet it's worse. Anyway, by messing about in this project I at least take my mind off how long it'll take for my layers to grow out :D.

Thanks for the quick reply, Ktani.

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You are most welcome. It takes getting used to.

I wear my reading glasses for measuring and make sure that I am level with the measurement, to really see what I am doing, lol.

It is easy to do just under 300 ml. 300 ml, I have found to be too light, or too diluted for me.

Another trick I use is this. Take a heaping tsp of catnip (I use a stainless steel measuring spoon) and gently press down on it several times to knock off the exta catnip (I do this over the catnip container, to avoid waste). You want the tsp to be full but very level. I hold it up to see that it is very level before I add the catnip to the mug, then I measure out the water, add it to the mug and cover with the saucer. That is it. Simple. You are getting the benefit of my many experiments to get it right but my dilution may not be yours. This one works for me, on my sensitive scalp, skin and formerly dry hair.

Oh, am I misunderstanding, or can the slightly oily feeling get less/decrease, when the infusion has more catnip in it?

I actually have catnip infusion in my hair right now.
I had 1 teaspoon to 150 ml/1 cup. But I do not know how fine grounded the catnip has to be to get the correct teaspoon/half teaspoon.

I also tested the pH, and it was about pH7, not acidic.

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Originally Posted by HotRag

Oh, am I misunderstanding, or can the slightly oily feeling get less/decrease, when the infusion has more catnip in it?

I actually have catnip infusion in my hair right now.
I had 1 teaspoon to 150 ml/1 cup. But I do not know how fine grounded the catnip has to be to get the correct teaspoon/half teaspoon.

I also tested the pH, and it was about pH7, not acidic.

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Catnip is acidic but your water may not be. Depending on how much catnip to water, the pH can vary.

I do not grind the catnip. It comes cut and sifted from the pet store. My tap water tests acidic, about pH 5.5. With catnip, it is still acidic, approximately pH 5 to 5.5. I recall testing the health food store catnip solution and getting about pH 6. That was a long time ago and I do not recall the dilution. I just tested my current catnip now.

Catnip becomes more astringent (slightly drying) at lower dilutions, from my experience. The amount of oil depends on how fresh the catnip is and the proportion of flowers to leaves. The flowers contain more oil than the leaves.

"Nepeta Cataria
neither glucosidal nor alkaloidal in character, but having acid properties."
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/ecle...gs/nepeta.html

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Originally Posted by ktani

Catnip is acidic but your water may not be. Depending on how much catnip to water, the pH can vary.

I do not grind the catnip. It comes cut and sifted from the pet store. My tap water tests acidic, about pH 5.5. With catnip, it is still acidic, approximately pH 5 to 5.5. I recall testing the health food store catnip solution and getting about pH 6. That was a long time ago and I do not recall the dilution. I just tested my current catnip now.

Catnip becomes more astringent (slightly drying) at lower dilutions, from my experience. The amount of oil depends on how fresh the catnip is and the proportion of flowers to leaves. The flowers contain more oil than the leaves.

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Aha, my water is about pH 7.
Maybe I should add some ACV for a test some time.
I also put the Tritest (pH-tester) to my catnip infusion damped hair, and that was pH 5, probably cause I used amla+soapnuts used before, and that had pH 3!.

By lower dilution, you mean "less catnip in the amount of water"? I think so, but ask anyway so I don't have to wonder...
If so, a stronger infusion would be more conditioning? I had understand from this thread that it could be drying when using more catnip, but I have a lousy English vocabulary :-/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HotRag

Aha, my water is about pH 7.
Maybe I should add some ACV for a test some time.
I also put the Tritest (pH-tester) to my catnip infusion damped hair, and that was pH 5, probably cause I used amla+soapnuts used before, and that had pH 3!.

By lower dilution, you mean "less catnip in the amount of water"? I think so, but ask anyway so I don't have to wonder...
If so, a stronger infusion would be more conditioning? I had understand from this thread that it could be drying when using more catnip, but I have a lousy English vocabulary :-/

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Ok, there seems to be some confusion in terminology.

Lower dilution to me is less water. I should have said more concentration of catnip.

I originally started with 1 tsp catnip to 1 cup of water, then 250 ml, then I increased the amount of water to what I use now.

I also decreased the catnip from a heaping tsp to a level tsp.

More than a level tsp of catnip to less than about 275 to just under 300 ml of water was more astringent for me.

Less catnip to more water is perfect for me.

I am used to dilution "speak" from the Honey thread, lol. Sorry if I got you all turned around.

Oh, I should now by now what dilution means. But sometimes I get unsure of if I have understood correctly.
I have read about diluted schampoo wich should mean "adding water to schampoo, getting it milder". ^_^

Astringent should mean getting the cuticle "flat" (the cuticle "shells" to lay down), like with apple cider vinager? (I use online dictionaries, but they do not allways give the exact meaning for every purpose.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HotRag

Oh, I should now by now what dilution means. But sometimes I get unsure of if I have understood correctly.
I have read about diluted schampoo wich should mean "adding water to schampoo, getting it milder". ^_^

Astringent should mean getting the cuticle "flat" (the cuticle "shells" to lay down), like with apple cider vinager? (I use online dictionaries, but they do not allways give the exact meaning for every purpose.)

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It is not what you "should know" and I am glad that you asked. People tend to use terms loosely and in their own way. Only by asking can you be clear about what someone else means.

To me, what you did by asking, is good communication in terms of wanting to be sure of what I meant.

Astringent to me means more drying as well as the cuticle tightening aspect.

Thank you for helping, ktani.
Great help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HotRag

Thank you for helping, ktani.
Great help.

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My pleasure!

So this morning I was carrying my mug of catnip tea upstairs, and the cat starts meowing for attention. She always wants to see what kind of beverage I have in my mug or cup, so this is nothing new. I held the mug down for kitty to sniff and she drank some of the tea! This was funny because she has never shown an interest in dried catnip.

I'll be using my cat spit enriched tea in just a bit. :wacko:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chickpea

So this morning I was carrying my mug of catnip tea upstairs, and the cat starts meowing for attention. She always wants to see what kind of beverage I have in my mug or cup, so this is nothing new. I held the mug down for kitty to sniff and she drank some of the tea! This was funny because she has never shown an interest in dried catnip.

I'll be using my cat spit enriched tea in just a bit. :wacko:

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Hilarious, maybe she was just thirsty, lol.

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Originally Posted by ktani

Hilarious, maybe she was just thirsty, lol.

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yes, I think that was mostly it. She will stick her head in my glass of water if I leave one lying around. Never mind that she has clean, fresh water in her dish. :roll:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chickpea

yes, I think that was mostly it. She will stick her head in my glass of water if I leave one lying around. Never mind that she has clean, fresh water in her dish. :roll:

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Yes, but yours is more inviting, lol.

I just wanted to add that I am thrilled with the results of the catnip tea treatment! I did it 2X so far, after shampooing, no conditioner, and it made my hair unbelievably soft and silky and the damaged parts are behaving themselves. I then did a cassia treatment this weekend using catnip tea instead of hot water to mix. I am so happy with the results - my hair usually only looks this shiny with tons of cones, and then it still is never this soft or full. So far, I'm thrilled!