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trying Katani's suggestions only I goofed up the recipe and added 1TBSP in 11oz of water instead of 1tsp! so.. I added a pinch of paprika and cinnamon to the mix since I don't want to lose my red... other than that, that is the only difference to the mix. :)
Ok I had tried this maybe three times and could not get it right. I finally figured out what works for me. I had to use a wide mouth mason jar because I must have been losing precious good stuff during brew time. As the tea cooled it sealed the top (like canning) and kept everything sealed in. I brewed Saturday night and applied to dry hair on Sunday night. I guess my brew time was about a day. I did use 1 teaspoonful to 1 cup (roughly 300mls). I brewed 2 cups since 1 cup never seemed to be enough for me. I made 2 braids (vertically) and dipped them first. Then I coiled them into beehive buns and wrapped my head in plastic wrap, swim cap on top of that & beenie hat (ski cap/cold weather hat) on top to seal in heat. I left it on long enough to watch a funny movie and then CO washed after rinsing out the catnip tea. The results are wonderful! LOVE IT! A coworker even said my hair looked "really healthy" today without me even asking. Yippee. My hair is as soft as a bunny. I am silky, shiny and soft. Halleluja!!!!!
:happydance::happydance::happydance:
http://www.richncassi.com/LHC/6291http://www.richncassi.com/LHC/6291.jpg
I have fresh catnip growing on my balcony. How can I use it to my hair? Do I have to dry it or will it work fresh? What parts of the plant you use? Should I wait for the flowers or use the buds?
(confession: I planted catnip only to use it on my hair :) )
Katani may have better suggestions.. but the kind I am using is dried and ground/cut into pieces much like loose leaf tea. HTH
Here is the Catnip Article.Quote:
Originally Posted by deko
I use dried catnip. You have 2 choices: use it fresh, the unopened buds and leaves (fresh, it will take up more volume, cut up than dried, packed onto a teaspoon), or dried. You can use what you want when you harvest and dry some for later.
Update
I have pushed catnip brewing to 8, 9 and 10 hours now. The best of the times for me is 9. 10 hours worked fine but 9 was somehow the best so far. I am staying to between 8 and 9.
Ktani: do you mean for the split ends or just for color? I'm curious about how brewing time effects the soak :)
For me, the colour is deeper the longer catnip brews and the conditioning is better too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cherry_Sprinkle
I've been following your method for a couple of months now and it really is working for me. I only had to use additional conditioner the second time and haven't used any since then. If my ends feel a little dry then I use a small amount of Jojoba oil. I'm still working on the colouring of the hair closest to the scalp and it does appear to be picking up more colour each time I wash my hair. The colouring in the length is working very well. I note your comments about the additional brewing time and will give this a go.Quote:
Originally Posted by ktani
I think this picture shows how the colour is being picked up in my white streaks
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...small_1JPG.jpg
I am very glad that I found this thread and thank you for your continuing advice.
Yes, I can see it. I am very glad that it is working for you. And you are most welcome. I still get an imbalance in colour, if I get too enthusiastic with my shampoo use and cut the timing in my treatment time (when I an in a hurry, lol) but catnip is so forgiving, the very next time I use it I can get what I need from it.Quote:
Originally Posted by KarpatiiSiv
I just trimmed about 1.5 inches off my hair, taking off the last of the growth taper from having gone a long time between trims, a while ago.
The end of February, I cut 3 inches off my hair, which had been 2 inches from my waist, pulled down. It is now 2 inches from my waist pulled down, after the trim. My growth rate using catnip is better than it was 4 years ago but it has always been pretty good.
I followed the trim with the first thorough s&d that I have done in 4 months. I do mini s &d's periodically, just to check on things. I knew that I had a few white dots from being rushed and careless lately.
I had far fewer white dots than ever, and absolutely no split ends, so the extra brewing time did make a difference in my hair recovering from using the catnip shampoos I did for a while, that gave me a few splits, at one point. I am still not getting any breakage taper either though. My growth since the end of February was steady and fairly even. I am still amazed at what catnip can do and in a few short months, it will be 4 years exactly, since I started using it.