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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Right. Got it! Thanks Ktani :D
I will brew it for 8 hours at room temp, then refridgerate to use ASAP. Not looking forward to putting cold liquid into my hair though...
One more question, you mentioned that your hair is wavy and I am wondering if the catnip effects the strength of your wave pattern at all? ie...does it make it wavier or straighter or no effect either way?
Oh, and yes, I had planned to clarify before hand. I want maximum catnip penetration!
If you are going to wash your hair right away after brewing it, there is no need to refridgerate it, just use it. Refrigerate any leftovers.
My wave patten is not weighed down in the slightest with catnip. I look like I have twice as much hair as I had when I used conditioner and I have a wave patten I previously did not know existed. Herb treatments can do that. Some of them that is. Any that coat the hair with natural polymers, from my experience, or mucilage, flatten the hair somewhat but not like the waxes in conditioners. Catnip is not heavy at all. If you use too much, your hair can separate more but I do not think that your hair is as fine or thin as mine.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Ok, I think I want to try catnip again. The first time I did it I had really stale stuff. So, if the new method is to brew it at room temp for 8 hours, does that mean it never gets hot water in the first place...(just stick it in room temp water and cover it)?
Also, I want to try fresh catnip as I have some growing at my house. Do I need to dry it before I use it or can I just pick it green and put it in?
Also, if I am doing this myself with my own catnip, how will I be able to know I am using the proper amount of catnip?
Thanks for any help on this matter.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AmyJorgensen
Ok, I think I want to try catnip again. The first time I did it I had really stale stuff. So, if the new method is to brew it at room temp for 8 hours, does that mean it never gets hot water in the first place...(just stick it in room temp water and cover it)?
Also, I want to try fresh catnip as I have some growing at my house. Do I need to dry it before I use it or can I just pick it green and put it in?
Also, if I am doing this myself with my own catnip, how will I be able to know I am using the proper amount of catnip?
Thanks for any help on this matter.
This is the catnip Article. It should answer most of your questions.
Brewing time is not the same thing as what water temperature you use to start with and what temperature it is where you brew it. I add boiled water to dried catnip. I just let it steep for 8 hours, at room temperature. Ah, it is my phrasing. My apologies. It is in a room that has no excessive heat or cold.
I have never used fresh catnip. It will affect how you measue it somewhat in terms of volume because it has moisture in the leaves and buds but that should not be too much of a problem. Powdered catnip (I have never seen it but it does exist), would be a measuring issue as well. Less of it would be needed, again becaise it is a volume issue.
I pack a teaspoon with dried catnip leaves and flower buds and make sure it is level. That works best for me and I use a measuring teaspoon.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Yay, thanks for clarifying for me. I will just pick some and let it dry and then pack my spoon, etc.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AmyJorgensen
Yay, thanks for clarifying for me. I will just pick some and let it dry and then pack my spoon, etc.
My pleasure! You are the first person to question that and I did not realize that what I was saying could be open for interpretation on that issue. Thank you.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Anyway, I digress :) Some questions: how important is it to really rinse the catnip out? After I've done the one hour treatment and get back into the shower to rinse, should I rinse and rinse and rinse? Or just a quick rinse and leave some in there? Secondly, I see you like the brewing time of 8 hours. I am wondering if brewing it any longer than this would cause any problems? I was thinking of making it tonight, and letting it sit overnight. Will it keep? I mean if I could not use it that day for some reason, could I use it the next day?
I am going to try your method exactly...ie shampoo and not condition. I'm willing to stop COing if the catnip method is successful for me :) I'm hoping to achieve some smoothness and get some moisture to my unruly/wavy/flyaway hair (especially my troublesome velcro ends!). Your experience with it encourages me greatly.
I will update my results here.
Catnip really is quite wonderful. I find Ktani's concentration to work well for me, but others have used different concentrations. I always steep the tea either overnight or all day - the time usually isn't less than 8 hours and can be as much as 12 or so hours - and I've never had any problems with that.
I also only do a quick rinse after letting my hair soak in the catnip - it seems to work better for me than doing an extremely thorough rinse.
I've found that the catnip works better than conditioner, so I don't use conditioner any more. I'm still playing around with what to wash my hair with before applying the catnip. Sometimes I only wash my hair with catnip (a CO using catnip instead of conditioner), but at least every other time I wash my hair I need to use something to wash it before using catnip. My hair and scalp don't seem to like shampoo anymore, so I've been playing around with different homemade shampoos/concoctions.
Catnip doesn't weigh down my hair at all, so it worked much better than conditioner-only for keeping my waves around.
The most important thing is to keep trying if catnip doesn't work for you at first, because the effects are definitely cumulative.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Thank you KaeleyAnne :) Your waves are soooooo pretty!! :inlove:
I am curious as to what you are washing with? I'm interested in hearing about your experiments in that regard as I would be quite keen to not use shampoo (after having not used it for sooooo long), but I do feel I need something to clean my hair and scalp a bit better than CO has been doing for those years.
I wonder if soapnuts would be compatible with using Catnip??? Ktani, any experience with Soapnuts?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Thank you KaeleyAnne :) Your waves are soooooo pretty!! :inlove:
I am curious as to what you are washing with? I'm interested in hearing about your experiments in that regard as I would be quite keen to not use shampoo (after having not used it for sooooo long), but I do feel I need something to clean my hair and scalp a bit better than CO has been doing for those years.
I wonder if soapnuts would be compatible with using Catnip??? Ktani, any experience with Soapnuts?
Actually I have been thinking about this lately and why soapnuts work well for some and not others, to cleanse, and the different routines including using catnip with soapnuts.
For you, soapnuts or aritha may be tricky. Aritha contains a natural light brown dye that may alter a light shade of blonde like yours. It has been reported to bring out red in some people's hair.
Traditionally, aritha is used with pre-oiling the hair, to prevent dryness. That may be why some people do not get much build-up from it but it does contain mucilage which would get left behind to a degree.
mellie's hair is natually oily and the mucilage may not be able to adhere to the hair as well for her and she uses lemon or lime juice with it. Her hair is dark and while soapnuts do not darken her grey (it is not that easy to stain grey hair), aritha stain can show up as I said, on lighter hair colours. Others who use a light pre-poiling with soapnuts have reported a coated feeling, dryness and tangling. That to me is the mucilage, my having been through that with linden tea. Mucilage can build-up badly. Most Indian washing herbs like shikakai can stain light hair colours.
Here is a routine, reported to work well, washing herbs on the scalp and catnip only on the length, with coconut oiling after that but clarifying once in a while is necessary.
The beauty of catnip for me, is that it only requires a gentle shampoo to remove excess, when too much has been used, because the oils it contains are not heavy. I just use more shampoo when that happens and the next shampoo, I am back to the balance I prefer. Catnip is very forgiving that way.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Ktani - thanks for posting my method, I feel special! People are going to think we own stock in catnip, we write such glowing reports of how well it works to prevent splits and breakage. A year ago, I never would of thought I would give up traditional shampoo and conditioner for herbs but they certainly have worked well for me. I really appreciate the time you have put into research and documenting your findings. You are the "catnip queen!"
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kdaniels8811
Ktani - thanks for posting my method, I feel special! People are going to think we own stock in catnip, we write such glowing reports of how well it works to prevent splits and breakage. A year ago, I never would of thought I would give up traditional shampoo and conditioner for herbs but they certainly have worked well for me. I really appreciate the time you have put into research and documenting your findings. You are the "catnip queen!"
But you are special IMO. and Thank you!
You put a lot of time and effort into finding a routine with washing herbs and catnip and it works for you and you found a way around the coating problems washing herbs can have.
I could not use your method for a few reasons. 1. I do not want to darken my hair colour and washing herbs have that tendency. And 2. most of my grey/white is on the top layers of my hair and at the front sides. The coating washing herbs can leave behind would interfere with catnip staining for me.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kdaniels8811
People are going to think we own stock in catnip,
Another advantage of catnip, besides the fact that to me, it is the perfect hair conditioning and hair colouring plant, as if that were not enough, lol, is that I am no longer conventional product dependent.
As long as there are cats out there and cat lovers, I can find a good pet store catnip. And it grows wild in many places!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
KaeleyAnne
Catnip really is quite wonderful. I find Ktani's concentration to work well for me, but others have used different concentrations. I always steep the tea either overnight or all day - the time usually isn't less than 8 hours and can be as much as 12 or so hours - and I've never had any problems with that.
I also only do a quick rinse after letting my hair soak in the catnip - it seems to work better for me than doing an extremely thorough rinse.
I've found that the catnip works better than conditioner, so I don't use conditioner any more. I'm still playing around with what to wash my hair with before applying the catnip. Sometimes I only wash my hair with catnip (a CO using catnip instead of conditioner), but at least every other time I wash my hair I need to use something to wash it before using catnip. My hair and scalp don't seem to like shampoo anymore, so I've been playing around with different homemade shampoos/concoctions.
Catnip doesn't weigh down my hair at all, so it worked much better than conditioner-only for keeping my waves around.
The most important thing is to keep trying if catnip doesn't work for you at first, because the effects are definitely cumulative.
12 hours should not be a problem I agree. I just do not want to push the point for myself, with letting it stay out of the fridge too long at one time. It is about where it is when out standing too. It should not be near a heat source or in direct sunlight, while brewing, if it is going to be sitting around for long periods of time.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Thank you KaeleyAnne :) Your waves are soooooo pretty!! :inlove:
I am curious as to what you are washing with? I'm interested in hearing about your experiments in that regard as I would be quite keen to not use shampoo (after having not used it for sooooo long), but I do feel I need something to clean my hair and scalp a bit better than CO has been doing for those years.
I wonder if soapnuts would be compatible with using Catnip??? Ktani, any experience with Soapnuts?
Thanks, Rini.
I've been using a small amount of baking soda dissolved in a large amount of water - somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon dissolved in a cup or two of water. I rinse that out and do a vinegar rinse, rinse that out, then apply the catnip and let it soak. I really have to make sure that I let the catnip sit for at least 20 minutes (the longer the better, but I'm impatient) when I use baking soda, to make up for the harshness of the baking soda. Doing the vinegar rinse right after the baking soda shampoo also helps to cut the harshness of the baking soda. I try to use as little baking soda as possible to get my scalp clean.
I don't like using baking soda every time I wash, so I've also been experimenting with doing an egg/molasses shampoo - beat an egg, add some molasses or honey, and use that as the shampoo. It seems to work as well, but I don't want to use that every time I shampoo, either, since I'm not sure if the egg application will cause a surfeit of protein. The baking soda cleans better, but the egg/molasses mixture isn't as harsh (and still cleans better than catnip alone).
Doing a catnip only wash works if the previous wash used some sort of "shampoo" and if I haven't applied any oil or gel (aloe or flax seed, for example) to my hair between the two washes. As Ktani has said, the catnip doesn't work as well over coatings, which I have verified through various experiments of my own.
I'm still experimenting with homemade shampoos - eventually I'll try washing with other herbs to see how that works. I'm keeping watch to see how others incorporate other forms of cleaning into their catnip routines.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I just cut my hair and am excited to see what CO style washing with catnip is going to do to my waves now. I wonder if I should make less tea as 300ml was plenty for my elbow length hair.:hmm: Maybe I will just make the same amount as usual and just soak my hair down really well and see what happens.
Either way, catnip can't hurt:D
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Well I've done my first catnip. Here's what I did:
I brewed my catnip tea according to Ktani's instructions, but brew time was about 10 hours. I washed my hair with my clarifying shampoo and then soaked my hair with the catnip tea, bagged it and waited for one hour. I then rinsed it out.
After I rinsed it out, my hair was REALLY dry and tangly. :( I had to get back into the shower and put some conditioner on it. After air drying, my hair looks as it normally does as if I had just done my usual CO routine. I'm a little disappointed, but was prepared that I may not see any benefits for a while. I will persist with this method and see if there are any improvements in my hair over time.
Did I do anything wrong? Any suggestions for improvement?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Well I've done my first catnip. Here's what I did:
I brewed my catnip tea according to Ktani's instructions, but brew time was about 10 hours. I washed my hair with my clarifying shampoo and then soaked my hair with the catnip tea, bagged it and waited for one hour. I then rinsed it out.
After I rinsed it out, my hair was REALLY dry and tangly. :( I had to get back into the shower and put some conditioner on it. After air drying, my hair looks as it normally does as if I had just done my usual CO routine. I'm a little disappointed, but was prepared that I may not see any benefits for a while. I will persist with this method and see if there are any improvements in my hair over time.
Did I do anything wrong? Any suggestions for improvement?
No, I do not think that you did anything wrong. You may still have some conditioner residue on your hair. 2 options for that. Just use a mild shampoo before your next catrnip treatment. It should help remove the residue and the conditioner you added today, use the catnip again and see how things go. If you can get away with no conditioner, during each successive treatment, more conditioning residue will wash out and you will slowly see results.
It also may be your catnip quality but time will tell on that. When I started to use catnip, I had horrid mucilage build-up on my hair that gradually washed out and catnip on top of that, still yielded enough of a positive result, that I kept using it, but I stopped all use of the product (the linden tea) that had caused the build-up. I was concerned that 1 clarifying shampoo, would not be enough to remove all conditioner residue, since you have been CO'ing for a while.
If your next treatment is better, in terms of results but you still need some conditioner, just use the least amount you can get away with. Each time you shampoo thereafter, the conditioner should be easier to remove.
The 2nd option, is to clarify again. However, depending on how strong the shampoo is you run the risk of drying out your hair. However, instead of using conditioner if you do that, you can try a light oiling, after the catnip, which may wash out easier than using conditioner.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Rini - the last time I shampooed with clarifying shampoo, my hair was so stripped, catnip soaks did not help. My hair was as you described, dry and tangly. Catnip will not put back the oils removed with clarifying. I had to SMT, wash with a gentler shampoo, then start the catnip routine again. Now it is back to normal, with catnip soaks leaving my hair tangle free and soft as a kitten's fur. Clean but not stripped hair is the key, I have found. So don't give up! The benefits are well worth it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kdaniels8811
Rini - the last time I shampooed with clarifying shampoo, my hair was so stripped, catnip soaks did not help. My hair was as you described, dry and tangly. Catnip will not put back the oils removed with clarifying. I had to SMT, wash with a gentler shampoo, then start the catnip routine again. Now it is back to normal, with catnip soaks leaving my hair tangle free and soft as a kitten's fur. Clean but not stripped hair is the key, I have found. So don't give up! The benefits are well worth it.
I agree completely. Well done.
Rini, this says in part what I was trying to say, much more simply and it may be another reason why you have the results you do now. I did not address this possibility too.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I just told the girl at the pet store about catnip for hair. We were chatting about the catnip EO spray they have for refreshing cat toys, and she wondered why I cared about 'nip when I don't have a kitty. Their catnip is so pretty -- I'm going to get some in a bit when I have a little more money.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Madame J
I just told the girl at the pet store about catnip for hair. We were chatting about the catnip EO spray they have for refreshing cat toys, and she wondered why I cared about 'nip when I don't have a kitty. Their catnip is so pretty -- I'm going to get some in a bit when I have a little more money.
Walmart has or had a catnip in their pet section that is organic, cheap and contains buds and leaves. It is called SmartyKat.
I have never tried it but IMO, it is worth considering.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Walmart brand is what I use, it was a buck or two, works fine!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kdaniels8811
Walmart brand is what I use, it was a buck or two, works fine!
Great thank you. I thought SmartyKat looked good. It is not a Walmart brand as in their own brand. It is a brand that they carry, just to be clear.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I read all the way thru this thread last winter. I think I forgot half of what I read now! My biggest question: is there a way to use this and NOT get coloring in my silver???? Some areas of my top (also the silver area) are fuzzy/dry looking. Careful search in sunlight, I'm not sure if I'm seeing the dreaded white dots or if it's just the way the light is hitting the strands that are popped up. I hae some 'nip now - forgot the color part ...
Thanks for any help ...:)
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
I read all the way thru this thread last winter. I think I forgot half of what I read now! My biggest question: is there a way to use this and NOT get coloring in my silver???? Some areas of my top (also the silver area) are fuzzy/dry looking. Careful search in sunlight, I'm not sure if I'm seeing the dreaded white dots or if it's just the way the light is hitting the strands that are popped up. I hae some 'nip now - forgot the color part ...
Thanks for any help ...:)
This should help with what you may have forgotten, the catnip Article.
I am afraid that if you want the most conditioning, split end, white dot protection, that you will probably get some colour too. I do not see a way around that. You can apply catnip over conditioner and get no colour but you will sacrifice optimal conditioning at the same time, from my experience.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Ok - Thanks much Ktani. Guess I'll have to think about it a bit more.
Oh, Does the color stay permanently?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
Ok - Thanks much Ktani. Guess I'll have to think about it a bit more.
Oh, Does the color stay permanently?
You are most welcome!
No, the colour is not permanent. It is all in the Article.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Yesterday I was in a hurry so I used shampoo and conditioner...my hair felt awful and I still had oil in my hair. Yuck!
So last night Indian herbs on the crown, catnip on tail and bagged it and my hair is better conditioned with the catnip than conditioner.
:cheese:Ktani,:cheese: can't thank you enough for this thread!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wahmof9
Yesterday I was in a hurry so I used shampoo and conditioner...my hair felt awful and I still had oil in my hair. Yuck!
So last night Indian herbs on the crown, catnip on tail and bagged it and my hair is better conditioned with the catnip than conditioner.
:cheese:Ktani,:cheese: can't thank you enough for this thread!
You are most welcome and the thanks should go to MadPirateBippy too because she started this thread. I just got invited in and never left, lol.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I have read that you can "cold" brew herbs overnight. You just use room temperature water. I tried that with chamomile, ages ago. I did not care for the results. And I tried hot, hot but not boiled water too. Nope, I prefer boiled water. I got better results. This was in comparison to letting the chamomile brew for 30 minutes, my old recommended time. 20 minutes is the recommended time for brewing a plant for medicinal use.
I find 8 hours for catnip just fine and I am not going to experiment with the cold method. I feel safer with boiled water somehow. My catnip tea has never gone off or bad.
Chamomile tea did go off or bad (cloudy) in less than a week, kept refridgerated, no matter what the water temperature used, when I made batches in advance. I now use boiled water to "sterilize" my mug, saucer, 2 cup measuring cup and strainer, before I use them, each time, even though they are all washed with liquid soap, at the end of the making of catnip tea. It is just a habit I like. I do not know if it makes a difference but I feel better doing it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Update. I did an 8 hour catnip brewing in advance Saturday night, overnight, and by the time I got around to straining the tea for refidgeration (I washed my hair today), it had brewed 9 hours.
Obsevation: even better grey/white coverage. It appears that more of the yellow tannin is released into the water, the longer catnip is brewed. The conditioning is excellent too. Interesting. I do not know what the maximum brewing time will work out to be.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
UPDATE: As you know, I was less than impressed with my first catnip treatment, but today when I got into the shower to wash my hair and the water ran over my hair, it felt soooooo soft!! Softer than it's felt in ages! So perhaps my condition really WAS improved but was just not very noticeable to me when my hair was dry?
Today, however, I did a cone experiment (used coney shampoo and conditioner just to see what would happen) which was not good :( So next time, I'm going to clarify again and use the catnip as before. Think I'm going to persevere with this for a while.... :D
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
UPDATE: As you know, I was less than impressed with my first catnip treatment, but today when I got into the shower to wash my hair and the water ran over my hair, it felt soooooo soft!! Softer than it's felt in ages! So perhaps my condition really WAS improved but was just not very noticeable to me when my hair was dry?
Today, however, I did a cone experiment (used coney shampoo and conditioner just to see what would happen) which was not good :( So next time, I'm going to clarify again and use the catnip as before. Think I'm going to persevere with this for a while.... :D
Rini, where you are you should be able to get my shampoo, Sunsilk Lively Blonde. It has one cone only, does not build-up, leaves my hair very smooth and silky but can clean well and it works absolutely perfectly with catnip. It lathers well and you do not need to use too much. I dilute it only in my hand not on its own and I have been using it for most of the 4 years including now, that I have used catnip.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I am going to try this! I color treat my hair (professionally) and have pretty regular 1/2" trims so I am hoping this stuff will help me have to trim less :)
I am going to boil and steep for 1hr then strain and cool and do a rinse over CWC hair.. (I don't want any coloring) and let it rest on my hair 5min then condition again if it feels like it needs it.. I'm curly and color treated so anything but conditioner tends to make my hair feel 'dry'..
I'll report back once its done steeping :)
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Update: I let the catnip steep for an hour before I emptied since it was still pretty clear.. then I let it cool to room temp, and I soaked my ends in a small bowl with an occasional pour over my head with a cup and sat this way for 6 minutes then I rinsed.. it felt a little dry so I added a conditioner after and a AVC rinse and topped with coconut oil.
I didn't notice any color change or my dye fading.. but I am noticing it feeling different while being wet. I had my roots touched up over the weekend so its feeling a lot dry so I hope this helps!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Thanks Ktani! I'm going to look for that tomorrow :)
I did the catnip again today, but this time I left it on for only 5-10 minutes in the shower (I don't know if I can do the one hour thing on a regular basis as I find it a bit time-consuming). I rinsed and used a little bit of conitioner afterwards (still not ready to leave this out yet).
I have to say, my hair right now is FABULOUS! Shiney, super-wavy and soooooo soft :inlove: I don't know if this was a fluke or the cumulative effects of catnip, but either way I'm going to keep going with it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cherry_Sprinkle
Update: I let the catnip steep for an hour before I emptied since it was still pretty clear.. then I let it cool to room temp, and I soaked my ends in a small bowl with an occasional pour over my head with a cup and sat this way for 6 minutes then I rinsed.. it felt a little dry so I added a conditioner after and a AVC rinse and topped with coconut oil.
I didn't notice any color change or my dye fading.. but I am noticing it feeling different while being wet. I had my roots touched up over the weekend so its feeling a lot dry so I hope this helps!
Try it with my method just once on clean, clarified hair and see if that makes a difference. You may not be interested in the colour but it may give you the conditioning you want.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I think the dryness I am feeling in my hair isn't even due to the dye, I think its the protein in the suave conditioner.. I've been using V05 for so long but when my stylist told me she thought I was lacking a bit in protein I went back to suave just for that reason but now its kind of.. dry and feels brittle and looks, not so hot..
but I do want the benefits from the catnip for splits.. my hair splits really easy cause its so fine.. so I'll try your way next time :) should I clarify even though I am cone free with no visible build up?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rini
Thanks Ktani! I'm going to look for that tomorrow :)
I did the catnip again today, but this time I left it on for only 5-10 minutes in the shower (I don't know if I can do the one hour thing on a regular basis as I find it a bit time-consuming). I rinsed and used a little bit of conitioner afterwards (still not ready to leave this out yet).
I have to say, my hair right now is FABULOUS! Shiney, super-wavy and soooooo soft :inlove: I don't know if this was a fluke or the cumulative effects of catnip, but either way I'm going to keep going with it.
You are most welcome!
I am in the middle of finishing up 7 assignments, all do Thursday for school, so this will be quick. I will still be posting but perhaps not as frequently, over the next few days.
You can play with the timing, once you get the conditioning to the maximum. I suggest that because of the fragility of your hair right now. Also I recommend, because of your damaged ends, that instead of conditioner, if you still need it, that you consider using coconut oil because of its strengthening abilities, and it may be easier to wash out of your hair with the Sunsilk shampoo than conditioner, if you do not use too much at one time. I need nothing else to follow catnip but I do not have any damaged hair.
You also may want to consider pure, cosmetic grade argan oil, which is lighter in colour, see this post to see what it looks like, which from reports in the peroxide thead, absorbs into hair well but is lighter in texture than coconut oil, is conditioning and may wash out easier than conditioner, as well. It can make the skin sun sentitive, used during the day though but not if you just use it on your ends.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cherry_Sprinkle
I think the dryness I am feeling in my hair isn't even due to the dye, I think its the protein in the suave conditioner.. I've been using V05 for so long but when my stylist told me she thought I was lacking a bit in protein I went back to suave just for that reason but now its kind of.. dry and feels brittle and looks, not so hot..
but I do want the benefits from the catnip for splits.. my hair splits really easy cause its so fine.. so I'll try your way next time :) should I clarify even though I am cone free with no visible build up?
Conditioner tends to leave residue that can still prevent catnip from accessing the hair to its fullest capacity. The clarifying does not have to be harsh, a normal shampoo will do but it may take more than one. You do not have to use one that is a clarifying shampoo as such, just one that can still be gentle but without extra oils or cones. One cone is fine or one oil.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I've been using V05 shampoo to clarify followed up with 2 conditioner applications but I recently switched to suave for the extra protein and my hair apparently didn't appreciete it lol However... I think I have noticed a difference in the over-all condition.. I don't know if you can tell from this or not but.. I think its made a difference in just the little bit that I've used it..?
Before Catnip:
http://www.septemberpixie.com/lj/hair/IMG_4014.jpg
http://www.septemberpixie.com/lj/hair/IMG_4005.jpg
After Catnip:
http://www.septemberpixie.com/lj/hair/IMG_4035.jpg
http://www.septemberpixie.com/lj/hair/IMG_4047.jpg
I'm going to try the catnip again this weekend for 30mins after shampoo and then follow up with conditioner if it feels dry again. I'll be sure to report back again.