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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Feli, the flower buds contain most of the oil, so it's not surprising that you get a drying effect using just the leaves. (The leaves contain most of the tannins, and tannins are drying). I'd just try again with a different brand, one that consists of leaves AND flower buds.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ktani
It can take time to see results. It can depend on the catnip itself, what is or was on your hair, your hair, in terms of the thickness of the strands, the amount you use and the timing and method. I get better results with it bagged and timed for 1 hour altogether than I did with previous methods.
See the last link at the end of the Catnip Article,
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&articleid=118.
I changed my brew time to exactly 5 hours this last time and my hair has been perfect all week, no curlover, no friction (in varied weather conditions), just amazing. But my hair is mostly fine so this brew time may be the best for my type of hair in particular. Different brew times, timing, methods and dilutions may work better for others and their hair, and in fact such has been reported to be the case.
Thank you! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
iris
Feli, the flower buds contain most of the oil, so it's not surprising that you get a drying effect using just the leaves. (The leaves contain most of the tannins, and tannins are drying). I'd just try again with a different brand, one that consists of leaves AND flower buds.
Wow, that is interessting! I have to check if my catnip contains flowers...:p
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Silly question time, but what do you mean by bagging? I have my catnip on for the first time at the moment with a shower cap on, and it dripped everywhere for the first half hour or so.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Silly question time, but what do you mean by bagging? I have my catnip on for the first time at the moment with a shower cap on, and it dripped everywhere for the first half hour or so.
I use a freezer bag but a shower cap is fine, so is plastic wrap.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Catnip leaves contain oils too but there are more in the buds. The flowers contain tannins as well. One should look for "leaves and flowers" but the best catnip I have used is actually leaves and buds (floweres harvested before they open) and they contain oils that are are lost once the flowers bloom.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Thanks for the reply. I just found it dripped past my shower cap (wasn't tight enough), and into my ears, which is a bad thing for me (I get lots of ear infections). I think I need to find a swimming cap or something... depending on my results, of course! :)
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Thanks for the reply. I just found it dripped past my shower cap (wasn't tight enough), and into my ears, which is a bad thing for me (I get lots of ear infections). I think I need to find a swimming cap or something... depending on my results, of course! :)
I have not had that happen but I can understand your concerns. Catnip is antibacterial and antiviral though. Good luck!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Pelicano - I make a ponytail and dip just the ponytail in the catnip, then cram the wet hair into a plastic baggie, hence "bagging". Just means to put the dripping hair into a small plastic bag and put a scrunchy elastic around the top of the bag to hold it in place for the "soak". Much better than dripping down my neck and I do not need conditioning on my scalp, just the length. Does that make sense?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Thanks! I'll have to try some things out. :)
OK, I'm trying not to get too excited yet, as I won't really know till later or tomorrow whether my scalp is happy with the catnip, but... my hair really loves it!! :cheese: I washed with a non-sulfate shampoo, but used more than usual to try to remove build up of oils, conditioner, butters, glycerine etc. I then left the catnip on for an hour and rinsed. I didn't put anything in my hair afterwards, whereas I would normally put some shea butter and olive oil in, or some glycerine.
It has dried into really soft ringlet curls. There are still some dry, frizzy short bits, but they are really quite damaged. I'm not sure about any possible colour change yet, as I need to see it in daylight, and also because I normally have leave-ins darkening my hair.
Considering how dry my hair felt after the shampoo, this is a miracle. Here's hoping the scalp will put up with it OK!!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Just a quick question for you catnippers (!) How do you apply it? Yesterday I used a jug and today I used a spray bottle. I water washed today and am just about to rinse... hope it will be OK, as I really can't shampoo every day, but I do need to wash my scalp.
My hair really puffed up in the evening yesterday, so I was really disappointed. Then I looked outside and there was thick fog! Not great weather to be trying something new in!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Just a quick question for you catnippers (!) How do you apply it?
My method of application is at the start of this thread. Only my brew time has changed. Catnip can be applied the way that is easiest for an individual.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quick question, hopefully it hasn't been asked yet:
If you're only using catnip for the split-end prevention, do you still need to bag it?
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ktani
My method of application is at the start of this thread. Only my brew time has changed. Catnip can be applied the way that is easiest for an individual.
Thanks! I think I need to take greater care with how I apply it. eg. concentrating on the very dry brittle short bits (and the greys) rather than the length that I have probably prioritised up to now.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RancheroTheBee
Quick question, hopefully it hasn't been asked yet:
If you're only using catnip for the split-end prevention, do you still need to bag it?
I have found that catnip does not absorb into the hair as well, colour my hair as well or give me split end prevention without bagging it versus not bagging it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Thanks! I think I need to take greater care with how I apply it. eg. concentrating on the very dry brittle short bits (and the greys) rather than the length that I have probably prioritised up to now.
You are most welcome!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Hmm... I'm really not sure about this now, as my hair is oh so dry and frizzy. :( Maybe I just need to use my usual leave-ins (shea butter, olive oil or glycerine, or a combination of all 3). I have done this treatment 3 days in a row (too much maybe?), but only shampooed it the first time. The other 2 occasions I have water washed.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Hmm... I'm really not sure about this now, as my hair is oh so dry and frizzy. :( Maybe I just need to use my usual leave-ins (shea butter, olive oil or glycerine, or a combination of all 3). I have done this treatment 3 days in a row (too much maybe?), but only shampooed it the first time. The other 2 occasions I have water washed.
You said "I washed with a non-sulfate shampoo", what was the shampoo? The reason I ask is because the shampoo itself may be leaving a build up on your hair which is preventing the catnip from working and then doing a water only wash twice after that wont remove anything that may have built up on your hair.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
It has done something though, as I can see a colour change (noticed with the 2nd application).
Shampoo ingredients are:
Aqua (pure water), Aloe barbadensis (aloe leaf) juice, Coco glucoside, Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, urtica cioica (nettle), equisetum arvense (horsetail), lecithin (plant origin), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), levulinic acid (plant origin), xanthan gum (plant origin), usnea barbata, citric acid, chamomila recutita (chamomile).
Apologies for any spelling mistakes - have been squinting at the small print on my shampoo bottle! I've just bought a new shampoo, so can try with that one. I wonder if the coconut oil coated it (hadn't noticed that was in the ingredients), although I did get a colour change, as I mentioned. :confused:
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Hmm... I'm really not sure about this now, as my hair is oh so dry and frizzy. :( Maybe I just need to use my usual leave-ins (shea butter, olive oil or glycerine, or a combination of all 3). I have done this treatment 3 days in a row (too much maybe?), but only shampooed it the first time. The other 2 occasions I have water washed.
From my experience, catnip over catnip does not work well in terms of conditioning.
I always shampoo in between treatments. Here is the Catnip Article, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&articleid=118.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
It has done something though, as I can see a colour change (noticed with the 2nd application).
Shampoo ingredients are:
Aqua (pure water), Aloe barbadensis (aloe leaf) juice, Coco glucoside, Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, urtica cioica (nettle), equisetum arvense (horsetail), lecithin (plant origin), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), levulinic acid (plant origin), xanthan gum (plant origin), usnea barbata, citric acid, chamomila recutita (chamomile).
Apologies for any spelling mistakes - have been squinting at the small print on my shampoo bottle! I've just bought a new shampoo, so can try with that one. I wonder if the coconut oil coated it (hadn't noticed that was in the ingredients), although I did get a colour change, as I mentioned. :confused:
From previous questions I have asked about ingredients that can coat the hair I believe that the coconut oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), urtica cioica (nettle) and chamomila recutita (chamomile) could all interfere with the effectiveness of the catnip. I'm not sure about the other ingredients.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to have to just stick to doing it once or twice a week (with a shampoo first - will try a different one), and use conditioner and leave-in inbetween. My hair closely resembles a bird's nest at the moment! :o:D
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to have to just stick to doing it once or twice a week (with a shampoo first - will try a different one), and use conditioner and leave-in inbetween. My hair closely resembles a bird's nest at the moment! :o:D
That sounds best for you. You can cut down on the conditioner and leave-in so they wash out more easily and see how it goes.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Just to update, I have given the catnip another go this week, by breaking my usual hair 'rules' and using a sulfate shampoo to wash my hair thoroughly first. I even washed the length, which filled me with horror. :o
Anyway, my hair felt really quite dry still after the wash and catnip, so I had to spritz on some glycerine. It is possibly a little thicker, which is a good thing for me. I think the greys are slightly less prominent too, and in the sun my hair is looking a sort of pale golden brown.
I'm really hoping if I do this weekly my hair will get stronger and the greys will cover - that's all I'm after really (I don't ask for much! :D)
edit: forgot to add, my v sensitive scalp (seborrheic dermatitis) seems quite happy with it. :) My ears aren't so happy (chronic fungal infection), but given that I had a batch go mouldy in the fridge within 24 hours, that's probably not surprising. I'm trying very hard to keep it out of my ears.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Ktani - I was going to give the catnip a try.
Last time I brewed in a stainless tea ball - left overnight. The stuff was greenish - after looking at it a few days chickened out.
Today I brewed some w/o the SS ball. It still looks greenish. :cool:
It's from the pet store - leaves and flowers ...
Is my white hair going to turn green? Do I dare try using it? :confused:
What are your thots?
ETA: My "chocolate brown" has enough white in the sides to make it look blondish - the top front is overall white looking.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
Ktani - I was going to give the catnip a try.
Last time I brewed in a stainless tea ball - left overnight. The stuff was greenish - after looking at it a few days chickened out.
Today I brewed some w/o the SS ball. It still looks greenish. :cool:
It's from the pet store - leaves and flowers ...
Is my white hair going to turn green? Do I dare try using it? :confused:
What are your thots?
ETA: My "chocolate brown" has enough white in the sides to make it look blondish - the top front is overall white looking.
Some of the health food store catnip I bought 4 years ago brewed a greenish yellow colour. It did not stain my hair green. Some else told me that their catnip yieled a greenish liquid too. Some pet store catnips do not indicate what species of catnip they are. Hagen does not but I emailed them and it is Nepeta cataria or common catnip. Hagen is what I have been using for over a year now and it always brews yellow or darker yellow if I brew it longer.
I suggest test stranding what you have. Even though it says leaves and flowers, it depends on when the catnip was harvested (leaves and flowers should really say leaves and buds). Hagen does not say that either on the label but that is what it actually is. This is what it looks like, http://thegardenpet.com/index.php?ma...jsgf7bt520t6h7
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Mine looks similar - only in a plastic 1/2 oz bag for cat toys.
It's VIP (very important pet) V0Y-TOY brand from PetCo.
You said you don't really get color from a few minutes - but still get conditioning right? (I'm thinking of just a few minutes while in the shower ...)
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
Mine looks similar - only in a plastic 1/2 oz bag for cat toys.
It's VIP (very important pet) V0Y-TOY brand from PetCo.
You said you don't really get color from a few minutes - but still get conditioning right? (I'm thinking of just a few minutes while in the shower ...)
I never got great conditioning or colour without bagging catnip but at the start I had build-up on my hair. Still in at that time and with short treatment timing, I did get enough colour and conditioning to continue using catnip to see what it could do. It depends on why you are using it.
The split end prevention and great colour for me, happened about a year into experimenting with it. By that time a lot of the build-up was gone and I was bagging the treatment each time to increase the conditioning and colour benefits of catnip.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I'm after conditoning. I have sort of regular Malibu treatments for the well water mineral build-up. I've SMT'd and a couple conditioner washes since the last one ... (VO5)
I'm thinking of a Suave clarifying and the catnip - bagged for 10-15 minutes ...
I noticed some where about using a leave-in after the catnip until the hair is taking the catnip oils better - that still works? I read that correctly (in the wee hours)? Thank you ... :)
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
I'm after conditoning. I have sort of regular Malibu treatments for the well water mineral build-up. I've SMT'd and a couple conditioner washes since the last one ... (VO5)
I'm thinking of a Suave clarifying and the catnip - bagged for 10-15 minutes ...
I noticed some where about using a leave-in after the catnip until the hair is taking the catnip oils better - that still works? I read that correctly (in the wee hours)? Thank you ... :)
Some people found that going to straight catnip and nothing else following shampoo was not right for them and they still needed something else like a leave-in or oils. It may have been that there was still residue or a coating of some sort on their hair.
I do know that eventually a few of these people were able to not need anything further after a while.
The idea is that a small amount of leave-in or oil, (small enough to wash out easily) can not be a problem in causing a barrier for catnip to be effective.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Ok, Thank You Ktani - I appreciate the info.
I think I'm just going to go "do it" - mainly on the pony tail and hope I can find some other catnip (mmm - ebay!) :D
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
Ok, Thank You Ktani - I appreciate the info.
I think I'm just going to go "do it" - mainly on the pony tail and hope I can find some other catnip (mmm - ebay!) :D
You are most welcome! See how it goes with the one you have. You may not need to replace it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Good luck, Linda K!
I'm really starting to like catnip. I've not got great conditioning effects as yet (only 2 weeks or so in though), but I think my hair looks a little thicker, which is great news. The best part about it is the colour though - I'm leaving it on for an hour at a time, and my hair has a really nice golden sheen to it - not so much as for others to notice as yet, but enough to be really obvious to me under the light. The greys are slightly less obvious too.
My catnip looks yellowy when it is brewed, but I've noticed a greeny tinge to any drops I spill which have been exposed to the air for any length of time (an hour or so).
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
OMGosh! I think I'm sold! (Nope - didn't turn green!)
:happydance:
I used the Suave Clarifying 'poo, then squeezed a 'bar towel' around whatever was caught in a pony. I squirt on some of the catnip and squished that thru, then popped a (vinyl) shower cap on the back half of my head making sure the ends where inside. A couple times I squished it again thru the cap. It was probably on around 12 minutes.
I put a little Lily of the Desert Aloe Gelly on the front to try taming and giving a little direction.
It's not totally dry yet underneath in back. But I can already tell: It's not as snaggy w/ finger combing! I only caught a couple times in the very back that is less gray! I wasn't doing that well with leave-in's!
It's still snagging on the crown - but I think they are much easier to get thru! Since it hasn't taken all that long to feel it's pretty well finger smoothed, I'm thinking it's safe to say there are less snags there as well(?).
Not as much of the sides were in it and those areas feel 'rougher'.
Now to figure out something other than clarifying 'poo's ...
Thank you again! :cheese:
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linda K
OMGosh! I think I'm sold! (Nope - didn't turn green!)
:happydance:
I used the Suave Clarifying 'poo, then squeezed a 'bar towel' around whatever was caught in a pony. I squirt on some of the catnip and squished that thru, then popped a (vinyl) shower cap on the back half of my head making sure the ends where inside. A couple times I squished it again thru the cap. It was probably on around 12 minutes.
I put a little Lily of the Desert Aloe Gelly on the front to try taming and giving a little direction.
It's not totally dry yet underneath in back. But I can already tell: It's not as snaggy w/ finger combing! I only caught a couple times in the very back that is less gray! I wasn't doing that well with leave-in's!
It's still snagging on the crown - but I think they are much easier to get thru! Since it hasn't taken all that long to feel it's pretty well finger smoothed, I'm thinking it's safe to say there are less snags there as well(?).
Not as much of the sides were in it and those areas feel 'rougher'.
Now to figure out something other than clarifying 'poo's ...
Thank you again! :cheese:
Great news!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I'm becoming more and more impressed with catnip, and I've only been using it for about 2 weeks now. :cheese: My hair has a real shine to it now (it's a dark, dull blonde colour, so not normally shiny at all). Also, yesterday when I water washed and conditioned it (which I'm doing between catnip treatments), it felt like silk. And today all I did to my hair was ran my fingers through it and went out! This is unheard of, as normally I'd have to at least wet it and moisturise/oil seal in the moisture.
Thanks so much for all the info on this thread.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
I'm becoming more and more impressed with catnip, and I've only been using it for about 2 weeks now. :cheese: My hair has a real shine to it now (it's a dark, dull blonde colour, so not normally shiny at all). Also, yesterday when I water washed and conditioned it (which I'm doing between catnip treatments), it felt like silk. And today all I did to my hair was ran my fingers through it and went out! This is unheard of, as normally I'd have to at least wet it and moisturise/oil seal in the moisture.
Thanks so much for all the info on this thread.
I am glad to hear that you are so pleased. Catnip results generally have been reported to get better with continued use, provided the hair is relatively free of coatings.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ktani
I am glad to hear that you are so pleased. Catnip results generally have been reported to get better with continued use, provided the hair is relatively free of coatings.
Yes, that's the only bit that worries me - will have to make sure I shampoo thoroughly before each treatment, as I'm still having to use products that coat it.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pelicano
Yes, that's the only bit that worries me - will have to make sure I shampoo thoroughly before each treatment, as I'm still having to use products that coat it.
The shampoo does not have to be super strong. You may as others have reported, need to use less of the coating products as you go, which means they should wash out easier and need less cleansing a shampoo.
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
I've been using catnip after washes for a month now, and I love the conditioned ends. I leave it in.
Why on earth did I not try this before?!
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Re: Catnip for split ends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
brunette
I've been using catnip after washes for a month now, and I love the conditioned ends. I leave it in.
Why on earth did I not try this before?!
It becomes an addiction, I've now been using it for 7 months and my hair loves it. Glad to hear its working well for you.:D