Natural Care of Gray Hair?

**mellie** · September 2nd, 2008, 06:55 AM

For those of you who have gray hair, do you have any natural recipes to care for your grays and condition them?

I am considering discontinuing my use of henna and letting them go natural again....although I may want to mute them somewhat with tea dyes as I used to do, at least until there's more of them!

But, I have issues with their wiry-ness! Are there any natural conditioners that might help them from sticking out and being so coarse and wiry? Does oiling help? Perhaps with specific oils? Or other natural conditioners (avocado, banana, honey)?

Please share what works for you!

**ktani** · September 2nd, 2008, 07:44 AM

mellie

I have been using catnip almost 3 years now. My greys are not wiry at all with it.

Some of my hair is more wavy/coarse than others naturally, even befor I started greying but with catnip my hair texture is much more even and smooth.

Catnip can go a deeper colour if left longer to steep. It is still a dark yellow to me (some call it gold) but there is no red in it, nor do I see brown.

I have left it steeped and covered as long as 4 hours - 6 maximum.

**mellie** · September 2nd, 2008, 11:11 AM

I think I may try this instead of henna/katam. It is easy, safe, and conditioning!

**spidermom** · September 2nd, 2008, 11:35 AM

I don't understand how coating wirey hairs with catnip tea would make them non-wirey. I'm going to try this, so maybe I'll find out. I planted 1 or 2 little sprigs of catnip a few years ago; now I've got it all over the place. I'm drying some right now.

**ktani** · September 2nd, 2008, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by spidermom

I don't understand how coating wirey hairs with catnip tea would make them non-wirey. I'm going to try this, so maybe I'll find out. I planted 1 or 2 little sprigs of catnip a few years ago; now I've got it all over the place. I'm drying some right now.

spidermom

Catnip does not behave like coating herbs I have tried, that caused me a lot of breakage, dryness and split ends. It does not build-up on my hair. It does not stain my hands, nails, or leave a residue on my bathtub or shower curtain. It does stain my grey/white hair.

".... plant also is used to make light yellow dye."
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/new...es/catnip.html

".... it is commonly used to make a yellow dye."
http://dopamine.chem.umn.edu/chempedia/index.php/Catnip

Catnip does not have resin, mucilage or polysacharrides listed as active constituents. While most plants contain some mucilage, it is about percentages. I shampoo my hair and use the lather from the scalp (I only shampoo once per time) to extend through my length. Shampoo removes enough catnip each time, so that when I reapply it, there is not too much of it on my hair at one time. I always rinse it out.

Mucilage
http://www.answers.com/topic/mucilage?cat=health

Common catnip - Nepeta Cataria constituents - homepage http://www.swsbm.com/homepage/
http://www.swsbm.com/Constituents/Nepeta_cataria.txt

Catnip leaf constituents
"Acetic acid, ......."
http://www.monroecountymi.net/Medica...rbs/catnip.htm

Catmint and common catnip are actually 2 different species but are often referred to as the same plant.
"Common Catnip (Nepeta cataria) White flowers, grows .... 3 feet. This is the variety most cats ....
Catmint (Nepeta mussinii) Purple flowers. This plant .... smallish, grey/green leaves. It grows .... 15 inches high."
http://www.cat-world.com.au/Catnip.htm

Catnip is the only herb of the 3 I have tried as conditioners, the other 2 being linden flower and German chamomile, (they did stain my nails, bathtub and shower curtain with residue) that has actually done something really positive for my hair. It has reduced breakage to a minimum, and I no longer get split ends.

Others have found it useful too. The way I use catnip and the ways others use it are in this thread.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...read.php?t=476

I use dried catnip leaves and flowers from the pet store (the flowers contain more oil than the leaves).

**jojo** · September 2nd, 2008, 08:28 PM

I have found since doing catnip rinses once a month, my wirey springers have softened a lot and was a golden colour (the grey ones), this was prior to my rhubarb colouring, do you think I will be O.K. using the catnip along side with my rhubard?

**ktani** · September 2nd, 2008, 09:00 PM

jojo

I see no problem using both.

**WURW** · September 3rd, 2008, 04:33 AM

I've joined the Catnip train primarily for the conditioning. It's amazing. I always thought conditioner had to be thick and creamy and goopy. I was skeptical that a tea would condition but by golly it really works! And a great detangler too. Thanks!!!

It makes my grey roots blond which helps me go a little longer between colouring but my hair is dark and trying to darken the roots with herbs (and other suggested stuff) hasn't really worked. Maybe I'll try the Rhubarb. I think reddish roots would let me go a longer time than the blond.

**mellie** · September 3rd, 2008, 05:12 AM

Me too! I was thinking of giving the rhubarb a try as well!

**wintersun99** · September 3rd, 2008, 04:01 PM

I have frozen Rhubarb chunks (from Nature's) that I bought to put into protein shakes, but don't really like 'em. So, is it possible to use them in a rinse? Follow Jojo's idea? Not sure how, she used powdered root, no? If one wanted to use thawed Rhubarb, is it as simple as simmering the chunks into a tea? questions, questions....