Catnip for split ends?

**KarpatiiSiv** · October 19th, 2009, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by linda g

I have what may be a silly question, and I apologize if it has already been answered:

Do any of you have cats who have shown an increased interest in your hair after doing this? I'm a little worried my kitty will attack my head!

Never had a problem with any of my cats taking an increased interest in my hair. Once the catnip has been brewed it should no longer be of any interest to them.

**PrincessFurball** · October 19th, 2009, 03:34 PM

I just have to give another shout-out for catnip-- I'm more impressed than ever. I took my hair down for the first time after using catnip, and WOW. My hair hasn't been that tangle-free and easy to comb in... well, forever. I really don't remember it ever being that easy to comb out.

I think I'm officially a catnip convert!

**KarpatiiSiv** · October 19th, 2009, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by PrincessFurball

I just have to give another shout-out for catnip-- I'm more impressed than ever. I took my hair down for the first time after using catnip, and WOW. My hair hasn't been that tangle-free and easy to comb in... well, forever. I really don't remember it ever being that easy to comb out.

I think I'm officially a catnip convert!

It is definitely an addiction, I was converted 5 months ago and haven't looked back since.

Pleased to here it is working so well for you.

**ktani** · October 19th, 2009, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by linda g

I have what may be a silly question, and I apologize if it has already been answered:

Do any of you have cats who have shown an increased interest in your hair after doing this? I'm a little worried my kitty will attack my head!

I do not consider any question silly. That is a commonly asked question and a natural one for this thread, lol. I have never had any problems either.

I do not have cats but friends of mine do and my freshly washed and treated catnipped hair is of no interest to any cat I have played with.

**ktani** · October 19th, 2009, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by PrincessFurball

I just have to give another shout-out for catnip-- I'm more impressed than ever. I took my hair down for the first time after using catnip, and WOW. My hair hasn't been that tangle-free and easy to comb in... well, forever. I really don't remember it ever being that easy to comb out.

I think I'm officially a catnip convert!

Welcome to the catnip "club", lol. It has been over 4 years for me and I will never willingly give it up.

**linda g** · October 20th, 2009, 09:33 AM

Thanks, everyone, for answering my kitty question. I guess it makes sense that once the catnip is boiled, the more volatile oil is dispersed, that must be what the kitties like.

I'm going to be trying this soon! I'm going to try out local petstore to see if I can find some. It used to grow wild in some areas near our yard, but it is too late in the season to go herb-gathering.

**Zombiekins** · October 20th, 2009, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by linda g

Thanks, everyone, for answering my kitty question. I guess it makes sense that once the catnip is boiled, the more volatile oil is dispersed, that must be what the kitties like.

I'm going to be trying this soon! I'm going to try out local petstore to see if I can find some. It used to grow wild in some areas near our yard, but it is too late in the season to go herb-gathering.

Chiming in to add agreement in the kitty question. Nobody has shown any interest in my catnip tea or my hair during the treatments. Actually, it's funny, they aren't as interested in the dry catnip nearly as much as the fresh stuff growing out on my balcony. So, the cats get the fresh, and I get the box purchased at the pet store.

I continue to enjoy using catnip on my hair...but I'm bumping into problems with its efficacy. Mainly, I can't seem to really get my hair clean and residue free without using sulfate shampoo - which dries the crap outta my hair and scalp (soo itchy afterward). My Indian herb mixes for cleansing are either too much, not enough, or leave a pretty serious residue behind (as in, sticky stuff on my freshly cleaned brush), and CO leaves a heavy fragrance and lank hair behind. *sigh* When did washing my hair get so complicated??

I was *this close* to getting my sister in on the catnip treatments, but the saved amount in the refrigerator had taken on some bacterial cultures. Yuck. So, while Ktani can eek out 7-10 days on her refrigerated catnip tea, it's not universal. That batch had been in there for five days. Eww.

**kdaniels8811** · October 21st, 2009, 09:45 AM

I found refridgerated catnip tea turns a funny color after a day or two so I make it up in the morning before leaving for work and use it that night. I do not bother with trying to keep it any more, it just turned the most gawd awful green and looked slimey. Just my two cents!

Zombiekins - what kind of herbs are you using for washing? I use Hesh hair wash powder or a combination of aritha and shakiki (yes, I know I mutilated the spelling, you get the idea) and while it does not get my hair squeaky clean, it is shinier and healthier than in years. I do mix my herbs in a quarter cup or so boiling water and allow it to cool to room temperature before appyling to my scalp (the length is soaking in catnip tea) and leaving on 10 minutes or so before rinsing. What are you doing?

**ktani** · October 21st, 2009, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by kdaniels8811

I found refridgerated catnip tea turns a funny color after a day or two so I make it up in the morning before leaving for work and use it that night. I do not bother with trying to keep it any more, it just turned the most gawd awful green and looked slimey. Just my two cents!

Zombiekins - what kind of herbs are you using for washing? I use Hesh hair wash powder or a combination of aritha and shakiki (yes, I know I mutilated the spelling, you get the idea) and while it does not get my hair squeaky clean, it is shinier and healthier than in years. I do mix my herbs in a quarter cup or so boiling water and allow it to cool to room temperature before appyling to my scalp (the length is soaking in catnip tea) and leaving on 10 minutes or so before rinsing. What are you doing?

That is interesting. I have never had catnip go off on me in over 4 years. I have kept some for 2 weeks. However I am very stringent about not keeping it out too long, washing and "sterilizing" the utensils with boiled water, etc. It all helps no doubt.

**Zombiekins** · October 21st, 2009, 11:51 AM

Yeah, I just "rinse" my beaker (woo hoo lab stuff) with the boiling water before dumping the catnip and proper amount of water in. Since it's a perfect shape for simply swirling around by hand, I don't need to use a spoon or anything to stir the leaves. I dunno, maybe I'm leaving it out too long before refrigerating (a few hours). Or the second container isn't getting clean enough with the boiling water rinse. No doubt I'm slipping here or there and getting caught with bacteria. Just means I need to use it faster.

Zombiekins - what kind of herbs are you using for washing? I use Hesh hair wash powder or a combination of aritha and shakiki (yes, I know I mutilated the spelling, you get the idea) and while it does not get my hair squeaky clean, it is shinier and healthier than in years. I do mix my herbs in a quarter cup or so boiling water and allow it to cool to room temperature before appyling to my scalp (the length is soaking in catnip tea) and leaving on 10 minutes or so before rinsing. What are you doing?

Originally aritha, then aritha and amla, and now aritha, shikakai, and amla. I finally used up the last of the aritha yesterday, which I felt was leaving the coating on my hair and not cleaning it thoroughly enough (or too harshly when using less water, almost like using shampoo bars without lathering up each and every last strand. and also left my hair coated and limp after several shampoo bar only washes). The amount of water varied between one cup and 2 cups, last time it was two cups and included a squeezed key lime and a drop of peppermint EO. Oh, and some hibiscus leaves.

I oiled all of my hair, soaked it completely with the wash mix, set for around fifteen minutes, then rinsed and followed with a vinegar rinse. My hair definitely felt clean after that! It dried almost all the way before adding the catnip tea, left for about an hour, then rinsed with cool water and followed with a final honey rinse that was left in. It's weird, when I do the mix "right", my hair is nice and clean feeling with a fewer tangles even without a leave-in, but while wet it clumps together and is almost ropey and hard to comb. So, now my hair feels clean and fluffy, but a little dry...so my mix was probably a bit too strong. Understandable since I used shikakai and aritha with the amla (too much amla irritates my scalp). From here on out I'll be using shikakai as the main cleanser.

You think the mild honey rinse left too much behind for the catnip to be effective today? I like to split the tea into two applications and used within a day or two of each other. It was less than 1/2 tsp of honey to two cups of water. Probably didn't do anything, but I remember from experience that too strong of a rinse makes my hair a sticky mess.