Catnip for split ends?

**little_cherry** · November 13th, 2010, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by ktani

It depends on what youare using the catnip for, a rinse or a treatment. I never found catnip effective as a rinse. As a treatment, the mucilage in hibiscus would not allow catnip to have the same access to the hair. The herb washes may already be doing that as well. Many herbs coat hair.

Hmm, very interesting point. That does make a lot of sense. I use catnip as a final 'soaking rinse' once a week-- I leave it on for an hour after my shower and rinse it out. I wash with Aritha which I find is fairly clarifying. I think I'll leave my catnip soaks and hibiscus rinses separate. Thank you

**ktani** · November 13th, 2010, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by little_cherry

Hmm, very interesting point. That does make a lot of sense. I use catnip as a final 'soaking rinse' once a week-- I leave it on for an hour after my shower and rinse it out. I wash with Aritha which I find is fairly clarifying. I think I'll leave my catnip soaks and hibiscus rinses separate. Thank you

You are most welcome!

Aritha contains mucilage too. It is about how much of it is left behind after washing with it.

**little_cherry** · November 13th, 2010, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by ktani

You are most welcome!

Aritha contains mucilage too. It is about how much of it is left behind after washing with it.

That's also interesting to know! I make a tea with it (1tsp to 2 cups of water), strain it out, pour over my hair. I leave this on my hair for about 5-10 minutes and then spend another good 5-10 minutes washing it out.
Thanks once again! I will keep an eye on things.

**ktani** · November 13th, 2010, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by little_cherry

That's also interesting to know! I make a tea with it (1tsp to 2 cups of water), strain it out, pour over my hair. I leave this on my hair for about 5-10 minutes and then spend another good 5-10 minutes washing it out.
Thanks once again! I will keep an eye on things.

You are most welcome, again, lol.

**Linda K** · November 15th, 2010, 12:11 PM

ktani - First I want you to know your info here on catnip is greatly appreciate.

Question: Somewhere in these pages, I read of someone putting their catnip in the coffee grinder and using the powder ... If your recipe calls for 1 tsp of the pieces/bits; how much would you use of the powder compared to the pieces?

It just dawned on me after reading (again) that statement about it becoming more acidic(?) or drying when it's brewed stronger - that might be why my experience was more tangles and dryness. I was thinking after this brew is ready, I would dilute it with more water and go from there. What are your thoughts?
TIA 8-)

**ktani** · November 15th, 2010, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Linda K

ktani - First I want you to know your info here on catnip is greatly appreciate.

Question: Somewhere in these pages, I read of someone putting their catnip in the coffee grinder and using the powder ... If your recipe calls for 1 tsp of the pieces/bits; how much would you use of the powder compared to the pieces?

It just dawned on me after reading (again) that statement about it becoming more acidic(?) or drying when it's brewed stronger - that might be why my experience was more tangles and dryness. I was thinking after this brew is ready, I would dilute it with more water and go from there. What are your thoughts?
TIA 8-)

Thank you!

You can buy catnip in powder form. I have no idea what it consists of - leaves only or a mix of leaves and buds, which is what I use. I have not seen it myself.

I have no idea why one would want to grind catnip into powder. You would need to recalulate the amount. I use 1 level teaspoon of cut and sifted leaves and buds.

Even when catnip is used at a stronger dilution it is not that drying in my experience. Steeped longer, catnip releases more of something that is not released during less hours - that caused my hair to knot and I started to see the odd split end. My hair was coated more and was "curlier" as well. Under 5 hours works just fine for me.

**Linda K** · November 15th, 2010, 07:08 PM

I think she powdered it to make it easier to measure .... not real sure on that tho.

I do recall she stated she just used it w/o straining and it rinsed out just fine that way.
I think I did it to be more precise in measuring - thought it sounded simple enough ...
I also think this is why mine was green! It's looking more pale now that I diluted it down w/ more water! I have it down to 1/4 ... so we'll see what happens. Not sure if I'm going to do it tonight or tomorrow night ... I only wash 1 or 2 times a week - just depends on how much oil I've added or how warm I get during the day (summers). Boy I never thought I'd see the day when I would wash less than daily!

Thank you again for the assist! Have a great day!

**ktani** · November 15th, 2010, 07:35 PM

Originally Posted by Linda K

I think she powdered it to make it easier to measure .... not real sure on that tho.

I do recall she stated she just used it w/o straining and it rinsed out just fine that way.
I think I did it to be more precise in measuring - thought it sounded simple enough ...
I also think this is why mine was green! It's looking more pale now that I diluted it down w/ more water! I have it down to 1/4 ... so we'll see what happens. Not sure if I'm going to do it tonight or tomorrow night ... I only wash 1 or 2 times a week - just depends on how much oil I've added or how warm I get during the day (summers). Boy I never thought I'd see the day when I would wash less than daily!

Thank you again for the assist! Have a great day!

You are most welcome!

Some of the catnip I used early on was pale greenish yellow when steeped for 30 minutes. I made a mistake in my catnip steeping last night and did over 3 hours instead of over 4. Hagen catnip turns a deep yellow when steeped and looks gold in my white mug.

However, it stains light yellow and looks only yellow in clear glass. It is the best catnip I have ever used and is what it says on the label, superior catnip, in my opinion. It may be that the greenish catnip is a different variety. Hagen confirmed that their catnip is Nepeta cataria to me in an email, in response to my inquiry to them.

**duh_its_Sarah** · November 17th, 2010, 07:36 AM

Ill be trying this tonight or tomorrow night. Yay

**Wolfmaid** · November 23rd, 2010, 10:08 AM

I tried catnip a few times. I get best effect when I pour it after washing over my hair and leave it on for about an hour. Then I rinse it out with clear cold water.

I also tried it as a finishing rinse after the wash, but I got an itchy scalp and dandruff.

I LOVE catnip! It makes my hair shiny, smooth and easy to comb. It´s fantastic!