Catnip for split ends?

[ktani]

Hi there, from another grateful member....

Ktani, a while back you posted that the catnip tea was not so effective on hair that had been cleaned with conditioner as opposed to with shampoo (conditioneer coating the hair etc)

Were you referring to catnip's coloring capability, conditioning capability, or all of its capabilities? I am still trying to think of an easy way to treat my shoulder length layered hair. I can only ponytail the lower back portion of my hair...sides are shorter and even more layered. I was thinking of putting catnip extract into an SMT.

Thank you!

From my entire experience with catnip tea, it is not as effective all together, when used over any coating, including conditioner, for colouring or conditioning, as it is on freshy washed, uncoated hair.

I also never found it as effective mixed with something else, as I have when it is used on its own, for both purposes, colouring and conditioning.

[RocketDog]

I'm sitting at my computer soaking in my first batch of catnip tea! I used distilled water and SmartyKat brand catnip, since that's what I had on hand. It smells great, and I'm eager to see what it does to my hair! I have very fine, frizz- and tangle-prone hair and I'm hoping the catnip will help condition my hair and temper the frizz. I am trimming my hair after I rinse it out so I won't really be comparing my ends before-and-after, but I'm hoping that the tea soaks will help keep my ends happy too.

ETA - it's rinsed out and my hair is wonderfully full and shiny - much more so than when I use my regular conditoner.

[littlemiss]

Can someone tell me are you using the catnip straight from the plant or brought stuff, I ask this as alll catnip Iv looked at is pre dried oyt is this the stuff I need? or not?? please help

[ktani]

Can someone tell me are you using the catnip straight from the plant or brought stuff, I ask this as alll catnip Iv looked at is pre dried oyt is this the stuff I need? or not?? please help

The catnip I have always used and still use is cut and dried catnip from a store. I prefer pet store catnip and what I buy is pure catnip and I also prefer organic.

I have never used distilled water with it, just tap water and I have hard water where I am. That has not made a difference going by the results I have gotten.

[RocketDog]

I used the distilled because that's what I use for all of my hair experiments - water straight from the tap smells a little 'funky' sometimes and I prefer to avoid it when possible - no other reason. When I run out of this gallon of distilled (it's lasted me almost 6 months) I'm planning to use filtered tapwater, since that's what we use for everything. The only thing we use straight tapwater for is handwashing

I am very interested to see what results I will see after repeated uses - my hair is still very full and shiny after being out and about during a rather windy afternoon, and it seems easier to detangle. I didn't notice any change in color, or a difference in curl definition.

[ktani]

I used the distilled because that's what I use for all of my hair experiments - water straight from the tap smells a little 'funky' sometimes and I prefer to avoid it when possible - no other reason. When I run out of this gallon of distilled (it's lasted me almost 6 months) I'm planning to use filtered tapwater, since that's what we use for everything. The only thing we use straight tapwater for is handwashing

I am very interested to see what results I will see after repeated uses - my hair is still very full and shiny after being out and about during a rather windy afternoon, and it seems easier to detangle. I didn't notice any change in color, or a difference in curl definition.

There is nothing wrong with using distilled water. I have just never used it for catnip treatments.

My hair is naturally wavy. Without anything to weigh it down or coat it, catnip lets the waves have "full expression".

For more colour, if that is what you want, try brewing the catnip longer, to deepen the colour.

[SandyStar]

I'm trying catnip for my hair. I've used it 3 times so far. So far I like it. I was surprised that an herbal rinse can be conditioning.

[Rigani]

I've just noticed, that when I add lemon juice to my catnip tea, it completely loses it's color. Really, I mean it looks like water

Maybe this means it looses its dyeing property? I can't really tell it by the color of my hair, I didn't notice any changes before adding lemon juice to my catnip rinse. It's because it is way too dark to notice slight changes.

But that would be great for people who'd like to use catnip, but fear the yellowish color (on whites maybe)

[Sissy]

I've just noticed, that when I add lemon juice to my catnip tea, it completely loses it's color. Really, I mean it looks like water

Maybe this means it looses its dyeing property? I can't really tell it by the color of my hair, I didn't notice any changes before adding lemon juice to my catnip rinse. It's because it is way too dark to notice slight changes.

But that would be great for people who'd like to use catnip, but fear the yellowish color (on whites maybe)

Interesting! I do not know the answer to that but wonder if the lemon could somehow "destroy" the good stuff in the catnip that makes it useful as a rinse? I don't know anything about it really, just wondering the same as you. I tried catnip a few times but became fearful it might lighten my hair and mostly became lazy and stopped. After checking back in I want to try again... I am still having splits and am encouraged by others posts. I'm going to go steep some catnip now

[iris]

I've just noticed, that when I add lemon juice to my catnip tea, it completely loses it's color. Really, I mean it looks like water

Cool! I had to try. My catnip tea didn't lose all its color (I added a fair amount of lemon juice, too), but it did turn lighter. I brew my catnip tea for a long time (in hopes to maximize the coloring), so that's probably why it doesn't go all the way to colorless after adding lemon juice for me - more color to start with.

Something similar happens, BTW, when you add lemon juice to regular black tea, it turns much lighter. Something happens to the tannins (which are what gives black tea, and I guess also catnip, its color).

I've been using catnip for a few weeks now, I was hoping it would color my whites, but it doesn't. I'm following ktani's procedure and recipe exactly, I have no build-up of previous product use (I clarified before starting with the catnip), I wash my hair every day so it's been dozens of catnip applications, and I get great conditioning, but no dice on the color, my whites stay as white as ever. I think that hair needs to be fairly porous to take on the catnip color, and mine just isn't, my whites especially seem to be made of teflon. The catnip does make them lie better, so they don't stick out like that crazy old-woman frizzy white hair. But no color for me.