Catnip for split ends?

[MusicalSpoons]

You could try just dipping your ends or the last foot or two of hair so it doesn't get on your scalp or skin. Worth a try. Too bad about your reaction.

You don't need to rinse it out. It DOES define waves more.

Huh ... interesting. If I can ever find catnip cheap enough to justify the cost of it potentially not working (or not working enough to be worth the effort), I would definitely be up for giving it a go on my lengths

[calmyogi]

Lunalocks

Thank you, even on chestnut colored hair? Mine is pretty dark, my picture makes it look lighter than it is in real life.

[calmyogi]

Lunalocks

I have noticed this with my one cat that is very reactive to catnip when my hair is damp. And just this evening when I was spraying the tea on my ends she was reacting to the mist in the air. Once it’s dry though she does not pay any attention.

Sorry for the double posts that were not direct replies. It’s been awhile since I have posted anything on the forum, and I’m doing it from my phone this evening.

[lunalocks]

Musicalspoons, find a store that sells catnip in bulk. I get organic catnip from my food Co op and there is also an herbal store here that carries it. For the amt used, it lasts a long time. I wash my hair about once a week and the half cup or so I bough maybe six months ago has hardly a dent. I use maybe a tablespoon at a time. Growing it can be difficult with the space it needs and cats wanting to rub it unto the ground. Once I grew it in a sort of cage about 2 feet high and the cats kept it mowed to the top of the cage. They would also sleep on top of the cage. I imagine they were having very sweet dreams.

Calmyogi, my hair is now a medium to darkish brown (I once was blond) with reddish highlights already, but the tea brings those out even more in the sunlight. Its not a bad thing, but up in a bun I sometimes wonder if people think I once dyed my hair red, more of a henna tint.

[lunalocks]

What about “white dots” and breakage, will it (or anything) reduce or eliminate them?

I get splits, but not enough that I consider them a real problem. The dots, however, is another story.

You will always have to snip off those white dots and splits.. Be sure to use super sharp shears! Catnip tea helps to PREVENT splits, not fix them. Nothing will fix them.

[lunalocks]

I'll just post my method. Morning of wash day I put about 1 Tbsp of catnip in a small stainless steel pot and pour 1 mug, about 1 and 1/4 cup, almost boiling water over it and cover and let it steep for 15min to several hours. I strain it through a paper coffee filter set inside a typical v shaped coffee filter, into a stainless steel water bottle. I take that into the shower. After washing and rinsing, and gently squeezing out as much water as possible, I put as much hair as I can into the water bottle. used to soak for up to a half hour, but these days its for less than a minute. I still have good results. If the water is still warm, ill pour it all over my head, gently squeeze out and wrap with a towel. The air dry. Then when ends are still damp I apply a drop or two of generic baby oil to the ends, maybe up to a foot of hair. Continue to air dry and finger comb.

So now I am off to do just that. My tea is brewed and strained.

[lunalocks]

I just want to give another shout out for catnip tea. It's been months since I have even looked at my ends and today I found very few splits. I am at knee and have been growing for maybe 5 years with no trims (other than my bangs) and very few S & D missions and my hairs are pretty intact.

I also have my hair up about 99% of the time. I do not wear a protective cap for sleeping and sleep on a linen pillowcase. My hair is up on top of my head at night, held with spin pins. I've been stretching washes during quarantine to 2 and sometimes 3 weeks.
I've been oiling my ends and maybe a foot up, only after washing when still damp. I air dry. No heat, no curling of any kind. Just a combination of protective care and benign neglect.

[Jane99]

I’m trying to get back into the catnip tea habit too. I was pretty diligent last year for several months and it seemed like my splits had reduced. Then I stopped and my hair turned back into split central so here we go again. I’m on week 3 of catnip rinses again. I wash twice a week and I don’t rinse the catnip tea out. I make mine in a french press and let it brew overnight for morning washes.

[Kibrah]

I’m trying to get back into the catnip tea habit too. I was pretty diligent last year for several months and it seemed like my splits had reduced. Then I stopped and my hair turned back into split central so here we go again. I’m on week 3 of catnip rinses again. I wash twice a week and I don’t rinse the catnip tea out. I make mine in a french press and let it brew overnight for morning washes.

Yep, me as well. I was using last year and it was great. I stopped over the winter and it's been a split end and tangle mess. Started again last week.

[Wendyp]

I will be buying catnip tomorrow lol