Sunday, May 17, 2015

Ramblings: Revisiting Tea-Washing and Now Trying Catnip Tea!

I used to wash my hair with green tea- in fact, it's still my most popular post on this blog. 

However, I don't know if I ever really got it down to an art, and eventually gave up on it and just returned to CO-washing. It was very cleansing for me- it left my hair squeaky clean, but it was not moisturizing enough on its own for me to use it without conditioner.

Nowadays, though, I've found how much I love mineral oil- the often-vilified cosmetic ingredient that I feel could totally replace conditioner in my routine (yes, seriously! I love it. Lightweight, performs better than silicones, non-comedogenic, and virtually no buildup? YES PLEASE!). So why not try switching up my routine some more and see if I find new ways to make my hair happy?

Green tea has loads of antioxidants and has numerous benefits to the body. But what about using other forms of green tea? I've wondered about whether something like matcha could give more benefits than regular green tea? (Luckily I have some lower grade food quality matcha that I might just be willing to part with to give it a shot.) 

Additionally, since I started growing catnip in my garden, I've read up more on the benefits that catnip can impart onto the hair. I have tons of catnip at my disposal now and, as I write this, I'm brewing up my first catnip tea to try as a rinse to see if I receive any benefit from it. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and report back! Maybe it can be a new staple in my haircare regimen?

Catnip contains natural oils and can be moisturizing for hair, and it imparts a yellow stain that can brighten up the hair. According to ktani, it can help prevent split ends and works as a very mild cleanser. (Check out ktani's blog- seriously, good information there about catnip and some other really cool methods)

I think I might be willing to give my old tea washing methods another go, provided I can figure out a way to tweak it so that I can derive the most benefit from it. 

I'll be sure to write more about my tea adventures!