The 6 Discoveries I Developed That You Can Benefit From Through This Blog

2005 Catnip can prevent split ends, as well as stain grey or white hair with a light or pale blonde colour, and replace the need for conventional hair conditioner. I discovered that first previously unknown property, through my own experimentation with cut and dried catnip leaves and buds, used as a hair treatment. My catnip cosmetic journey began in September 2004. I still tweak my method. I started out looking for a natural hair colour and found much, much more from the plant. Research I read told me catnip can produce a light yellow dye. What it did not tell me was how, or whether it would work on hair. It can as I found out. Its constituents work in harmony to produce all of the effects, which do not come from one single part of it, although the colour is from its tannins.

2008 I created new honey lightening recipes that work faster and better than previous recipes used, following research I did on on the topic. I provide you with explanations of how and why the recipes can work based on that research. I created the term "honey lightening boosters" after researching the added ingredients used in the recipes.

2008 I developed a method for using coconut and argan oils, that can protect hair from damage by: conventional hair colour that contains peroxide, bleach, and other peroxide levels. It is about the ability of both oils to chelate iron and copper, which react with hydrogen peroxide, forming damaging free radicals. That directly followed my research on honey lightening. Honey chelates iron too.

2010 I created a method to use coconut and other oils in shampoo, that can replace the need for using conditioner and styling aids, based on research I read, my own experience with catnip, and product knowledge. I also created a treatment method using the oils. The latest shampoo method version, I created from doing more research, enhances the method, makes it more user friendly, and eliminates method issues that were difficult for some people. It is not available here at this time.

2010 Based on research on club soda, I recommended that it be used as a rinse to remove hard water mineral deposits on hair, and it can be as effective as vinegar rinses for that purpose, without the need for dilution. It can also be used as a rinse to reacidify the hair and scalp, following the use of an alkaline product. It is not the same product as soda water.

2011 I realized cosmetic mineral oil can be better used specific ways, outside of just as an addition to cosmetic products, and not as other people have been using, and recommended it be used previously. I created methods of use based on that information. It is about recognizing what it can do and why, from research on its known properties and results, including my own. Cosmetic mineral oil has been incorrectly categorized as synthetic, toxic, and a strain on ecological resources. Mineral oil is a by-product of petroleum production and is a natural oil. Cosmetic mineral oil has been purified and is safe to use. It is in direct competition with more expensive cosmetic products, which cannot do for hair and skin what it can, keep either hydrated for a longer period of time, and provide other benefits as well.

The information, recipes, methods, except for the advanced oil shampoo method are all here in detail for you to try, if you so desire. All can work extremely well. There are always variables with results. No cosmetic recipe, method, product or ingredient is a miracle. It is how they are all used and applied. With products and ingredients, there will be variations that include: quality, additives, species, or type with honey for example. My work is copyright protected.

See
Catnip
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-3-of-4-on-innovative-approaches-to.html
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2012/06/catnip-safety-review-2012.html
Honey Lightening
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-4-of-4-on-innovativee-approaches.html
How to protect hair from dye/peroxide/bleach
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-1-of-3-part-series-on-innovative.html
Oil Shampoo and treatment
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2010/10/hair-care-of-movie-stars-from-past.html
Cosmetic mineral oil
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2011/12/mineral-oil-and-hair-care-and-skin.html
See Also
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2013/03/misting-hair-and-reapplying-oil-as.html
Information on club soda
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-2-of-4-on-innovative-approaches-to.html
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2011/12/when-to-clarify-hair-and-with-what.html

Consensus On Favorite Hair Oils, From Emails I Received

I get feedback on products used in hair care and how they are used. Here are results from the emails I received, on the top 2 favorite hair oils. Both of the following oils are natural, cost-effective and are preferred for different reasons and applications.

Coconut Oil
1. Works best on well clarified hair as a treatment (fractionated coconut oil did not work nearly as well and most contain no lauric acid for hair penetration)
2. Works best added to shampoo that does not cause build-up, after the hair has been well clarified, with no need of conditioner to follow
3. Works best for hair more frequently washed, as it cannot hold moisture in hair too long, without reapplication between washes, just like any other vegetable oil
4. Not the best detangler, or used over a lot of residue (it causes "crunchy" or dry hair) and not the oil to use when there are certain scalp conditions, like real dandruff, or in conditions of high or low humidity, or under conditions that can cause it to break down on the hair or skin (no vegetable oil is recommended under those conditions), See this post
5. Very little needs to be used as a grooming oil, or the hair can become heavy, greasy, sticky and stringy.
6. Works superbly as a pre-treatment before dyeing with a dye that contains peroxide, or lightening with peroxide alone, or bleach, to help with dye uptake and help prevent hair damage
7. Can work well  used as a pre-wash oil, or added to any shampoo as a surface oil, or used over conditioner, as a surface grooming oil
8. Although it is a honey lightening recipe booster oil, it has not been reported to lighten hair used on its own, in the applications listed above.

Cosmetic Mineral Oil (USP/BP)
1. It is the best oil for moisturizing, or keeping hair moisturized, detangling and preventing static hands down, compared to any other oil, or silicone. It can hold moisture in hair longer than other oils, silicone, natural sebum, or other detangling products, without causing build-up.
2. No need for reapplication between hair washes, if small drops of it are distributed well throughout the hair
3. It is the easiest oil to use. You do not need to use it as a pre-wash oil to prevent hair from getting too much water in it while washing. It is already on the hair coating and protecting it used post washing.
4. Can work very well used with other products, like conditioner, if too much conditioner or other product is not used, or residue present
5. It is lightweight enough as baby oil to prevent hair becoming heavy, greasy or stringy, when not too much is used. It spreads most easily to do that. It is never sticky. It is very easy to wash out. No need to clarify or use a sulfate shampoo to remove it
6. The best oil to help hair recover from any type of damage, by reducing mechanical friction, keeping needed water in hair longer than any other oil, or product and help protect hair from further abrasion, split ends and breakage
7. Can replace the need for conditioner, treatments and thermal protectants
8. Works well when there is real dandruff, or other scalp conditions present, without issues and works well under all atmospheric conditions, especially high and low humidity to help prevent frizz
9. I received several more reports of it helping protect hair from UV damage and helping protect hair from swimming in pools and sea water. I still believe the best protection to prevent UV damage to hair is covering it with a tight weave hat, scarf or using an umbrella. Regarding using it before swimming, very little of it is needed to coat the hair.

For those who do not want to pollute swimming waters, as any amount of oil, added conditioner or product can be seen as too much, rinsing hair with club soda following swimming and using it to saturate hair or help saturate hair, prior to swimming is a hair and environmentally friendly option. Club soda neutralizes chlorine and needs no dilution, as its pH is about 5 and it helps remove sea water minerals from hair, that can cause hair to become very dry. Club soda is different than plain soda water. A typical example of its ingredients can be found here. The sodium bicarbonate in it is used as a buffering agent, to keep the pH stable. Potassuim sulfate information can be found here.

The 3rd and 4th favorite oils are argan and camellia, respectively. Both are classified as vegetable oils and coconut oil is too. Argan oil is great as a pre-treatment before dyeing and lightening, used on top of coconut oil because it cannot penetrate hair as deeply to saturate it, or instead of coconut oil. Camellia oil is fairly lightweight and can help with tangles. The only issues with those oils are price and quality. The best quality pure oils, yielding the best results, tend to be expensive but definitely worth it, compared to lower priced versions. All 4 oils are safe to use. The only caution with argan oil is that it can make skin photosensitive (the link to that text no longer works) and it is best used at night for that reason.

Part 2 of 4 on Innovative Approaches to Hair Care: Swimming and Hair

Swimming pool disinfectant chemicals can bleach hair and chlorine damages hair.

Applying a protective product to hair before swimming is often advised to help reduce chlorine and sea water damage to hair. However, a good argument against this is if the hair gets wet with any unabsorbed oil or product on it, a less than desirable swimming pool water is going to be the result. Conditioners applied to the hair are water soluble and many of the ingredients can be rinsed away, other than ones that cause unwanted build-up. I also think that the oceans are polluted enough as it is.

There are alternatives to the pre-treatment of hair before swimming: a proper swim cap the right size, properly worn, that can keep the hair dry and protected and rinsing hair immediately after swimming to neutralize chlorine, or remove sea water and its minerals.

Fresh water can be used to rinse the hair or certain acidic rinses. However, these are not necessarily the best answers either. Fresh water cannot neutralize chlorine. It can just remove what has not been absorbed by hair. While citric and ascorbic acid rinses can neutralize chlorine, there is some question about the "cure" being worse than the problem. Strong acids that need to be used diluted to neutralize chlorine can react with chlorine and turn into chlorine gas and while the amount of chlorine gas produced may be small, it won't do your hair any good.

What can be used?

The safest, cheapest, easiest thing to buy and use to rinse the hair with just after swimming in a pool or sea water, and requires no mixing, guessing, or experimenting with for a good dilution, is club soda.

Club soda although acidic is a weak acid and more importantly, it is buffered to stay stable at its pH, a very hair friendly pH 5. Other carbonated waters by comparison are much more acidic and not hair friendly at all by virtue of that fact. The pH of most carbonated waters and soft drinks is about pH 2.3, the equivalent of undiluted vinegar. Anything with a pH below 3.5 can be damaging to hair, depending on the amount used and frequency of use.

Some hairstylists and a hair extension company recommend club soda as a rinse after swimming in a pool to neutralize chlorine, or remove seawater mineral build-up, followed by a fresh water rinse. The carbonation is doing some of the removal after swimming in the ocean, by helping to break up the minerals.

Some interesting research on hair and water, states that "It takes 15 minutes for hair to be saturated with water" (Robbins, Chemical and Physical Behaviour of Human Hair, Springer). It has been suggested that pre-soaking hair in such a manner can prevent it from absorbing more water while swimming. If one were to use club soda instead of tap water to saturate the hair for 15 minutes before swimming in a pool, or sea water, that may be even better.

Club soda is harmless to hair and can work quite well in removing chlorine and leave the hair with no undesirable after effects. Club soda is a cost effective way to deal with chlorine and sea water swimming and their effects on hair. It is readily available just about everywhere.

More on chlorine, salt water swimming, and the effects of both on hair can be found here:
1. Clarence R. Robbins, Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair
2. Science Toys, "Bleach"
3. How Ultraswim removes chlorine from hair
4. Science Toys, "Table Salt"
5. "Lab 12: Introduction to pH, Household Products, and Buffers"
6. "The pH of beverages in the United States" (Canada Dry Club Soda Page 5)