Back Country Horsemen of Utah

CarolAdmin

I was responding on a thread on the Parelli Savvy club, and a woman recommended a 1:1 mixture of baby oil and scope mouth wash. I substituted Listerine, since I use it anyway and the Walmart version is CHEAP. Listerine is an antiseptic and kills the fungi that cause mange, rot, greasy heel, etc.

I started it with all nine horses 2 weeks ago. I fell in love instantly!!!

On manes/tails with normal to fine hair this formula works incredibly well. The finer the hair, the better it works and the longer it lasts. I have noticed NO horses itching their manes or tails since I started using it.

On coarse hair, it has mixed reviews. It works better then other hair products I've tried, but the manes/tails don't get silky smooth either.

On all hair the shine stays pretty well and it doesn't attract dirt.

I was concerned about the mineral oil base of the baby oil and did some research on it. I found a lot of 'natural' hair care sites that screamed about not using it, yet it is the primary ingredient for products that protect eyelashes from drying and breaking. I found no scientific studies that showed it be a problem.

I also found out it is the base of the Pink Glosser that I used before and the Panthenol in Cowboy Magic is also mineral oil base. Mineral oil does not allow absorption of water, nor does it allow moisture to leave, which keeps moisture in the hair. So in that respect, it does not harm the hair. It does not penetrate the hair and does nothing to moisturize the hair itself. Coconut oil is the best for moisturizing hair in the only scientific paper I read done with coconut, sunflower, and mineral oils.

So, my conclusion is that it is safe to use and will not harm the hair. If you need a moisturizer though, probably better to use a coconut base conditioner or in-feed oil.