Is it true that horse shampoos are good for human hair?

There is an opinion in the beauty industry that specialized pet shampoos for the mane and tail of horses are also useful for human hair. We decided to check if this is true.

Statements about people healthy you can use horse shampoos meet on many entertainment portals, as well as on forumsdedicated to beauty industry. In some media writethat shampoos for horses, unlike human shampoos, consist of natural ingredients, which means they are less aggressive. Users sites with reviews and recommendations share own positive experience of using such means. In some sources approvedthat the ancestor of the fashion for horse shampoos for washing human hair was actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who allegedly stated in an interview that half of Hollywood stars use them.

As for actresses who allegedly use horse shampoos, there are really a lot on the Internet articles about “star” hair care that includes these products. Moreover speech not only about Sarah Jessica Parker, but also about Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, Demi Moore and others. All of them, however, recommend the same brand - Mane 'n Tail. Initially, this brand really specialized in cosmetics for horses. However, judging by information on the official website, the company, noticing increased interest in its own products, has expanded its product line over the past 40 years, including developing shampoos specifically for human needs. However, Mane ‘n Tail claims that products intended specifically for animals are safe for humans, from which we can conclude that the formula of the products is somehow adapted for human hair and skin. So to think that Hollywood stars just go to a pet store, buy any horse shampoo, apply it, and then show off their luscious hair on the red carpet is an exaggeration. Some fairly reputable resources also have articles about the “original” Mane ‘n Tail shampoo, listing its benefits for human hair. However, the authors note that, firstly, it does not provide a guaranteed result, and secondly, the recommendations apply only to products of this particular brand and are not applicable to other brands of cosmetics for animals. 

There are other brands that, despite their “horse” name, were originally developed or adapted for people, for example shampoo “Horsepower" Both in the name and in the advertising (the label shows a girl hugging a horse), the manufacturer hints that this is horse shampoo, but in information writes about the product that the product is designed specifically for humans. In this analysis, we will not touch on such products precisely because they have only a name and marketing techniques from horse cosmetics, so they really can be useful - or at least harmless - for people.

Specialists recommend choose hair cosmetics according to your scalp type. The main task of shampoo is to cleanse the skin and hair, as well as normalize pH. pH value used for measuring the concentration of hydrogen ions in aqueous or other liquid solutions. There are water molecules in human skin, and the acid-base balance directly affects its health. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 14: pH = 7 is considered neutral, values ​​below are acidic, and values ​​above are alkaline. The norm for adult skin is about 5.5. If this number becomes too high or too low, your skin may experience flaking, itching, irritation, acne, and other problems. To increase pH levels influences even ordinary water (ideally case its pH is neutral, but in tap water due to impurities the figure can be much higher), so some experts believe that it is better to use more acidic cosmetics to cleanse the skin. However, other experts claimthat to prevent skin irritation in cosmetics, other factors must be taken into account. A group of Brazilian scientists in 2014 studied scientific literature describing the effects of pH shampoos on hair, and concluded that alkaline products lead to damage to the cuticle (outer layer) of the hair and its breakage. At the same time, the pH of the skin is horses - 7–7.4, which is significantly higher than human. This means that, most likely, when developing shampoo formulas for these animals, manufacturers are guided by this indicator. Using this product on human skin may cause irritation or damage to hair.

In addition, a person washes his hair quite often (some - daily), but horses do not need to be bathed with such regularity. On specialized portals They advise doing this if necessary before exhibitions or other events, and also clarify that everything depends on the living conditions of the animal and the preferences of the owners, but speech It’s definitely not about daily washing, but just a few procedures a year. And even in this case, it is noted that it is better, if possible, to wash the horse without shampoo - brush or spot remove dirt. If experts and manufacturers of specialized cosmetics for horses do not advise using such products on animals too often in order to avoid drying out their skin, it can be reasonably assumed that such cosmetics will also not benefit a person who uses them on a daily basis.

At the same time, if you look at compositions shampoos for horses, for sale in Russian online stores, it can be noted that there is no talk of any exceptional naturalness of the components. As in some human cosmetics, there are, for example, sulfates that can be harmful for sensitive scalp, as well as dyes and fragrances. These products also contain silicones, which cover the hair with a film, retaining moisture in it. Thanks to this, immediately after use, the hair looks smooth and silky - perhaps this effect is associated with positive reviews from people who have tried horse shampoo on themselves. However, over time, these substances can accumulate and lead to dryness, dullness and brittleness. If applied once a year before a competition, as is done with the mane of horses, this can be an excellent remedy, but for daily use it is not a good option. 

“Verified” could not find a single recommendation from a trichologist or dermatologist who would advise people to use horse shampoos. On the contrary, experts also adhere to opinionsthat using animal shampoos on human hair will not lead to anything good. In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, experts note that the concentration of potentially beneficial additives in horse shampoos may be much higher than is necessary - or at least safe - for the human scalp. In addition, trichologists remind that the main purpose of shampoo is to cleanse, and not to strengthen or stimulate hair growth, since it is washed off and does not penetrate deep into the hair follicles. This means that it is pointless to expect that, thanks to any shampoo (whether horse or human), instead of sparse and thin hair, lush hair will grow.

Among the factors influencing hair growth, experts called genetics, healthy eating, gender (men's hair grows faster than women's) and age (hair grows most actively from 15 to 30 years, then this process slows down; some hair follicles generally die with age). Specialists of the British Trichological Society note, that there is no scientific evidence that shampoos can somehow affect this process. They will not save you even if, for one reason or another, your hair begins to fall out, however, you should still choose cosmetics wisely, because some inappropriate products can only aggravate the problem.

Thus, among the so-called horse shampoos there are indeed those that can be safely used by people. However, this mainly applies to those brands that, having originally been intended for animals, were then adapted for humans, or those whose manufacturer uses horse mane for marketing purposes, but in fact originally developed human cosmetics. As for conventional pet shampoos used to wash human hair, they can cause dry skin, irritation, itching and other problems. And there are a number of reasons for this - human skin has different characteristics from horses (which means the composition of the products may not be suitable), and people wash their hair (and therefore are exposed to shampoo) much more often than horses need. In addition, we are not talking about any exceptional naturalness of the components of horse shampoos - approximately the same ingredients can be found in human analogues. In addition, shampoos (neither horse nor human) in principle do not affect the thickness and speed of hair growth, so it is definitely not worth taking risks by using a product that is not suitable for your skin type in the hope of rapid and intense hair growth.

Cover photo: pexels.com

Mostly not true

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