I love playing mad scientist. And I love finding awesome products for my horses. And when I can’t find the perfect product, I attempt to make it. And out of all of the different hoof polishes, fly and shine sprays I have made for my horses, I have never had one I didn’t like. But I am still always wanting to make that perfect product for my boys.
And detangler sprays are one of my favorite DIY horse products to create. There are also one of the easiest products you can make. For a super easy detangler, take a half cup of your favorite conditioner, add that to a spray bottle, fill the bottle with water, shake it and you have just created a mane and tail detangler that works every bit as good as the expensive name brand detanglers.
And after lots of practice and different combinations, I think I have found my favorite. Well, my favorite for this month anyways!
What You Will Need
- 1/3 cup your favorite conditioner (horse or people – doesn’t matter)
- 2 Tablespoons fractionated coconut oil
- 2 Cups apple cider vinegar
- Water
- A Funnel
- Spray bottle (32 ounces is best)
- Measuring cups
What You Will Do
Take the coconut oil and pour into a large measuring cup. Add the condition to the measuring cup and carefully blend the oil into the conditioner. I really like to use Mane and Tail brand conditioner. It works really well, and it smells good too.
Place a funnel over your spray bottle, and pour the oil/conditioner mixture into the bottle. Now add the apple cider vinegar, and then add water into the spray bottle, making sure to leave some room. So no more than ¾ of the way full. You want to be able to have room to shake the ingredients together. It is recommended to shake before every use, to make sure the ingredients stay mixed together.
The coconut oil addition to this homemade detangler will help to nourish the base of the mane and tail. So be sure to work it in from the base of the tail (and mane) And if you could spend a few minutes really massaging it in, in about 2 weeks you will be gifted with a very shiny tail and mane. And if you continue to do this, in several months you should notice an improvement overall in your horse’s mane and tail. You might even notice it is a little bit longer.
The hair should stay tangle free with an application of the detangler about 2 times a week. It is safe to do daily too, just use a small amount of the spray. You don’t want to have a huge buildup of conditioner in his tail (or mane) because it will weigh it down.
Save Your Money
And the best part about making my own equine products is the money I save. Instead of spending $20.00 or more on a fancy name brand product that works so-so, I can make my own detangler for about $1.00. And the results are just as good, if not better than some of the detanglers I have purchased in the past.
So the next time you run out of detangler, or are thinking about buying a bottle of it at your favorite tack store, why not try and make some yourself? I think you will be really happy with the results!