Color enhancing shampoo/conditioner

I've read some posts in which people have suggested using human shampoo/conditioner for horses...I was just wondering if anyone has used any human color enhancing shampoo/conditioners on their horses? When I had blonde hair I used John Frieda's blonde shampoo and it seemed to keep my hair bright and shiny but I was wondering if the John Frieda Radiant Red shampoo/conditioner would do anything for my red dun? Thanks!

I don't know about human shampoos/conditioners, but I do use a color enhancer for my sorrel to bring out the red in his coat. I've only used it once so I'm not sure if it really works or not because I didn't let it sit. But I do know that it stains the crap out of your hands lol so that's gotta mean something right! I use to use the gold one on my Dun and he really seemed to gleam so maybe that would work for you!

It's called Shapley's EquiTone Shampoo

Me too ^^^^ with good results and there is one I think called 'blue ribbon' that has some colored ones altho I've only used the silver in that brand. But the Shapley's gold, red and white I can vouch for.

I've never used a COLOR ENHANCER HUMAN product on a horse but I am guilty of using the Mrs. Stewarts (I think that's what it's called) blueing liquid - the stuff that you use in the wash to brighten whites. Just a capful in a gallon of water mixed well, and then dunk the tail in it (or feathers on a draft or pony) and it really takes out the pee stains.

Now as for REGULAR HUMAN HAIR CARE, yes, I use human stuff on my horses all of the time. To tame flyaways for shows, I use a pomade type of cream for manes and for the soft silky flowing manes, I use biosilk from time to time. I've even used some of that hair wax stuff to keep braided manes intact so no little flyaways escape. There were times when my horses had more hair care products than me.

How do you use the Red one? How long do you let it sit for? Last time I used it I was running late for a big parade! Haha! But I'd love to bring out that glowing red color in my sorrel. I already feed some great supplements although I'm thinking about adding praprika.
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Human shampoo is PH balanced for our hair and skin. Horses have a different PH balance. Using human products on them may cause oily skin or dry , flaky skin.

There are colour enhance horse shampoos that are not too expensive.
Gallop do a nice one... Gallop Color Enhancing Shampoo - Shampoos & Cleansers from SmartPak Equine
As do Equinade (although I am not sure if you get their stuff in the US) http://www.equinade.com/pdfs/FS_glo-colourshampoos.pdf

I personally use the Glo-White on my grey and the Glo-Chestnut on my, well, Chestnut.. :)

Regarding the paprika, if you don't already know.... It is a swabbable substance. Meaning, it is on the FEI banned substances list in competition due to it containing capsacin (sp?) which is sometimes used to try and prevent horses from tapping a fence in showjumping. They generally rub it onto the legs to make them hyper sensitive.
The paprika itself isn't an issue as it doesn't tend to effect the horse that way, but in a swab it shows up as if you have been using the banned substance...

Kinda like eating licorice/poppy seeds before getting breathalised... It can show up as having been drinking on the RBT.

Not a problem if you aren't competing, but something you should be aware of if you are.

Be careful with that if you show. It shows up in drug tests because it has capsaicin in it [which is actually a performance enhancer in horses, it makes the skin more sensitive so they respond to a lighter aid]. There are other darkeners that work just as well and are less dangerous to your good reputation!

Back on topic, I have found it doesn't work AT ALL. The only one that works is the blue/purple one for white and grey horses. That one got my old grey pony so white he glowed in the dark! I've also found it works for other colours, my bay-brown gelding went the most magnificent colour when I washed him with it, and it made my old grey pony's fleabites go from a feral orangey colour to a really nice rich deep chestnut - he only had a few up near his ears but they were there.

And don't ever use the black-enhancing one on a seal brown... eugh. They go the most disgusting colour. A friend of mine did that, first time she'd tried it, right before a show. It was NOT a good look!

My method of getting white socks REALLY white before a show is to use white enhancing shampoo [if I have enough I actually hit the whole horse with it, it's amazing!] scrub down to the skin real deep, then there's this bleaching stuff, idk what's in it but I've never had a horse react badly to it and it does an amazing job. It's a powder that you mix with water and paint on with a brush, then you have to wipe it off the hooves. Leave it on overnight, brush off the excess on the day of the show, and voila! Bright white socks. I don't use it on faces [that's what white cover creme is for!] but it's awesome on legs.

The photos attached are of me and my gelding at a show, done with the purple shampoo on the socks and just normal horse shampoo on his body because I didn't have enough purple to do his whole body. I don't have any of him with the full purple treatment.

Very nice Blue Eyed Pony! I don't show anywhere that gives drug test so I'm not to worried about it. I do for sure plan on adding some good oil because my boy has dry skin.


alainaphotography-2 by Brookeabee123, on

This is what he looked like at the end of last summer when I first bought him.


DSC_9281 by Brookeabee123, on Flickr

This is what he looks like now. Still has the winter coat. He's a pretty naturally shiny guy.

I already feed him Farnam Weight Builder to help with energy and it does have some good coat supplements as well. He was also getting CORTA-FLX More Muscle Solution until I ran out a few weeks ago. But I really want that deeper red!

Guess which pic I used White-Glo (the purple stuff) for? This is the same horse, one pic at Serpy 3 in Nov last year and the other was Serpy 1 this year (a week ago)



And my Chestnut, I used paby poweder on his wet legs. Brushed the excess off before his class and chucked some hoof black on him. No Bleach needed for sunglass inducing blindness.

Wow! That is one seriously nice coat!! Even the fluffy winter one!

Pumpkin can help deepen the coat, that may work... it also helps to pass sand (added bonus)
Also not sure if you get it in the states, but Cacoliv or Livamol both help to darken the coat.

Thanks! He's got the finest hair I've ever felt! But I think that might also be why he has dry skin??? But I'll definitely have to look into those for sure! Has anyone used Red D Vinity? It's pretty expensive so that's why I was thinking about just doing the paprika.