Tail Suds

Happy Thursday! It’s Susan!

Given that quarantine seems to focus on washing your hands, I tried to tie in our own look at suds. This week I wanted to talk about one of my pride and joys – tail washing.

I have a common use shampoo that I use from a company called EcoLicious. Things to love… their products are limited ingredients, smell amazing, wash out quickly and easily, and leave the tail (and horse) clean. My shampoo of choice for tails is EcoLicious Green & Squeaky Clean. This shampoo has got sweet orange essential oils that ensures you do not strip the hair, and it makes the entire wash stall smells like a fruit basket. Win..win!!!

I really want to talk about the art of tail washing. I often see people loading up on the shampoo at the end of the tail, but it is all about the tailbone. I like to think of the tailbone like our scalps; the ends of our hair is not where the oil and dirt accumulate… it’s all in our roots. Same with our horse friends. Recently at a horse show I thought I pulled a shaving off of a pony’s tail only to discover it was a giant piece of dandruff.

When I apply shampoo, I work to separate the tail at the tailbone and really scrub that bone. Truth be told – if I find a horse that has a particularly grimy tailbone I use alligator clips from my house to help me gain access to the tailbone. I really try and divide and conquer. Have i mentioned how much i love horse care?

After we have rinsed, I then apply my absolute hands down favorite conditioner…. EquiFUSE CitraCreme Deep Conditioner. It feels amazing and smells amazing and creates an absolutely beautifully detangled tail.

After applying EquiFUSE CitraCreme, I allow the conditioner to sit about 10-15 minutes while I work a Wet Brush Comb from the ends up. The greater patience you can show in allowing this product to sit, the greater the lasting benefit to detangling and shine. Rinsing is recommended but I do not thoroughly rinse the tail because the product does not leave the tail feeling grimy or heavy. I traditionally braid Wimpy’s tail after shampooing and conditioning — largely to keep it from tangling while drying.

Given my obsession with tails, I want to make sure that I keep his tail clean, detangled, and as shiny as possible. Utilizing EcoLicious Green & Squeaky Clean in conjunction with EquiFUSE CitraCreme will give you all the clean and glam you can stand!!