Cultivating healthy hair is greatly attributed to diet, water consumption and the type of products used upon the hair. Taking into account the specific chemical makeup of human hair, cosmetic companies use all their scientific know-how to formulate products that clean, fortify and return our keratin strands to their proper pH level. While no beautician worth their weight in styling spritz would advise using anything other than goods sanctioned by the FDA specifically for human use, many natural hair wearers are coming clean about trusting their textured tresses to an equine product line that they say works wonders.
Developed by Straight Arrow Inc. in the 1970’s the Mane ‘n Tail product line was originally created to help horse owners keep their prized pony’s coats shiny and healthy. Starting out on their farm the Katvez family developed a protein rich amino acid conditioner that they claimed resulted in longer, healthier mane and tails and gave horse hair a silkier appearance. From the development of the conditioner product came the creation of a shampoo and several other products aimed at keeping the coats of show and work horses beautiful. After marketing their product and experiencing relatively consistent sales, the Katvez family began to receive praises from horse owners about the effects of the shampoo and conditioner on their own hair. It seems that either as a way to save money or to see if the products worked in the same manner on human hair, the owners of the horses began to use the shampoo and conditioner themselves and surprisingly came away with the same beautiful results they saw in their horse’s hair. From there word spread to the general public, taking Mane ‘n Tail from the shelves of equine supply stores to your local beauty supply store.
In 1991 EQyss Grooming Products Inc. followed in the footsteps of Straight Arrow by introducing its own equine hair care line featuring shampoo and conditioning products under its Micro-Tek brand. But it’s their Mega-Tek Rebuilder that is receiving the most praise with users reporting increased growth, thickness and manageability of their hair. Additionally users have reported a softer, silkier feel to their hair after using the product, and some who had experienced hair loss claimed Mega-Tek helped regrow their hair. Although developed to protect and repair cracked horse hooves and animal paw repair, EQyss proposes that Mega-Tek restores elasticity and strength to hair while removing toxins and chemical residues. Although many users say they have experienced hard or brittle hair due to the high level of proteins in the product, others have found a way to counter this by adding oils to the mixture or to their hair after use.
The usage of equine grooming products on human hair is not just limited to shampoos and conditioners. Both Straight Arrow and EQyss manufacture detanglers and shine products which women and men who wear natural and chemically altered strands rely on just as regularly. But horse products for human hair? Is it safe? While a lot of natural hair wearers swear by Mane ‘n Tail and Mega-Tek, many others worry that the products marketed by these companies could not possibly be meant be applied on human hair or good for human systems. Coincidentally, horse hair shares a similar chemical makeup with human hair, considering the basis of all hair and fur is keratin, and our sweat glands function pretty much the same. In addition to this, humans and horses share a common pH factor when it comes to hair. So by practical reason, products meant to care for equine mane, tails and body hair would contain very much of the same ingredients as those designed to care for human hair. Since all hair care products work to cleanse and condition the hair and scalp in concordance with the way the body produces sebum and hair collects oils and retains/loses moisture, it’s easy to see how products meant for horses can equally be beneficial for human use and vis versa.
There is much speculation as to the makeup of equine care products and the chemicals used to create them, but if you are one who’s prone to reading labels there’s no way to get around the fact that both human and horse grooming products are largely composed of the same ingredients which function similarly. The only disputable difference is the concentration of the ingredients. While your regular, run of the mill product that’s marketed for human uses has a higher level of water added to it, the Mane ‘n Tail shampoo, for instance, is not as diluted and thereby stronger if just used out of the bottle onto the human head.
The concern of consumers over the safety of the original products when used by humans seems to have been taken seriously by the creators of both Mane ‘n Tail and Mega-Tek, as each company has worked to develop products that are formulated for humans specifically. On its Website, Straight Arrow has divided its resources between its equine line and the Mane ‘n Tail and Body brand which offers skin, nail and foot care products alongside its hair care line. EQyss seems to have created a totally different division through DC Labs which markets Ovation Cell Therapy products to meet the needs of its human customer’s beauty care needs. Incidentally, when you read the labels of the products, there is no distinctive difference between the lines created for human use and those designed for horses through either company. And reports on various hair care forums from people who have tried them both appear to experience the same results. However, the Ovation Cell Therapy line’s prices are significantly higher than Mega-Tek and Micro-Tek with what is believed to be less concentration of protein.
Successful use of either Mane ‘n Tail or Mega-Tek is largely dependent on the same elements as other hair care products, and results tend to vary based on hair type, texture and other genetic factors. Just as the use of Kinky-Curly or Miss Jessie’s products, which are formulated for human use, garner diverse results on a head by head basis, the equine care lines offer the same experience. Some users speak of longer, stronger hair after consistent use of Mane ‘n Tail and Mega-Tek while others report bad experiences or no significant result at all. It is to be noted that both brands include certain ingredients that are staples on the “natural no-no” list like sodium laurel sulfate, several parabens and “fragrance”, but despite that both Mane ‘n Tail and Mega-Tek have their fair share of loyal fans.
Both product lines are approved for use on natural and relaxed hair, so iIf you’re one of the many curious Columbus naturals who’ve heard the positive stories about these products and would like to try them on for size, Mane ‘n Tail can be found at most Sally's Beauty Supply Stores such as the locations at 3350 Cleveland Ave near Fashion Cents and 2712 Bethel Rd near Super Wal-mart. Mega-Tek is only available at tack related shops and can be found at Rod’s Western Palace at 3099 Silver Dr. and Equus Now at 8956 Cotter Street in Lewis Center. Both brands can also be ordered online through the company’s Websites at uh... www.manentail.com and www.eqyss.com.
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Comments
Would you use it? I used it as a permie, not natural...bc this controversy-great objectivity!
I haven't used it and am pretty set with the products I use, but I'd never say never.
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