Enhancing Clipped Coat Color

[jleonard]

I have a driving event this weekend, it is not a show, but I want my girls to look good! I dyed my black mare's VERY sun bleached mane, tail, and forelock today, and though it still has a slight reddish tint, it looks soooo much better. I agonized over whether or not to re-clip her. Her summer coat had nearly grown in, but her belly and a few patches on her back were still light, so I decided to clip. Is there anything that you use to help bring back the natural color faster? She looked so nice with a black body, mane, and tail, and now she's back to the mousy gray body. Any tips to help enhance her color would be very much appreciated!

Jessica

 

[albahurst]

By this weekend, I think your horse's coat will look a bit darker. I try to clip my black horse about a week from a show to allow time for the color to grow back in. Other than time, I don't know of anything else that would work in such a short amount of time. I imagine your horse will look beautiful!

 

[jleonard]

Thank you, I certainly hope she will darken up a bit!

I seem to remember someone mentioning that they used a hot oil treatment to help bring back the color/shine, but cannot seem to find the post... Does anyone have experience with that?

 

[mydaddysjag]

Warm water and baby oil, applied as final rinse. Some people use human hair cholesterol slater it on, put a sheet on them and leave on a few hours, then rinse out, and I have also heard of using mayonnaise the same way. I'm clipping tomorrow for a show on Saturday, didn't know until today I was going to the show (my vehicle is broken down and my sister is going to drive me) I'm going to try the hot oil treatment on Domingo and I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[kaykay]

I have never used mayo but know people who swear by it. The best thing you can do imo is put the horse in during the day and let him out at night so hes not in the sun. this also will help darken it. With black horses its best to clip them a lot at the beginning of the season as each time you clip they will come in darker quicker

 

[icspots]

I've had success using Ultra hot oil treatment and Quick Black shampoo, but this time of year it is a little tougher to get that really deep color back

 

[MiLo Minis]

A good thorough daily brushing to bring back the oil in the coat will darken her more quickly.

 

[jleonard]

Thank you all for your tips and tricks!

I ended up using the Mayo and Quick Black and she does look better. Her body is a little darker, but nice and shiny, and her head and legs blend more smothly into her body color now. I had to use my old A5's to clip her, as my other three sets of clippers went on the fritz yesterday (go figure!). This treatment seems to have helped smooth the inevitable lines that go along with those clippers!

Thanks again, I may have to experiment with some of the other suggestions next time!

 

[albahurst]

OK_ I am curious about the Mayo. Why do you suppose it helps- is it the cholesterol in the eggs?

 

[jleonard]

OK_ I am curious about the Mayo. Why do you suppose it helps- is it the cholesterol in the eggs?

I was thinking it was the oil in the Mayo? Maybe helps to restore the oils to the coat. I am not sure, good question, I'd like to know the answer as well...

 

[Sanny]

I found a tip online that worked great.

Take equal parts olive oil and apple cidar vinegar put in a spray bottle shake well and spray the horse down and leave it in for a couple of days then bathe right before the show. It deepens the color and does a fantastic job conditioning and re-moisturizing the hair and adding shine. They will stink like a salad and get really dirty looking from walking around with an oily coat but will look fantastic after a good bath. If you google this you will find it as a tip for exactly what you want to achieve.

 

[susanne]

Or you can always buy Kholesterol (or other similar products with variations on the spelling) in the ethnic hair products at WalMart, Fred Meyer//Kroger, and other stores.

I'm sure the ingredients are the same as or similar to the homemade concoctions mentioned above, but this is cheap, ready to use, and highly recommended in this past on this forum.

 

[nbark]

They have cans of "spray color" for those areas that haven't grown in if you want to do that instead of clipping again. You mentioned patches, this is what I do. They have black, brown and white (which is good for areas that may have a rub to expose pink skin).