The secret to luscious, show-stopping locks could be right in front of you. Or, it could be in your horse’s grooming kit.
“Unsexy” skincare is having a moment. Cow udder cream, better known as “Bag Balm,” has been the latest unconventional skincare fascination among Gen Z, but the real “farm girls” know that the original “rural beauty secret” comes straight from the tack room. It’s Mane n’ Tail Shampoo and Conditioner.
Influencer Alix Earle helped launch Bag Balm into the center of the #beautytok debate with her viral TikTok clip, quickly inspiring a wave of other videos showing young people smothering or “slugging” their faces’ in the creamy ointment to lock in moisture overnight and treat cracked skin. The transparent goo, which “has helped farmers since 1899,” combines petroleum jelly and lanolin, two key ingredients that some social media users argue work even better than popular drugstore 100% petroleum Vaseline.
I wasn’t very surprised to see Genz Z racing to put an “animal product” all over their face, especially considering Bag Balm is a simple, gentle formula that costs a fraction of the price of more lavish skincare products you can find at Sephora or Ulta. But, as a former equestrian, my mind immediately jumped back to the real game-changing “farm girl” product of my childhood — Mane n’ Tail Shampoo and Conditioner.
I vividly remember the moment I pulled off my helmet after a riding competition, and a thick chunk of hair came out with it. My horseback riding instructor took one look at my damaged, greasy hair and yapped, “Time to try Mane n’ Tail!” I thought she was kidding at first. She was not. The next time I ordered my horse more shampoo, I purchased a bottle for myself and began the Mane n’ Tail journey.
Mane ‘n Tail Original Shampoo & Conditioner
For ultimate savings, bundle up on a set of shampoo and conditioner to try out the complete Mane n’ Tail system. The softening, shine-enhancing formula is filled with cleansing ingredients to keep your hair fortified and clean. If you’re wondering if Man n’ Tail is the trick to growing longer hair, just read some of the glowing Amazon reviews.
“This shampoo and conditioner has helped the most so far my hair started growing back and it’s fuller than it’s been in a long time,” one reviewer shared. “It’s only been a few weeks of using this product. I wash my hair about twice a week at most. And not to mention that after I wash my hair there’s a noticeable difference of the amount of hair that fell out between washes.”
I dyed my hair numerous times in high school. The damage from coloring it, on top of wearing a helmet frequently, resulted in an abundance of problems; split ends, an oily scalp, and subsequent hair loss. I’d tried everything under the sun — hair masks, serums, scalp treatments, vitamins — and almost lost hope. As bizarre as it sounds, the miraculous Mane n’ Tail brand was one of the only shampoos that improved the texture and strength of my hair. It grew like crazy. I’m not the only one who swears by it. Even Hailey Bieber has built Mane n’ Tail products into her hair care routine.
But, the “secret” of Mane n’ Tail is nothing new. In one viral video, Tiktoker Vickiii Sashea responded to a post where someone commented that Mane n’ Tail Shampoo was not for humans. “This Mane n’ Tail was in every black household, and I never heard any complaints,” the content creator exclaimed in her video. “Everybody I know that used, their hair was thick and long, and healthy… Ya’ll is telling me this is animal shampoo. Tell me this is a lie.”
It’s not a lie. The Mane n’ Tail brand has humorously addressed some common questions about the formula on its TikTok page, clarifying that Mane n’ Tail products are suitable for both human and horse use. The Original Mane n’ Tail Shampoo is described on the website as a “human crossover shampoo that helps to maintain and achieve fuller, stronger, longer, healthier-looking hair.”
So, what exactly does Mane n’ Tail have that other human-only products may be lacking? Beauty and health experts have been leaning into this debate to try and uncover exactly what ingredients are helping people, such as myself, see such incredible results from a shampoo that retails for less than $10.
Stella Rosa, who works as a bedside nurse, shared her opinion on Mane n’ Tail’s products from an ingredient perspective. “This product does have surfactant in it,” she noted in her TikTok. “There’s a lot of information on the internet about sulfates. Sulfates in general are a surfactant. What a surfactant does is decrease the tension between grime, dirt, and oil. They do a very good job of cleansing.”
While Rosa said she wouldn’t recommend washing her hair with Mane n’ Tail every day, she stresses that it works wonders for twice-a-week use. “I find it does the best job at getting all the products and s*** that have been accumulated over the days that I haven’t washed my hair and getting it out.”
Despite the negative reputation sulfates have in the cosmetic industry, Rosa intends to continue using Mane n’ Tail — another ‘unsexy skincare’ product that is beginning to rise to the surface of Gen Z’s evolving beauty landscape.
Until I can find another budget-friendly brand that leaves my hair feeling fresh and clean, I will too.
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