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ShowSheen Original Hair Polish and Detangler is one of those products that is pretty ubiquitous throughout the equestrian community. Is it worthy of its popularity?
This product claims to detangle, reduce grooming time, nourish the coat, reduce static, repel dust, dirt and stains, strengthen mane and tail hair, keep your horse cleaner longer, and promote stronger, longer hair.
First note, this stuff smells great! The spray bottle is also of a pretty high quality and I find that I reuse them for other products long after I’ve bought more ShowSheen. After years of testing on tons of horses I’m really familiar with the product. It does detangle (but not as great as some other products). It also reduces static. It does reduce grooming time by repelling dust and dirt and keeps your horse cleaner longer. In fact, I always recommend to our friends that after they bathe a horse, that they spray conditioner all over the horses wet coat and follow with a layer of ShowSheen. This application does seem to keep the dirt and dust off longer. I will keep using it for that reason as well. It also makes the horse nice and shiny (though is no substitute for good grooming habits).
I do have a couple of warnings however. This product does not strengthen mane and tail hair. It does not promote stronger, longer hair. It does not nourish the coat. Without the addition of a moisture/conditioning spray, ShowSheen can leave you with some poor results. ShowSheen sprayed directly on a tail without a conditioner preparation will cause the hair to eventually dull and start breaking (I have seen it wreak havoc on several tails). It also can dull the coat over time if used without a leave in conditioning spray. I recommend ALWAYS using some type of coat conditioning spray before using ShowSheen to protect your horses main, tail and coat.
I like Showsheen but have a few reservations. Those reservations are that without an additional form of conditioner, this silicon based spray can damage coat, mane and tail over time. If you use this product correctly, then you should have no issues.
It’s available in various sizes, with of course the best value being in the largest size (16 fl oz. Bottle, 32 fl oz. Bottle and a 1 Gallon Bottle) and can be found at almost every tack, feed and online store that sells horse care items.