# Horse Hair Dye?



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Why are you wanting to do this? If it's purely for your own satisfaction, I have to ask: Is it worth chancing it?


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The problem with dying manes & tails is the dye gets on other parts of the body. Dye is itchy and has to sit on the hair for a good while. You have to cover everything on the horse, except what you apply the dye to, good luck with that!


----------



## Feathers7 (Jun 11, 2019)

I hate to sound so un-fun, but I have this rule of thumb about not using anything on my horse that I wouldn't use on myself. ... within reason. I would never use an ammonia or peroxide based dye my horse - I already know what it does to my hair and won't ever do it again. And...horses do get itchy and need to bite themselves...I wouldn't want my horse eatin dye. And knowing her...hmm...

Okay, let's restore the fun. Egg dye (food coloring) + water. Done. Mix together red, yellow, and blue...and you get black! Chalk also works. You can even make a rump-design with a stencil, plus egg dye + a little water in a spray bottle. Or, again, chalk. You can rub natural oils (coconut or sesame) into your horse's mane and tail if the dye creates dryness or looks dull, or simply start with oils as the base of your food coloring. 

Here's a nifty article:
https://www.thankyourbody.com/all-natural-egg-dyes/


----------



## GraciE. (Jun 3, 2019)

waresbear said:


> The problem with dying manes & tails is the dye gets on other parts of the body. Dye is itchy and has to sit on the hair for a good while. You have to cover everything on the horse, except what you apply the dye to, good luck with that!


That is very true. You have to be really careful with how you apply it and everything.




Feathers7 said:


> I hate to sound so un-fun, but I have this rule of thumb about not using anything on my horse that I wouldn't use on myself. ... within reason. I would never use an ammonia or peroxide based dye my horse - I already know what it does to my hair and won't ever do it again. And...horses do get itchy and need to bite themselves...I wouldn't want my horse eatin dye. And knowing her...hmm...
> 
> Okay, let's restore the fun. Egg dye (food coloring) + water. Done. Mix together red, yellow, and blue...and you get black! Chalk also works. You can even make a rump-design with a stencil, plus egg dye + a little water in a spray bottle. Or, again, chalk. You can rub natural oils (coconut or sesame) into your horse's mane and tail if the dye creates dryness or looks dull, or simply start with oils as the base of your food coloring.
> 
> ...


That's why I was looking into the dye that I was looking into. I've used on myself before, and it washes out over time, and my hair wasn't damaged whatsoever. It's not ammonia or peroxide-based either. The egg dye is a good idea too that I never thought of as well.


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I have heard of people dyeing* black* horses *black *for showing purposes, but I personally would never do it for my own enjoyment. Too many "what ifs"!


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Then there are the people who dye manes and markings on horses because they stole the horse, and/or they are switching horses for all the wrong reasons

Let me be clear that is in no way implying anything nefarious on your part. I'm just saying when someone mentions dyeing a horse, my knee-jerk reaction is to recall situations I have read about


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

My Appy was run through a TB. Sale with purchase contingent to them supplying the papers they "forgot". They had dyed her. Head to toe. When she shed off she had the most beautiful blanket. Needless to say I never did get papers on her but I did get her for next to nothing.


----------



## Pelhams-and-Snaffles (Jul 4, 2019)

If you want safe pizzazz, don't dye it. Get the hair safe chalk that comes out with some shampoo.


----------



## Vervain (Sep 14, 2018)

Overtone is just hair dye thinned out with a bunch of conditioner. It doesn't have to sit on there very long, it doesn't penetrate that deep. It could end up patchy looking depending on how carefully you cover/how clean the hair is beforehand but I would be surprised if it stuck around in a mane or tail very long at all.


----------



## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

I clicked on this thread because of a article I read yesterday. My horse attracts flies. Be nice to dye him with zebra stripes.


https://newsforkids.net/articles/2019/02/22/why-do-zebras-have-stripes-to-confuse-flies/


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I wouldn't do it. What if it rains and the dye runs down his neck? Anything more permanent could be harmful and really, this is just for looks. As long as a horse is clean and neat, well cared-for, and healthy, the colour of a mane should not matter for shows.


----------



## CopperLove (Feb 14, 2019)

Overall, it seems like a lot of trouble to go through for just the purpose of looks. But I did want to mention that there are companies now that specialize in dog and cat safe hair dyes (I have a close friend who is a dog groomer who's pretty intrigued by it; I accompanied her to a creative grooming contest in which there was a category solely for creative cuts and dyes on poodles, people did amazing things. Like character or element themed dogs with crazy shaped cuts and dye jobs. And this apparently is not an uncommon type of competition in the grooming world.)

But I'll also note, that some dog-safe dyes are not cat-safe, so I'm not sure if the dog-safe dyes would also be horse-safe. I wouldn't be surprised though if you could find research on the matter or if the companies themselves might mention whether their product is safe for other kinds of animals besides dogs. It could be a place to start though if you're really interested in creative grooming aspects.

Black is a hard color though... if it gets on something that's not the mane or tail it's going to be really noticeable. A horse is also going to swat its tail in ways that a dog wouldn't, I'm not sure how you would manage to get a horse not to swat with its tail long enough for the dye to set and wash out. When grooming a dog, they also have a table they stand on with a leash/collar type loop that can keep the dog's head up and still while standing there waiting for the dye to set (also the dogs used for this kind of creative grooming are usually conditioned over time for patience and standing still while grooming, you can tell with the younger and more fidgety dogs that things don't turn out as nice.)

Just a thought. Don't know that I would personally try it but if you find something that is FOR SURE not toxic and not going to harm your horse, then the only bad outcome is that your horse might end up looking funny for quite a long time if the dye job goes badly.


----------



## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I've dyed my horses and I dye my dogs often.....and customers dogs (I have a dog grooming shop). Its a thing..pretty popular and called creative grooming.

I use vegan dyes, made specifically for dogs. Opawz. Its expensive but worth every penny. The colors are fantastic and its SAFE.

Anywhere you DON'T want dye, coat the hair with conditioner and it will protect the hair from dye soaking in.

I do it because its fun. I like colorful things. It attracts attention and gets people asking about my grooming and usually booking an appointment. My dog LOVES the extra attention she gets everywhere we go too.

Sona's more recent dye jobs


















I dyed Jax for fun for a clinic. I dyed his legs different colors so it was easier to watch - gaited clinic - easier to keep an eye on what his legs are doing when the sides are color coded 

Guess its hard to see in this pic



























As long as you're using correct product, I see nothing wrong with dying animals.

I sometimes airbrush him for parades too


----------

