A Review of Mane and Tail Conditioner

On the Groom_TNT (Yahoogroups) email group, Shannon asked: Is Mane & Tail Conditioner a good conditioner? Its made by Straight Arrow. I've seen it in stores all over for years, can be used on humans or animals. I finally bought some for my cocker to try. She's very soft but it might be too soft for show? I love how everything brushed out good, little mats, sticks, grass, leaves & everything else she picked up in the small yard last 2 days.

Looking at this conditioner, I can see why it might be good for removing sticker burrs from a long coat. It might be a bit heavy for show days, however. Here is my review of the ingredients and my opinion.

Ingredients Mane and Tail Conditioner

Water ,
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate
Origin: A synthetic compound derived from stearic acid, a fatty acid.
Function: Antistatic agent



Distearyldimonium Chloride
Origin: Synthetic compound derived from fatty acids.
Function: Antistatic agent

Stearyl Alcohol
Origin: A fatty alcohol prepared by chemical reduction of stearic acid obtained primarily from beef tallow.
Function: Emulsifier / Emollient / Moisturiser / Emulsion stabiliser / Opacifier / Viscosity adjuster


Emulsifying Wax NF – emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener , Emulsifying wax is a mixture of emulsifiers and fatty alcohols that permits the formulation of stable creams.

Cetyl Alcohol - An emollient, moisturizer, emulsifier, and thickener.

Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera),
Origin: from coconuts
Function: emollient and moisturizer
Good news: One of the few ingredients that has been established as penetrating the inner cortex and of hair and having some strengthening ability.
Bad news: Can cause irritation and allergic reaction in some individuals.

Glycerin ,
Origin: a by-product of soap manufacturing.
Function: humectant, keeps products from drying out.

Sodium Chloride
Origin: common salt
Function: used as a viscosity adjuster. Usually found in shampoos, I’m not sure what it is doing in a conditioner.

Vegetable Oil
Origin: Unspecified
Function: Moisturizer

Fragrance - It is what it is.

NOTE: Any ingredients listed below “fragrance” are usually present in very tiny amounts and have questionable value in a formulation.

Hydrolyzed Protein
Origin: Unspecified, can be from vegetable (wheat, soy, oat) or animal sources
Function: hair conditioner, moisturizer

Lanolin
Origin: Sheep’s wool
Function: Antistatic agent, emollient, moisturizer and emulsifier.
Good news: A natural emollient with moisturizing properties that is capable of absorbing half its weight in water.
Bad news: Comedogenic (promotes acne) and may cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.

Phenoxyethanol , Methylparaben , Propylparaben - Preservative system

FD&C Yellow #5 – Colorant

IMPRESSIONS: Although I like the fact that one of the first ingredients is a quat, (quaternary ammonium compound), which has great coverage and ability to cling to the hair cuticle, the rest of this lineup is mostly heavy waxy ingredients and oils. JMHO here, but this looks like a very inexpensive, okay let’s be blunt, CHEAP formula. I am really unimpressed in the use of non-specific “vegetable oil” and “hydrolyzed protein.” I’m actually surprised that they can get away with this labeling. By not being specific, they can actually change the vegetable oil and protein from batch to batch depending on what is cheapest on the wholesale market. I don’t like it. If the vegetable oil was something such as Olive oil, which has established benefit to hair, you can be sure that it would be identified on the label. For all we know, their vegetable oil could be corn oil. The same thing goes for the “hydrolyzed protein”, it could be anything, even something unmentionable or unidentifiable. For sure, it is cheap.

The use of Coconut oil (Cocos nucifera) is interesting. Coconut oil and Olive oil are two oils that have been determined to penetrate into the inner cortex of the hair shaft and provide strengthening to the hair. This value is somewhat offset, however, by the fact that Coconut oil is known to be comedogenic (clogs pores and can promote acne) and can cause allergic reaction or skin irritation.

Conclusion: This is formulation that leans heavily on waxy ingredients and oils. It is likely to be rather heavy on the hair and will undoubtably offer considerable softening of the coat. The Coconut oil may offer some restorative function, so this conditioner might be a good choice on a selected basis. But why do they add an unspecified “vegetable oil” instead of just using more Coconut oil? Possibly for a reason similar to why they use three different waxy alcohol ingredients: because to use just one would place those ingredients in a more elevated place in the ingredient list, and the more sophisticated ingredients would lose placement and be revealed as less prominent in the product.

P.S. On another note: If you are curious about the practice of using conditioners to clean hair instead of shampoos, such as with the Wen hair products for humans, this Mane and Tail conditioner could be a good choice, at least in theory. The Distearyldimonium Chloride is a good cleaning agent, and the emulsifiers might be great at lifting excess sebum from the hair. Here’s a link to The Beauty Brains blog where knowledgeable cosmetic scientists discuss this matter in further depth. Click HERE to go THERE.