Check out Why Vitamin E Oil Is My New Go-To For A healthy beautiful horse
Horses - Dogs - Humans (it seems to work on everyone)
It’s official, I’m obsessed with vitamin E oil! A few months ago I was chatting with my sister about an issue I was having with my Boston Terrier’s face wrinkles. She suggested trying vitamin E oil to clear it up. Her and her husband train dogs and had good luck with it fixing up other skin issues so I figured it was worth a shot. After working out the perfect combination of probiotics on the inside and vitamin E oil outside my little squishy face Daisy girl was all fixed up.
I was so impressed with the results I started using it on myself for some itchy bumps I got on my hands in the garden. Using it on my face after showering. On my hair to help keep my ends healthy. Basically adding a drop everywhere it seemed like it might do some good. Then I took it to the barn and it has become my go-to on the horses too.
Now that I have done all the trouble shooting I’m ready to fill you in on the top ten ways that I use it and how to pick out a high quality oil that is going to be most effective.
Ten ways to use vitamin e oil on your horse
1. Soothing Tick bites and bug bites
Vitamin E oil takes out the itch and irritation and speeds up healing. By putting a few drops on the bite after removing the tick you can help give your horse relief from the irritation that often follows a bite. (If any bites need veterinary attention be sure to call your vet)
2. Hair Growth
Areas that have lost hair because of rubs, itching, blanketing etc. can recover quicker with vitamin E oil. By mixing 1 part Vitamin E oil with 4 parts Jojoba oil This one is my favorite-to use on the horses and on myself. Applying the oil combo to the bald spot every other day can speed hair growth. I have found that jojoba works into the skin well, no greasy residue, doesn’t suffocate the skin and agrees with the horse’s natural oils
3. Preventing Scratches
Applying vitamin E oil to the area that your horse is prone to getting scratches can help keep the skin healthy and strong. By protecting your horse’s skin with oil you can give them defense against the irritation that comes with mud. You can also use it to quickly grow back hair that may have fallen out from a bout of scratches.
4. Conditioning manes and tails
Add a few drops to your shampoo and conditioner to give your horse’s hair shine and fullness. It will also help with dry, itchy skin that can accumulate at the roots. Using the vitamin E + jojoba oil recipe mentioned above is also very handy for helping to smooth out manes and tails for the show ring as well.
5. Healing Ear Sores
Ears can be very sensitive to bug bites and very sensitive to chemicals so vitamin E oil is a total winner for relieving sores from no-see-um bites. I’ve had horses that hate to have their ears touched become very happy to have vitamin E oil applied after they find out how much relief they feel from it. No more sticking gobs of gunky, greasy “swat” repellent inside of the ears, yuck!
*Note: don’t pour oil into the ear just rub a small amount on the skin with your fingers
6. Leave-in detangler/conditioner
Mixing up the same recipe as used for hair growth (vitamin E + jojoba oil) you can create a leave-in detangler. It’s perfect to use on the ends of your horse’s mane and tail to keep it hydrated and prevent breakage. As you put it on you’ll see the biggest difference about a few hours later once it has a chance to really soak into the hair. I discovered this trick after using it after banding a horse’s mane to smooth down the flyaways. The next day his normally frizzy hair was sleek and smooth.
7. Alleviating Dry skin
With season changes horses can sometimes get patches of dry skin from shedding, moisture issues, or even hormonal changes. These issues can be tackled from a few different angles I like to recommend a good probiotic and checking to see that the omega oils are in balance to help the horse to grow strong healthy skin. Then using vitamin E oil externally to help restore moisture can assist the skin in getting its own natural oils back on track
8. Healing hock sores
Hock and elbow sores often result when horses are laying down frequently and have dry, weak skin. Applying vitamin E oil to the areas that you see small rubs starting to form can give the skin a boost and protect the hair from getting rubbed off any further. Because good quality vitamin E oil is thick it tends to stay put better than other types of oil to really sink into the skin.
9. Softening ergots and chestnuts
If your one of those people that are driven crazy by big crunchy chestnuts on a horse vitamin E oil is the way to go when it comes to softening and loosening them up. Because of the healing qualities of the oil, the skin under the chestnut will be in great shape, staying flexible and strong instead of raw and painful like it does with just pulling them off or using other oils to loosen them.
10. Internally
Okay, in this case we are talking about a powder instead of an oil but it’s worth mentioning because it is a powerhouse supplement that covers many bases within the horse’s system. I’ve tried a few different vitamin E supplements and this E supplement* seems to absorb well and is reasonable for how long it lasts. It helps with everything from muscles recovery, neurological function, breathing issues, skin damage, all the way to eye and liver function. The best part is that it doesn’t have a bunch of weird fillers and the concentration is relatively high.
How to know which one to buy...
Choose high-quality clean oils that are pure and naturally sourced. Good oil might look like it’s more expensive but that is because it’s not mixed with cheap filler oils. High quality => better results using less product => cheaper in the long run. You can also put them on less often and still get results. So how can you tell if your E is potent and going to absorb well? The first thing I look for is number of IUs, the one the I have had the best results with has 75,000 IUs. Then check to be sure that it is naturally sourced from plants, not synthetics made in a lab. It should say d-alpha tocopherol rather than dl-alpha as that is the synthetic form which does not absorb as well. And finally, it has to be free from added ingredients so I know it’s not mixed with mystery oils that will irritate my skin or my horse’s skin.
I also mentioned jojoba oil in a few of the uses above. In choosing a good jojoba oil I also look for it to be free from added ingredients, hexane free, little to no scent, and be cold pressed.
Out of all the ones I’ve tried these are my favorites… Vitamin E oil and Jojoba oil
Insightfully,
Becky
