STYLE : LOOKS : Horse Power

Women who use hoof creams and mane conditioners aren’t just horsing around: Many equestrian grooming products reportedly mend dry nails and revive human hair in the same way they repair cracked hooves and horse hair.

“You get your hands right in the hoof cream when you’re putting it on the horse’s hooves,” says Lisa Helfrich of West Hollywood, a TV production coordinator who noticed that her nails were less brittle after grooming her quarterhorse, Wyls. Curious about other equine products, Helfrich tried an analgesic balm she bought for her horse’s sore muscles. “It feels icy hot, and it does work,” says Helfrich, who has used the balm for her own neck aches.

San Fernando Valley veterinarian L. Scott Sauer isn’t surprised by the crossover use. “I’ve looked at products in drugstores, and I see the same ingredients (in horse products and products meant for humans), like lanolin, gelatin and biotin,” he says. But Sauer adds that consumers should be warned: “Products for horses are not superior, but they’re stronger. You never know what kind of an allergic reaction a person might have to them.”

At Burbank Pet & Equestrian Supply, salesperson Kelly Mouton says women customers regularly buy products such as Hoof-Alive, Show Sheen and Mane ‘n Tail for themselves--though the store doesn’t recommend the practice and the products aren’t approved for human use. Even Mouton has tried the products: “I wouldn’t use them every day, but occasionally I use one of them to condition my hair.”

Department-store cosmetic lines, which are approved for use on humans, have taken note. Barielle, available at Nordstrom, has a nail-strengthening cream “created to condition the hooves of million-dollar thoroughbreds” and a hand cream “developed for use by professional jockeys.” Makes perfect horse sense.