Great multipurpose grooming tool: StripHair Gentle Groomer

Commentary, grooming1 Comment
StripHair Gentle Groomer

If you’ve ever owned a Swiss Army Knife and you’ll have an idea of how useful the StripHair Gentle Groomer can be. It doesn’t look like much, but I’ve found myself reaching for this rubber block almost every time I groom or wash down my horses. Full disclosure here: the nice folks at Betty’s Best sent me two of them to try in exchange for a review (although no guarantees that I would like the product): the black is the standard version and the red is for sensitive skin (think Zelda).

StripHair Packaging
I get a real kick from the packaging for this product.

The first thing I loved about the tool was the packaging. Yeah, I know it doesn’t impact the performance, but the illustrations are pure Rosie the Riveter and the retro style made me smile and remember the mantra, “we can do it.”

The tool itself is a big slab of rubber with various surface textures embossed on it. But its utility is far greater than its appearance would suggest and the inside of the packaging does an excellent job of explaining all the ways you can use the tool — from shedding to currying to scrubbing and scraping.

With two versions available, I tried both.

How to use the stripHair
Any questions about how to use the tool are answered inside the package, which also points out the different features.

Putting the Gentle Groomer to the test, I started with Zelda, using the red (sensitive) version. She hates having her head brushed so even though when I got the tool she had her glossy summer coat, her face needed some touch ups. The soft rubber nubs do an excellent job of loosening hair. I can only imagine how well this will work when a horse is shedding out. Might actually make shedding her out fun. In the meantime, I’ve found it useful for getting off mud and removing saddle marks. First you rub the nubs over their coat, then you use the edge to scrape off the hair, dirt or water.

The surface of the tool
The surface of the tool is effective at bringing dirt to the surface, getting rid of saddle marks, and giving a nice pre-ride massage.

While there wasn’t much hair to scrape off at this time of year, I found the groomer to be handy after hosing my horse down after a ride.

The side of the tool
The side of the tool is good for scraping off hair after you’ve used the nubby part to massage. Think of how much hair you could get off when your horse is shedding out!
Sweat scraper
The tool also works well after hosing your horse down. I like it better than a sweat scraper because it’s gentler on the coat and easier to hold.

And then there are the other things I’ve found it handy for — grooming my cat and removing cat hair from the furniture. It’s particularly good for that because the rubber doesn’t damage the fabric.

REd or black
So, Red or Black — which do I prefer. I’m all about the Red one. I thought they both worked well but the red one is slightly softer and therefore a bit more versatile, especially when you’re using it for bony areas such as your horse’s legs or face. I like having both because it means I can put one in my trailer and keep one at the barn.

All in all, this one is a keeper. I don’t buy a lot of new grooming tools but this has such versatility that it’s really helpful to have around.

 

 

 

 

 

One thought on “Great multipurpose grooming tool: StripHair Gentle Groomer”

  1. I love mine! Use it for legit anything and everything I can. I need a second one to leave in the laundry room so I stop forgetting to take the hair off my saddle pads

    Reply

Leave a Reply