In January I was lucky enough to be sent some products to try out from Botanica skincare (thank you very much Botanica!). I can hear your brain ticking here and saying ‘Poppy, since when were you interested in skincare products? That is not what your blog is about!’ That’s what I thought when I was first contacted.. until I realised that they are skincare products for animals!
I have experimented with different products to try to keep on top of Pea’s mallanders (dry skin and scabbiness behind her knees) and when I asked Jenny from Botanica if their products would be suitable treatment for this I got a positive response.
The Brand
Botanica are an international brand selling a natural herbal range of skincare products. Their products are suitable for an impressive range of issues from human acne and dry skin to itching and hairloss in animals. They claim that their products are all antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine and have an insect repellent function. They have an incredible number of uses for horses as well as humans and other animals.
The Products
The Cleansing Wash is Botanica’s natural antiseptic wash which is meant to clean and soothe the skin to promote good skin health and healing.
It is available in 300ml (£10.95), 500ml (£14.95) or 5L (£55.95) and for most purposes it is diluted in water. It doesn’t need to be washed off which makes it so easy to use.
Botanica say ‘the antiseptic properties of Tea Tree Oil along with soothing Aloe Vera, plus the additional beneficial value of Comfrey and Lavender provides an all purpose natural herbal cream to help support and maintain healthy skin.’
This cream comes 125ml (£12.95), 300ml (£19.95) or 500ml (£29.95) tubs. The sizeable 500ml tub has a pump which is so easy to use and hygienic too! It is a light cream rather than a barrier cream and is easily absorbed by the skin, keeping things clean but breathable.
This is marketed as the ultimate all rounder, suitable for insect repellent, mane and tail conditioner, body sheen, treating dandruff, flaky skin and wounds.
It comes in a spray bottle (£12.99) with the option of having the nozzle as a spray or a squirt. This is a useful design element as for some purposes you want a wide spray while for more localised issues you want a squirt.
Uses
Bald patches
I used the spray and cream alternately on a bald patch on Pea’s side. I don’t know how much this improved the rate at which the hair grew back but it certainly reduced the scurfy, dandruffy situation that bald/regrowing areas usually have!
Tail conditioner
I tried the spray as a tail conditioner. It definitely helped me to brush through Pea’s tail but it won’t be replacing my beloved Carr & Day & Martin Canter Mane and Tail.
Body wash
I used the cleansing wash to wash off Pea after exercise. It smelt nice and, because you don’t rinse it off, it was a really quick and easy way of giving her a body bath.
Mallanders
This was the main reason why I wanted to try these. According to the instructions provided (which are very helpful and comprehensive) you should use the wash and the cream twice a day. I found this quite a challenge to my time so once a day is a more accurate description of my method. The wash gently softened Pea’s scabby mallanders and rubbing the cream in helped to remove the dry scabby bits leaving the skin pink but not raw. After using these products Pea’s legs are much better and, if you stick to using them, these products definitely work. These pictures show the progress from scabs to pink to regrowth.
Hand cream
There are many other human uses for the wash and cream that I haven’t tried yet but this one I discovered almost accidentally. You know when your hands have been wet and dry, you’ve mucked out and ridden and your hands are dry and sore? One pump of this cream and they will be all good!
Conclusion
I would recommend these products because..
They are multipurpose – not only does that reduce the amount of lotions and potions you have to buy and store but it is also more environmentally friendly.
They are herbal so no harsh chemicals here. My testing found that they are very gentle and since I’m so precious about my pony, that works for me!
They simply do what they say on the tin.
If you want to give these products a try please check out Botanica’s website.
Young Hip and Horsey 