Horse Hair Shoe Brush? Top 50 Best Answers

We’ve all been through that. You’re sitting at home and suddenly your friends are showering you with last-minute plans. This time you have the perfect outfit but your shoes look pretty dirty and dingy. Of course, you don’t want to be the one in the group with everyone saying, “What are these?” Luckily, there’s a solution to getting clean shoes without leaving home.

Here at FootFitter, we care about your social status and well-being and understand when you’re short on time. So we’ve compiled a list of the best household items to quickly clean any shoes you want to rock.

First of all, you need a brush.

Unfortunately, there are times when you don’t have a professional leather shoe brush or suede eraser on hand when your shoes need a thorough cleaning.

However, if you are at your house or at a friend’s house, a few bathroom items will help you find clean shoes.

Try a toothbrush.

A toothbrush is a good option when you need to remove dirt or polish products in tight spots.

For the best technique, save the lighter strokes to loosen and sweep away dirt. Pull out your tougher scrubbing muscles after mixing and applying cleaning solutions to really penetrate the material and clean shoes.

This tool works best on rubber flip flops, rope wedges, sneakers and canvas shoes. Later, we’ll explain how toothpaste can also help bring canvas shoes to their cleanest potential.

Try a nail brush and file.

Nail products like a larger scrubbing brush and hard file work well to remove stubborn stains.

This is especially useful with suede and shearling shoes.

Try a white microfiber cloth.

While brushes are great for wiping away dirt and working in shoe cleaning products, when it comes time to shine shoes, it’s time to pull a white microfiber cloth out of the closet.

A soft microfiber cloth is important for more sensitive materials such as leather. Its gentle touch leaves a lasting shine without damage.

Next, choose cleaning products based on the material of your shoe.

If you use household products to clean shoes, you should make sure you don’t use materials that will damage your shoes. After all, the point here is to make them look better, not worse.

For leather shoes, try white vinegar and baking soda.

Photo via Instagram / @aspele_shoes

Start by diluting 1 cup of white vinegar with 50 percent water. Once you have your new solution, use your cloth to buff out any stains.

After the stains have cleared up, it’s time to address the scuffs. For this part, wait until your shoes are dry from the first step. Then take another clean cloth and dip it in your baking soda. With wiping and buffing motions, the baking soda should effortlessly remove scuffs.

For patent leather shoes, try Windex and petroleum jelly.

Photo via Instagram / @beautynight_foxy

Windex isn’t just good at making glass shimmer transparent. It can also be useful for giving your patent leather shoes the look of a glass-like reflective sheen.

However, using the Windex should be your final step. To clean patent leather shoes for the first time, apply petroleum jelly to a cotton ball. Rubbing this product into your patent leather will remove scuffs and stains.

Try vinegar and rubbing alcohol on suede and sheepskin shoes.

Photo via Instagram / @uggsince1974

After scrubbing away stubborn suede stains and scuffs with your makeshift brushes and nail file, your suede or sheepskin needs some maintenance.

To revitalize the delicate material, use a white washcloth with either white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to add vibrancy to your suede shoe. When it comes to sheepskin, it’s best to make your buffing mixture with cold water and distilled vinegar.

Because these types of shoes are water sensitive, less is more. It’s also important to use newspaper or a shoe tree to help your shoes or boots hold their shape as they dry.

For canvas shoes, try toothpaste.

Photo via Instagram / @glorifygifts

When it comes to canvas shoes, both your toothbrush and toothpaste will come in handy. First, use your toothbrush to buff any dirty stains with toothpaste.

Move your brush back and forth and in circular motions to get rid of any imperfections. After you get clean shoes, use a damp cloth to wipe off any extra toothpaste residue.

For sneakers, try nail polish remover.

Photo via Instagram / @sneakers

Nail polish remover works great for removing stains on white sneakers. This usually eliminates the use of bleach. However, when you reach for bleach, less is definitely more. It’s important to use about 5 times as much water as bleach to keep your shoes from fading or discoloring.

When it comes to colored sneakers, mixing a teaspoon of laundry detergent with a cup of water creates a solution that’s useful for fabric, rubber, and mesh. However, you should avoid wetting leather or foam areas with the mixture to prevent damage.

Sneakers can also usually be gently tossed in the washing machine to remove any excess dirt or stains.

For rubber flip flops, try baking soda and laundry detergent.

Photo via Instagram / @zyti_1987

Walking around in flip flops under the summer sun often leads to extra sweat and dirt. Baking soda offers a great solution to a smelly situation. Leave the powder on your shoes before scrubbing it off with a toothbrush to get rid of bad smells.

To further clean your rubber flip flops, add some vinegar to your wash cycle to keep them looking brand new.

For wedges, try dish soap and carpet cleaner.

Photo via Instagram / @lauletrd

When it comes to wedges, it’s important to consider whether they’re rope wedges (like the ones pictured above) or cork wedges.

Use carpet cleaner for rope wedges. Because the texture mimics carpet, this cleaner or similar upholstery cleaners will come in handy to polish up the look of your wedges. Follow the grain of your shoe to avoid damaging the rope and fraying.

For cork wedges, diluting half a gallon of warm water with half a cup of white vinegar and a little dish soap makes the perfect solution. Wipe vigorously across the cork until you get the perfect pair of clean shoes. Simply wipe away excess solution with a clean cloth and you’re ready to hit the town.

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An indispensable product when using the leather care kit.

Curly girls think outside the box. For one, we must. Ten years ago there were few curly products on the shelves and now we seem to be taking over every hair care aisle in every store. It feels good! Even though we’re finally getting our due date, we’re still thinking outside the box about what our hair needs. Sometimes we find unique tools that weren’t designed for us, but we find a way to incorporate them into our regime.

I’m talking about horse hair brushes. Yes, brushes created to brush the tangles out of horse manes. Lots of curly women swear by it! As long as you don’t share it with your horse, you should be fine. This very unusual brush has an innovative design with uniquely flexible rows of combs that gently detangles.

It’s designed to prevent hair pulling or strand breakage by moving with the hair, not against it.

There are between 7 and 9 rows of flexible combs that can be bent and snapped back without damaging the hair. It is made of nylon, typically weighs about 1.4 ounces, and is about 8 ¾ inches long. It’s designed to prevent hair pulling or strand breakage by moving with the hair, not against it. It is made of nylon and has a scalloped handle with a grip for easy use. The compelling component of this brush is its non-top flexible rows, allowing for optimal brushing flexibility.

How does it compare to other brushes?

It seems to beat out other brushes like the Tangle Teezer and the Denman, according to women who’ve tried all three. While I’ve heard and read reviews of curlies raving about both the Tangle Teezer and Denman, I’ve also heard that they can cause fractures in some women. I haven’t heard any negative experiences with the horsehair brush, other than complaints about high price premiums from some retailers.

Some brands are naming and revising the brush as a curly hair detangling brush, but it’s the same old brush no matter where you get it.

Members of our community bought theirs from their local horse or farming stores like Tractor Supply Co Store for around $5. You can also find them on Amazon from Tangle Wrangler for $11.99 and Chics Saddlery for $1.29.

If you’re considering trying this brush, watch these videos to see how the brush is used and if these women like it (hint, the first video is titled “the BEST detangling brush”).

The best detangler brush

CoilyHeadChick gives an excellent review of this unique brush that glides through her hair quite easily. Now she has her hair soaked in shampoo, but most who use the brush say to do so with conditioner. I think using conditioner would be a much better choice as well. She even sells the brush on her website (which she mentions), but they’re pretty popular and can be found just about anywhere, including Amazon.com.

Natural hair detangling program

My Natural Sistas discusses her detangling regimen using the Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush, which is very similar to the horse detangling brush. It also has flexible bristles (as she calls them) that allow for “fluid movement.” She shows off the unique design and how it stretches as you brush through your hair. She starts at the bottom and works her way up to brush and fully detangle a section of wet hair. No snags as it untangles with a breeze. The Felicia Leatherwood Pink Detangling Brush was $10 when this video was made but is now $16.

So, are you in or have you already tried it? We’d love to know below, so do comment and let us know if you love, hate, or buy it.

Entering the world of shoe care is always an adventure, so here we explain three indispensable brushes that you not only need to polish and shine your shoes; but also the best brush for cleaning and applying products.

The first thing you should know is that there are two types of brushes for buffing and shine.

Your “primary brush” to polish up the shoe polish and achieve a soft shine. You use it after applying your favorite cream and rub it on the shoes to get the shine you want.

Then you can have a secondary brush or finishing brush; you can use it to give your shoes the final shine or polish them at the beginning or end of the day.

Each shoe shine kit requires a horsehair shoe shine brush. This is going to be the brush you use 90% of the time, and it really is the most important brush you can have. If you only have one brush, it will be a horsehair brush.

If you only have to decide on one, don’t hesitate with a horsehair brush like the Tarrago Horsehair Wooden Brush. This brush is super convenient as it is 12.5 cm in size and its bristles are long enough.

The second choice is a hog bristle brush: ideal for cleaning and texturing leather.

It’s really more about getting that polish off the shoe. If you have a pebble shoe that tends to accumulate some kind of polish. This hog bristle brush will do a better job of actually getting into that grain to remove it.

For this we recommend the Tarrago Premium brush made of horse bristles and 13.5 cm handle.

And finally, and to complete your brush set, an applicator brush cannot be missing. Because it is the Tarrago Dauber with which you apply the various creams to the shoes. We recommend you have one for each color to avoid color transfer.

Frequently asked Questions:

Do I need brushes? yes you need two One for dark shoes and one for light shoes.

How do I clean my brush? Polish the cloth with the shoe shine brush. They just rub off all sorts of polish residue that has built up on the brush.

Can I apply shoe polish with a shoe shine brush? No, you shouldn’t. Because you will end up collecting and smearing too much polish on the brush itself. And you just don’t want to ruin a good shoe shine brush by putting too much polish on the bristles.

The polish should be applied with a dab, with a cotton pad, or even with your fingers if you like; but never apply your shoe polish with shoe polish.

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One of the most overlooked aspects of grooming your horse is cleaning and maintaining your grooming supplies. It’s something we almost all take for granted. As long as our horse is reasonably clean most of the time and there are no underlying skin issues, cleaning your grooming supplies doesn’t seem to be a priority.

And I understand. We’re all busy. Sometimes it’s hard enough making time for your horse, let alone a thorough cleaning of all grooming products.

But cleaning your grooming essentials doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. You AND your horse will be very grateful to you for this.

Why should I clean my grooming supplies?

You don’t wash your face with a dirty towel every night, do you? Or do you brush your hair with a comb covered in dust and manure? It would be unsanitary and counterproductive, right?

The same goes for your horse’s grooming tools and brushes. Your horse lives in a stable or outdoors where there is dirt, mud and manure. Sometimes he even sleeps on his own crap, causing you to curse him for getting his pretty white socks all brown and green!

When you use your brushes to clean your horse, a lot of dirt and grime gets transferred to your brushes. Stiff bristle brushes and soft body brushes can get particularly messy, as dirt and hair can get lodged deep in the bottom of the brush and be difficult to get out.

It’s especially important to keep your brushes clean if your horse has a skin condition like rain rot or scratches. You don’t want to aggravate the skin condition by rubbing dirt onto already sensitive skin. And you don’t want to transmit skin irritations to other horses. (You should ALWAYS use your own grooming supplies. Do not share between horses to avoid spreading skin diseases such as rain blight, which is contagious.)

Bottom Line – Clean your grooming supplies as it is good for your horse and more hygienic overall. There’s no point grooming a dirty horse with dirty brushes. I recommend cleaning your grooming supplies every one to two weeks, depending on the time of year. I definitely clean mine more often during mud season, aka spring time!

So fresh. So clean. So fresh. So clean.

How to clean your grooming tools

Cleaning your grooming tools and brushes doesn’t have to be difficult. You really only need a bucket, dish soap and a towel.

Fill a bucket or sink with water (warm water if you have it, but not necessary) and add antibacterial dish soap.

Before throwing your brushes in the water, run your comb over the bristles of your stiff and soft brush to loosen some of the dirt and grime.

Also, remove any hair buildup from your horse’s hairbrush or other supplies.

Dip your brushes in the soapy water and continue to run the comb or your hand over the bristles of your stiff brush and soft brush to thoroughly clean them. Make sure to scrub your curry comb and horse hairbrush too. If you have cleaning gloves, they can be washed along with the rest of your cleaning supplies.

All my brushes are dipped in warm soapy water. I scrub them all with my comb

to remove all dirt, dust and hair.

Once all of your brushes are clean, rinse them thoroughly until no soap remains.

You can let them dry anywhere they’re out of the way. I like to lay out a towel and put all my brushes in there to let them dry. If it’s a warm and sunny day, putting them in the sun can dry them faster.

Lay your bristle brushes bristle side down while you let them dry. As water builds up in the bristles, the bristles will loosen and your brush will begin to deteriorate.

Before you put your brushes back in your grooming bag, wash them too! You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste putting clean brushes in a dirty bucket or bag.

I use this amazing Wahl grooming bag which I love because it’s big enough to hold all my supplies and it has pockets for things like bands, hoof picks and horse treats. I usually toss this bag in my washing machine at home to give it a deep clean and then lay it out with my brushes to dry.

Lay your brushes bristle-side down on a towel to dry. Your brushes are ready to get dirty again! Lay your brushes bristle-side down on a towel to dry. Your brushes are ready to get dirty again!

But you’re not done yet…

Clean brushes and grooming products are SO important if you want to keep your horse clean and his coat shiny and healthy, but don’t forget your riding gear. Saddle pads will become hairy, sweaty and smelly with regular use and sometimes after just one use depending on how dirty your horse is and how much he sweats during the ride.

This also includes polo wraps or boots! You have to wash them regularly.

You don’t like wearing smelly, dirty workout clothes, do you!? Neither does your horse. And all that sweat, dirt, and grime can harbor bacteria or eventually cause sores on your horse if it gets too stiff or dirty.

How to keep your saddle pads clean

For everyday saddle pads, it’s really easy, just toss them in the washer and dryer and call it a day. This is usually the easiest way to keep your saddle pads clean. But remember, if your saddle pad is extremely dirty or full of hair (hair loss, anyone?!), you’re doing yourself and your washing machine a favor by brushing off most of the hair before throwing it straight into the wash. If your stall has a hose or wash stand, you can also hose down your saddle pads there to get rid of the extra hair. Alternatively, toss your saddle pad in the dryer for 5-10 minutes – the lint collector will remove most of the hair and then you can toss it in the wash.

One important thing to remember when washing your saddle pads and even your polo wraps, riding gloves and athletic boots is to use a mild detergent. Many store-bought detergents are full of harsh chemicals and fragrances that can irritate your horse. Your best bet is to buy an all-natural or organic branded detergent for your riding gear.

What you should NEVER put in your washing machine – leather or sheepskin! Purchase a leather or sheepskin washing solution or cleaner specifically for these items.

To keep western saddle pads fresh I recommend using a sheet or pad underneath to avoid getting your saddle pad really dirty as western pads are much more difficult to clean. You can follow the same washing instructions for the sheet or pad.

Saddle pad, grooming bag, riding gloves, winter stable gloves & sports boots are ready to be washed! Saddle pad, grooming bag, riding gloves, winter stable gloves & sports boots are ready to be washed!

You may find that your dryer is damaging your saddle pads. After many cycles through the washer and dryer, I’m definitely noticing that my saddle pads are starting to lose their shape and fall apart. If this is the case, simply let them air dry in the shade (the sun can fade colored pads).

Now that you have clean brushes, grooming products and saddle pads, don’t forget to clean your bridle regularly. Ideally, this should really be done after every ride. I know, I know… it’s hard to make time for all these extra chores on top of riding and grooming your horse. But taking good care of your bridle will ensure that your bridle stays in tip-top shape without the risk of breakage, which is dangerous. Seriously, no one wants a rein or stirrup leather to be 3 paces from an oxer.

The basics of keeping your staples clean are simply to use a soft brush or soft towel to brush dust away from the surface, between the folds, and under the flaps.

Make sure the saddle is free of dust on the surface and under the flaps.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to cleaning your saddle, but it’s usually a pretty safe bet to buy a leather cleaner like saddle soap or glycerine soap. You can use a sea sponge to blend into your saddle, but I prefer using makeup sponges! This is also the perfect time to have your gear fully checked to ensure everything is in perfect condition with no breaks or tears. I also use a “stickier” conditioner on my jumping saddle which makes it a little stickier and easier to hold! What is important! It is an older model so without proper cleaning and conditioning it can get slippery!

I like to use makeup sponges to clean my saddle. I like to use makeup sponges to clean my saddle.

Sometimes those hard-to-reach places — in the creases, under the flaps, and in the nooks and crannies — are the dirtiest part of your tack; which makes sense because it’s the hardest to achieve. I use a toothbrush to really get into those hard to reach areas and get them nice and sparkling clean.

Other parts of your bridle, like your stirrups, the metal parts of your spurs, and nylon halters – throw those babies in the dishwasher! They will come out as good as new.

Use a toothbrush to get between the creases and hard-to-reach areas.

There you have it. Your cleaning utensils, brushes, saddle pads and bridles are sparkling clean! Feels good, doesn’t it?!

Hello, I’m Kirby Allison, founder of The Hanger Project and we love helping well-dressed people take care of their wardrobes. In today’s video I show you how to clean your shoe shine brush. Well, a common question we’ve received many times here at The Hanger Project is: what do I need to do to keep my shoe shine brushes clean? The short answer is that shoe shine brushes don’t require much maintenance, but as you use them, polish residue will build up on the bristles.

So I have a shoeshine brush that I use to shine a pair of navy blue shoes and as you can see this is a perfect illustration of the amount of polish that accumulates on a brush after a single buffing operation. This is another great example of why we generally recommend having two different shoe shine brushes; one with dark bristles and one with light bristles. The reason for this is that you only use your dark bristle brush on your darker polishes and want to separate them from the brush you use on your light browns and tans.

This is because the remaining dark polish that accumulates on the bristles can actually graze a lighter pair of shoes, so it’s good to keep these brushes separate. Aside from developing residual polish it’s good to try to get that residual polish off the brush every now and then and the method we recommend here at The Hanger Project is to just take your horsehair brush and just that Polish bristles over a clean chamois leather or towel. And as you can see, the remaining polish is wiped off.

A problem often arises for those who enjoy giving their shoes a decent spit shine. Traditionally, the buff has consisted of a horsehair brush, but when you’re putting a skewer on your shoes, especially in the toe area, using a horsehair-bristle brush creates problems: Tiny, tiny scratches form on the glass-like surface. The horsehair is just too hard and will scratch the polished surface. However, there is an excellent solution for this: a super soft goat hair finishing brush.

Goat hair is a lot softer than horse hair and is therefore gentler. If you just want to work in regular shoe polish and want to remove excess shoe polish, or simply add a simple shine with wax polish, a horsehair brush works better, as does if you just want to brush dirt off of such shoes. The goat hair shoe brush is especially good to have if you have a neat shine that needs finishing. With the soft goat’s hair brush it is possible to work in the entire layer of varnish, even at the tip, without risking many small scratches. I always finish with the nylon cloth for the very final finish and if you don’t have a goat hair brush but are polishing to a skewer shine, it’s best to avoid going over the toe area with the horsehair brush and just use the nylon cloth there. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have a shoe with a high shine on the toe, you want to avoid going over it with the horsehair brush if you want to remove dirt from it. Here, too, the goat hair brush is ideal, as you also want to remove dust and the like on the edge of the sole. Use another goat hair brush after buffing and removing dirt.

Quite a few now offer shoe brushes made from goat hair. We have a popular affordable one at Skolyx, German shoe care brand Collonil has one, Kirby Allison has a lovely goat hair brush, Brookman has a great, my personal favorite but certainly expensive finishing brush, comes from Boot Black and there are plenty of Others. If you don’t already own a goat hair brush, get one and give it a try, you would most likely enjoy using it.

The Sof Sole® boot brush ensures even coverage when caring for shoes. To apply, simply brush polish into shoe and buff to achieve desired shine level. The soft bristles are made from 100% horse hair and will not damage shoes.

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