The Last Grooming Tool You’ll Ever Need

The StripHair Gentle Groomer,
Developed in Santa Ynez and Adopted Worldwide,
Is Manufactured in American and Made to Last

By Tyler Hayden | June 5, 2025

Sarah Owen, inventor of the StripHair Gentle Groomer | Credit: Courtesy

Ten years ago, at her Santa Ynez ranch, Sarah Owen was caring for a horse with a medical condition that required daily muscle therapy. She lacked the strength in her hands to provide the needed relief, so she started looking around her property for a tool that could help. “A smart girl can always find a better, easier way to get a job done,” she said.

Owen’s eyes settled on the thick rubber mats in her horse stalls. Using a table saw, she cut one down to a handheld size and gave it a go. It worked well. Remarkably well. Holding the device at a 45-degree angle and raking it along the horse’s body “like a squeegee,” Owen noticed an immediate improvement in flexibility and circulation. Not only that, it cleaned and groomed the ailing animal’s coat.

Half a step away from euthanasia, the horse made an extraordinary recovery and lived another decade of happy, healthy life. “I knew everyone should have one of these,” said Owen, a former racer. So, she made more prototypes and started handing them out to trainers, riders, and other friends in the valley. The feedback was immediate and universal: Get this to market.

Owen spent the next two years researching and developing what would become the official StripHair Gentle Groomer that launched in 2015. In no time at all, it was winning awards — including a worldwide recognition for best new horse product — and was adopted by Olympic-level teams. “We never slept again,” said Owen, who still works out of her barn and occasionally has to pause advertising to keep up with demand.

Since then, Owen and her team have developed a StripHair specifically for dogs and cats. Softer and more flexible than the horse version, it still sports the same multipurpose design that’s both therapeutic and effective at removing hair. Made to last, its solid “gription” comes from a blend of natural rubber and orange and olive oils, and its diamond-pattern design leaves no place for dirt or hair to collect. It’s even good at cleaning furniture and other upholstery.

Dogs love the fact that the StripHair is blade-and-bristle free, doesn’t pull or scratch, and feels more like a massage than a grooming session. The feedback from humans is just as positive: The owner of a 15-year-old Jack Russell said the gentle contour doesn’t catch on his pup’s skin tags; a woman with a German Shepherd attested to its benefits for bigger breeds with mobility issues; and a veteran who lost his hands in combat and was fitted with prosthetic hooks told Owen that he can pet his service dog again. In fact, the StripHair was recently named the official grooming tool of the United States Veterans Service Dogs organization.

Someday soon, Owen would like to partner with dog rescue organizations because, as she put it, “For dogs who are timid or distrustful, a lot of times that comes from negative experiences with the human hand.” Staff could use the StripHair as a bonding tool, helping build trust while keeping the animals clean. Then, when a dog is adopted, the StripHair could go with them to their new home. “Everyone’s touch and way of touching is different,” Owen explained. “This is familiar.”

Owen is especially proud of the fact that the StripHair, which is shipped and sold all over the world, is manufactured here in the United States. Even their packaging is produced domestically, just down the coast in Ventura. “We could have gone over to Mexico and been able to reduce our costs, but it was important to us to stay American-made,” she said. That pride is reflected in their red, white, and blue branding, “Which harkens back to a time when products were well-made and a company stood behind them,” Owen said. “And that’s what we’re all about.”