As I formulate surfactant based shampoos for people, my mind always wanders to adaptations I can make for our furry family members. If your dogs are like mine, they like to play in the mud, roll in 'stuff' and get doggone dirty. I could use some real, natural soap on them - and I have - but it doesn't leave their coats as nice as I like.
The pH of cold process soap is much too high for hair (human or dog). It opens the cuticle of the hair leaving it vulnerable to breakage. You 'could' rinse with apple cider vinegar to adjust the pH and close the hair shaft, but to be honest that's never worked as well as advertised. If you've ever tried that method you know what I mean.
After several formulations, I've settled on this plant based surfactant blend loaded with oat protein, Vitamin B5 Panthenol, and coat conditioners. I chose Oatmeal as the scent for the calm and gentle feeling people seem to get when they smell it.
Since the shampoo is a solid form, this is no watered down version of a deluxe shampoo. You're not paying extra for petroleum packaging and you're unlikely to spill it accidentally as most of us tend to do when bathing our dogs. You're also not paying to ship water. Each 3 oz bar of solid is the equivalent to 12-18 oz of traditional shampoo. That translates to dozens of baths.
To use the shampoo, simply wet the dog's coat, rub the bar over the dog's coat a couple of times, rub your hands through the coat to create luscious lather then rinse. You'll see lots of foamy bubbles, yet this shampoo rinses quickly and cleanly leaving a sparkling coat that is not left stripped of natural oils.
You could stop there, but I've created a partner to the dog spa day shampoo in the form of a solid conditioner. Just swipe the conditioner bar over the dog's back and rinse it out. As the rinse water runs down the coat it will add silky conditioners leaving the hair smooth and shiny. You won't want to stop petting your dog after this treatment. Mine don't seem to mind :)
This Dog Shampoo and Conditioner Duo is listed on SweetTeagans.com and at my Etsy Store. They will be packaged in natural muslin drawstring bags.
Sample versions of this duo have been donated to my County Animal Control as a gift to people who adopt a new dog this month.
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