Dog Soap Recipe & Tutorial

[Zany_in_CO]

Good info -- here's a link:

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2017/05/guest-post-dog-soap-recipe-and-tutorial-by-tricia-hoffman/

 

[lsg]

Thanks for sharing. I wondered about this recipe when I read the ingredients and amounts. When run through SoapCalc, her recipe shows about an 8% superfat with a very high cleansing number. She doesn't state the pH of the cured soap. We have to be careful about using homemade soap for our dogs because the pH of the soap might cause skin problems. I like the inclusion of neem seed oil. I used to make a solid cp soap bar for my Great Pry using ingredients that included neem seed oil, but I would hesitate to recommend my recipe to the public because of the problems of pH in homemade soap.

 

[Dahila]

Dogs have problem to deal with anything over 7 pH, the best is between 6-7 ph. using soap with the lowest can be 10ph on dogs, well call vet and ask for appointment, due almost instant dryness and irritation. Especially long haired dogs........... I had around 30 years of breeding and judging dogs and went through many skin irritation or infections......
If you love your pet do not this to it. They have no way to tell you about their skin itching......

 

[Zany_in_CO]

It's not just about the recipe... there's good info if you scroll almost all the way down to the links from The Holistic Animal Association, etc. provided by Amanda of Lovin' Soap and about the oils / essential oils used. Worth a look if you're interested in making dog shampoo.

 

[Dahila]

Zany with all due respect, essential oils, most of them are toxic to animals, dogs and cats, the last one are extremely sensitive to essential oil
Chamomile is toxic, mint can make dog sick, they do not metabolize EO like we do. Their skin works differently than ours
Holistic Animal association, sounds nice but no one provide any research to effect of EO on dogs. People try a lot and sometimes intentionally, simply hurt them.
I had to pass a lot of exams about dogs, their needs and chemistry to be able to judge the dogs on dog shows. Judges are really knowledgeable, (not talking about me) and they usually are breeders so a lot of experience, Talk to breeder and ask about it, but chose the one who has a good reputation. You could be surprised I had never experiment on my kids or pets
Beter safe than sorry
I am sorry, I will stop posting, do not want to anyone get upset, I am very passionate about animals, this is why I can not restrain myself

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I am sorry, I will stop posting, do not want to anyone get upset, I am very passionate about animals, this is why I can not restrain myself

No worries, Dahila. You are knowledgeable about the subject, a valued contributor to this forum, and you should speak up! I'm sure all the fur babies appreciate their protector. Just don't let it bug you if someone makes dog shampoo in spite of your excellent advice. It's not worth it. They have their reasons. Who knows? It's just the way it goes sometimes.

 

[LilyJo]

Zany with all due respect, essential oils, most of them are toxic to animals, dogs and cats, the last one are extremely sensitive to essential oil
Chamomile is toxic, mint can make dog sick, they do not metabolize EO like we do. Their skin works differently than ours
Holistic Animal association, sounds nice but no one provide any research to effect of EO on dogs. People try a lot and sometimes intentionally, simply hurt them.
I had to pass a lot of exams about dogs, their needs and chemistry to be able to judge the dogs on dog shows. Judges are really knowledgeable, (not talking about me) and they usually are breeders so a lot of experience, Talk to breeder and ask about it, but chose the one who has a good reputation. You could be surprised I had never experiment on my kids or pets
Beter safe than sorry
I am sorry, I will stop posting, do not want to anyone get upset, I am very passionate about animals, this is why I can not restrain myself

I am so glad you posted this. My first thought was surely those EOs arent correct?

I am passionate about animals and have often wanted to make a dog soap, But the thing that stops me everytime is that there is insufficent research that gives an absolute concrete finding on EO for dogs. Most say they are toxic although some can be tolerated. The amount and the type varies so much that we decided not to bother.

For me, the issue around the correct PH and around trying to get correct advice on EO and ratios is just not enough for me to take the risk on my own dogs, let alone anyone elses. I couldnt live with myself if my attempt at a dog soap caused harm to an animal or worse.

If anyone is thinking about making dog shampoo or dog soap, please do your research and get advice from multiple sources (not just the ones that agree with you!). Speak to your vet, your groomer, breeders etc. and remember that dogs skin is not the same as human adults or babies and their metabolisism is different (as Dahlia says).

 

[Dahila]

all of the EO on her page are toxic to animals, maybe lavender is the only one that can be used. I make dog shampoo (my daughter doggie) using BSB (baby shampoo base) from Stephan plus DLs or Bioterge As 40, a bit of cocobetaine, but it is always unscented. Scented shampoo will force animal to rub in something stinky to cover the smell
Thank you, I always feel with it so alone.
I was asked by groomer to make shampoo, but it is too expensive, and her shampoo is pretty good, with oatmeal, this is good for dogs, When they have skin irritation I mixed some collloidal oats and gently wash the affected spots. When the dog is dirty a bowl of warm water and one squeezed lemon, sponge and give it a wash this way with damp sponge. They should not be bathed often 2 times a year is enough, but not when you got lab which goes into every paddle of mad

 

[Arimara]

I've only done enough research to form a very similar opinion to Dahila, if not outright the same. I would love to try that recipe on me and mine but for a dog, absolutely not. I would also not use the EO blend either as it might set me off just to blend it. I can't afford to have a coughing fit right now.

 

[navigator9]

I remember a while back, someone asked me why I didn't make a dog shampoo bar. I did give it some thought. And then I read a thread here where some wise person said, be careful, people who wouldn't think of suing if their kid got a rash after using your soap, will sue your butt off in a heartbeat if anything happens to their dog! That had the ring of truth to it, so I never pursued making it.

Now that I have a dog of my own, I've done more reading on the subject, and it seems that it's a pretty complicated regarding what's safe and what's not. My dog is a rat terrier/chihuahua mix, has short hair, and is not a big outdoors guy. I got him in December and have not bathed him yet. He doesn't smell "doggy", so I haven't felt it was necessary. But I did buy some "Burt's Bees shampoo for puppies, tearless shampoo, pH balanced for puppies, with oatmeal, no sulfates no colorants, no fragrance, no parabens, phthalates, petrolatum or SLS." I have to admit, I researched his shampoo much more thoroughly that I ever did my own. I think that's necessary because our pets can't tell us when they're uncomfortable, so we need to try and be proactive and make sure ahead of time that everything we use on them will be OK. As "safe" as the puppy shampoo appears to be, I figured when the time comes, I'll dilute it in a lot of warm water, pour it over him and rinse, rinse, rinse.

What it comes down to is that I haven't found enough info that I trust on making my own dog shampoo. So eventually, I'll use the BB stuff, and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't have any kind of reaction. Can't be too careful with our pups.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I make dog shampoo (my daughter doggie) using BSB (baby shampoo base) from Stephan plus DLs or Bioterge As 40, a bit of cocobetaine, but it is always unscented. Scented shampoo will force animal to rub in something stinky to cover the smell

That's interesting about using Baby Shampoo Base. Essentials by Catalina carries Tear Free Shampoo Base, UNSCENTED, 1 gallon $21.50 * Use up to 1% fragrance or essential oil to 128 ozs of Gel Base.
I've tried it (on me! LOL) and it really is tear free. Great for little ones. Regarding fur babies, I'm interested to know your opinion of these ingredients, Dahila:

INGREDIENTS: Deionized water, cocamidopropyl betaine, PEG-80 sorbitan laurate, sodium trideceth sulfate, disodium lauroamphoacetate, PEG-150 distearate, sodium laureth-13 carboxylate, PEG-12 dimethicone, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), citric acid, quaternium-15, tetrasodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, hexylene glycol, ethylhexylglycerin

I was asked by groomer to make shampoo, but it is too expensive, and her shampoo is pretty good, with oatmeal, this is good for dogs,

I agree. I once was asked by a groomer to make dog shampoo. It was waaaay more expensive than what she could buy from a distributor. But I learned a lot doing the research. One thing the groomer mentioned was that she put a drop of lavender essential oil behind each of the dogs ears to calm them down before starting the grooming process.

 

[Dahila]

It almost looks like my "Luxurious Hair shampoo" the difference is in preservative, I think this is good shampoo for us Citric acid is there bringing ph down, our hair does not like high ph either 7 ph the best for us. it must be nice silicons, vitamins, humectants, chelator, nice, I would use it for myself )
BSB is baby safe base, sorry it was a mistake.
People tried to avoid chemicals "toxic" chemicals having no idea what it is. I use a lot of surfacants probably about 20 in my collection. I do not use SLS though, it is controvercial and very cheap this is why is in almost every commercial shampoo.
Zany I have extra sensitive scalp, and skin but I use my syndet shampoo with not irritation or itching (the last one is my problem)
DeeAnna makes syndet shampoo bar and a few other people, our members have a sound knowledge about it. I love the way DeeAnna and Irishlass explain. They both are clear on subjects, especially DeeAnna with her knowledge, inspire people including me.
Zany English is my second language and sometimes i struggle to express myself . You are very kind toward me, thank you <3
next is syndet bar for a doggie, it will work
so easy to use