Soap for my puppers?

[Delynnr]

Okay - so I KNOW that I have seen people talking about soap for their dogs. But I don't know if I am just brainless tonight, if it is windows 8 fighting against me (new laptop) or what. I can't seem to get search to find anything relevant! It doesn't like the search for 'dog' and adding anything else just gets me results relevant to the other terms.

Does anyone have any search suggestions????? Or if they are more talented than I am tonight - can anyone find any posts relating to making CP soap for their dogs?

I found a post on another forum - they suggested tallow and castor oil. Someone else suggested peppermint, lemongrass and citronella EOs.

another had this recipe:
16% avocado oil
20% castor oil
16% coconut oil
6% cocoa butter
20% neem oil
22% olive oil
Add tbsp ppo lanolin
3% sodium lactate (its a soft recipe without it just takes longer to set and cure)
2:1:1 ratio of lavender:eucalyptus:naiouli EO
w/ 8% superfat

while another site had this one:
25% Coconut Oil
20% Palm Oil
40% Olive Oil
5% Jojoba Oil
10% Shea Butter
5% superfat recommended
it doesn't have castor oil - which I have read makes it rinse easier
....

So - in short. Can anyone help me? Either with tips/tricks or just plain old searching help. Thanks!!

Btw - my dogs are mutts - but have a thick lab double coat. For all intents and purposes related to soap they are labs They just came back from Christmas at the farm and I am running out of dog soap. I have enough for their bath tomorrow - but need to make more for future use.

I will likely HP the soap as I am not really concerned about it looking pretty, having swirls, or pretty colors. I just want to eventually end up with a good soap I can use on my dogs that won't make their hair too nasty or dry out their skin too much.

 

[Obsidian]

I would just use a shampoo recipe for people. I like this one, if your dogs have oily fur you might want to replace some of the soybean oil with coconut. Make sure to run it through soapcalc if you change anything.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=290074&postcount=1

My daughter uses the ugly rebatch I make on her dogs, says it makes them really soft but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[AngelMomma]

I also am in the process of formulating my recipe for my pups. These things I know for sure.

There aren't too many strong recommendations for recipes because people don't want to be liable and also dogs do have a different ph for their skin. Apparently the higher ph soaps can be drying. But I have read (I can't remember exactly where) some people have made soaps and used them successfully on their dogs. So while I cannot answer too many of your questions, maybe I can share what I do and what the results are. I have two dogs with average skin, average hair (one schnauzer, one dauch/yorkie mix) and I also have the "Problem dog" that is the main reason for me deciding to go ahead and make my own soap for them. He basically has sensitive skin and gets allergic dermatitis from even one flea bite etc. His skin has improved vastly by switching him to a new grain free food about 4 months ago. But I am still going to try to help him out a bit more by making our own soap.

So my plan is to....
1. Hot process a soap formulated with them in mind.
2. Olive, Castor, Lard and Neem with a High-ish super fat.
3. Divide the batch in half and add un pasteurized apple cider vinegar to half of the batch right before molding. (The aim is to see what this does to the ph. I can test to see if there is any difference between the soap with and without the ACV.

I am not sure if I want to do anything else. I don't want to do too many additives because then I will not know what is working and what isn't. I am going to do a bit more reading and then give it a go.

 

[robnbill]

Here is the soap recipe I used. I decided to add Neem Oil since it is great for a dog's sensitive skin as well as a natural repellant for fleas and ticks. I have not used it yet but it has cured enough now that the next warm day our dog will get to try it. The EO is a total of 2.1 oz which put it between light and medium on the Bramble Berry calculator. I was not quite even on all the EO - was lighter on the Eucalyptus since it is the strongest one, and balanced it with the other scents. I can't wait to try it on my Boo. The figures below represent an 8% superfatting and a total of 54oz oil which is what fills my mold (15 Bars).


Dog Shampoo Bar

Superfat Goal: 8.0%
Lye Req: 7.1
Water: 14
Total Oils Required (Oz): 54

Oil - % Oil/Ounces Oil
Lard - 30.0%/16.2
Coconut Oil - 15.0%/8.1
Olive Oil - 20.0%/10.8
Shea Butter - 10.0%/5.4
Neem Oil - 5.0%/2.7
Castor Oil - 20.0%/10.8
Total Oils - 100.0%/54.0


Notes: 2.1 oz. Total of Citronella, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Spearmint, and Lavender. Added EO to oil and blended prior to adding lye. It traced within minute.

 

[Ruthie]

I use an unscented shampoo bar on my dogs. YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL with essential oils on dogs (and I do not think I would use fos at all.) Several are toxic to dogs, but my friend has my aromatherapy book so I can not look it up for you. I'm working from (a sometimes faulty) memory, but it seems citronella is one that can be toxic. The only one I know for sure that is safe is lavender, but dog's noses are sensitive, so I would use 1/4 to 1/2 of what I would use for humans.

I ordered my friend a copy of the book for her birthday. And if FedEx is truly back on schedule, it should be here today. When her copy gets here I'll look it up and post again.

 

[neeners]

following....my dogs are mutts, and are getting smelly and their all natural shampoo is getting low (can't buy that stuff here). would love to make a shampoo for them.

 

[robnbill]

You have to be very careful when using EO's anytime. Many EO's can be used by pets or humans in moderation but if taken internally, or rubbed on the skin directly can prove to be harmful. For example, Bergamot is a photosensitizer; Clove is a skin irritant. Neither of these oils should be used directly on the skin (pet or human) in full strength. There are always exceptions someone raises. For instance a search on clove oil will find sources that recommend to use it as a home remedy for toothache pain.

As soapers many of us use EO's for perceived benefits in our soaps be it a pleasant scent or for other benefits. They are diluted and make up a small portion of the overall formula.

Soap is a wash off product. There have been many threads on this board discussing whether there is any real benefit of the expensive additives used in our soaps since they do not remain in any large part on the skin. I will leave that topic for the other threads.

Using an EO for pet aroma therapy, or to rub into the skin directly as an ointment is a completely different application than adding small amounts into a CP recipe. There are many sites on the web offering a plethora of advice for therapeutic uses of EO's, many times conflicting information. My personal goal in using an EO or combination of EO's in a soap is to provide a nice scent while perhaps providing some additional benefits the EO's can bring. For instance, many people have found Lavender to be soothing in a soap.

The judicial use of EO's can be beneficial to humans and to our canine friends. Citronella used in small amounts can be a natural pest deterrent. Lavender, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree can be soothing. All of these can also be found in current products available for dogs. So the bottom line is check the sources and use in small amounts. I chose to use a combination of oils where none of the E.O. individually exceeded 1% of the total oil recipe and the total amount would be on the low end on the Bramble Berry calculator for E.O.s. It produced a nice bar with a pleasant scent. I am happy with it and do not hesitate to use it on my pet which is what I made it for. My goal was to produce a shampoo that was not drying and used EO's that might provide additional soothing to the skin and provide some natural deterrents to fleas and ticks while also providing a nice although very light scent.

 

[Ruthie]

Time to correct my mistake. Citronella is safe for dogs. But one still must remember that dogs have much more sensitive noses than we do, and limit how much is used.

 

[paillo]

I'm about to make more using:

OO, Babassu, Castor, Emu, Avocado and Shea butter. I wish I had some Neem on hand, would use that too.

I used beer boiled down with chamomile and calendula flowers (flowers strained out), colloidal oatmeal and a very small percentage of lavender EO.

We have a goldendoodle with extremely sensitive skin. She used to gnaw herself to the point of bleeding, and always itchy and fur coming off in patches. Her skin conditions totally cleared up when I started using my dog soap.

 

[judymoody]

I would check with a vet regarding the safety of CP soap for your dog, including any essential oils you plan to use.