Hey friends! Today I thought I’d share what I use on our black labs to keep them smelling fresh, and make their coats super shiny and soft. Funny thing is I get a lot of questions and comments about Bentley in particular in regard to how I get his coat so shiny. Short answer…I bathe him. Seems simple enough right? 🙂 Long answer…In the 2 1/2 years we’ve had him I’ve changed his food a few times due to skin allergies and finally found the one that doesn’t make him flaky and itchy (or shed a lot) and I’ve been making homemade dog shampoo.
If you’re new here! Here’s our lab babies…Bentley (the bigger one) Porshia (the pup).
I’ve noticed a big change in Portia’s coat too once we brought her home and started feeding her a different food and bathing her the way we do Bentley, so I definitely think good dietary and grooming habits play a HUGE part in how your pet’s coat is.
Here’s how I make our dog shampoo…
First I boil about 3 cups of water on the stove and drop a rosemary stem in to steep. Remove the water from the heat and let it cool down to a tiny bit warmer than room temperature.
I’m essentially making rosemary water here. The main reason I do this is because rosemary has super moisturizing qualities which is especially great for dogs that tend to have dander issues. Bentley used to have really heavy dander, but it seems to have gotten under control since I started making this shampoo vs. buying ready made. I can’t say that this is 100% the reason why, but I definitely think its played a part in healing his itchiness. 🙂
Once the water is cooled, remove the rosemary stem and pour the liquid into a bottle. I use a glass bottle with an airtight seal. Then add a heaping tablespoon of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
*update 4/22/14* I’ve heard from a few people stating that it’s making their dog “greasy.” Yes, if you are not familiar with using coconut oil topically it does make the hair/fur a little on the greasy side until it gets fully absorbed into the fur and skin. For smaller dogs, or dogs with longer and thinner hair try a smaller amount than what I am recommending above since my measurements are what I do for my black labs. You may need to play around with the amounts until you find the right mix since there are so many different size/breed dogs it’s impossible for me to give you an exact personal measurement! Hope that helps!
It should have the look and consistency of thick milk or a light cream.
Labs are known to have wiry coats…I’m not saying this shampoo is a miracle worker, but honestly…My dogs feel like velvet. I think its because of all the extra moisturizing ingredients I put in there. Another thing…my dogs don’t stink. Even if they’ve been outside running around for hours they come in just smelling like the outdoors. I’ve never had a dirty, stinky dog issue with them since switching to this, but I did when I was using over the counter dog shampoos…Interesting, right?
We give our dogs a bath about twice a month. In the summertime more, if they’ve been in the pool I wash them as soon as they get out. I’ve heard people say that you’re not supposed to bathe them much because it strips the oil in their fur. I asked my own vet and she said that whatever I’m doing, just keep doing it because they look great. So maybe ask your vet what is the right amount for yours. Each dog is unique 🙂
I hope you found this post helpful! I’d love to hear about your own dogs and how you bathe them 🙂
Talk to you soon friends, take care!
XO
I love the idea of making my own dog shampoo, the only issue is I hate the smell of coconut and my husband hates the smell of rosemary (go figure!) What’s the scent of the shampoo – are either of those strong or does the liquid soap scent trump the food smells? Your dogs are beautiful!
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The smell is actually mainly lavender from the essential oil with a back-note of rosemary. You don’t have to make rosemary water. You can omit it completely if you want, and the coconut oil is very faint, it’s not very noticeable (I hate the smell of coconut too!) I use the Dr. Bronners baby mild (no scent) but they do have scented formulas and all are pretty mild. You could also use lemongrass essential oil too if you want a more citrusy smell vs. an earthy herby smell. So your recipe would be plain water, coconut oil, castile soap, lemongrass essenital oil. It will be a completely different scent. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Totally does! Thanks for the quick response. Now I have to go pin it 🙂
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I bought a fractionated coconut oil which is in liquid form and has no coconut scent to use. Seems to work well so far and I don’t have to deal with the scent of coconut (hate coconut). I only smell the rosemary scent when it’s boiling and cooling. This scent seems to disappear once the water has cooled and it doesn’t make my dogs smell like rosemary.
Dr. Bronner’s soap and vinegar cancel each other out. Dr. Bronner’s daughter wrote about it. I’m sure you can find it if you google it.
Lori
Yeah, I’ve read that too, although I honestly don’t notice a difference when mixing them together vs not doing so. You could always use the vinegar watered down as an odor removing rinse or omit it completely, if you’d prefer. 🙂
Could I use tea tree oil instead of lavender? I heard its good for skin issues and I love the smell. My dog could use a bath daily with his skin issues, just looking for something gentle.
I wouldn’t use tea tree oil, from what I have read tea tree oil is toxic to dogs and cats.
I almost KILLED my dog with tea tree oil…and all I did was use it on her lips on some sores she has that may be canine pemphigus, an auto-immune disease they can develop…..UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE DO YOU WANT TO EVEN THINK ABOUT USING TEA TREE OIL, UNLESS YOU WANT A DEAD DOG……IT’S ALL OVER THE INTERNET !!!!
I’m excited to mix this up and give our Springer a bath-thanks so much! May I ask what dog food you’ve settled on? Our Angel has the same issues.
They are on Wellness brand now. It’s what my vet recommended and so far so good 🙂
Do you mind telling what brand of dog food you use? We have tried almost everything for our itchy Goldendoodle, Tucker. Blue Buffalo(?), raw meat diet, canned salmon and raw eggs, Dinovite supplements, etc! I’ve give up and am just sticking with Avocare Grain-free food. Can’t wait to try your shampoo recipe – thank you!
They are on Wellness brand now. It’s what my vet recommended and so far so good 🙂
I’ll do some research on Wellness brand! Thanks so much 🙂
You’re welcome! Just a warning, in case you do switch to Wellness, make sure you read the directions on the bag how to ease your pets onto it. Because it’s high in protein if you do it incorrectly it can give them stomach issues like bad gas and diarrhea (TMI I know) Good luck :}
You’ve got to be kidding. How many pet owners do you think follow the feeding guidelines on their pet’s food? Not many I can assure you, which is the reason for so many obese pets. I’ve always made it a point to do so & have always had pets with a healthy weight but most people do not. Even if you feed the highest quality pet food available if done incorrectly your pet will not be healthy, but maybe some who are reading these posts actually love their pets enough to heed your warning.
Thanks for the tip – I will buy a bag tomorrow and start introducing a little with his AvoDerm salmon food. Do you mind telling me which one you get? There’s Core, Simple, etc. I’m going to make your shampoo recipe tomorrow, too. Thanks again,Christine!
Sure…I have Bentley (big boy) on the Core, Grain Free for Large Breeds, and Porshia on the CORE, Grain Free Puppy. Let me know how the shampoo works for you 🙂
Do you store it in the pantry or in the fridge or do you make a new batch each time?
If I have some left I usually keep it under the bathroom sink, but I normally just make it fresh each time. It only takes a couple of minutes, 10 at most to boil the water and cool it down sometimes with ice cubes if I’m in a rush. 🙂
Do you think the Dr Bronners lavender soap would be okay to use instead of the baby formula soap? Then skip the essential oil. I want to make sure it’s okay for there skin using the other kind. My dogs were scratching so much so I started making there food. They do so much better except for when I bathe them. I’m really looking forward to trying this. I’ve heard wonderful things about organic coconut oil and Dr. Bronners. Thank you so much.
I’m sure it would be fine, all of the Dr Bronners soaps are pretty mild
Can you use organic refined coconut oil Instead of the extra virgin coconut oil? Also I just made a double batch, but it is not white
at all and very oily. I have an older golden with skin problems 🙂
Hmmm…I’m not sure what the difference is between the organic refined coconut oil and the extra virgin coconut oil. I’m also not sure why yours didn’t turn white? It’s hard for me to say what went wrong when I can’t see 🙂 It should be slightly oily and slippery, almost like the consistency of conditioner…Is that what it seems like?
Tried this on a white westie tonight, NOT GOOD! He was soooo greasy that we had to rewash him with regular shampoo and he is still a little greasy. His coat was also a little yellow maybe from the rosemary water. I followed the recipe to the letter. He also didn’t smell very good afterward. Just my 2 cents :/
Oh no Cindy! If you’re not familiar with using coconut oil, then yes it can feel a little greasy since it’s highly moisturizing. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for the fur to absorb it. Also, the amount I listed is enough for one wash per my labs, so I’m going to note it now that for smaller dogs like your westie, that you should probably start with a smaller amount of the coconut oil starting off! As for the fur being yellow, I’m unsure about that, both my dogs are black so I wouldn’t notice a difference, but the rosemary water is completely optional. Thanks for your feedback! Adding notes to the post now!
What kind of food do you feed your dogs? I’ve heard that their diet can be a huge factor in what their coats look and feel like. The problem is, dog foods that supposedly do this are so expensive! I’ve thought about making my own dog food but that’s expensive too.
They’re on Wellness brand which was recommended by our vet 🙂
The rosemary water doesn’t turn the water yellow. It is clear. I left mine steeping (accidentally) all day and the water is still clear!?
Hi. I am so glad to see a healthy DIY dog shampoo recipe. This one looks great except for one detail. According to Lisa Bronner from Dr. Bronners soaps, one should never use Castile soap and vinegar together as they cancel each other’s effectiveness. I am going to try this recipe without the vinegar. I might follow with an ACV/water rinse because I bet it is good odor control and vinegar is a good rinse agent for soap.
A few people have wrote to me saying the same thing. I honestly have not noticed it not being effective. I even add a bit into my cleaning supplies and it works just as well. But definitely do it the way you feel most comfortable with 🙂
Thanks for this! I know I just found it but my girls have horrible skin issues and I’ve tried so hard to find something to relieve their itchiness!! I can’t wait to try this out, noting they may be oily, I’ll let you know how it works on pitbulls!
Is there a recipe for a homemade dog shampoo that doesn’t have commercial soap/dishwasher?! I think it’s very contradictory, since these two are filled with strong bad chemicals. I can’t find any “natural” soap/dishwasher detergent where I live so I started looking for alternatives but every single “homemade” recipe I find it has…. commercial soap in various forms… thus not homemade at all! I just wanted a actually natural homemade shampoo without chemicals for my furry friend! 🙁
I’m getting my Shih Tsu puppy in two months and was going to use on him what I have used for myself for the past two years. I mix 2 Tbsp baking soda into 1 cup warm water, stir it then work it through my hair. It’s non-foaming, so that takes a little getting used to, but it works WONDERFULLY! I rinse it out then apply the same ratio of apple cider vinegar to water, and pour that through my hair. The vinegar smell completely after your hair dries, and it looks so shiny. No one can believe that I don’t use shampoo and conditioner, my hair looks great. So that’s what I’m going to do when my own dog arrives. Hope you’ll consider it.
That sounds great Elizabeth. I’ll definitely try it out!
This is PERFECT for the new rescue pup in my life! And I adore your two babies – lovely!
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Great Meagan 🙂 Thank you!
Amazing. Lovely. The puppy smells so good. I couldn’t find baby Bronners, but I found peppermint Bronners in bulk at the natural food market. I used two tablespoons, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1/4 cup vinegar and a few drops rosemary essential oil (not a fan of lavender). My three month old puppy smells like he has been to the spa and his coat is beautiful- not oily. He already was having skin issues. No more. And btw, we have started using gmo free Wellness food, too. Thanks for posting this!
I have two 13 year old Shelties, they are brother and sister. My female sheltie has hot spots and I tried a spray and it is not working. They seem like they have gotten worst. Any suggestions?
hmm that’s a great question! I’ll definitely start looking into hot spot sprays. My dogs don’t really suffer from them, but I know a lot do! Have you looked into switching foods? Sometimes it’s an allergy to certain ingredients.
Hi Christine, Thank you for sharing! I love this recipe. Some suggestions that might help others… Instead of mixing the vinegar with the shampoo, I spray my dog with diluted vinegar than rinse him before shampooing. This seems to work and doesn’t counteract the Dr Brommers. Also, my dog has hay-fever in the spring and fall and as a result does get some hot spots. I give him a bath with your shampoo (minus the vinegar, including the lavender) taking care to clean the hot spots. Then I treat the hot spots with Helichrysum oil. our (new) vet specializes in holistic treatment of animals. She said that everything I was doing was good and wouldn’t harm him even if licked. I also asked about adding Helichrysum to your shampoo to help his skin. She said that would be a good idea. She also recommended that I bath him a couple of times week with your shampoo – and it would help rather than harm him that often. Thank you for sharing this wonderful shampoo!!
Just wondering what Dr brommers shampoo is ? Is it a mild baby shampoo or something else ?? I’m interested in making the shampoo ,as have 2 Cyprus rescue dogs . . one is a Cyprus poodle and she’s forever scratching. The vet did say it might be an allergy. But would cost to much to keep testing . ? The other is shih tzu cross . he seems fine doesn’t scratch like she does Also interested in making a natural flea repellent
Thank you
It’s a soap that can be used for many things including cleaning products. It’s very mild and has natural ingredients. If you’re near a Target they usually carry it in the beauty area by the body washes. There are a few different scents to choose from but for the dog shampoo I use the baby/mild formula that’s unscented.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I´ve been using it on my chocolate cocker spaniel for a few weeks and found that it has helped with his dander problems. I made a new batch yesterday and besides reducing the amount of vinegar I also added the contents of a couple of Vitamin D capsules to help with the overall health of his skin.
That’s great Alexandra! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂 XO
Hi. Thanks for taking the time to post this homemade recipe for dog shampoo. I’ve not made it yet but gathered the ingredients today and plan to do so in the next couple of days. Our dog is a “true Heinz 57”, is 70 lbs and a big baby when it comes to a bath. So – I’m giving myself a few days to work up the strength to get this done. 🙂 I was wondering, is this recipe enough for one bath or more than one? Thanks again. Blessings to you!
It will probably be enough for one thorough scrub for your sized dog 🙂
Thanks for the response. I love DIY-ing. I’m looking forward to giving this a try. I will repost after I give him his bath.
Just made a batch (husband is upstairs now washing him!) I was wondering how you made it blue? None of the ingredients are blue….
I also added a cup of oatmeal since it’s so good for skin issues!
Thanks! Hope this clears up his dry skin & itching & we don’t have to play dog food roulette to find a new food!
It’s not blue. Only the bottle is blue. It’s like a creamy white color 🙂 The oatmeal sounds like a great idea!
Hi, thanks for posting this homemade dog shampoo! I would love to try it out on my puppy but I’m afraid they don’t sell (nor ship) Dr Bronner’s where I live. Do you think I should substitute it with anything? Is it like a mild baby shampoo/soap?
Thank you
It’s a little different than baby shampoo, but as long as you get a good quality (organic) with no sulfates added, it should be fairly similar. Hope that helps 🙂
Thanks that does, I found one with similar ingredients and can’t wait to try it. I’ve got medium mixed breed though so I might make half the batch if it keeps for around a month 🙂
This recipe worked wonders for my two pit bull boys!!! We could never get the stink out even after a bath!!! Now they both smell wonderful and have such soft coats!! Thanks!!! Of course I did tweek the recipe a little to stuff I had on hand like dried rosemary and I just used their oatmeal shampoo for the soap. I used EVOO instead of coconut and I used a blend of eucalyptus and other oils!! All in all a great idea!!!
That’s so great you modified it to what you had on hand and it worked out! Glad I inspired you to think outside the doggie shampoo bottle 😉 Have a Happy Thanksgiving! XO
Hi everybody! Sorry I just couldn’t help myself after reading these post. I’m a professional groomer with 37 years experience. Here a Coles Notes version of the research we now know about the skin and coat for our furry friends: with all the different coat variations out there they need different care, hence the different results people are getting with this recipe. Several of the commercially made shampoo have SLS in them, in our own as well, and it has been proven to be a carcinogen. Like everything else need to read the labels. Why this recipe works in labs, will work on cheaseys and such, oil removes oil, that’s coconut oil and it’s organic. Will not strip the coat! This is why it’s not working on Shih Tzus, they aren’t really oily by nature. Really cut down on the coconut oil. Lavender is cooling to the skin. Just be careful where you get the essential oil. They are not all pharmaceutical grade which then can cause issues. Dogs hate smelling real strong scents. It’s not natural for them. Different breeds will have a different ph to their skin which is also why their isn’t one shampoo that work for everybody. Hope this helped clarify a litte bit. Thx
This is such great information Mona! Thanks so much for chiming in and clearing things up! XO
Your recipe is excellent. I am currently in the process of procurement of necessary ingredients …. I wonder where you acquired this beautiful blue bottle? And do you with this shampoo wash your dog’s head?
Hi Christine,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have 4 huge dogs, they are actually more like the size of miniature horses, and they have been shedding so much lately. Their hair is extremely dry, and the shedding is just getting out of control. I have never had them shed like this before. Plus, one of our dogs is a black lab mix, and he has a thyroid disease. It causes him to have a really bad coat and skin. His skin gets infected all the time, and he is always on antibiotics. We have tried everything from various vitamins and supplements to giving him salmon oil with his food. He is 13 years old and has bad arthritis, and I just want my baby to be comfortable. We have changed their food so many times, but nothing is working. It actually seems like all of our dogs’ coats were better on the cheaper food. We did not know what else to do. Even our vet was out of suggestions. That is why I want to thank you so much for taking the time to post this recipe. I can’t wait to try it. I will probably use rosemary essential oil instead of rosemary water only because I love essential oils, and I think I may already have some. I was wondering if you thought this would help with the shedding, or if you have any suggestions for the shedding. I’m hoping that the moisturizing will help with it because I think they are shedding because their skin and coats are so dry. I may try adding aloe to it hoping this will help because I noticed that all of the Furminator shampoos and conditioners have aloe in them, so it must help with shedding. All of my dogs are mixed breeds because they are rescues. So, if there are things that help specific breeds, like someone previously commented, it would probably not be much help. I only know for sure what 2 of my dogs are (lab/springer spaniel mix and a pit bull/ German Shepard mix), but the other 2 are just guesses (pit bull/ Great Dane mix and German Shepard mixed with some huge breed, possibly an English mastiff). Again I want to thank you because those shampoos and conditioners are extremely expensive, and they were not helping. I would much rather spend money on ingredients to make my own, especially since I have recently started to use coconut oil on my own hair, and it is wonderful. My hair got extremely damaged from going under anesthesia 6 times in 2 years. I have only put a coconut oil mask on my hair 4 times so far and it has already made a huge difference. Because of this, I am confident this will have a positive effect on my 4 babies, and hopefully it helps my black lab with his skin problems. I’ll definitely update you and let you know how this turns out. Just one more quick question: did you say this recipe was enough for a 75 pound lab? I’m just trying to figure out how much to make. I have 2 dogs that are 80 lbs, one that is 110 lbs, and one that is 140 pounds. So, would you recommend about six batches or six times of the amounts listed? Thanks again!
1 batch is enough for my 2 labs (around 125 combined weight) So I would probably do 4-5 batches for your furbabies. 🙂
Please DO NOT use Rosemary essential oil. Do research first. The extract is safe for dogs but the essential oil can be toxic.
Natalie, re shedding – I have a fawn Great Dane (also probably mix-breed because she is a rescue). I used this shampoo on her a couple of weeks ago and it made her fur super soft and sweet-smelling. Also, about a month ago I started mixing a tablespoon of organic coconut oil into her dry food every morning, just stirring it around until the “whiteness” was gone and the oil had been absorbed into the kibble, and her shedding (which had necessitated twice daily sweeps in the dining room, as well as a lint roller in my closet, bathroom, car and at my desk at work) is practically non-existent. Might be worth a try!
Hi! I made this today for our GSD girl, Kennedy. She is acting like she was tortured but her coat is soft and she smells great! My attempt at the recipe didn’t foam, which I think is normal due to the coconut oil, but I wanted to ask and be sure that I’m making it correctly. Also, where did you get the bottle? Its so pretty! Thanks 🙂
That’s right. It should be the consistency of a conditioner more than a bubbly shampoo 🙂 The bottle I believe came from Target a while ago but I’m not sure 🙂
very nice thank you for sharing such a great information.
I’ve made this twice for my 2 dogs,both are 17lbs. I love it! Thank you for posting this. They’re less itchy and it reduces their odor significantly. I wash them 2 times per month to keep them smelling good and I no longer worry about drying out their coats/skin with too much bathing. Since they have short coats (chi mix and basenji mix) I cut oil to 1/2 Tbsp. Also it lasts for 2 washes each- one month for us.
I made the dog wash tonight for my mini pincher except I committed the water boil and just added a few drops of rosemary eo instead. Because he is so small and very short hair I decided to also change the unrefined coconut oil and replace ed it using fractionated coconut oil to cut down on the greasy feel to his coat. I used 12 oz. Water, two drops lavender& rosemerry oil, two drops eucalyptus& peppermint eo and 3 TBLS of the Dr. Bonners baby shampoo. I scrubbed him two times and it must of felt great because he stayed still and let me wash him. Just be careful not to get it in their eyes..all eo’s will hurt their little peepers..
Does the oil in this end up rubbing off on the furniture before it’s absorbed into the fur/skin? I have a lab mix puppy.
It can..It really depends on the individual pup. Some absorb it faster into their skin and coats than others.
I found this blog post two weeks ago and immediately mixed up this shampoo. Two weeks later my plott hound still smells sweet. Anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of experience hound scent will understand how huge this is! We were giving him weekly baths to try to battle the smell, but he would start smelling again within hours and he’s in the house, not running around in the heat. It was all we could do to wait another week to wash him. I can’t tell you how many dog shampoos we have tried. THANK YOU for the winning formula!
Thats so great to hear Jules! Glad you’re having great results 🙂
i got a clear and a blue sealing bottle from Dollar Tree last week will be making this shampoo for my 3 dogs today wish me luck.
Once again i found an interesting post about homemade shampoo.. This shampoo sounds great!! Thank you for the idea! I love the idea of making my own dog shampooand gonna try this soon. !!
LOVE the shampoo! I have a black lab that is 18 months old and he scratches because of dry skin. I made this today and gave him a bath, WOW! His coat shines and is so soft as well as smells great. He has not scratched one time. He stays in the house so this is a wonderful shampoo! I did not have any rosemary so I omitted that this time. Thank you so much!
Thats so great to hear, Nancy! 🙂
I’m not sure if I’m going crazy or not, I saw people mentioning vinegar in the comments but I didn’t see it in your recipe? Am I missing it or did you tweak it?
I tweaked it. Not because it wasn’t working, but because I was getting so many comments about not mixing Dr.Bronners and vinegar. I personally didn’t have a problem with it, but apparently on Dr.Bronners website it says vinegar cancels out some ingredients to make the soap effective.
Thanks! I made this about a week ago, but the consistency wasn’t like you described. I did everything exactly as it said…I think, lol. Any tips?
probably because there wasn’t any vinegar in it. lol mine did have it. did it come out milky? or too watery? Maybe reduce the amount of water.
Lol, it was too watery, but it was also yellow in color like the castile soap. I’ll keep messing with it, thanks!
I must tell you. I made this shampoo for my 3 yorkies with great success. Lavender and Rosemary EO is GREAT for keeping the fleas, ticks and mosquitos away. It may start out to be a little greasy feeling but it very soon absorbs into the dry hair and skin. Tangle free too! This is GREAT!
That’s so great to hear Denise! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment! <3
I must also say that tea tree EO is not toxic to dogs. There are a number of EO’s that are perfectly safe for dogs. You need to dilute any EO before using on your dog or yourself with some sort of carrier oil.( And never around the face. ). I am still playing around with the scents.
The amount of coconut oil that you use would be determined by the dryness of the hair/skin. If The dog has a slicker type of hair then of course the oil has no where to be absorbed. Coconut oil is extremely good for the dogs! Even to eat!
I made the shampoo but is wasn’t thick it was watery and I followed the reciepe to the t. What do you suggest? Also how long can it be stored away?
It should be like the consistency of a conditioner so not thick. I wouldn’t keep it for longer than a couple of weeks. I only make enough for one batch at a time to wash all my guys.