Alrighty…you all know how much we love our “Pupp-Awg Extraordinaire”, right? But what you might not know is, I can’t stand the smell of dogs…shhhh! I KNOW, it’s crazy, I love me some doggies like nobody’s business, but I can’t stand “dirty dog smell”.
Needless to say, our little Miss Q gets bathed once a week…mostly because we take her to the dog park on Saturdays and Sundays and she REALLY smells awful by Sunday. And since I know it’s not great to wash your dog too much, I always use the most gentle products possible and I make sure to rinse her REALLY, REALLY well.
But…none of the store bought dog shampoos I’ve tried leave her smelling as good as I’d like. So…I decided to make my own. And besides smelling better…it’s less expensive too!
Here’s what you’ll need if you’d like to try making your as well.
A glass jar with lid
1/4 of a jar Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 of a jar Dish Soap
1/4 of a jar Aloe Vera gel
1/4 of a jar water
1 Rosemary sprig
2 Drops Rosemary Oil
2 Drops Lavender Oil
Step One: Mix ingredients and let sit overnight.
Step Two: Lather up your pup and massage to lift dirt. (Your dog needs massaging too) When finished washing, make sure to rinse well.
Now…as soon as you heard the word vinegar, I’m sure your thoughts did NOT go to a sweet smell, correct? Well…it isn’t great smelling at first and it doesn’t smell fantastic in the container you’ll mix it in, but that smell fades fairly quick once you bathe your dog. So bare with it because you’ll be happy to know the Apple Cider vinegar is important in a few different ways.
First, it acts like a deodorant in your homemade dog shampoo.
Second, it helps to give your dog’s coat a luxurious shine.
Third, it will help to keep fleas away.
And fourth, it will help make sure there is no soap residue left on your dog’s body as leftover soap can have irritating affects on your pet.
As for this shampoo being sweet smelling or perfumy at all…it’s not. Actually, the small amount of Rosemary and Lavender oils just gives it a hint of a nice fragrance, a perfect scent in my opinion. As with any new shampoo, be sure to keep an eye out for any possible reactions as just as in people, your dog might be allergic to an ingredient as well. The shampoo is best used within a couple of weeks, that’s why the recipe is made in small amounts. Discard any unused shampoo after two weeks. Refrigerate for best results.
Here are a couple of images of Quinley after her homemade dog shampoo bath. I swear her fur is the softest it’s been since she was a puppy! And her coat is so shinny…score!!!
Oh…and the pictures above of the cute couple and their dog, I took those images at the Wildflowers Photos workshop last November, but I thought they’d work perfect for this post…and they do 🙂
As always, if you have any questions or if you try this yourself, please leave me a comment or send me an email with what you think.
Thanks for stopping by!
How to make your own great smelling dog shampoo! http://t.co/x8O1dkHy
Awwwww!! Love Miss Q’s new photos – and the shampoo…may have to try that on Miss Kayla! **memories came flooding back with those photos, miss you!
🙂 Miss you too honey!
Thanks for the tutorial, and your pictures look great!
[…] out the Fab You Bliss Blog to see how it’s done. See the tutorial here. This entry was posted in Daily Free Pet Pattern and tagged DIY, Dog Blog, Dog Shampoo. […]
[…] I couldn’t resist pointing you to this gorgeous post at Fab You Bliss, as the owner of a notoriously smelly dog, I can’t wait to try Stephanie’s recipe for great-smelling gentle dog shampoo > […]
Love it! I will be sharing this with my clients and tweet followers. Thank you.
Thanks Roger! It’s definitely a fun & healthy pet project 🙂 Thanks for following!
[…] How To Make Your Own Great Smelling Dog Shampoo Alrighty…you all know how much we love our “Pupp-Awg Extraordinaire” , right? But what you might not know is, I can’t stand the smell of dogs…shhhh! I KNOW, it’s crazy, I love me some doggies like nobody’s business, but I can’t stand “dirty dog smell”. I recently acquired a new tumble called Shungite. I have not heard of this before, so had to do a little background check/research to see if it was one of those “new names” put to an old rock or if it was, in fact a true specimen. First of all, I did learn that there is only one known Shunghite deposit in the entire World, which is located in North Western Russia. […]
Erm :-/ What does 1/4 of a jar mean? Any jar? The recipe just has to be equal parts right? Sorry, just a little unsure.
Hi Christine – any size jar or container is correct. 🙂
[…] Aloe is another product that is all-around amazing and should definitely be a part of your dog’s grooming routine. Using a gentle aloe dog shampoo will help your dog’s fur smell great and soothe his skin if it’s prone to irritation! Find the recipe for this perfect combination at Fab You Bliss! […]