# Homemade shampoo/conditioner for Australian Shepherds



## Irishman (May 13, 2011)

I tried looking it up on Google, but there are about 1 million different ways listed, and some are extremely involved. What I want is a shampoo and conditioner combo that are good to use on a long, double-coated breed like the Aussies. I prefer to make it myself, so I know what goes into it, and so I don't have to auction off my body parts to pay for it. 

Does anyone have good recipes for homemade shampoos and conditioners for double-coated breeds? Please share!


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## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

I'm not sure about the shampoo part(besides a little vinegar), but for humans(and probably dogs) raw eggs and avocado are great conditioners. You would have a let it sit in their fur more a couple of minutes though. And I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.

For a quick fix Dawn is safe. So safe, they use it on birds. And I know of a really nice no-kill shelter that uses it on their dogs.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Dawn actually dried out my dog's coat really bad. It makes my hands feel dry too. I mean, it may be safe, but really it's made for dishes.

I don't know about homemade recipes, but I found a really surprisingly niceshampoo at Wal-Mart for around $4-5. I never really liked Hartz brand shampoos until this one. It makes Sydney's fur so soft! She is a shorthaired dog, though, so I don't know if it would do the job for a long haired dog. I have a feeling it would though.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

Someone on another dog forum I'm on ...uses raw honey...on their own hair and on all the dogs....apparently its not sticky like the honey that is in the bear jars LOL...and a little goes a long way...you can also add sea salts to it and make it a scrub


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## RaeganW (Jul 14, 2009)

Never tried it but I've meant to: http://blacksheepcardigans.com/ruff/general/grooming-part-le-deux-skin-care-and-shampoo/


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I wash my own hair with baking soda and condition with vinegar. If the baking soda dries it out too much you can use salt. I haven't tried it on Basil yet but I bet it would work just fine. Simplest homemade shampoo/conditioner I've found so far, and it works really well!


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

just remember they use Dawn for animals that were stuck in oil spills, i highly don't recommend it on a dog unless they are super duper greasy. it can strip their natural oils thus resulting in dryness or over active oily skin trying to make up for the oils that was just stripped away. sorta the same with humans.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Nargle said:


> I wash my own hair with baking soda and condition with vinegar. If the baking soda dries it out too much you can use salt. I haven't tried it on Basil yet but I bet it would work just fine. Simplest homemade shampoo/conditioner I've found so far, and it works really well!


We use honey mixed with baking soda followed by Apple code vinegar every other bath.


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## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

kafkabeetle said:


> Dawn actually dried out my dog's coat really bad. It makes my hands feel dry too. I mean, it may be safe, but really it's made for dishes.





amberly said:


> just remember they use Dawn for animals that were stuck in oil spills, i highly don't recommend it on a dog unless they are super duper greasy. it can strip their natural oils thus resulting in dryness or over active oily skin trying to make up for the oils that was just stripped away. sorta the same with humans.


We only used it once on her, the first week we got her. I heard it gets rid of fleas(not sure though) and she was scratching like crazy. We checked for fleas but I can't find any. She's still scratching like crazy. So I give her once a week oatmeal baths. I also feed her salmon, raw eggs, and a little bit of olive oil. Her coat is starting to look better, but the scratching isn't stopping. Right now we're battling Dermatitis, hook worms, giardia, and possible food allergies. So I think with time the itching will stop. Hopefully. I've thought about slathering her with olive oil when the scratching gets so bad.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

1. stop bathing her so often. Not all dogs can handle bathing so much and that itself can dry her out even more. 2. no more oatmeal. oatmeal leaves a layer on the skin and can actuelly dry and irritate the skin. its only good once in awhile but not so often. we use oatmeal for stuff like ***** chicken pox. So i'd try to find a different shampoo. we do not use oatmeal where i work. (i'm a groomer). try something with aloe or vitamin e or jojoba oil instead.  you can also go to the grocery store and buy a large container of organic coconut oil. and most dogs love it! its a solid but it liquifiys. i put it in my dogs food as a topper daily. some dogs who get itchy and red irritation on the underside you can also put it directly on the skin. you won't need to worry about olive oil at all. if you have earth bath products sold near you you can also pick up a bottle of the tea tree and aloe for her derm, but i'd still buy another soothing shampoo for the days you don't use the tea tree oil shampoo. theirs is more sensitive than a lot of other tea tree's. i used it on my pit when he had derm issues as well. but try to slow the bathing process down some and pick up some coconut oil, you can put it directly on the dog tho she'll be a lil slick and she will lick some of it off at first


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## ember (Jun 29, 2011)

amberly said:


> 1. stop bathing her so often. Not all dogs can handle bathing so much and that itself can dry her out even more. 2. no more oatmeal. oatmeal leaves a layer on the skin and can actuelly dry and irritate the skin. its only good once in awhile but not so often. we use oatmeal for stuff like ***** chicken pox. So i'd try to find a different shampoo. we do not use oatmeal where i work. (i'm a groomer). try something with aloe or vitamin e or jojoba oil instead. you can also go to the grocery store and buy a large container of organic coconut oil. and most dogs love it! its a solid but it liquifiys. i put it in my dogs food as a topper daily. some dogs who get itchy and red irritation on the underside you can also put it directly on the skin. you won't need to worry about olive oil at all. if you have earth bath products sold near you you can also pick up a bottle of the tea tree and aloe for her derm, but i'd still buy another soothing shampoo for the days you don't use the tea tree oil shampoo. theirs is more sensitive than a lot of other tea tree's. i used it on my pit when he had derm issues as well. but try to slow the bathing process down some and pick up some coconut oil, you can put it directly on the dog tho she'll be a lil slick and she will lick some of it off at first


Sounds great, thanks for your input, andrea! We have some coconut oil so I'll rub it on her at night so she can't move around so much. 

Could I use a fresh aloe plant? I thought aloe was poisonous.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

its poisenous if they eat it but they do put it in dog shampoos.


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