How to Make Homemade Dog Shampoo

Dog shampoo in the store can often be expensive. Because companies know we need to take care of our pets and we want to keep them happy, they know they can charge a fortune for their products. This is just the natural way of business. However, you don’t need to always go straight to the vet or the supermarket to pick up decent dog shampoo, you can make it yourself at home.

Below is a great, easy way to make a solid dog shampoo yourself:

• Take a couple of cups of apple cider and put into your dog's bath.
• Next, find a clean, fragrance-free dish soap and add one cup on this.
• Next, take 4 cups of water and put in the bath. Determine then if you think you need one further cup.
• Add a few oz of vegetable glycerine.
• Mix before placing your dog in and washing them, making sure the soap suds are cleaned out completely before letting the dog leave.

Cleaning your dog with your own shampoo mix can be fun, cheap and just as good for the dog as over-the-counter products. Most importantly, you also know exactly what was in the mix, unlike mass-produced goods that could be harmful to your dog.

The Benefits of Homemade Shampoo

As mentioned above, one major benefit is the expense of regular shampoo. Regular shampoo can also make your dog’s skin and fur become flaky, something that usually points towards itchy and irritated patches on your dog which would then need additional mixtures to cure. Some dog shampoo boasts the same ingredients as human shampoo, yet our skin - which is stronger than a dog’s skin - is often not used to these chemicals, so how would it make sense to add them into dog shampoo? It wouldn’t, and you don’t need to.

READ 4 of the Most Common Dog Teeth Problems

Warning About Making Your Own Shampoo

Please be wary about making your own shampoo. It’s a great, cheap alternative and can often work as well, if not better than a professional brand, but you need to be wary of putting the right ratio of ingredients in and not putting your dog’s health at risk in doing so. Be wary of whether your dog has any allergies or particularly sensitive skin. Test a small amount on their leg and wait a couple of days to see if they have a reaction. It’s also worth noting that you shouldn’t press ahead with this method if you don’t feel completely comfortable.

Creating your own shampoo is a great idea when done responsibly. Washing your dog can become much cheaper and easier too. It’s a great thing to know how to do if you run out of dog shampoo and can’t rush out to the shop. If you would like to reduce your shampoo further, be sure to add more water to the initial ingredients or put less soap substance into the mixture. Going on walks with your dog no longer needs to be stressful or expensive, especially if you can make your own dog shampoo.