Unscented Grooming Products? Tangle Free-Conditioner-Grooming Ease Products

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Before I purchase another product that will just rot on the shelf I wanted to get some opinions.  I wish we could SMELL on the internet--of course, not in the Poop Group, but it would be great if we could here  :)

Like most of you I have invested a lot of money in grooming products and my grooming bag is an army full of things to tackle the Doodle Coat but I need a product to use on  Spud's coat; a  very dense, curly, wooly on the back, thick and silky on the legs.   He MATS and I believe he always will. 

Being picky with scents myself, I respect his feelings.  He will growl and run if I use Mane-n-Tail.   Cowboy Magic was a little better but not much.  He likes my Vanilla Hand Cream (?) and I used a Loreal Coconut Conditioner Last Week and got no growling complaints but the amount I would use for his coat would end up costing $20.00 twice a week. NOT

Anyone else use an unscented grooming cream, lotion, spray during grooming?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We use Earth Science fragrance free shampoo and Avalon Organics Olive and Grape Seed fragrance free conditioner on Tara. She is very sensitive to products used in grooming and can break out in huge hives if something is used that she is sensitive to. I also use the same conditioner diluted with water as a "leave in" type of grooming product for matts. Each dog's system and sensitivities are different though and what works for us may not be what Camus can tolerate. I purchase these products in natural food stores or health food stores. They are not in the shampoo section of "regular" stores. Avalon Organics also has a "no tears' Baby Shampoo that I really like and use myself but she got a little itchy with it so we don't use it on her anymore but I really liked the "no tears" aspect.

[Christine & Camus]

Thank you. I had only been looking at dog products. I can get the Avalon products at Whole Foods and they may have Earth Science as well. A plus in getting them at Whole Foods is that if they do not work for Camus I can return them.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I've been reading of more and more DK'ers who use human products on their Doodles. I thought I was the only one until I saw those posts!!! Maybe you can try a patch test on a small area before giving him a full bath with the new products? That is NICE that you can return them!! :)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

No, use the post Christine :) It is kind of what I am looking for also. Here is what my breeder told me. Use Human shampoos on these dogs. After all, it is much like human hair. But when she said, you can bath them weekly because of the human type hair--she lost me. So I do not know what to believe except for the fact that I think human shampoo made for allergies and sensitive skin might be the practical way to go. :)

Today, bought a baby shampoo --no more tears. Maybe Dreft makes shampoo?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

As for using people products, my groomer really recommends BedHead for children (not PedHead) for a detangler for our doodles. I haven't gotten any yet because I still have a supply of Cowboy Magic and Horse Mane 'n Tail Detangler. Joanne, it seems from your posts that Spud prefers people product scents???

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Interesting you noticed he may prefer people products and Melissa says products that smell more like food. This will all come together. Today I picked up an inexpensive baby shampoo that smells like bubble gum.
Wish me luck tomorrow. No GRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr's

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

BedHead! :)

I don't know but he really growls at a lot of scents. What's up with that?? But I hate scents too so I totally respect the Dood's feelings. What if someone soaked me in an awful scent?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Products for dogs have a ph of around 7 and products for humans are around a ph of 5.5. Human products are much more acidic.

[Melissa & Porter]

Barb,
I read in Wikipedia, you know, the end-all-be-all of truth and fact :-) that one common way for shampoos to be "baby" and "tear free" is to raise the PH to 7. But on the Burt's Bees website the FAQ states the PH levels are proprietary information. Oh well.

Christine,
Have you looked at shampoos with oatmeal in them. That is supposed to be soothing and low on the allergy-trigger scale.

Joanne,
Good luck with the bubble gum smelling shampoo. Too bad they don't sell fried chicken scented shampoo.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

LOL yeah, fried chicken. I just want unscented.

One good thing about Spud he has NOT reacted like one of my old labs. I would give a bath and he would Bolt! Run away as soon as he could and go down the street and roll in Septic--he hated the smell that bad.

[Kyoko]

I wonder what would happen if you put a drop of vanilla extract in the shampoo? I wonder if Spud will like that or not...?

[Lauria Orr]

LOL!!!! Fried Chicken scented shampoo! Hilarious!