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You are here: Home / Homekeeping / Pets / DIY dry shampoo for dogs

DIY dry shampoo for dogs

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Homekeeping, Pets

Guys…dogs just stink.  We love them like crazy, so we put up with it until we’re to the point of not even wanting to be in the same room anymore. 

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In spite of what some vets recommend (and lots of people on the internet who are just quoting each other), our dogs do best with baths once a week.

But when your dogs are 70 & 80 pounds and double-coated, weekly baths are rarely not always going to happen that often.  So what do you do with two giant stink bombs in between baths?  DIY dry shampoo!

There are lots of dry shampoo recipes for dogs out there, and several commercial shampoos available too.  And we tried lots of them before experimenting on our own.

First, we tried the powders made from oats and cornstarch, then one with just cornstarch and essential oils.  While they helped with the stink…I kinda hated them. 

Why most DIY dry shampoos don’t work

If your dog has missed enough baths, you know they get oily just like we do.  The cornstarch in the recipes very effectively absorbs the oil…but then it stays on the dog.  Then when you pet the dog, your fingers get coated with a layer of stinky, oily powder.  Not so pleasant.  Actually, it’s really unpleasant.

And it also makes them itchy.

It turns out, you need VERY LITTLE cornstarch to do the job effectively.  But if you apply the cornstarch as a powder, there’s no way to apply such a small amount evenly and effectively.

How to make DIY dry shampoo that DOES work

The key is spray DIY dry shampoo for dogs.  Most of the spray “shampoo” you can buy for dogs is basically just chemical fragrances to cover up the stink.  And then they’re not real ingredients, so not only did they always end up giving me a stomach and/or headache, there was NO TELLING what they were doing to the poor dogs.  Others that were more natural still did nothing to help with the oiliness, and they were expensive too.

After some experimentation, I came up with a recipe that works perfectly for us.

How to make your own DIY dry shampoo for dogs:

Time needed:Β 10 minutes.

You’ll need:
– a spray bottle (we use these, but you could just pick up some from the travel section of most grocery or home stores)
-a small funnel (this is the kind we have)
– 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
– 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol
– 1/4 cup of water
– a few drops of essential oil (we like a blend of lavender and eucalyptus)
(optional–and some can be harmful to dogs too, so do research and ask your vet first–also let your dog sniff a tiny bit of the oil first to make sure they don’t hate the one you use–some dogs are picky and/or sensitive)
(Affiliate links above–if you purchase from them, Amazon will give me a little bit back at no cost to you.)

  1. Pour each ingredient through the funnel into the spray bottle

  2. Shake the bottle

  3. Spray the dog

    Not enough to soak him or her, just enough to dampen the outer coat

  4. Rub it in, either with your hands or a brush

    WeΒ love this brush for it because it gets the spray down to the skin, and it’s easy to clean.

The one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol helps it to dry quickly, but it’s not enough to dry out their skin or damage their fur.  And just one tablespoon of cornstarch is plenty for 1/4 cup of water.  Just enough to be effective, and not enough to coat the dog and everything he touches with greasy powder.

Super easy, and super affordable.  In fact, you probably already have all the supplies in your house–that would make it super free.

And this also makes a great gift idea for any friends or family with dogs!

Here are some of the products we use for the dry shampoo:

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And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
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Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventua Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventually finish most of our restoration/renovation projects. I'll share the updates in the coming months as we get settled in to our new place. 😁
House update! The realtor is still confused about House update! The realtor is still confused about why "it's such a popular house." When she arrived yesterday for a showing, there were 8 cars in the driveway. πŸ˜ƒ

We had three offers the first day, one of whom hadn't even seen the house in person yet.
Surprise! The house is going on the market today. Surprise! The house is going on the market today. (Long story that I'll fill you in on when I have more than 2 seconds.)
.
But we're once again with a realtor that calls our house "unique" instead of calling it a Mid Century Modern. πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ
.
We can't count how many locals came into this house and mentioned that those windows should be removed and walled up and the beams cut off. And then it would be a "normal" house. 🀯
.
Still can't really identify with people in this area. πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ SO happy to be going back home to the East coast TOMORROW!
Right? We're getting back into the house restorat Right? 
We're getting back into the house restoration and we'll be working on the powder room in the master bed. 
Guys. It's bad. Swipe to see.
And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
The bedroom design is starting to come together th The bedroom design is starting to come together thanks to Craigslist and Goodwill. 
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@little.victorian

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