Washing your dog is not as simple as grabbing some shampoo and lathering up. It’s critical you choose the best natural shampoo you can find, that will work with your dog’s skin type. After all you need healthy skin to have healthy hair. Professional dog groomer Trisha Heath, a specialist in canine dermatology, points out that animal cosmetics are not well regulated. This means the shampoos we use on our dogs can have harmful effects on their skin, coat condition and our environment.
“Sadly there are thousands of extremely toxic and harmful ingredients so dangerous to human health they are banned in human cosmetics but allowed in animal cosmetics due to lack of regulations,” Trisha says. “When I started to study the compositions of shampoo it was really depressing – it’s generally kinder to wash your pet in washing up liquid than many animal shampoos!”
With that in mind, check the ingredients and buy as natural as possible to be make sure your dog is having a bath that will make him both clean and healthy.
Natural eco-friendly pet shampoo bars designed by professional dog groomer and dermatology specialist Trisha Heath. Her company “Berries and Leaves”, is a new brand and these five shampoo bars cater for the five main skin types. The products are made from “100% natural, kind, gentle ingredients that will work with your animal’s skin type to restore it to a skin that balances itself, resulting in healthy skin and hair”. Additionally, the grey water running down the plughole will not harm the environment.
The 90g bar is sufficient for up to 30 washes.
Ingredients include sustainably sourced calendula, roses, nettles, lavendula, mango butter and coconut oil. No harsh chemicals, perfumes or colours.
Options: Peach blossom, lavender/pampelmousse, oatmeal or green tea/aloe vera | Size: 250ml | RRP: From £11.90 |
With its nutrient-rich composition, this shampoo is designed to hydrate and nourish your dog’s coat, helping combat itching, deshedding, odours and dandruff. The ingredients include aloe vera, chamomile extract, sweet almond oil, shea butter, vitamin B5 and oat protein, making it effective for sensitive skin.
Options: Chamomile, coconut or lavender | Sizes: 400ml or 5l | RRP: £5.79 for 400ml |
This product is made with 99% natural-origin ingredients and 100% natural fragrance. It is pH-balanced to be gentle on your dog’s skin and formulated with vitamin E for a healthy, shiny coat.
Options: Oatmeal/lavender/coconut oil, cedar/peppermint/eucalyptus, lemongrass/aloe vera or unscented | Size: 59ml or 473ml | RRP: £15.99 for 473ml |
An all-natural, hypoallergenic pet wash that is free from detergents, parabens, sulfates with nothing artificial or synthetic added.
It is recommended by vets and groomers to moisturise and condition pets with normal to dry, itchy, sensitive or allergy skin.
The holistic blend of essential oils is gentle and safe for pets of all ages, without stripping the natural oils from your dog’s coat. An added bonus is that the lemongrass naturally deters fleas!
An eco-friendly shampoo containing organically produced active ingredients. The unique, non-irritant formula has a neutral pH and is free from parabens, silicons and colourants. It contains organically produced aloe vera gel to moisturise your dog’s skin and leave their coat soft. Each formula is enriched with different ingredients to maintain skin health.
The Beaphar Bio range is not only great for pets but the environment, too, made to strict ethical standards as regards toxicity and biodegradability in production and ingredients.
Mountain Garden Botanics is a family company using the finest natural ingredients to pamper your pet. They are proud to be a 100% cruelty-free company with no testing on animals within their raw ingredients or finished products.
The main ingredient is coconut oil to condition your pet’s coat and leave them squeaky clean. Natural oils create a lather that rinses out easily. The bars can last as long as two bottles of shampoo.
Free from sodium lauryl sulphate, paraben, silicone and palm oil.
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
