Brittany Ippolito
January 17, 2025
Select the right bath products for your dog's coat and skin type
In 8th grade I had to write a “step by step essay” on how to do something. I chose to write about how to bathe and groom a dog. I’m now in my 30s still writing about how to bathe and groom a dog - some things really never change.
Before I became a canine nutritionist, I was a hairstylist. Before I was a hairstylist, I spent over three years studying hair in my own free time trying to figure out how to revive my curly/wavy hair that mysteriously went completely straight. I learned all about hair care ingredients and how and when to use them on all sorts of different hair types.
I was able to unearth my lost curls, and I now apply that same knowledge to dogs.
When it comes to skin and coat issues, the fix can sometimes be as easy as switching to bath products that are suited for your dog’s specific coat type.
Believe it or not, there is also a lot of crossover between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), TCM food therapy and hair care, especially themes like Dampness and Dryness. These internal imbalances can affect your dog’s skin and coat externally and require specific products to be treated topically and specific food/herbal therapy to be treated internally.
Curly: Poodle
Coarse: Schnauzer
Fine: Afghan Hound
Straight: Maltese
Short: Doberman
Dry: can be any dog
Oily: Labrador Retriever
Infectious: can be any dog
Shampoo: helps CLEANSE your dog’s coat and removes build up, oil, dirt, etc. Harsh shampoos can lead to dryness and dandruff, while not cleansing enough can lead to oily and dirty build up.
Conditioner: helps MOISTURIZE your dog’s coat. Heavy conditioners can lead to an oily buildup, while weak conditioners may lead to dryness.
Hydration: the water that is present in your dog’s coat. A deficiency of hydration leads to a dry coat.
Moisture: ingredients that add softness to your dog’s coat and help seal in hydration. A deficiency of moisture can lead to a dry coat, but excess moisture can lead to an oily coat.
Lightweight Oils + Conditioning Agents: help moisturize the coat from the inside out without causing buildup
Examples: olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, aloe, honey, plant extracts, glycerin
Protein: adds strength, shine and can be helpful to minimize tangles
Examples: rice protein, wheat protein, oatmeal extract, silk amino acids, keratin
Gentle Detergents: help cleanse your dog’s coat
Examples: most products list these as “natural cleansers derived from plants”
Natural Fragrance: generally a safe way to add a light scent
Examples: chamomile, lavender, etc - fragrance free is always an option too!
Heavy Oils + Butters: accumulate on the hair and skin, giving the coat an oily appearance and feel. Oily buildup attracts dirt and can also lead to dandruff
Examples: coconut oil, castor oil, mineral oil, cocoa butter, shea butter (sometimes)
Silicones: are plastics that accumulate build up on your dog’s skin and coat and prevent needed ingredients from nourishing your dog’s coat. Continued use will lead to a malnourished coat. Silicones are hard to remove and their build up causes oiliness, itching and dandruff
Examples: silicone, dimethicone, amodimethicone, peg-12 dimethicone, and any other ingredients ending in –cone, –conol, –silane or –siloxane
Harsh Detergents: completely strip your dog’s skin and coat from their natural oils due to their extreme pH levels, creating dryness. In extreme cases, they can cause your dog’s skin to overproduce oil in an attempt to compensate for the dryness
Examples: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium chloride, disodium EDTA, c14-16 olefin sulfonate
Drying Alcohols: extremely drying to your dog’s coat and skin
Examples: alcohol, alcohol denat, ethanol, isopropanol, SD alcohol, benzyl alcohol
Salt: overuse can be drying to your dog’s coat and skin. Salt also breaks down the protein (keratin) that your dog's coat is made up of making their coat weak, brittle and prone to breakage
Examples: sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate
Parabens: chemical compounds used as preservatives that can potentially contribute to health concerns and irritation
Examples: anything ending in –paraben
Synthetic Fragrance: dog skin is much more sensitive than human skin and synthetics can cause irritation. Companies are not required to disclose what is in their synthetic fragrance and so there could technically be anything
Examples: labeled as “fragrance”
The number one question clients would ask me as a hairstylist was, “How often should I wash my hair?”. My response was simple, “When your hair is dirty.” I would then go into detail explaining that if you are using the right products, then washing more often won’t cause problems. The same goes for your dog.
I’ve read articles that scare you into thinking you’re going to disrupt your dog’s skin microbiome if you bathe them too often. While I understand their viewpoint, I disagree and I like to think our dog’s skin microbiome is a little more resilient than that. If you are using the right products, you can safely bathe your dog as often as you need to.
Dog skin has a pH of 5.5-7.0, which is LESS ACIDIC than human skin (4.5-5.5). The problem lies when you start using and overusing harsh shampoos that are way too alkaline or way too acidic. Either option can throw off the pH of your dog’s skin and that CAN disrupt the ecosystem of their skin.
Never say never.. Some situations may call for shampoos that are more acidic or more alkaline, so don’t fear those products if you have to temporarily use them. Acidic shampoos can be helpful for removing oily buildup and alkaline shampoos may be necessary if extreme cleansing is needed, for example if your dog got into an oil spill and you need a harsh detergent, like Dawn, to remove that.
Now, I will say, bathe with purpose. There’s no need to be bathing your dog when they’re clean. Use your best judgement and be observant. If they are irritated after a bath then something you’re using or doing is causing irritation.
Most of us probably don’t bathe our dogs often enough for water quality to have a massive impact, but it’s still important to touch on.
The main concern to watch out for is hard water. If you have hard water, this means your water has high levels of minerals present. You may notice your tub accumulates rust colored stains. Hard water can also accumulate on your hair and your dog’s coat. It makes your hair feel rough, dry, brittle and tangled. This build up also prevents conditioners from nourishing the hair/coat.
The best way to beat hard water is to have a water softening system in your house or a shower head filter that filters out hard water minerals.
Disodium EDTA is fantastic at removing hard water mineral buildup. For a natural remedy, you can add a small amount of clay to your dog's shampoo or use a shampoo that has charcoal. Clay and charcoal will help bind to the mineral and chelate them from your dog’s coat.
Disodium EDTA, clays and charcoal are very drying though, which can contribute to a dry coat and/or dry, itchy skin. Use only as needed and follow up with a conditioner.
The spiral or wavy shape of curly coats makes it hard for the dog’s natural oils to travel down the hair shaft. This lack of moisture makes them prone to dryness. When there is a lack of moisture in the coat, it has a difficult time holding onto water and will then start to lack hydration, which also leads to dryness.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos. You may find it helpful to even skip shampoo every other bath and use only conditioner or mix a small dollop of conditioner into their shampoo to help dilute the strength of the shampoo and make it more moisturizing.
Conditioning: lightweight but effective conditioners. Lightweight ingredients have a smaller molecular weight and can penetrate the hair shaft to moisturize it from the inside out - this ensures hydration and moisture on a deep level. To maintain a soft and shiny coat, you need to marry MOISTURE with HYDRATION. You hydrate the coat with water and lock in that hydration with moisture aka conditioner. Allow the conditioner to sit on for at least 5 minutes and emulsify with a small amount of water to ensure that marriage happens.
Avoid: it may be tempting to use heavy oils and butters, but the heavier the ingredient the more it is going to sit on top of the hair shaft and cause build up. Heavy ingredients are also hard to remove and can attract dirt.
Coarse coats have a wiry texture and may even have an extra cuticle layer surrounding the hair. This makes it hard for moisture and hydration to penetrate and it is why they are prone to dryness. The shielded nature of coarse coats also makes them prone to quickly accumulating buildup from their bath/grooming products, environments or their own body oils.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos that can effectively remove buildup. This will give their conditioners an easier time penetrating. Bathing with gentle warm water can also help open up the hair cuticle. End the bath with a cooler rinse to help seal the cuticle back down.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners that are effective and can easily penetrate into the hair shaft in order to moisturize from the inside out. Allow conditioners to sit on for at least 5 minutes and emulsify with a small amount of water.
Avoid: since coarse coats are already strong and rigid, avoid products that have protein in them as protein can add to the rigid and rough texture. Also avoid heavy oils and butters that can accumulate on their buildup-prone coats.
Dogs with fine hair can have any coat texture - straight, wavy, curly, etc. They tend to be medium to long in length. Fine coats can be fragile and prone to tangles. Fine strands can be sensitive to excess moisture.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos. If tangles are bad you can add a dollop of conditioner to your shampoo for extra slip to help detangle.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioner and conditioners with natural proteins can strengthen the coat and minimize tangles.
The longer the coat, the older the coat and older coats can be prone to dryness, breakage and tangles.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos. If tangles are bad you can add a dollop of conditioner to your shampoo for extra slip to help detangle.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners or conditioners with natural proteins can strengthen the coat and minimize tangles.
The easiest to care for. Keep things minimal since they have a minimal coat.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos. Just because they have minimal fur, we still need gentle products that don’t strip them of their natural oils.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners, if needed or desired.
Avoid: Over conditioning, which can lead to an oily buildup.
Dry can refer to both the coat and skin. These dogs will have dull, rough coats and you may see fine powdery dandruff. They can be itchy due to the dryness or even experience hair loss and skin that is sensitive to any sort of touch or hot spots. These dogs may need food/herbal therapy to help rebalance their bodies on an internal level.
Cleansing: gentle shampoos and if extra moisture is needed add a dollop of conditioner to their shampoo. Homemade oatmeal rinses.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners. Honey or oatmeal extracts are bonuses.
Find Powdery Dandruff: add a VERY gentle exfoliant to their shampoo. You can run oatmeal through a food processor, mix it with their shampoo for a homemade exfoliant. Spot treat dry patches by applying a thin layer of a lightweight oil such as olive, avocado or jojoba oil.
Avoid: anything harsh and drying. Consider going fragrance free if your dog is super sensitive.
Diet Tips: red meats, eggs, oily fish, omega-3 supplement, healthy sources of fat, oily seeds, red vegetables, watery vegetables, dark berries
Oily can refer to both the coat and the skin. These dogs will feel oily, may have an odor to them and have large dandruff flakes. They can be itchy due to the oily buildup or even experience hair loss. Oily buildup can also occur if the products you are using are too harsh or too heavy. Oily dogs may need food/herbal therapy to help rebalance their bodies on an internal level.
Cleansing: gentle to moderate shampoos.Oily dogs may also be prone to skin infections, hot spots and interdigital cysts. I recommend having a slightly stronger shampoo to remove the oily buildup, acidify their skin’s environment to kill bacteria that may be brewing. Only use harsher shampoos temporarily to regain control of the problem.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners that don’t exacerbate the problem.
Avoid: it may be tempting to constantly wash your oily dog, but overwashing can lead to dryness. This can then cause their body to overproduce more oil. It is their body’s way of compensating for the dryness it is experiencing. Avoid products that exacerbate their tendency to be oily.
Diet Tips: watch fat levels, opt for cooked food, dark green and hard veggies, round/circular veggies and roots, culinary herbs
These are your oily and damp dogs that have progressed into an infectious state. Yeast will often occur on/under their paws, ears, belly, privates, around the muzzle, under the eyes - places that tend to be warm and damp. These dogs likely need food/herbal therapy to help rebalance their bodies on an internal level.
Cleansing: Antifungal shampoos to kill the infection. Look for products that have Chlorhexidine and/or Ketoconazole in them. These are oftentimes very harsh shampoos so start with a diluted version at first to make sure your dog can handle the product. For dogs with badly infected paws, epsom salt soaks can be soothing and help pull out toxins. Homemade tea soaks brewed with antimicrobial herbs can also help kill infections. Be diligent about keeping up with cleansing until the problem is under control.
Conditioning: lightweight conditioners that don’t exacerbate the problem.
Avoid: Be careful not to irritate your dog’s skin while ridding them of an infection - do only as much as your dog can handle. Limit your dog’s exposure to products with fatty oils. Many skin infections use fats as their food source.
Diet Tips: watch fat levels, opt for cooked food, dark green and hard veggies, round/circular veggies and roots, culinary herbs
TrueBlue
EarthBath
Homemade oatmeal rinses
Lightweight oil (jojoba or olive oil) to treat dry spots externally
Ground oatmeal added to shampoo for a gentle exfoliant
DouxoS3 (orange cap) for antifungal shampoo
Pet MD Antiseptic & Antifungal Spray
Homemade tea spray brewed with antimicrobial herbs to spot treat fungal infections
Shower head filter for hard water
If you are using the right bath products for your dog’s coat and skin type, then bathing them will not cause problems.
Remember that dog’s have sensitive skin that is similar to a human baby. The majority of products on the market are way too harsh for them, and that is when we start to see skin and coat issues occur.
It’s common to overload the dog’s coat with heavy oils and butters in an attempt to nourish their coat, but what your dog really needs is a very simple, basic, lightweight and effective routine that caters to their coat type and addresses any current skin/coat concerns - the rest will fall into place.
If your dog is still experiencing skin and coat issues after switching them to products suited for their coat type, then the issue also needs to be addressed internally. This is done through food and herbal therapy. Foods and herbs can counteract dryness, oiliness (dampness) and even infectious cases. I also recommend feeding a complete and balanced fresh food diet to ensure your dog is receiving maximum nutrition and that there aren’t any nutritional deficiencies or excesses in their diet.
If you need help getting your dog’s diet in order to tackle any coat and skin concerns, book a consultation or purchase any of my self-help guides at www.dogfoodtherapy.com
Looking for advice and help with your dog's diet and nutritional needs?
Book a one on one call with me where we'll go through your dog's history, habits and any current health concerns. You'll receive tailored recipes and food/herbal therapy guidance on what will best meet their needs. I am also available to chat if you have questions along the way!
