DIY Dry Doggie Shampoo

Ninja questions why Mom
thinks he smells like corn chips.

So my roommates' dog, Ninja, smells...well...like a dog. (Or if you are Airicca, you swear he smells like corn chips.) With the cold weather bathing Ninja isn't fun for anyone...especially him! It's much too cold in this drafty house for that kind of nonsense!

I was browsing online the other day and ran across a recipe for a dry doggie shampoo. The site was talking about how excessive bathing can dry out skin and how this dry shampoo was one alternative to frequent bathing. This caught my attention for more than the fact that Ninja puts off a corn chip-like odor...the poor little guy has also been struggling with dry skin here in the midwest winter since he was born in and spent most of his life in Texas. His parents have been putting olive oil in his food to help, and it has helped tremendously, but he still has a bit of a dry coat some days. Can you see where this is going?

I thought about making this dry doggie shampoo for Ninja for Christmas, but this morning he was being particularly needy and pungent (not like wet-dog bad or anything, but certainly noticeable when he'd come up close to you in search of lovins). I asked Airicca if I could make some for him, and after getting her permission I set to work.

Three simple ingredients.

First, I put a cup of oats in my magic bullet and made them into a powder. I combined the powdered oats with one cup of baking soda as the recipe suggested. The recipe I found said one part oats and one part either baking soda or cornstarch was to be pulverized in a food processor. I decided that I would do 1/2 cup of corn starch in addition to the baking soda and oat powder.

Serendipitous Saving

Here's my reasoning: The oats will be good for the dry skin. The baking soda is the cleanser. That should be all you need. However, when I was in FFA back years and years ago (say elementary or junior high), cornstarch was used on show rabbits to improve the look of their coats. Now, I'm not sure if it ACTUALLY has any benefits for mammal coats, but it might do something. For that reason, I added in a little cornstarch to the mix.

Great doggie Christmas gift!

I even had the perfect container for dry doggie shampoo. Before money got quite so tight, I used to by these awesome fabric softener pellets from downy. (Thank you Linden Reid! Those things are awesome!) They make your clothes soft and they smell like heaven when they are finished.  I saved the last two containers from these pellets because they looked perfect for some sort of homemade beauty product. (I thought I might make more for Christmas this year.) They were perfect for this homemade product because they have a wide opening with a flip top and even a little measuring cup that clips on.

After getting the product into the reused containers, it was time for a test run. I took Ninja outside and sprinkled on the dry shampoo. I then rubbed it all over and into his coat adding a little more here and there until he was well covered. (He really hated me getting his face and at one point he tried to eat the shampoo, but other than that, he seemed to enjoy it!) We ran back inside and waited a few minutes before inspecting him for smell.

Success! No more doggie body odor for this pup! I hope that we will see an improvement in his dry skin as well, but we won't know for a bit whether or not the shampoo is holding to that part of its purpose. This is a great recipe either way! It is cheap, easy, and if you are anything like me, you already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Make some for your doggie or as a gift for friends' doggies this Christmas! Happy (dry) bathing! :p

A very happy just dry-bathed Ninja!