dog soap bars

[elle g]

im looking into making some soap bars for dog. i have never made any and need some help. is there like a base recipe to guide me as far as the ingredients? I want to use brambleberry organic Melt and Pour Base and would like to use citronella, tee tree and lavender. i found this recipe but it does not tell me how many drops or ounces of each essential oil i should use. i did read on another site that you should use 1 ounce of essential oil blend per 2 pounds (32 ounces) of melt and pour soap base. i would like to know if i want to make this recipe below, how much of each essential oil should i use?please help. thanks!


Basic Soap recipe (above) - and for the essential oil blend:
1 part citronella essential oil
1 part tea tree essential oil
1 part lavender essential oil



http://www.brambleberry.com/Organic-Melt-Pour-Base-P4382.aspx

 

[My Mountain Soaps]

the standard for mixing essential oils is 3% of your total weight of your oils. But, i dont know about the use of them on dogs. Maybe talk to your local vet about that? good luck!

 

[cm4bleenmb]

It does tell you (sort of) how much oil to use--a 'part' is one of whatever measurement you are using. So if you are going by the recommendation of
1 ounce for 2 pounds, you would use 1/3 oz of each oil.

 

[judymoody]

Dogs have incredibly sensitive skin. Please do some more research about what is safe for them, both with respect to M&P ingredients and essential oils. You might want to consult with your vet.

 

[soapbooks]

Hi, Just after a soap bar recipe for my dog as he suffers from dermatitis. Is the one you recommended ok for sensitive dogs?

 

[cerelife]

I was actually talking to our vets this past spring about using the gnat/mosquito repellent I make for us (using EO's) on our dogs when they're outside since the gnats here are ridiculous...this idea was vetoed by all three vets in the practice! They said that there just isn't enough research on what EO's are safe for animals but they DO know that some EO's can be harmful to them. Better safe than sorry!
I'm planning a dog soap as well, but I'll be using the "pet-friendly" FO's from NG

 

[Tienne]

David Fisher has some M&P dog soap recipes. (I personally do trust his knowledge and recommendations, so I wouldn't be afraid to use any of his suggestions, BUT as always, do google around and get second opinions or advice from other dog soap makers and learn from their experiences and knowledge.) He has some fragrancing suggestions;

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/a/dogsoaprecipes.htm

That being said, I would rather go with a CP soap instead of a M&P. (Just seems safer.) In a CP dog soap, I would use pretty much any mild oils, like for example olive, lard, palm, canola, corn, sunflower and castor and maybe even throw in some neem, for it's insect repelling qualities and it's really good for sensitive skin, too.

Please remember, that cats are VERY sensitive to EO's so you would NOT want to ever use a dog soap on cats or rabbits. It could kill them. Tea Tree is especially toxic to cats. I just wanted to throw that out there, just in case you have cats, too. One of my cats always grooms my dog, so I would never ever use any fragrances of any kind in my dog soap for that reason. The dog won't care if it doesn't come up smelling like roses, so I personally prefer unscented soap for my dog. It's still much better than "Eau de wet dog" and you can be sure an unscented CP soap will be 100% safe for them AND any well-meaning groom-aholic cats you may have.

 

[roseb]

David Fisher has some M&P dog soap recipes. (I personally do trust his knowledge and recommendations, so I wouldn't be afraid to use any of his suggestions, BUT as always, do google around and get second opinions or advice from other dog soap makers and learn from their experiences and knowledge.) He has some fragrancing suggestions;

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/a/dogsoaprecipes.htm

That being said, I would rather go with a CP soap instead of a M&P. (Just seems safer.) In a CP dog soap, I would use pretty much any mild oils, like for example olive, lard, palm, canola, corn, sunflower and castor and maybe even throw in some neem, for it's insect repelling qualities and it's really good for sensitive skin, too.

Please remember, that cats are VERY sensitive to EO's so you would NOT want to ever use a dog soap on cats or rabbits. It could kill them. Tea Tree is especially toxic to cats. I just wanted to throw that out there, just in case you have cats, too. One of my cats always grooms my dog, so I would never ever use any fragrances of any kind in my dog soap for that reason. The dog won't care if it doesn't come up smelling like roses, so I personally prefer unscented soap for my dog. It's still much better than "Eau de wet dog" and you can be sure an unscented CP soap will be 100% safe for them AND any well-meaning groom-aholic cats you may have.

sorry...way off topic, but I would love to see a picture of the groomer doing its job. LOL!

 

[pamielynn]

I've read that using a high pH soap (handmade soap) is not recommended for dogs because their skin isn't the same as humans. But that's anecdotal.

 

[Tienne]

sorry...way off topic, but I would love to see a picture of the groomer doing its job. LOL!

Well posting that would be off topic too, but I do have an video of Phoebe doing her thing. At the point I started recording, she had already been grooming Tilly for a while and done her ears and all, but by this time, the dog has pretty much had enough... but Phoebe is relentless. She's at this point plotting how to get to the dog's snout and eyebrows because she wants to nibble off her whiskers if she can get a chance. LOL. Tilly knows what she's up to though and won't have any of it. That poor little dog is so patient and she really just wishes the cat would go to sleep already.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFdHz7sLvyM

So now you see why with having such a cat in the house, I could never use any scent on my dog.

(I apologize for off-topic-ness, Elle G!)

 

[Tienne]

I've read that using a high pH soap (handmade soap) is not recommended for dogs because their skin isn't the same as humans. But that's anecdotal.

That's true, so up the superfats and use a recipe that gives you a mild soap and you can also give the dog a rinse with a weak dilution of apple cider vinegar to counter any pH issues, after the wash. That helps deodorize the dog too and will even give their fur a nice shine. (You can also use coffee as your liquid instead of water for your lye to help with deodorizing.)

 

[judymoody]

I've read that using a high pH soap (handmade soap) is not recommended for dogs because their skin isn't the same as humans. But that's anecdotal.

It's not anecdotal, it's true. Their skin mantle has different pH tolerance than human skin does.

 

[paillo]

I make one with:

Chamomile-infused beer and either goat milk or greek yogurt
Olive
Babassu
Castor
Emu
Flax seed
Avocado
Shea
and colloidal oatmeal

Going to try neem next batch too. I add a very, very small percentage of lavender EO, but think I'll leave unscented in the future.
My three dogs do very well with this recipe, and one has extremely sensitive, itchy skin. Since I started bathing her with this, her skin has completely cleared up.

Would appreciate any feedback on this recipe! I'd have to look up the percentages, but they're in order of quantity.

And agree, NEVER use soap with any kind of fragrance on cats!

 

[elle g]

It does tell you (sort of) how much oil to use--a 'part' is one of whatever measurement you are using. So if you are going by the recommendation of
1 ounce for 2 pounds, you would use 1/3 oz of each oil.

thanks! this helps alot.

 

[soapbooks]

Thanks for that. Yeh I just don't want to upset my dogs skin anymore than it already is

 

[seven]

I'm totally with Tienne on this, much prefer cp rather than mp for a dog soap. Mp base, even the so called 'natural' ones still has chemicals. That's just the way it is, you need chemicals to make mp base, period. Given the choice, i would rather choose my ingredients carefully, knowing fully that i aint giving my pooch the unecessary chemicals, so to speak

OP's choice of EOs is good so far. i did the same mix plus a dash of peppermint for a batch of dog soap i made lately. I didnt use much though, only about 1.5%. It was cp and the smell is light, as expected.