None of your Bees Wax

My two favorite dogs to groom, other than my own, are Oban and Katinka! A smooth coated collie and Keeshond duo. Obi and Tinki's mother is a huge fan of all natural products, so she opts to bring in her own choices in shampoos for her little fluffbutts. I love this because it gives me more opportunity to try new shampoos! It's an addiction.

So my two little angel clients have terribly dry skin this time of year, being a diligent mother their owner sought out an all natural Maine made product, Burt's Bees- Calming Lavender GreenTea Shampoo.

Ok, so let us go ahead and start with the positives. • No Sulfates • No Colorants • Cruelty Free • 90% Natural. These are all things that are wonderful!

Here's my problem with Burt's Bees for dogs.  Bees Wax.  The dog's fur feels just OMG SO SOFT , but it's because of all the wax in the shampoo, not because the hair is getting healthier. Bees Wax is water insoluble , meaning it will need clarifying shampoos to rinse it out of the coat.Without a second bath of clarifying shampoo it can cause build up on the hair follicle, this kind of buildup leads hair to look dull, dirty, and causes it to lose its shine. Buildup doesn't allow necessary moisture, oils and other nutrients to penetrate the fur which can  actually add to the problem of dry coat.

On top of this, the product is a chore to rinse out of a thick Keeshond coat. 

6 weeks after their first groom using the Burt's Bees shampoo Oban had an open hot spot on his back and a healing one on his tush. I'm not saying the shampoo caused them, my point is that it certainly isn't helping. I feel like Burt's Bees is one of those companies that has such a good name (their lip balm, and just in the all natural crowd in general.) that they can coast on their success and delve into other products that they may not be suited for.

Guys. You can't just put Beeswax in everything.

Burt's Bees for dogs can be purchased online for around $8 +S&H (16oz) , I have seen it on clearance at TJmaxx/ Homegoods/ Burlington Coat Factory for $4 so you can probably find it locally pretty cheap. 

The Bottom Line

This product doesn't rinse easily out of thick coat, and *may* leave a buildup on coat. I don't think you get a lot of bang for your buck, it takes the sheen out of coat and weighs it down. Your dogs will be soft, but there is a price to pay.  Buy Burt's Bees Pomegranate lip balm, leave the doggy shampoos to the experts. A good alternative would be Dr. Brommer's castile soap.

 oO Bubblecollie Oo

Oatmeal and Shea- wait? Where's the Shea Butter?

I've seen bottles of Bebe and Cece dog shampoo often, and honestly the only reason I haven't tried it was the packaging. The bottle seemed ... just.... ordinary. And I did not like the grooms on the shih tzus featured on the bottle. Very very shallow reasons to pass over a product. But, that is why people specialize in marketing, isn't it?

Anyhow, Spic-n-Spaniel and myself popped into our local Marshalls last weekend on the hunt for organic coconut oil. No luck there, so naturally we took our poodles on over to the pet section. Amongst the plethora of adorable Christmas sweaters and dresses ( you seriously have to see what Spic-n-Spaniel got for little Kylie. So adorable it's illegal in 4 states.) there were two bottles of shampoo. One was Viva La Dog Spa, a brand Spic-n-Spaniel has already reviewed, and a lonely bottle of Bobbi Panter's Bebe and Cece Oatmeal and Shea Butter shampoo.  The bottle smelled pretty good, and the price smelled even better. $4.99 ? Sure! Let's give it a go!


This product smells fantastic in the bottle, like pouring liquid oatmeal cookies onto my dog in the bath. I diluted it 4:1 , as there were no dilution ratios suggested on the packaging.  It lathered up nicely and rinsed normally. As I was drying Spike , the sweet fragrance of freshly baked cookies wafted through the grooming room, completed by the feint hint of cat urine.... WAIT. WHAT?

Ok, so apparently my newly adopted senior cat has taken up peeing in both of the dog's beds.  I was a little disappointed  that the shampoo did not wash away the smell completely.

When Spike was fully dry all fragrances had dissipated.  Thankfully in the case of the cat pee, regretfully in the case of the oatmeal cookies.

Bebe and Cece's Oatmeal Shea shampoo boasts "Oatmeal Shea Butter - Soothes irritated skin and fur as it gently cleans; Leaving your pet shiny soft and smelling as yummy as freshly baked oatmeal cookies!" . I cannot speak on its soothing properties to skin ( and fur?). I will say it is a GENTLE cleaner, so is probably a good candidate for dogs and cats with sensitive or dry skin.  NOT a good idea for especially dirty dogs, as the cleaner is very gentle and is maybe trying to gently persuade the grime and smells into leaving as apposed to beating the living tar out of them.   Spike's fur was not weighed down, but I don't think he came out especially soft or shiny either and he certainly did not end up smelling like a cookie.

Bobbi Panter seems to have a good line of specialty shampoos listed on her website, with a breakdown of their ingredients and the PURPOSE of each ingredient, which I think is great! I'm very excited to get my hands on one of THOSE bottles!  The Bebe and Cece Oatmeal Shea shampoo is not one in that line though, I was a little disappointed that I could not find Shea butter listed as an ingredient on the bottle. Shea would have been a great ingredient to have been listed on an oatmeal and shea butter shampoo.  The ingredients are nothing special, honestly. But I will mention that there is no salt in the shampoo, which is always nice.

Cece and Bebe Oatmeal Shae shampoo can be purchased on line for $9.99 (160z) +S&H , or locally at TJmaxx/Homegoods/Marshalls for $4.99.

The Bottom Line

Bobbi Panter's Cece and Bebe Oatmeal and Shae shampoo is affordable and its fragrance makes for a very pleasant grooming experience. It is not a powerful cleaner though, and the fragrance doesn't last after the dog is dry. Bobbi Panter has better products available.  Still, if you can find it for $4.99 locally (16 oz ) to use on your own dog coupled with a nice vanilla cologne I would give it a shot. Just remember, it won't clean the cat pee out of your poodle.

oO Bubblecollie Oo