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