Fresh Perspectives. One Condition.

So I've really begun endulging in conditioners lately, ordering way more 16oz bottles then anyone really needs. Neither of my dogs have very dry skin, and I find that a good Coconut oil treatment works WONDERS for them. But this is not exactly economical for high volume shops, or even just shops who's clients don't want to drop an extra $10-$15 for the spa-like extra.

Lets not forget the other benefits of conditioner! Sure it can help those flaky french bulldogs, those scratchy Scottish terriers, but on top of all that a good conditioner will soften the coat, add a healthy sheen, and REALLY help get some of that extra shed out! The right conditioner can even bring life back to limp , listless coats (I'm looking at you, #1 All Systems- Super Rich Protein Lotion Conditioner) .

So , knowing we will continue in this vein and cover more conditioners, let us start with one of the more economic choices. Top Performance: Fresh Pet Conditioner. 

The Fresh Shampoo is a great all purpose shampoo with a long lasting fragrance ( see that review here ) , does it's conditioning counter part live up to the standard? 

The Fresh Pet Conditioner on first appearance is clearly nothing but a melted creamsicle in a bottle.  The fragrance from the bottle rates as 'meh' at best, and does not match the flower-blowing-bugle stamina of the shampoo.  On my grooming clients with serious dander and dry, flaky skin the conditioner is not nearly as hydrating as it would need to be to make an impact. After the bath , while drying, there will without a doubt be little specks of dry skin flakes popping up everywhere again. A little disapointing, but you don't buy 'economical' because you think it's going to be a miracle. 

Now, on softening the fur? Oh my, it was wonderful! Every dog I've washed with it from Golden Retrievers to Shih tzus, to poodles all felt wonderfully soft by the end of the groom.  And I'll tell you this, I do a thorough deshedding before the bath and still, after conditioning with Fresh Pet , the conditioner is weighing down and pulling out a lot of the excess coat. It is a great tool for getting a really to
p notch de-shed job done. 

A fellow groomer used copious amounts of the Fresh Pet Conditioner on a Briard client and was very pleasantly surprised . It was the first product in a while that really made an impact on the dog's tangles and mats. The Conditioner is designed so that you can leave some of it in the coat , not rinsing all of the way. This is what she had done, and it really did the trick without leaving the big dog's fur feeling greasy or oily.

Top Performance's Fresh Pet Conditioner dilutes 7:1 , although I found at this ratio that my drying times were drastically increased, and it was difficult to rinse completely.  I've been using the conditioner at a 16:1 Dilution ratio with great success , though it is still a hard rinse.

The Bottom Line

At about $35 a gallon, diluting at 16:1 ratio I think Top Performance Fresh Pet Conditioner is a great buy. It is fantastic for your every day grooming clients, helps get out tangles and keep them out, wonderful for de-shed work, and leaves the coat soft.
The Fresh Pet Conditioner does not have a lasting fragrance at all and is a chore to rinse, so keep that in mind when planning to use it.  This conditioner will not help dry, itchy skin on dogs.
All in all, I enjoy this product and will keep it in stock next to a few bottles of more 'specialized' conditioners . This is a good every dog product.