Stay (Clean)

I had never heard of Isle of Dogs until this past weekend at the 139th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, but now I can't seem to get them off my mind. So this week I decided to test one of their shampoos. 

They have an excellent variety of products, and with so many to choose from I almost didn't know where to start. Smartly however, they have them all devised into their "Collections" with cute trendy names such as "Coature," the "Vanity Series" and, the one I ultimately chose, "Salon Elements." This line is made up of three different types of product. The first is "Sit (Still)", followed by "Stay (Clean)" and lastly "Stand (Up)". I'll be getting to each product respectively but first I'm going to start with their Stay (Clean).

According to their pamphlet, this product is meant to cut through "dirt, grime and odor" and also lengthen the time between baths. The bottle has a clean professional look to it, which is not as important as the contents, but I always like to see that people have put thought into their branding. It is not lacking for information as it boasts some of it's main ingredients right on the front. These include; green tea extract, aloe, and witch hazel (a plant used for a variety of medicinal purposes including skin care). 

I decided to test this 'poo out on my sisters mini poodle Humphrey-Beauregard (or "Humbug" as he's more fondly called.)I thought he would be a good candidate for the odor test. He gets a bath frequently as does my other dog, however after only a week he's already back to that doggy smell. Needless to say it drives me crazy. Even with an added spritz of fragrance he still smells rather quickly. Obviously he's the perfect test subject.

When you pop the top the smell is very mild which admittedly is not what I expected. I figured there would be an overwhelming smell in order to keep the dog smelling clean longer, but this is very light. My mother could hardly smell anything, but it reminded me of that old fashioned Bubble-Yum chewing gum. According to the bottle, the smell is called "Berry Champagne". It even goes so far as to describe the smells top notes, mid notes and dry down notes (Yes really. See photo below). Plus it also boasts something called "ExtenScent" which is "a natural odor-neutralizing complex that extends freshness". Hmm. Gimmicky? Maybe. Only time will tell. 

Righty off the bat one thing that I like most about this shampoo is its sudsing prowess. Even when diluted 20:1 (recommended), there's still a great lather which is something that's important to me in a shampoo. Maybe it's because it's like a visual representation that I'm getting the dog clean. Beyond it's awesome sudsability (yeah that's totally NOT a real word) is it's super quick rinse. Seriously, it's fast. And when it's out, you know it's out.  No guessing in terms of whether you've got it all rinsed, because once done properly this dog is SQEEEEEEEKY clean. It's great. 

Now after the bath they suggest using 1 of 2 conditioners or sprays. I opted not to do that so as to get the full effect of the shampoo by itself. On top of what makes for a quick bath, Humphrey was dry nearly as fast - and I wasn't even using my new awesome dryer (more on that in another post). I was really impressed. The only thing that was lacking was a lingering scent once all was said and done.  Humphrey smells clean for sure and there's a little bit of eau de berry, but overall there isn't much that says "Hey guys! I just got a bath and I smell delicious", which again makes me worry that in a week he'll start smelling doggy again. Now given that I wash our dogs frequently it's not as big a deal, but with clients whose pets only come once every 2 months, it's important to make sure that the dog smells fresh and clean for as long as possible. I'll be sure to update with the results of the ongoing sniff test. 

The Bottom Line

Coming to petedge next month it looks like the price will be $29.99 per gallon and if that's the case I think it's well worth the price. I have to say that thus far I am quite impressed by this shampoo. It does an excellent job of cleaning, rinses out super quick which cuts down on bath time. The cleanliness also helps in shortening dry time which is also a big plus. My only concern is whether or not it will keep pets smelling fresh and clean for an extended period of time. However for clients that come in frequently, this is an excellent addition to our line up of shampoos. I look forward to using it more in the future.

//The Spic n' Spaniel//

Upadate: It's been about a week and while Humphrey still looks nice and clean, the he once again smells rather doggy which is pretty much what I expected. Guess that "ExtenScent" really is just a gimick. Bummer. But I bet with a little spritz of fragrance, that might change. So again probably ok to use with frequent flyers at your shops but I'd avoid it for those 8-12 week clients.