A Lot of Froth &
Bubble - Natural Quality in Shampoos
One hears so much around
the traps about the necessity to use or not use a good quality
shampoo that it is time to put the record straight. Just because
a friend of a friend says so, doesn't make it so, believe me.
I never use detergent based
products on people or dogs. The main active ingredient for any
shampoo is called a surfactant which is a cleanser and most are
derived from the petrochemical industry. One is always wary of
"Sodium Lauryl Sulphates" which it is reported by Dr.
Peter Dingle in his book "Dangerous Beauty" that 8 out
of 10 shampoos sold in Australia contain, as they are vastly more
irritating, can cause dry, itchiness and dandruff, and instead,
one chooses "Sodium Laureth Sulphates." Then, from there,
how does one ascertain if they are chemically sourced or nautrally
derived? There is no legal requirement that pet & animal dog
care products have the ingredients listed on the pack or where
they are derived from. Plush Puppy shampoos are naturally derived
from coconut oil and palm oil as opposed to the vastly more usual
petrochemical derived. Whether it is petrochemical or natural,
the surfactant is still called Sodium Laureth Sulphate. Confused?
Again there is no legal requirement to indicate the difference.
So, is a naturally derived product better than a petrochemical
one? We believe so. Not only from an environmental, renewable
resources view but over the years, we have noted a much better
track history from our clients in regards to allergies and skin
disorders. Naturally derived products also cost much more to
make so the benefits have to be there to justify the expense.
Plush Puppy shampoos are also not tested on laboratory animals
although I do confess to testing them on my family and dogs.
The shampoos are bio-degradable, organic and full of naturally
sourced extracts that have long been known for their medicinal
qualities and lack of harmful side effects to man and nature.
To get the best value from
your PP Shampoo as it is fairly concentrated, always break it
down with water, at least 5:1 and only use "neat" on
the really grubby bits such as feet etc. The other benefit from
diluting shampoo is that you don't run the risk of leaving any
shampoo in the coat. Easy to remove shampoo if you have a hydrobath,
but for those who do the bucket and hose or bathtub routine, then
there is a high probability of leaving shampoo residue in the
coat. Often I will see scurfy skin on a dog, especially dark
coated dogs such as Rotties and Dobermans and it is evident
from the small, flaky, white residue that the dog was a "shampoo
victim". So, don't forget to dilute and rinse well.
For those whose dogs are washed each week and have dogs that live
mostly indoors, a thorough shampoo cleanse is not necessary.
Plush Puppy Hydrobath &
Bath Wash is low foaming and just ideal for a "light
touch" shampoo. You don't have to cleanse the hell out of
a coat week in week out to make it clean. Doing so can make a
coat fly-away and full of static which leads to lots of conditioner
to rectify a problem that is often of your own making. Whew!
Got that?
I also see people who scrub
the giblets out of a coat. Lots of scrub-a-dub rubbing and plenty
of elbow grease. Why? No-one needs to dig to China to get a
dog clean. It simply tangles and wears at the coat which is
in some breeds, fairly delicate. Gently does it. Nice squishy
squeezes and always working from root/skin area to ends. Never
work a coat from ends to skin as this is a sure way to mat the
coat. Same goes for the conditioner. The only parts you can scrub
are the short coated areas around the legs and feet. For stubborn
stains on elbows, good old fashioned Sunlight Soap or Sard Wonder
Soap is often the answer. Beware though if the dog has sensitive
skin. These are fairly high alkaline; so is detergent!
Shampoos are now very specific doing all sorts of targeted jobs.
Gone are the days of one shampoo does everything mentality. Your
dog will go through several transitions of coat in a year's cycle
and you can easily counteract the negative times with a specific
shampoo such as PP Body
Building Shampoo for the out of coat situations, the All Purpose Shampoo
when the coat is just right and you don't want to soften or alter,
the Conditioning Shampoo with Evening Primrose
when you want to soften and enrich and the Whitening shampoo when you want to kill
yellow/orange or reddish reflects, usually when the coat is old
and sunburnt or just to give sparkly sheen to whites. When you
want to remove a stain or product build up or simply bring whites
back to pure white brilliance use the PP Deep Cleansing Shampoo.
So now you know the bottom
line to all the arguments of surfactants in shampoos. Nothing
will stop the sensationalists from spreading tales of woe and
fear. Indeed, who would buy books or or listen to good news about
positives in the cosmetic and product industry? Bad news sells.
TV and media play on sensationalism. The difficulty lies in rebutting
misleading statements. Perhaps having a child with lots of allergies
when he was young, steered me to a course of finding alternatives.
I believe there is an argument for the naturally derived products
in this world and still get performance.
