Like a lot of pet owners, I consider my dogs to be more than just slobbering, kibble-eating fur balls. They are my cheerleaders, my peanut gallery, and my shoulder's to cry on. If you'll pardon my cliche, they are my best friends! I love my dogs, so it's a treat to make something special for them. Often that means baking a batch of homemade biscuits or spoiling them with a fresh cooked meal of rice stew.
Today I made them some solid shampoo using our recently reformulated, SLS-free Melt & Pour Soap Base. A dollup of Neem Oil gave the bars some moisturizing and healing benefit. Kaolin Clay and Fine Oat Four are added to increase the lather and help soothe itchy skin. A dog-friendly blend of Essential Oils gives the bars anti-bug properties too.
Neem Oil Solid Dog Shampoo Bars
Makes about 16 ounces of soap, enough for 3 – 5 bars
Ingredients
- 1 pound Melt & Pour Soap (Try using our Olive Oil, Aloe Vera, or Skin Nourishing Blend)
- 1/2 ounce Neem Oil
- 1 tablespoon Oat Flour, Fine
- 1 tablespoon Yellow Kaolin Clay
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 drops Geranium Essential Oil
- 8 drops Rosewood Essential Oil
- 8 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 8 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 4 drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil
- 4 drops Citronella Essential Oil
Directions
Cut the soap base into chunks, then place them in a double boiler over simmering water. Allow the soap to melt completely. In a small mixing bowl, combine the Clay, Oat Flour, and water. Stir well to form a smooth liquid, adding a little more water if needed. Stir the mixture into the melted soap base. Remove the soap base from the heat, then add the Essential Oils, stirring well to combine. Carefully pour the mixture into molds, then allow the soaps to set until completely cooled and hardened.
Usage and Packaging
Remove any moisture from the outside of the bars using a clean cloth or paper towel. Be sure to wrap the soaps in air-tight packaging such as shrink-wrap or a Cello Bag. To bathe your dog, soak his fur in luke-warm water. Using your hands, work the shampoo bar into a lather, then rub the lather from the soap onto the dog's wet coat. Gently massage the shampoo into his coat, then rinse with luke warm water. Try to make sure the shampoo rinses out of the dog's coat completely.
Ingredients
You can purchase the ingredients for this recipe online at www.FromNatureWithLove.com. Use discount code, NBWS4277 to save 7% off qualifying items in your online order!
What a great recipe, thanks for sharing it! 🙂
Im so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Anne-Marie. Â Spoiling our pups can be so much fun.
Thank you for sharing this! Found you on Pinterest and couldn’t be more excited to try this out. My fiance’s dog has a bad skin condition… hoping this will help ease her itching!
I have found nothing better for bathing our dog than natural soap. Our dog likes to roll in freshly manured farm fields around our house and trust me, not much takes that scent out :). Natural soap does the trick!
Hi Cyndy. Â It sounds like your dog and mine would get along just fine. Nothing beats a good roll in something smelly, I guess!Â
I found the water stopped the soap from setting and the next batch I made I left out the water and it was fine. I also put in 1 capfull of apple cider vinegar as this stops the soap from leaving any residue and gives the coat shine.
Should the neem oil be added right after the soap melts and before the clay/oatmeal or does it really not matter as long as it gets in?
Hi Carlyn. You could add the Neem Oil at either point, but it would probably incorporate more easily if it is added before the clays and oatmeal. Those ingredients will thicken and cool the mixture quite a bit. Adding Neem to the fully hot melted soap will make it easy to dissolve.
Looks like a great recipe. Nice and easy! However, I’m leery of the amount of essential oils. I’m fearful its a bit excessive and may irritate a dogs skin. Remember, our pets can’t speak and tell us they are suffering. Probably, half the amount of essential oils would be best to use.**Always, research your oils for possible skin irritation, etc.
Hi Ella,
Thanks for your comment, and thanks for visiting our blog. We formulated this recipe using the ratios advised in two different books on pet aromatherapy. However, when it comes to pet care, we agree that less is more, and you definitely shouldn’t add more essential oil than you are comfortable with. Using half the amounts shown in this recipe would still produce a great shampoo.