Dry Dog Shampoo – Only 3 ingredients and keeps your dog smelling wonderful between baths!
This post may include affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.
Boy, do I enjoy having a furry friend around the house again. She’s still very much a puppy, so she certainly keeps us on our toes. Now that it’s Spring and she’s able to explore what’s been hiding under all that snow, her nose has been into everything. She often comes in from outside with a snout full of dirt and blades of grass peeking out of her mouth.
All of that fresh outside air can sometimes bring the “doggy” smell out in your pooch. You know. . . the kind that comes out in full force when a dog is dripping wet. Even when they’ve just been bathed and they’re drying, you can smell that “doggy” smell.
Well, I know it sounds crazy, but I like to have a nice smelling dog. I can’t stand it when I pet a dog and I’m left with dog smell on my hands. Belle is only the second dog we’ve owned, but I can tell you that neither of our dogs have ever left a scent on a human hand that has pet them.
How is that possible? Well, I keep Belle clean. Does that mean she gets baths every night? Of course not, but I brush her regularly and I have a little secret concoction that I use on her fur in between baths. . .dry shampoo. . .for dogs. AND, I make it myself.
It’s so simple!
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 cup corn starch
- 10 drops essential oil or skin-safe fragrance oil (made for beauty products)
A little something about the oil for anyone who may be concerned. Remember that your dog is NOT ingesting the oil nor are you rubbing the oil onto or into their skin. The oil is there just for fragrance and there isn’t enough of a concentration to do any damage to your fur baby. I’ve heard of some folks using peppermint and lavender essential oils to help repel fleas so if you want to give one of those fragrances a go, it could serve another purpose in addition to just adding a great scent to the shampoo.
I used a combination of vanilla
and coconut cream fragrance oils for the shampoo that I made. I thought it would be a perfect combo for the summer! The oils I bought are specifically formulated to be suitable for skin & hair care formulations. Make sure that whatever oil you’re using is skin-safe. I’ve also heard of people using just vanilla extract from their baking pantry. Remember, the amount of oil you’re using is quite insignificant. I used five drops of each kind of oil in my shampoo. You can adjust this to be more or less according to your taste.
I enlisted my hubby to help me out with showing how this whole process works. He always rolls his eyes at me when I go to him holding my camera and ask for a favor. 😉
So, you can apply the powder a few different ways. You can use an empty and clean baby powder container, or make your own “shaker” out of any “lidded” container you like. You’ll just have to poke some holes in the top. I, however, didn’t mess around. I used a measuring cup and a small strainer to sprinkle the shampoo onto Belle. Correction. . .my husband did.
Shake the shampoo over your dog, starting at the bottom and staying away from the head.
Then, wait about 5 minutes or so and just start brushing your dog’s fur to spread the powder around. I use my hands and the brush to get a little around her ears, etc. I bet you’re wondering why I’m doing this right in our living room. Well, because my wonderful shampoo is serving two purposes! Believe it or not you can also use this to freshen up your carpet. Just vacuum it up! If your house has wood and/or tile floors, I would suggest doing this outside. It would be much more messy. But with carpet, it’s easy peasy and the wonderful scent sticks around the house. I love that!
There you have it. Nice smelling dog = one happy mama. Believe me, I think our family members and friends appreciate it, too! Belle gets A LOT of love from everyone. I’ve had many people comment on how my dogs always smell like vanilla. It makes me giggle inside. I hope you try this recipe to keep your furry family member smelling wonderful, too. On those hot, humid days this summer, you’re going to thank me!
Great idea! Your pup is soooo cooperative!
Perhaps Belle should start her own blog — “Belle’s Blog?”
Sue, she sure is patient with me! 🙂 Oh, don’t you worry, we’re building up a little section of the blog for her! Hugs!
We have a black boxer – fab dog. Would this work on him or would it leave white residue?
Thanks.
We’ve never had a black dog, but I think it should be okay because the powder gets brushed through the fur.
Okay first of all, your Belle is absolutely adorable! I love that blonde golden retriever look! We have a yorkie who could definitely use some dry doggy shampoo…. and a haircut but that’s a different problem. She loves to spend long days outside getting dirty and I don’t love giving her a bath every night. I’ll have to try this out! Thanks and pinning for later!
Thank you, Betsy! I bet your yorkie is pretty cute, too. 😉 I hope you try the dry shampoo. I don’t like giving dogs baths too often because it can strip their skin of natural oils. Using the dry shampoo in between baths will hopefully help keep the “stinkiness” at bay! 🙂
Can you tell me how often you use it in order to keep the furry friend smelling nice? I dislike when my dog smells like…a dog. 🙂 I would like to try this.
Rae, I use it about once a week. My golden doesn’t get TOO stinky because of her thicker coat, but I like to freshen her up all the same.
What a sweet pooch! I love this idea but don’t think it would work that well for my guy. He would go from black to grey. Luckily he is a chow chow mix and they are known for being very clean dogs. When he does get bad I give him a spritz with some cat shampoo and he comes out smelling like a rose. Literally.
I love this idea but I have a very active black chiweenie, Elsie, whom I can’t imagine sitting still for this. Maybe after a long walk and with a friend to help! I am so going to give it a try and want to use your idea of vanilla and coconut!! Thanks!
You have the right idea. Try it when Elsie is tired – at the end of the day. Dogs are curious the first time you put it on them, but if they’re used to being brushed, you shouldn’t have too much trouble!
We have one yellow lab and one black lab. Love the idea of the dogs smelling better and can see using it on the yellow. But not sure how it would look on the black fur?? Any suggestions?
Hi Cindy, if you use the “shaker” method you’ll distribute the powder throughout the fur rather than concentrating on just one area. Once you start brushing, it should be fine. Let me know how it works!
This would also help with my doggies smelly bed! I’ve pinned so I can find it for their next bath.
I love the idea of sprinkling it on your dog’s bed! Great idea!
My dog could use a batch of this right now. Thanks for sharing this with the Tips & Tricks Link Party. Pinned!
how do you mix the oil with the dry ingredients and have it mixed evenly ?
Sandy, when you put the drops of oil into the powder, use a whisk to mix everything together. It all blends quite nicely.
Do you use that entire mixture ( 1cup each of baking soda and Corn Starch) each time you apply the dry shampoo or is some of it saved until the next time? Can’t wait to try this on my german shepherd and my Aussie mix!
Hi Becca, no. The recipe should last you quite awhile. You only need to shake on a small amount and work it through the dog’s fur!
Thanks Sara!
Thanks so much I have a stinky little girl Jack Russell this is a life saver !!!!!!
I’m so glad!!
What a great idea I will be trying this today For both Gracie & Zoe, Shih-tzus and my carpet. love to hear more.
I hope it works well for Gracie & Zoe, Eunice!!
Substitute diatemacious earth (food grade) for one of the powders and it will kill fleas too!
Fabulous idea to substitute one of the powders with the Diatemacious Earth, for the fleas…
I’d make it the cornflour, because the Baking Soda is the one that absorbs and negates the ‘doggie smell’
Thanks for the recipe – can’t wait to try it! Wondering what purpose the corn starch and baking soda each have? I’ve seen some recipes with either JUST the corn starch OR the baking soda. I assume a lavendar or lemon oil would work fine with this?
The baking soda deodorizes and the cornstarch helps absorb any excess oils to freshen up the skin and fur. The essential oils you mentioned should be okay, but it’s always good to do some research first. This is a great article on some of the oils that may not be safe for pets:
http://allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2013/12/05/30-essential-oils-may-safe-pets/
Sounds like a great idea. Also, your dog is beautiful
Thank you, Beth! I hope you try out the shampoo!
If you add Rose Geranium Essential Oil it will repel ticks.
Great suggestion, Suzanne!
Can this be used on cats?
Kara, I’m not sure. I’ve never owned a cat and I don’t have much experience with them. This may be a good question for your vet. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
What if your dog comes home smelly, dirty and WET? Our dog jumps in the lake at the dog park.
Well, you definitely need to wait until your dog is dry to use this shampoo recipe. If your dog comes home wet, you could always just bathe him outside allowing him back in the house.
Where did u get the coconut creme oil?
Hi Teresa, I do have a link in the post for the coconut cream oil. Check under the third image in the post. I got that oil through Amazon.com. Good luck!
I used this on my mostly black German Shepherd and it worked amazingly! She likes to play in the water and her coats don’t fully dry so sometimes she smells like dirty socks. But I do have some questions: where should this be stored (like in a cupboard or fridge) and how long do you recommend keeping the mixture before making a new one?
I store mine in an air-tight container and I’ve kept it for up to two months before I ran out and needed to make more.
Oh and I forgot! To all those with dark coat pups: do not worry! When you brush them, the whiteness goes away. You just have to keep brushing.
My black lab has very dry skin – would this mixture dry him even more?
Some of the oils on a dog’s skin can contribute to the “doggy smell.” The cornstarch and baking soda help with the smell as well as the excess oil. If your lab has very dry skin I would check with your vet before trying this recipe.
Great ideas, you have the most beautiful dog, so sweet she just lays there while you are working on her
Thank you, Jeannie. And believe me, she doesn’t always sit this still! 😉
Can’t wait to try it, I definitely don’t like a smelly dog, and perfect for my carpets too!! Thanks so much for the tip. Tonya
Tea tree oil might be a good oil to try all so. My mother-in-law says it helps keeps fleas off your dog.
Can this be used on puppies?
I started using this on Belle when she was under a year and she did fine with it. As anything, you may want to experiment with a little first and see how your pup does.
Thank you for this great tip. We got a new puppy and we were told that we were bathing him too frequently. I bought lemongrass oil plus your recipe and what a difference. He smell so good. I might try that vanilla extract one day.
Tried this today on my cocker spaniel “Lady Bug” Thank you so much for this recipe. I used lavender oil in my mix. House smells great and my girl smells even better!!! I will be telling every doggie mommy about this.
Wonderful. Thank you for leaving a comment, Donna!