Whidbey Lavender, Nettles & Cedar Dog Shampoo Bar

Reformulated in 2022 to hold even more lavender! We made the first dog shampoo bar for our own dogs: Eva Louise Jellybean and Cora Bella "Bugs" Bootzalini. Cora is our fourth beloved Australian Shepherd and our first one to struggle with allergies--both food allergies (chicken and eggs—Arrgh!) and, it seems, seasonal springtime allergies too, so we wanted to see if we could make a shampoo bar that would help her or that at least wouldn't make things worse the way so many other products did.

This bar contains that same ingredients that our human shampoo bars have but they've been specially formulated for dogs with local plants known to be loving to most dogs. This one contains 1) lavender because lavender seems gentle and soothing for doggie skin and is known here to repel fleas and mosquitoes, 2) local stinging nettles because they're known by herbalists to be good for skin irritations and allergy support and topically safe for dogs, and just a little 3) local western red cedar (windfall branches gathered after storms or gifted to us by friends) infused in olive oil because it smells good and also repels fleas and mosquitoes. Plus, western red cedar is the tree of life in the bioregion where we live. It is a beloved, respected elder and community member and protector of all those who walk in this region and all those who bark and chase frisbees here too. We're so grateful to be here among the cedar, nettles, and lavender.

To use: Get both your dog wet and the shampoo bar wet somehow. Rub the shampoo bar on your dog, taking care to avoid sensitive areas like eyes, nose, and mouth. Rub until you get the amount of lather you want or until your wild and crazy bath loving (or hating) dog goes tearing across the yard or house. Then rinse the shampoo away with water. Off your dog, off your self, and anyone else who got involved. If your dog rolled in something particularly nasty, you might need to repeat the previous steps. Then, towel dry as needed. Some people like to use wash cloths, fancy brushes, dog wash mitts, or bathtubs. That's all good. At our house, its the shampoo bar and the hose outside because the dogs adore the hose and don't even realize they're getting a bath until well into the process. Important: If your dog’s body doesn’t like these plants, stop using the shampoo bar and give it to someone else. Also, do not use this bar on a cat. It was not formulated for cats. Besides, bathing cats has been known to be hazardous to human health. ;-)  

Storage and life of the bar: Store the bar where it can dry quickly and where it doesn't sit in water (on a soap holder/drainer or even just on a dry folded wash cloth to dry is fine). How long your dog shampoo bar lasts also depends on factors such as how much lather you need/like, how big your dog is and how long and thick your dog's hair is, and how often your dog rolls in smelly things or gets stinky. Eva's old friend Raddley has weekly romances with dead fish on the beach each summer. Meanwhile, Eva and Cora rarely get baths--usually when they've spent a whole day at the ocean in their super suits (dog vests) or hung out in a late-summer-green lake and they smell nasty. If allowed to dry quickly, the bar should last longer than a standard size bottle of shampoo. 

Size:  Roughly 4 ounce bars. These are made by hand in small batches and hand cut by cool women, not machines. This means most bars are 4 ounce and that the bars can range from 3.9 ounces to 4.5 ounces. We keep anything smaller than 3.9 ounces for ourselves and our families, to give as gifts to neighbors in need, and to cut up as free samples. We're not machines, people, nor do we want to be. :-) 

Ingredients: Grown on Whidbey (at Silly Dog Studios and Ritual Mischief and also ethically gathered from neighbors' properties, fields, and woods where no spraying happens) lavender, stinging nettle tops, and windfall or gifted western red cedar branches infused into organic extra virgin olive oil, plus coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, distilled water, sodium lactate, pinch of French red clay, lavender essential oil.

Packaging: Bars are in a pressed recycled cardboard box with paper labels that can be reused, recycled, or composted. Visit our Packaging page for more details.

Medical disclaimer: This bar contains the same quality ingredients that our human shampoo bars have, but they've been specially formulated for dogs using locally grown & loved-by-our-ancestors-and-herbalists plants known to be loving to and agreeable to most dogs. Stop using the bar if your particular dog doesn't respond well to the ingredients.