n any profession, we have tools that are essential and are designed to make our jobs easier. But the most essential tools for the health and wellbeing of the pets that groomers work with are the products we use. Since they are crucial to our success, we need to be well versed in their function and carefully choose them to enhance our results.
The main product we deal with is our shampoos. They are one of the most misunderstood of all the products we use. The bottom line is, the primary function of shampoo is to clean. It does not hydrate. It does not kill bacteria or fungus (unless you use a specific product type). It is not an anti-inflammatory. It cleans, that’s it. It does so by trapping dirt and removing or stripping oils from the skin’s protective barrier. The amount it strips depends on the harshness of the product used.
Dirt sits on the surface of the skin’s oils, so a mild shampoo that only strips off the very top layer is all that is required to get the pet clean. Using harsh or degreasing products removes too much of the natural oils and can be the source or the start of many skin issues. A good rule of thumb is, if it leaves your hands dry, it is stripping the oils from the pet also. And this compromises the natural protective barrier of the skin.
Many shampoos on the market use mild or more natural surfactants and are SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) free, which is a great option. In some cases, this can be frustrating, though, because often they do not clean as well. The milder surfactants often fail to break down the oils as well as products that contain SLS. This can be compensated for by using a condition-shampoo-condition (C-S-C) technique, which utilizes the oils in the conditioner to break down the old oils to a form the milder surfactants can process adequately.
Shampoos that clean and strip are NOT designed to deal with a pet with skin issues. To heal any skin issue, the ultimate goal is to restore the skin barrier. This is accomplished by conditioning the skin, not stripping the oils away.
Conditioners are the most valuable tool any groomer has in their toolbox. Having the right conditioners for the problem at hand is critical for success. Without a clear understanding of the function of this tool, we often settle for our favorite smell, the cheapest product, or even some oil from the grocery or health food store.
With this in mind, every time you shampoo a dog, it needs to be conditioned with a quality hydrating (humectant) type of conditioner to replace what was lacking or removed in the bathing process. If not, we compromise the skin’s barrier, and the body has less ability to fight off dehydration and infection, and maintain the nourishment required for healthy skin. The skin (epidermis) has no blood supply, so it relies on the skin barrier to protect and feed it.
How these products are used also plays a significant factor. If the hair and skin are healthy with no issues, we need to maintain them, and a simple shampoo-rinse-condition-rinse technique is typically sufficient. If, however, you have skin debris, super dry skin or hair, odors, itching, or need to do a deshed or other special procedure, it is good to consider doing a condition-rinse-shampoo-rinse-condition-rinse (C-S-C) type of technique.
By conditioning first, you pre-hydrate the hair and skin, but you also start breaking down the old dried-out sebum (oils) so that the shampoo will be more effective in removing them. This also works on your greasy or oily dogs and cats. Why would you put oil on an oily dog or cat? Oil dissolves oils, so the oils break the body’s oils down, which are easily removed with a mild shampoo. This contrasts with removing too much or all of the oils, as we see with dish soap or degreasing products.
The reason most dogs and cats are greasy is that it is the body’s response to irritation. The sebaceous glands (glands producing skin oils) or apocrine glands (glands producing sweat) produce more grease, oils or watery sweat to compensate for the irritation, similar to mucous in your eyes or ear wax. If they are overproducing as a protection mechanism and you take it away, the body’s natural response is to produce more. This creates a vicious cycle that is hard to break without changing your approach. But by using the C-S-C technique, you can remove the excess oil or grease.
When picking our conditioners, we must remember that different hair types have different requirements. Our short-haired dogs rely on extra oils for their protection since they lack hair. Our medium-coated dogs need good nourishment, trace minerals and vitamins to grow a nice dense coat for protection. In our long coats, hydration and collagen become especially important to support and strengthen the hair so that it can grow longer without becoming brittle and breaking off.
Choosing your tools wisely and with a purpose plays a considerable part in the success you can achieve. Be an excellent pet advocate and wow your clients by picking the best products to maximize your results.
Dr. Cliff Faver graduated with a BS in Biology/BA in Chemistry before getting a Veterinary degree in 1987. He is the past owner of Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, Arizona and now the US distributor for Iv San Bernard products, teaches the ISB Pet Aesthetician Certification program, and speaks internationally on hair and skin. His passion is to merge groomers and veterinarians to aid in helping and healing pets. He is also a member of AVMA, AAHA, AZVMA, Board member with Burbank Kennel Club, and has served on Novartis Lead Committee, Hill’s International Global Veterinary Board, and a Veterinary Management Group.