A natural, pet friendly pet shampoo that’s great for your furry friends! Learn how to make your own dog shampoo bars with this cold process soap recipe!
Pets can be very sensitive to the things applied to their skin. While pets may have the ability to handle a little more than we (humans) do, they still need to be cautious about what they put on their skin.
This recipe will help you put together a natural shampoo bar that’s pet friendly – you can forego the essential oils, if you wish. Or, you can aim for essential oils that are pet friendly (lavender and cedarwood are both great for dogs!)
You can use this recipe to make round soap bars (by using an up cycled Pringles can) or, be poured in a rectangular soap mold for regular soap-size bars.
Dog Shampoo Bars (Pet Friendly)
Please use a scale to weigh the ingredients and ensure they are accurate.
LIQUID/LYE:
- 5.09 oz lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 11.39 oz distilled water OR half aloe vera + half distilled water
*This recipe uses a 5% super fat.
OILS AND FATS:
- 10 oz Olive Oil
- 10 oz Coconut Oil
- 10 oz Beef Tallow
- 6 oz Castor Oil
ADDITIONS:
- 1 Tbsp colloidal oats or oatmeal powder, added at trace
- 1 oz cedarwood atlas essential oil + 1 oz lavender essential oil (2 oz total)
*I follow the medium usage rate on Brambleberry for adding essential oils to these dog shampoo bars. If you wish, you can use a light usage rate, instead.
This recipe makes 45 oz – it fits in 2 round Pringles cans or, $10 PVC pipe (cut in half and use an end cap!), or pour in this Crafter’s Choice, rectangle silicone mold.
Prepare all of your ingredients – and have everything set aside to start:
- Thermometer (one that you don’t use for food)
- 2 Pringles cans or, 1 rectangular mold
- Pyrex 8 cup measuring device – not required, but so handy to have!
- Immersion Blender – you don’t have to spend oodles but you will want something reliable with a metal stick, not plastic.
- Lye – this is the brand we use
- Digital Scale to measure your ingredients
Step 1: Slowly add the lye to the liquid portion over a sink. Open up the windows behind the sink or place a fan behind you to dissipate the fumes. Make sure you are wearing safety goggles or gear, long sleeves and gloves. The mixture will get hot very quickly and the fumes will be strong until the mixture cools.
Step 2: Set aside your lye + liquid mixture and allow to cool to 100-105 degrees F. In the meantime, prepare your oils by measuring them on the scale. Melt the tallow/coconut oil just until melted. Combine all of the oils in a large bowl and set them aside until you are ready to mix with the lye mixture. They should be at room temperature.
Step 3: Once you are ready to make your soap, add your lye + liquid to the oils/fats, and blend with a stick blender. Avoid running the stick blender for long periods. 10-15 second bursts with short breaks will be sufficient.
Step 4: Carefully add the colloidal oats and essential oils. Continue to blend in short intervals until the mixture reaches a trace (the mixture will start to thicken like pudding), 3-4 minutes (your time may vary slightly).
Pour the thickened soap batter into your soap mold and (if using Pringles cans), place lid on the can and put the can in the rear of the fridge for 24 hours.
Step 5: After 24-48 hours, take the soap from the fridge and allow the can to come to room temperature. Remove from the mold by peeling the can away from the soap.
I would recommend allowing the soap log to sit for 24-48 hours to harden up a bit before cutting it into bars.
One cut into bars, allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks before using.
Tip: I love round soap! For many years, I used Pringles cans – they make wonderful soap molds – once the soap hardens, you can cut the top rim of the can and “peel” the can to remove the soap before slicing.
Looking to change out the oils or increase the size of the recipe? Scale this recipe up or down by using this calculator. If you swap out any of the oils, make sure you re-run the recipe through a lye calculator and ensure you have the correct amount of lye.
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