ASK BBird!

Ingredient List Review - Matless Magic by Laser Lites

2011-12-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

A groomer on the Groompics-tnt@yahoogroups.com group asked me to take a look at the list of ingredients for a product she is using, Matless Magic.

The label says: Contains: filtered water, cetearyl, alcohol & peg-20 stearate, cetyl
> alcohol, steryl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, cationic protein,
> polypeptides, acetamide mea, lanolin, isopropyl palmitate,
> cyclomethicone, citric acid, methyl paraben, fragrance, canola oil,
> food colourant, siloxane.

Here is what I wrote:

This is a confusing list, because it contains both identified
ingredients and ingredient descriptions. I'll try to make sense of it.
For example, "cetearyl alcohol" IS a mixture of cetyl and stearyl
alcohols, so why would you have them listed separately?

Filtered Water - Diluent, most conditioners are about 85% water.
Cetearyl alcohol & PEG-20 Stearate - emulsifier that forms the
conditioner base. When ingredients are listed together with "and", it is
because they are a single ingredient manufactured together by the
chemical supplier.
Cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol - fatty alcohols used together as
"cetearyl alcohol" to form a creamy emulsion base. Also provides a soft
feel to skin and hair. This is a redundant listing, as it is doubtful
that a product would contain cetearyl alcohol, AND cetyl alcohol, AND
stearyl alcohol. This redundancy suggests that the person who made up
the ingredient list didn't know much.
Centrimonium Chloride - a cationic conditioning ingredient, one of the
most commonly used. A good anti-static agent.
Cationic protein - Not a specific ingredient. This is descriptive term
that could refer to the Cetrimonium Chloride, or be another ingredient
featuring a protein. What protein - wheat, soy, oat???
Polypeptides - Another descriptive term, Peptides are amino acids,
"poly" means many. This description could be referring to a protein
conditioning ingredient. It could be animal protein, or vegetable. It
could be many things.
Acetamide MEA - a foam booster and thickener used in shampoos and
conditioners. Is this product a thick cream? I ask because both
cetearyl alcohol and Acetamide MEA are often used to form ultra thick
creams.
Lanolin - A natural emulsifier that absorbs and holds water to the
skin. What we need to keep in mind about lanolin is that has been found
to be a sensitizer. It can cause allergic reaction. Not necessarily,
but it can. Because of this sensitizing potential, lanolin fell out of
use for awhile. We are seeing it again because it is recognized by
consumers as a natural conditioning ingredient.
Isopropyl Palmitate - An emollient and moisturizer that can be derived
from Coconut or Palm oil.
Cyclomethicone - a volatile silicone usually used to deliver other
ingreedients, especially silicones. It leaves a soft, silky feel to the
skin.
Citric Acid - acidifier, to lower pH.
Methyl paraben - preservative
Fragrance - smells good.
Canola oil - conditioning ingredient that provides emolliency and
lubricity (smooth feel).
Food colorant - adds color
Siloxane - General term referring to silicone. Again, they are dodging
the specifics and describing rather than identifying the actual
ingredient. There are dozens of siloxane ingredients used in conditioners.

IMPRESSIONS: I don't exactly trust this list. I'm sure the product is
fine, but the identification of ingredients is dodgy at best. The
product appears to be a mixture of fatty alcohols, protein conditioners,
lanolin and silicones and some canola oil. It is likely to be an effective conditioner and
detangler, but has some potential for allergic reaction, because of the
lanolin. It also may leave the hair a bit heavy or oily.

Later...I googled this product and discovered that it is intended to be used as a protective treatment for show coats in between show groomings. It is a maintenance product to protect the hair from matting. That accounts for the use of lanolin and canola oil. This is an alternative to the old practice of putting a show dog coat in oil. That was a practice that could backfire, as the oil would attract dirt. I might use this product if I had a show coat to maintain. It would be nice to have some of the ingredients actually identified, such as the polypeptides, protein conditioners, and silicones.

Do Clippers Ruin Bichon Coats?

2011-09-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

A GROOMER WROTE:

I have an every 2 week Bichon who's mom swears I make him look better

than any other groomer they have had and, in reality I have YET to see a groomer around here who can actually make a spherical head--they either look like a bell, which is flat across the bottom or some kind of cabbage patch doll. Apparently nobody but, me has read your blog.  Anyway, "Forbes" is a super sweet boy, not yet 2 years old who's mommy & daddy have read EVERYTHING they can get their hands on when it comes to the breed. Usually it is a huge blessing, but, last Thursday it was a problem. Things got pretty heated when "Forbes" Mommy showed me several books she had read that said "NEVER, EVER use clippers on a Bichon! Scissors ONLY!" She thinks it will "ruin the guard hairs" and make his coat course. What say you?

BBIRD RESPONDS:

    I don't think that hair responds any differently to clipper cutting than to scissor cutting.  Cutting is cutting.  The Bichon books are usually referring to close clipping.  Repeated close clipping on many breeds has the potential of altering the coat. What can make a difference is the sharpness or dullness of the cutting implements.  Poorly maintained blades and scissors can cause fractured hair ends.  Use of snap-on guide combs with clippers does not damage the Bichon coat.
     This conversation is very interesting. Most Bichon breeders encourage their pet owners to maintain a "fluffy" coat.  After all, that is one of the key features of the breed.  On the other side of the coin, I have had Bichon owners tell me their breeder recommends shaving the puppy coat at 6 months in order to encourage a more firm adult coat.  With all due respect to breeders, they often become very attached to opinions gained through myth and happenstance.
     Surely show coats on the Bichon Frise are always maintained through scissoring.  Those dogs are scissored as often as daily during a show series, and weekly when not on a circuit.  Pet grooming almost always necessitates some compromise from the protocols of show grooming.  We don't have the time that handlers or breeders have to devote per dog.  The cost would be astronomical.  Also, pet owners are not always willing to have the dog groomed often enough for the groomer to maintain a "scissored only" coat.  At my salon, that would be every 2-3 weeks, religiously. It would cost $65-85 a visit. Certainly, any coat that has more than 4 weeks of growth has to be completely reshaped.  Getting an even length all over the body with scissors only can be quite difficult. The use of guide combs over clippers helps us to restore the lines and sculpting that constitutes the Bichon "look".
     I've seen scissored-only Bichon grooming that totally missed the mark.  When a groomer simply trims the long coat all over, they can end up with what I call the "Marshmallow Trim"...a big fluffy blob.  OTOH, use of snap-on combs allows lines to be established, even length to be achieved, and can assist in obtaining a breath-taking result in a decent amount of time.  A stunning result still requires a good amount of scissoring.  IMHO, what makes the difference between an awesome and awful in Bichon grooming is the groomer's commitment to obtaining the correct profile, not what cutting tools are used.
     In case you missed it, I have attached a PDF of the recent article I wrote for Pet Age magazine on Bichon grooming.  Bloggers can click HERE.

INGREDIENT SAFETY CAT MIST SPRAY

2011-02-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

SHERYL, on the Groom_TNT Yahoogroups list wrote:

Received a list of ingredients in a cat product (a spray for fur) & am trying to decipher if it's really safe. Was highly recommended by another groomer.  Here's the break down (no proportions were given):

 Deionized Water ..........safe 

Sodium PCA................. a nitrosamine, safe in low dose

 Cetrimonium Chloride.. possible carcinogen. Hazard score 3 out of 10

 Propylene Glycol.......... somewhat toxic. Hazard score 4 

Aloe Barbadensis Gel ..safe 

Glycosaminoglycans....not tested. Assumed safe.  

Polysorbate 20............. Hazard score 4-7, dependent on usage. Avoid if skin is abraded

 Polysorbate 80.............Score 5-8. Reproductive effects at low doses 

Citric Acid ....................Score 2-3

 DM DM Hydantoin........an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative. Score 7-9.Systemic effects in animals 

Methylparaben.............Moderate toxin, score 5. Endocrine & organ issues  Tetrasodium EDTA......Chelating agent. Score 2.

 Fragrance

 Defoamer  

Scores are from the Cosmetic Safety Database and tested for human effects.  Barbara, what would you make of this?  Thanks, ~Sheryl 

BBird responds:

Before I go into an item-by-item analysis, I need to say something  about cosmetic safety databases. Basically we have two:  cosmeticsdatabase.com and cosmeticsinfo.org. We could broadly describe  these two as the "glass half empty" (not proven to be safe) vs the  "glass half full" (not proven to be dangerous) views.

The  cosmeticsdatabase.com was developed through the efforts of the  Environmental Working Group, a watchdog and lobbying group that has a  political agenda to discredit the cosmetics industry and push for  stronger governmental controls over cosmetic ingredients.  Cosmeticinfo.org, on the other hand, reflects the assessments of  ingredients by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel, the industry body  that reviews available studies and makes recommendations regarding  safety. CIR is the cosmetics industry attempt to govern itself. The CIR  Expert Panel is independent and consists of highly credentialed scientists who  review scientific studies. In making their assessments, the CIR  considers the validity of the studies and disregards junk science and/or  poorly designed or carried out studies. The cosmeticsdatabase.com makes  no distinction between solid science and junk science studies.  

There is another significant difference between these two databases:  The cosmeticsinfo.org database and the CIR take into consideration how  ingredients are used, and how troublesome an ingredient might be in an  actual formula. The cosmeticsdatabase.com makes an overall caveat that  their score for any ingredient "indicates that research studies have  found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it  -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin  Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the  level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility.."  

Which database do I use? I refer to both, but tend to put more  credence on the cosemeticinfo.org knowledge. Although I appreciate  being informed of potential hazards, I don't like fear-based tactics.  

Here is my review of the ingredient list, using the www.cosmeticsinfo.org database, as well as Hair-Care Products & Ingredients Dictionary, by John Halal, A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, by Ruth Winter, www.truthinaging.com information and www. GoodGuide.com.

___.___

Sodium PCA – A naturally occurring humectant that is found in skin. It has high water binding properties. It attracts moisture from the air and holds it to the skin. Also has a skin softening effect. It is a very effective humectant for hair and skin. It is relatively non-toxic and non-irritating. (Source: Hair-Care Products & Ingredient Dictionary). Sodium PCA is not itself a nitrosamine, but carries a warning that it should not be used in cosmetics containing nitrosamines. It has been reviewed by the CIR Expert Panel, concluding that it is safe as used in cosmetics. (Cosmeticsinfo.org)

Cetrimonium Chloride – A quaternary ammonium compound (quat) that has good anti-static and detangling properties and also helps cleanse skin and hair. The CIR Expert Panel has reviewed this ingredient and determined that it is safe for rinse-off products and safe for use at concentrations of up to 0.25% in leave-on products. Although it appears on some “hit lists” of undesirable and/or toxic ingredients, there is no significant evidence to support this. At the most, it can be an irritant if used in high concentrations in a product.

Propylene Glycol – One of the most widely used ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, this humectant has outstanding moisturizing effects. It has been the target of controversy, however, as it is easily associated with anti-freeze. It has been the subject of extensive study, because of its wide use. In cosmetics and personal care products, it has been associated with some instances of skin irritation and allergic reaction.

The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Propylene Glycol and the Polypropylene Glycol polymers were safe for use in cosmetic products at concentrations up to 50%. Patients with diseased skin may be susceptible to developing irritation/sensitization reactions to Propylene Glycol. The Expert Panel recognizes that there may be some potential for irritation or sensitization (allergic reaction) with dermal application to normal skin, and suggests that this is dependent on concentration, There is no science to link Propylene Glycol in cosmetics to cancer.

A fairly reasonable overview of the information about Propylene Glycol may be found here: www.naturalnews.com/023138_propylene_glycol_food_health.html. This article correctly points out that although Propylene Glycol may indeed be found in some brands of anti-freeze, it is used as a substitute for the much more toxic ethylene glycol, the ingredient associated with poisoning of pets.

Aloe Barbadensis Gel – A natural moisturizing agent with no known harmful effects. Aloe is often included in an ingredient line-up to enhance the natural appearance of the ingredients, as it is widely recognized. According to the American Medical Association, there is no scientific evidence that Aloe Vera has any benefits in cosmetics.

Glycosaminoglycans – A naturally occurring protein complex, formerly known as mucopolysaccharides, a moisturizing agent. Claimed to increase the pliability and elasticity of skin. No known harmful effects have been cited.

Polysorbate 20 & Polysorbate 80 – These are non-ionic surfactants used as emulsifiers and stabilizers to mix essential oils and fragrance oils in a water-based solution. They help keep a solution from separating. They have been reviewed by the CIR Expert Panel and are considered safe as used in cosmetics. In this product, they are likely to be less than one-half of one percent in the formula.

Citric Acid – Used to adjust the pH in many products, it is rarely found to be more than a pinch or two per gallon. Citric Acid has been evaluated by the FDA and is determined to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).

DMDM Hydantoin – A preservative agent that may release formaldehyde and may cause skin irritation. Although it has been considered to be a possible formaldehyde donor, it has not been established it can release formaldehyde in hair care products. (Hair-Care Product & Ingredients Dictionary). The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that DMDM Hydantoin was safe as a cosmetic ingredient in the present practices of use. In 2005, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on DMDM Hydantoin and reaffirmed the above conclusion.

Methylparaben – One of a class of ingredients derived from para-aminobenzoic acid, known together as Parabens. Methyparaben is the most widely used and least troublesome of the Parabens. It is on the FDA list of substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) as a direct food additive.

CIR - CIR Safety Review: Data reveiwed by the CIR Expert Panel included negative genotoxicity data, negative carcinogenicity data, and negative developmental toxicity data. Parabens were practically nonrritating and nonsensitizing in populations with normal skin.

FDA - To date, the FDA has found no convincing evidence that ingredients used in cosmetic and personal care products have caused endocrine disruption effects. See http://www.fda.gov/ora/inspect_ref/igs/cosmet.html

Notes about preservatives: Preservatives are absolutely essential to the safety of cosmetic products. There are no proven, established preservatives that are truly benign and friendly. The job of preservatives is to inhibit microbes, to prevent life at a microscopic level. It’s a tough job, but necessary. The preservatives in a products should be viewed as a system, not one by one. While DMDM Hydantoin and Methylparaben may each have their downside, they work together well, allowing the formulator to use less preservative chemicals. Less is a good thing, when it comes to these chemicals, as it reduces the overall health risk. The health risk of not having effective preservatives in a product is much greater than that of the minute amounts of these chemicals.

Tetrasodium EDTA – A chelating agent used to stabilize products and increase shelf life. A secondary preservative agent, that allows for use of less of the first line of preservatives.

Fragrance – There is not enough information for evaluation. This product is very lightly fragranced, however, so it is unlikely to be of concern. What gripes my grits is that, on my bottle, fragrance is spelled incorrectly, “Frangrance.” I hate seeing that, as it suggests a disregard for accuracy and laziness on the part of the manufacturer.

Defoamer – This is an unidentified ingredient, what I call a “dodgeball” item on the list of ingredients. “Defoamer” is what an ingredient does, not what it is. Manufacturers identify ingredients this way, by function, when they do not want to disclose the identity of an ingredient, usually from concern that the consumer would not like it, or that it is not consistent with what the company says about their choices of ingredients. What is this company hiding from us? Why throw a dodgeball at the end of a transparent list of ingredients? I seriously doubt, however, that it would be something that would make the product undesirable or unsafe.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS:

Evaluating the listed ingredients with the help of the cosmeticsinfo,org database gives a different and considerably more favorable view of the product than when the scores on the cosmeticsdatabase.com are the viewpoint. We need to keep in mind that one database has its goal to reassure us that ingredients have been evaluated and are safe, and the other has the agenda to make us uncomfortable and even afraid. Where is the truth? - Probably somewhere in between.

The first four ingredients reveal the foundation of this product: Water, Sodium PCA, Cetrimonium Chloride, and Propylene Glycol. The rest of the ingredients are probably minor players. Even the Cetrimonium Chloride and Propylene Glycol are most likely not more than two percent each of the total volume. I would consider this to be a safe product for felines. What bothers me the most about the ingredient list is the unidentified “defoamer” at the end of the list. To name all the ingredients except one is a bit of an integrity loss.

While reviewing this ingredient list, I recognized the lineup as belonging to the EQyss Cat Mist, a product I have been using and selling for at least ten years. We have never had a report of a product reaction and the mist works well to assist in combing out cat fur and maintaining a healthy coat.

CHRIS CHRISTENSEN NO-RINSE PRODUCTS

2011-01-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

A groomer on the Facebook Grooming list asked:
I know you are really familiar with Chris' products. How does this (Dry Breeze) compare with his other two waterless shampoos?

The BBird Response:

Chris Christensen No-Rinse Products. To distinquish:

Show Off - a water based spray on cleanser that whitens whites and brightens colors. Spray on dirty areas liberally, rub gently with towel to remove dirt, and dry as usual. No rinsing required. Advantage: coat brightener. Uses: When cleaning is desirable without bathing and rinsing, and the coat can be dried and restyled. Example: Terrier furnishings, Bichon Frise feet or faces in between wet baths.

OC Magic Foam - a water based clarifying formula in a foaming dispenser. Great for spot cleaning and to break down product build-up. Advantage: foam allows product to spread without as much saturation or wetting of hair. Contains an ingredient to break down stain as well as build-up. Less likely to weigh down coat. Hypoallergenic, no fragrance. Uses: Spot cleaning of mouths, under tails, hocks, or furnishings that have been chalked or sprayed. Can be used as a foaming face cleaner in the tub, especially for animals that resist face rinsing.

Dry Breeze - a waterLESS dry shampoo in an aerosol. Has a nice, fresh fragrance. Dries almost instantly. Spray, wait a minute and wipe with a towel and/or brush with a bristle brush. Advantage: Freshens coat without requiring re-styling or drying. Absolutely weightless. Uses: To dry clean coats where water saturation is undesirable or impractical. Examples: terrier jackets that need freshening and crispness of texture, drop coats that have begun to separate or fall between wet baths.

"Maggie" Border Terrier, featured above, is a pet terrier that gets hand stripped in order to preserve the texture and color of her coat. Her coat was cleaned and freshened with Chris Christensen Dry Breeze, in order to preserve the firmness of the jacket. When groomers shampoo hand stripped coats, they become soft and fluffy. Hair that you elected not to remove on that day will often stand up and wave at you after a wet bath. Arghhh! Chris Christensen Dry Breeze avoided that problem with Maggie's grooming. This coat looked and felt great when done, and she smelled fresh and clean!

Quick Dry Shampoos

2010-05-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

On the Groom_TNT list @ yahoogroups, Samantha wrote to ask:

Love love love this quick dry shampoo- especially for those cockers. I use Tropiclean regular and spa line because they claim to be all natural and do not test on animals.

In your opinion are there harsh chemicals that make up the Davis quick dry? If there is I will stop using it. But boy oh boy it cuts down on your drying time.

Here was my resonse:
Thanks for the question, Samantha. It gives me an excuse to brew a third cup of coffee this morning. Today I am drinking a combination of Timothy’s “Sugar Maple Bush” and Caribou Coffee “Mahogany”. I have a Keurig coffee maker that I enjoy. Okay, so I need a life, we know that. I love that you care about what is in your products.

Let me give a short answer first and then expand it. I don’t think that the Davis Quick Dry is an unsafe or dangerous product. The truth is, however, we don’t know what the ingredients are. So I cannot be specific. It would help if groomers would ask manufacturers for ingredient lists. It does not have any impact for me to ask, because they expect me to ask. They can say, “Groomers don’t care, only BBird cares”. So please, ask Davis what is in the Quick Dry shampoo, and then get me to look at the information they (or any manufacturer) provides.

What makes a shampoo dry more quickly? The ingredients of quick drying products are tightly held trade secrets, perhaps the most “proprietary” and guarded ingredients in the industry. Even Show Season, who tells me just about anything, will not tell me what the secret ingredient is in Speed Dry. From what I can deduce, there are several ingredients that might be used in a shampoo that would decrease drying time.

Some surfactants break water into smaller particles which are easier swept off by HV dryers. We can call these “mystery” surfactants.
Most silicone ingredients cause water to sheet and blast off a surface more swiftly. There are silicones used in car washes to speed drying.
Alcohol displaces water and creates faster evaporation.
An acidic pH causes the hair cuticle to close tightly creating a smoother surface which dries faster.

Some of what might make a shampoo dry faster is what is NOT in the formula. Many moisturizing and humectant ingredients attract and/or hold moisture to the hair shaft. This competes with drying. Silicones, on the other hand, seal moisture within the hair shaft while creating a smooth outer surface that dries faster. In this sense, silicone ingredients are both moisture protectors and promote faster drying. Humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol attract moisture. Oil ingredients also slightly add to drying time, because they compete with the drying process.

What is a “harsh” ingredient? Usually the concept of harshness implies that the ingredient or formula has potential to cause irritation or damage to skin or eyes. Most of the effective cleaning agents used in shampoo formulas could be consider to be harsh or potentially irritating if looked at by themselves in full strength concentration. They are not so harsh when mixed with other ingredients in a diluted formula that is rinsed off. We cannot look at ingredients in isolation. When formulating a shampoo, there is always a trade-off between harshness and cleansing ability. The truth is that the milder detergents are not as good at removing dirt and excess sebum. This is less of an issue for human shampoos, because we humans have been talked into washing our hair every day, so there is less build-up of dirt and sebum than we see on most of the pets we groom. Cleansing is largely a function of the attraction of the detergent to the dirt and sebum. Milder detergents have less attraction and less ability to emulsify oils.

Now, Samantha, are you ready for me to blow your mind? Here goes: Whether or not a shampoo is marketed as “natural” has nothing to do with the harshness of the ingredients, or the harshness of the total product. “Natural” is not necessarily “mild” or “gentle”. What you need to understand that “natural” is a marketing term, and that marketing is all about language and image. Are you following me? Marketing is about how you describe your product, not so much what is actually in there. Sometimes a product can have the same old same old ingredients in a green package, and be marketed as “natural”. There are no rules or definitions of what is natural.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is probably the most harsh detergent surfactant available. Yet it can be described as a “natural surfactant from coconut.” To read more about this, consider my article on the GroomBlog. http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/far-from-coconut-surfactants-journey.html

“No Animal Testing” is another marketing tactic. What does it mean? I know of NO pet shampoo companies that engage in animal testing. Mostly they use ingredients that were tested decades ago (on animals) by the big companies. Ingredient testing is a hugely expensive undertaking, and only the huge companies like Proctor and Gamble or Dow Chemical have the research funds to engage in ingredient testing, with or without animals. While some of the major ingredients, such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Cocamide DEA have been tested at the expense of the lives of thousands of rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc., by chemical manufactures or huge conglomerates, other ingredients have been barely or insufficiently tested. Some of the newer cosmetic preservatives, for example, that are used in the “natural” or alternative products have not been sufficiently proven to be effective for the two year shelf life groomers are used to having. This is why so many of these alternative products are sold in small bottles only. But look at this, “no animal testing” simply means that WE don’t do the testing, not that it hasn’t been done by someone else and we rely on those results. Ask your companies what kind of testing they DO. LOL!

A Review of Mane and Tail Conditioner

2009-08-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

On the Groom_TNT (Yahoogroups) email group, Shannon asked: Is Mane & Tail Conditioner a good conditioner? Its made by Straight Arrow. I've seen it in stores all over for years, can be used on humans or animals. I finally bought some for my cocker to try. She's very soft but it might be too soft for show? I love how everything brushed out good, little mats, sticks, grass, leaves & everything else she picked up in the small yard last 2 days.

Looking at this conditioner, I can see why it might be good for removing sticker burrs from a long coat. It might be a bit heavy for show days, however. Here is my review of the ingredients and my opinion.

Ingredients Mane and Tail Conditioner

Water ,
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate
Origin: A synthetic compound derived from stearic acid, a fatty acid.
Function: Antistatic agent

Distearyldimonium Chloride
Origin: Synthetic compound derived from fatty acids.
Function: Antistatic agent

Stearyl Alcohol
Origin: A fatty alcohol prepared by chemical reduction of stearic acid obtained primarily from beef tallow.
Function: Emulsifier / Emollient / Moisturiser / Emulsion stabiliser / Opacifier / Viscosity adjuster

Emulsifying Wax NF – emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener , Emulsifying wax is a mixture of emulsifiers and fatty alcohols that permits the formulation of stable creams.

Cetyl Alcohol - An emollient, moisturizer, emulsifier, and thickener.

Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera),
Origin: from coconuts
Function: emollient and moisturizer
Good news: One of the few ingredients that has been established as penetrating the inner cortex and of hair and having some strengthening ability.
Bad news: Can cause irritation and allergic reaction in some individuals.

Glycerin ,
Origin: a by-product of soap manufacturing.
Function: humectant, keeps products from drying out.

Sodium Chloride
Origin: common salt
Function: used as a viscosity adjuster. Usually found in shampoos, I’m not sure what it is doing in a conditioner.

Vegetable Oil
Origin: Unspecified
Function: Moisturizer

Fragrance - It is what it is.

NOTE: Any ingredients listed below “fragrance” are usually present in very tiny amounts and have questionable value in a formulation.

Hydrolyzed Protein
Origin: Unspecified, can be from vegetable (wheat, soy, oat) or animal sources
Function: hair conditioner, moisturizer

Lanolin
Origin: Sheep’s wool
Function: Antistatic agent, emollient, moisturizer and emulsifier.
Good news: A natural emollient with moisturizing properties that is capable of absorbing half its weight in water.
Bad news: Comedogenic (promotes acne) and may cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.

Phenoxyethanol , Methylparaben , Propylparaben - Preservative system

FD&C Yellow #5 – Colorant

IMPRESSIONS: Although I like the fact that one of the first ingredients is a quat, (quaternary ammonium compound), which has great coverage and ability to cling to the hair cuticle, the rest of this lineup is mostly heavy waxy ingredients and oils. JMHO here, but this looks like a very inexpensive, okay let’s be blunt, CHEAP formula. I am really unimpressed in the use of non-specific “vegetable oil” and “hydrolyzed protein.” I’m actually surprised that they can get away with this labeling. By not being specific, they can actually change the vegetable oil and protein from batch to batch depending on what is cheapest on the wholesale market. I don’t like it. If the vegetable oil was something such as Olive oil, which has established benefit to hair, you can be sure that it would be identified on the label. For all we know, their vegetable oil could be corn oil. The same thing goes for the “hydrolyzed protein”, it could be anything, even something unmentionable or unidentifiable. For sure, it is cheap.

The use of Coconut oil (Cocos nucifera) is interesting. Coconut oil and Olive oil are two oils that have been determined to penetrate into the inner cortex of the hair shaft and provide strengthening to the hair. This value is somewhat offset, however, by the fact that Coconut oil is known to be comedogenic (clogs pores and can promote acne) and can cause allergic reaction or skin irritation.

Conclusion: This is formulation that leans heavily on waxy ingredients and oils. It is likely to be rather heavy on the hair and will undoubtably offer considerable softening of the coat. The Coconut oil may offer some restorative function, so this conditioner might be a good choice on a selected basis. But why do they add an unspecified “vegetable oil” instead of just using more Coconut oil? Possibly for a reason similar to why they use three different waxy alcohol ingredients: because to use just one would place those ingredients in a more elevated place in the ingredient list, and the more sophisticated ingredients would lose placement and be revealed as less prominent in the product.

P.S. On another note: If you are curious about the practice of using conditioners to clean hair instead of shampoos, such as with the Wen hair products for humans, this Mane and Tail conditioner could be a good choice, at least in theory. The Distearyldimonium Chloride is a good cleaning agent, and the emulsifiers might be great at lifting excess sebum from the hair. Here’s a link to The Beauty Brains blog where knowledgeable cosmetic scientists discuss this matter in further depth. Click HERE to go THERE.

Fragrance Free Pet Shampoo?

2009-07-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a recipe for FRAGRANCE FREE dog shampoo and conditioner for poodles. I have one for shampoo (only) that reportedly came from you, but includes Ivory or Dove dish soap, both of which contain fragrances, to my recollection. Please send fragrance free recipes if you have any. Thanks very much.
Bre

Okay. The Ivory recipe is very hypoallergenic, although not totally fragrance free. You can substitute one of the new fragrance free dish soaps that have recently appeared at the supermarket for the Ivory. I selected Ivory dish soap because it is barely fragranced. It does not impart any fragrance to the dog's hair. Also, I was able to dig up the ingredient information on Ivory, and it closely resembles a basic pet shampoo. Almost all shampoos and products using cleansing surfactants contain something to disguise or cover up the rather "raw" odor of the ingredients.

Here's the basic recipe: 2 cups Ultra Ivory dish soap (or fragrance free dish soap), 1/2 cup glycerin, 1/2 cup white vinegar. Add distilled water to dilute as desired. Some dilution is recommended.

For a fragrance-free conditioner, my favorite is Cure Care from Sally's Beauty Supply. It's available only in a gallon, but it's under $10. I've been using it for years. If you want more detangling or deshedding from the conditioner, you can add a bit of Chris Christensen Ice on Ice, or The Stuff, both fragrance-free silicone detanglers.

WHAT IS ORGANIC PET SHAMPOO?

2009-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

A groomer on the groomer.org BBS writes:
BBird, Please explain! I have a new client who wants only organinc. She is concerned about sodium laurell sulfate and the shampoos I have Sodium laureth sulfate in them. she claims this is toxic. I am not clear what the difference is. I called the company and they said they are all natural and that organic contains more chemicals. Will you please explain this.

BBird responds:
You find yourself in the middle between a misinformed client and a misinformed company rep. The client has swallowed misinformation about “dangerous ingredients” in shampoos and is confronting you. The company rep is responding with his/her “talking points”, and giving you very little real information, only marketing hype and false reassurance.

There is no such thing as an “organic” shampoo. The term “organic” does not apply to formulated products. It refers to the growing of crops without chemical pesticides. It is an agricultural term, not a cosmetics term. It has been co-opted, used, exploited, however, by marketing types who wish to sell products to concerned consumers. Many of these concerned consumers have been created by rigorous fear mongering tactics geared to make consumers suspicious of mainstream products.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) has become the iconic symbol for "dangerous shampoo ingredient". One the most vigorous fear mongering campaign was successfully mounted on the Internet against this once popular shampoo ingredient. There is no scientific information that concludes that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is toxic as used in shampoos. It is, however, one of the most harsh surfactants, and can cause skin irritation and serious eye damage. The extent of the danger depends on the formulation, the concentration, and the contact time. SLS has been hammered so hard by marketers of alternative products that it is no longer a viable ingredient in top shelf human products, although it is still used. SLS used to be the most common surfactant in pet shampoos. Many companies still use this ingredient, although it is most often combined with other, less harsh surfactants, such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It is found in many degreasing formulas, clarifying shampoos, whiteners, and “dirty dog” formulas. Laube’s Wild Animal and Kelco brand shampoos use SLS as a primary surfactant. Kenic Shampoos use Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS), which is essentially the same thing without the bad rap. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is cousin of SLS but is not the same ingredient.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is much less harsh, as the sufactant molecules have been made larger by the addition of an oxygen molecule. This is done through an additional process of “ethoxylation.” Because of that extra process, SLES might be regarded by some to be more “chemical.” There are other downsides to ethoxylation, but the big advantage is a milder surfactant that still cleans very well.

What is a “chemical”? Glad you asked… Chemical compounds are simply the combination of two or more chemical elements, such as Hydrogen and Oxygen. Water, H20, is the same whether is comes from a river or a lab. H20 is H20. It is a naturally occurring chemical compound, as is sodium chloride, salt. All cleansing surfactants, whether they are the most simple soaps, or sophisticated detergents, are chemical compounds. ALL!

Soaps are made by the action of caustic soda (potash/lye) on fats or oils. The process is called “saponification”. Therefore, all soaps are chemicals. You could get technical and remind me of the soapwort plant, but I don’t think we want to go all the way back to scrubbing ourselves with plants while standing in the stream. Well, maybe you do. Soaps are a little less chemically manipulated than detergents, but tend to be very alkaline in pH and leave hair dry, rough and deposit soap scum. Hello! The reason detergents were developed and evolved was that humans needed better products . Basic soaps may be fine for skin, but for hair or fabric, they do not perform well.

Detergent surfactants are created by a process called “sulfonation”, and sometimes the additional process of “ethoxylation”. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is the sodium salt of sulfated lauryl alcohol. Similar surfactants are Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) and TEA Lauryl Sulfate. EZ Groom uses a lot of TEA Lauryl Sulfate, which has the cleaning power of SLS without the bad reputation. Lauryl Alcohol, a basic ingredient of these surfactants, is derived from coconut oil or palm kernel oil. This natural source is used by some companies to justify calling their product “natural” or “naturally derived”. You’ve probably seen some labels that say “cleaning ingredients from natural coconut oil”. Well, that could be SLS, or any of the above.

There is no definition in human cosmetics or in the pet industry for the use of the term “natural.” Any company can call any product “natural”. There are no rules, no criteria, no requirements. It is a marketing term that is becoming a huge fad. Many companies use the term very loosely, based on the assumption that there is some relationship to nature amongst the compounds that make up their formulas. To make it more obvious, they throw in some plant extracts or botanicals. Often these additives are present in such minute amounts to barely be present in the finished product. Your company rep who said that “organic shampoos contain more chemicals” has a point. The more plant extracts, botanical ingredients, and real food ingredients (such as oats), the more preservatives are required. Preservatives are some of the most strong and scary ingredients in water based cosmetics. Formulators try to use the minimum amount to insure safety, but the more alive the ingredients, the more they are food for bacteria, fungi, etc.

Conclusion: Company reps are most often answering questions from “talking points” that have been handed down to them by company formulators. Customers are asking questions from “talking points” that have been handed to them by agents who have a vested interest in making them fear mainstream products. Both are misinformed. You cannot, however, tell a customer that they are wrong. It just doesn’t work. They believe what they believe. The best approach is to say that you share their concern about safe ingredients. You can have something on hand for these people, such as Show Season Naturals products, or other products that are formulated to be less synthetic and more naturally based, or you can offer to use their product if they wish to bring you something. You can, however, let company reps that the same old, same old line about “our products are all natural” is getting old, really, and that you require specific ingredient information.

The uncomfortable position of groomers being caught between a rock and a hard place – companies who stonewall us about ingredients and expect us to simply trust them, and customers who want specific reassurances about ingredients- is not going to go away. Get used to it. Until our industry shifts into a mode of more truth and transparency and away from the status quo of secrecy and spin, we are going to be increasingly embarrassed by clients who are being “educated” by the natural movement.

FEAR OF PET SHAMPOOS

2009-02-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

A groomer writes: I've been reading here and there about the negativity on the body of using parabens and laurel and laureth sulfates. One of the things I read about parabens is that they (I think) replace estrogen and are linked to hormonal disruptions and weight gain and stuff like that. And so many people claim that laural and laureth sulfates are such harsh cleaners that people shampoos are starting to not use them. Since I use this stuff 5 days a week, I'm more worried about what goes into my hands...and in my lawn since I empty my tanks in my yard or let the water drain in the clients' yards when it's warmer.

BBird responds: There is a lot of fear mongering on the Internet about cosmetic ingredients. Much of this "information" is driven by companies who are marketing alternative products. This business about parabens replacing estrogen and being hormone disrupters is merely a "suggestion for further study" based on a very small study. It is not a finding or a conclusion of any substance. Yet the fear mongers have run with it as a fact. Moreover, the study that suggested a possible association was regarding underarm deodorant, not rinse off shampoo products. There is a huge difference.

Parabens are the widest used cosmetic preservatives, and have kept cosmetics and personal care products safe for decades. If they were as bad as they are made out to be, we would all be dead.

The lauryl and laureth sulfate detergent surfactants have also suffered from a lot of bad press, especially Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. The only issue about the lauryl sulfates that has strong scientifically established basis is that they are harsh. There is very little difference between Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate other than bad publicity. They are both extremely effective cleansers and both are harsh. They can be formulated with other ingredients that reduce the harshness. The laureth sulfates have undergone further processing which makes them considerably less harsh, while maintaining cleaning ability. This process, called "ethoxylation" is not without controversy, however, as it can result in a dangerous by-product called 1.4 Dioxane. Most reputable chemical suppliers use a process of vacuum stripping to remove these dangerous by-products. The fear mongers neglect to tell us this.

Lauryl and laureth sulfates are slow to biodegrade, but they do break down and do not seem to pose environmental dangers. Environmental activists prefer a more rapid break down, such as with the carbohydrate-based surfactants. These cleaning agents have been around for years in extra mild formulas for babies and sensitive skin. The downside of sugar surfactants is that they don't clean as well.

I think it is admirable that you are thinking critically about shampoo ingredients. This kind of thinking is needed. It is important, however, to ride a fine line between skepticism and being taken in by misinformation driven by marketing goals.

P.S. If you are worried about the possibility of absorbing harmful substances from repeated exposure during pet bathing, you could use a barrier cream such as TheraSeal. This also helps prevent eczema or dryness and irritation from shampoos detergents.

Barbara Bird is the author of Beyond Suds and Scent - Understanding Pet Shampoos and Conditioners, which can be purchased at BBird.biz.

STARTING TO GROOM MY GOLDENDOODLE

2009-01-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

A Goldendoodle owner writes:

Hi...I found your blog and saw the post about Gracie the Goldendoodle. It was informative. I have a 15 month goldendoodle who has been groomed every 2-3 month since about 5 months. I also have a 10 month old pyredoodle (Great Pyr/poodle) mix. She has similar hair, but not as curly. Anyway, I have been spending $60-75 every 2-3 months for both of my dogs (they are 60-65 pound dogs) on grooming and it is just getting very costly so I have been looking into doing it myself. Also my groomer disappeared and they got a new lady who charged me much more and didn't even clean his ears! I can already do nails, ears, teeth, and brushing, so really I just need to learn how to use clippers and shears and what kind to get. And I would really like to get a large amount of good shampoo and conditioner because they are very active and are muddy and wet 75% of their lives. I typically ask for them to have 1" bodies and 1 1/2" legs. The problem is I have no idea what clippers I should get (I hesitate to spend $100-200 since I'm just an at-home groomer. Is that necessary? Also, what size combs should I use for that length? I have had trouble finding the larger sizes. Is there a best brand? A good website to go for information and supplies? I just don't know where to start. Thank you so much for your help!

BBird responds:
The kinds of coats that you are dealing with are going to require that you purchase a fairly powerful clipper. I would suggest the Andis Super Two Speed. A less powerful clipper will not push the snap-on combs through the thick coats you have. Another point to consider in using snap-on combs is that the hair must be thoroughly combed, not just brushed over. You need to be able to go all the way to the skin and out over any area on which you are using combs. Otherwise, the clippers will just catch up in the coat and jam. A wide-tooth coarse comb will do.

In working with thick coats, most groomers prefer the Wahl metal combs used over a #15 or #30 blade. The #15 blade can also be used for tummies and privates, the #30 blade is good for foot pads, but a bit close for tummies, unless you really know what you are doing. The Wahl Comb #E is 1". The Laube plastic comb (which I use often) is #E also. The #A which is 3/4" is one I use most on Goldendoodles.

Scissoring is a skill that can take time to develop. You are going to want a good quality 8" shear. In scissoring those legs, you would want to comb the hair up and then scissor down. Avoid scissoring across the grain, or you will have "step marks". The good news is that both the dogs you describe do well with a rather "informal" less-than-perfect finish. We have some nice scissors for sale in the BBird shopping cart. Click HERE to go there.

Have you given any thought to how you are going to dry the coats? I can't imagine trying to groom the coats you describe without some help from a high velocity forced air dryer. The force of the air from an HV dryer will not only dry the hair, but it lifts and separates to prep the coat for using the snap-on combs. The air also reveals any areas where combing is needed. Most groomers would use a dryer such as the K-9 II or better on these coats. You could probably get by with a Laube Magnum Force (sold at BBird.biz) if you have more time than money. Anything less, such as a cheap Metro, is likely to have high frustration level because of being too slow. The way I would dry these dogs at my shop is to first towel well, a light blasting off of excess water with the HV, then I would pen dry in an excercise pen surrounded by the Sahara Turbo ducts and a large fan. When the coat is nearly dry, I would use the HV dryer to finish drying, fluff, and straighten the coat. You might think that fluffing and straightening is not necessary, but if you want to get the snap-on comb through the coat, it is essential. A drip-dried curly Goldendoodle coat can be extremely difficult to clip with a snap-on comb. I assume the pyr/poo coat would behave similarly, although it may be less demanding.

Do have a grooming table and restraint system? Again, I can't imagine grooming these dogs without a table and at least a grooming loop around the neck to encourage them to stand. I have a hydraulic table with an over-the-table LIPS system that enables me to use a flank strap to hold up the rear end as well as (or instead of) a loop around the neck. You could probably get by with a 36"Lx24"Wx30"H stationery table with a grooming arm. If you try to groom these dogs bending over them on the floor, you will hurt, and your results will be poor. I was going to say "Without a table, you will die and your results will suck," but that seems a wee bit dramatic.

BTW, how do you plan to bathe these beasts? If you are bending over them in your own tub or shower, bless your back. Be sure to clean and rinse the undersides well. Any residual shampoo left in the coat will not only compromise your results, but can result in an irritation. The tub that I have used for over 30 years is a regular bathtub on a wooden frame. I also use a Hanvey Bathing Beauty pet bathing system that works shampoo and conditioner through coats like these in a fraction of the time it takes to hand bathe.

I celebrate your courage. Grooming these two large, coated dogs is not going to be a easy matter. At the minimum I think you would need: Good clippers ($100-$150), snap-0n combs ($10-20), blades ($50), combs and brushes ($50-$100), scissors ($100-200), dryer ($200 up), table w/arm ($100), products ($50). Total investment in home grooming start-up: $660-$900.

For comparison, I thought I'd run down the cost of all the equipment I regularly use on Gracie, the Goldendoodle that I groom every four weeks (for $85).

Raised tub - I'll give you the tub, it's a fixture.
Bathing Beauty bathing system - $500
Products - $2 per bath. I use a cleanser and a conditioner with added silicone de-tangler.
Towels - I'll give you the towels.
K9II high velocity dryer - $350
Sahara Turbo dryer - $350, adapter kit (hoses) $200
Excercise pen - $50
Additional fan(s) - $50
Hydraulic table with LIPS system - $1000
Laube iVac vacuum clipper system - $387
Blades/combs - $50
Scissors - 8" or 9" straight ($150); 8" curved ($150); small curved for feet/face ($70); blender ($75). Total scissors - $445.
Nail clippers - ($8.00) + styptic powder ($5) -$13. (although I often use a $50 Dremel with a $50 Pedicure cap).
Ear cleaning - hemostats ($8); ear powder ($4); ear cleaner ($4) - $16.00

Adding this up, it looks like I use equipment that has cost me $3413.00. YIKES! This is just for the things that I have actually used on this dog, and does not include the cost and installation of the tub. Nor does it reflect my entire collection of shears and blades, brushes and combs that I choose from. My overhead, and total cost of doing business is another factor to be considered before we even get to the value of my time. Gracie takes me about 1.5-2.0 hours, depending on the condition of her coat. The finishing work (trimming) takes about 30-40 minutes on a well prepped coat. I would expect the average home groomer to need 1-2 hours for the finishing.

I have probably overworked this response to a simple question, but I hope it gives some ideas as well as a perspective on professional grooming.

Happy grooming!

Here is a link to the original article about Goldendoodle grooming on the GroomBlog.

2008-10-23T09:24:00.001-07:00

On the BichonFrise-L, Judith asked: Can you suggest a mat breaker? My groomer has a small instrument with a razor blade in it - it seemed to work quite well. But I have no idea what is best or where to get one.

One way to tackle mats is to break the knotted area into smaller pieces. This can be done by slicing or breaking up the knot.

Here is a picture of the original Mat Splitter tool. It is still on the market, although the type of razor blades used can be hard to find.

In my first year of grooming, I cut myself badly with this tool, requiring stitches. I still have the scar to remind me that this blade is very exposed. The tool is still available, but the "injectable" style razor blades can be hard to find. I do NOT recommend this tool. I think it is treacherous.

A more safe alternative for slicing mats is the letter opener style, with a single tooth and recessed blade.

I am working on getting some of these for my shopping cart. Plastic letter openers work to a degree, but do not have the space to handle really fat mats. The tool as pictured is a little better. This would be a use and dispose tool, no replaceable blades.

Another way to break up mats is the Mat Breaker tool. This is the tool that I personally use the most.

This tool requires a technique of picking apart the mat. With a splitter, you would work from the skin outwards, to slice the large mat into smaller pieces. With the Mat Breaker, you would work from the outside inwards, or from one side of the matted area, to break it apart. Then you would comb and brush out the pieces. The key word here is "picking". You do not try to slice or drag the Mat Breaker through the fur. Pick, pick, pick.

A comb that I like to use for breaking apart mats and tangles is this extra coarse-medium from Chris Christensen.

If you are more comfortable with brushing, the Mars Flexy King is uniquely designed for tackling difficult areas.

Flexy King brushes and Chris Christensen brushes and combs are available through BBird. Click here to go there.

Anal Gland Expression by Pet Groomers

2008-10-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

REPORT ON ANAL GLAND (SAC) EXPRESSION
BY PROFESSIONAL PET GROOMERS
IS ANAL GLAND EXPRESSION A STANDARD PRACTICE?

Method: The question of whether or not groomers’ express anal glands was posted to two prominent Internet groomers’ discussion boards, Groomers.org and Petgroomer.com. The archives of a third group, Groom_TNT@Yahoogroups were searched for posts about issues related to the practice.

Results: Of forty one direct responses, fourteen groomers (34%) stated that they always check the situation and express as necessary; ten groomers (24%) stated that they express anal glands (sacs) only upon specific request of the pet owner or when obviously needed , and seventeen (41%) stated that they do not express anal glands.

Sample Responses:
I actually NEVER do it, was never taught in school plus after talking with the local vet clinic, the vet said IF anything happens in that area *I* am liable. Plus she feels it is inside the dog and I am not trained to deal with anything inside...therefore it is her jurisdiction. Good enough! I let people know to go to the vet, I am not medically trained and they are. Only lost 2 customers in over 1.5 years.

I only do it if the dog has problems. I've even had folks come in with a few month old puppy asking for it because someone told them to have it done, I said no way if there was no problems. Have the vet check on next exam.

I hate doing it, and only did them by special request. I figure a healthy dog does it naturally, and an unhealthy one should be done by a vet. Unfortunately they don't agree where I'm working now, so I'll have to start doing them again.

As a rule I do not do it unless owner requests it, I think out of all my clients there are only two that I do.

I rent space from a vet clinic. Many procedures were discussed w/ the
vet at the start of our business relationship. Anal glands were one of those discussions. He would prefer that I express (externally) anal glands at the request of the owner or if I feel that it's a problem and the dog is uncomfortable. I charge extra for this service as it is a gross, stinky job that the owner will gladly pay extra for.

I no longer express anal sacs and haven't for years. If asked (which is extremely rare) I tell people I work on areas on the outside of the dog...the vet can take care of the inside structures. I also tell them that I am a doggie hairstylist...and remind them they wouldn't go to their hairstylist and have them check their bottom...that's their doctor's realm of expertise. This makes sense to the client, in my experience.

There are two major issues that relate to groomer reluctance to engage in this practice: physical complications and legality/ liability.

Comments re physical complications from anal sac expression:
I groom for a Doxie breeder and she's a firm believer that manual
expression causes a dependence and doesn't do it.

What I was told by my vet and the vet I am located nearest is that the only way to truly express the anal glands is internally, which is a vet's job. To do it externally can rupture glands and even cause bowel problems, and once you start doing it on some dogs, they will always need it done.

I do not express glands because of the liability. Both to the dog and myself- I do believe that manual expression brings eventual reliance on them having it done for the dog. I know that completely emptying the gland also stimulates it to refill more quickly the next time- and this "hyper-extends" the wall of the gland making it more likely to rupture and the fluid more likely to be too thick to pass by itself. I also know that stretching the opening of the gland with force to quickly displace all the contents (far too) rapidly makes it unable to retract and shrink back properly. And, I know that the dock tailed breeds seem to need it more due to nerve damage from the act of tail dock, as well as the overweight dogs and dogs on high fat diets or poor quality protein sourced diets- but, I tell them to have the Vet look at them…
I explained to her that MANY vets, not all, feel that expressing them each time caused the dog to be unable to express the glands themselves overtime. So my customer went to her vet and asked and the vet had never heard of such a thing, so he went and researched it for himself and found out that I was right! That many vets are now discouraging anal glands from being expressed on a routine basis. The vet told this owner she had a very smart groomer and told her to thank me for passing along this new info!
Just because a vet says it's OK, doesn't always mean they are right…

It's really hard when we want info and we ask the vets and we get conflicting information. It's so hard to know who is right and who isn't, but as with just about everything there is rarely a black and white answer. I only do anal glands on request and I do not charge any extra for it. I educate my owners on what i feel is the best way to handle them. I have worked in salons that expressed the anal glands on EVERY dog and within a few years I saw more dogs that needed surgery for anal gland ruptures or other issues. Since I have stopped expressing them routinely, the past 9 years or so, I have yet to see one of my clients with this issue. To me that is proof enough that unless the dog has a special need, the anal glands do not need to be done. Everyone has their own opinion on this of course, but this is mine and what I tell my clients.

On the Subject of Injuries:
On numerous occasions I have had clients tell me NOT to do the glands, due to injured tissues from prior expression at anothershop, verified by their vet... yes it does happen.

I worked at a vet's and saw ruptured anals that came
straight from a grooming shop, now no one will ever know if they were simply
ready to rupture or if the groomer cause d it, I do not do anals ever since,
unless asked.

My neighbor's IG had to have surgery to repair the anal gland which was
injured when the Vet himself tried to express the anal glands. No
waiver involved there and the neighbor didn't sue her vet.

On the Subject of Legality/Liability:
In some parts of the country it is not "legal" for a groomer to do
the anal glands...Arizona is one such place...many years ago this discussion
came up on a list, and in passing I mentioned it to several other groomers
in passing (at an APPGA meeting) ..well, much to my surprise I found out
then that in AZ, even a certified vet tech could not do glands even with a
vet watching...that led to more discussion where I was surprised to find
out that many of the high end shop in the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley (again
high end areas) did NOT do gland in the salons...I found this difficult to
comprehend since coming in from WA, that was just something I thought all
groomers did...boy was I wrong...guess there are several "regions" of the
country where groomers and vet tech can not do this...even the external ...

So to clarify APPGA sent the AZ Vet board a query...first of all was it
could groomer do anal glands , and to what degree if they could?

It took several meetings [of the vet board] before APPGA got an answer...yes
it was illegal, no they were not going to enforce it, but if an owner of a
pet that had had it glands done at a shop were to sue, the Vet Board would
support the law, in that the groomer was at fault...whoa!

So at that point APPGA took the stance that members should be aware of this,
and that by doing anal glands they were in violation ...so, we did up a
waiver for clients to sign. Basically alerting clients to the dangers of
incorrectly doing anals, and that the groomers were to be held harmless if
the client still wanted the groomer to do this procedure. BTW, many shops
stopped doing them altogether...Once alerted to the facts most clients did
go to the vets for this procedure. The vets were split about 50/50 on
having groomers do the anals, that's why the decision they handed down...

Pam Julian, former Vice President, Arizona Professional Pet Groomers Association

In Ontario, only groomer's who are "employees" of the vet., the vet. has
to be on the premises and have knowledge that the groomer is expresssing
anal sacs - are allowed to express them. The ruling is that it takes a
veterinary diagnosis to tell whether they need expressing.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Although common, manual expression of anal glands by professional pet groomers does not appear to be overwhelmingly accepted as a standard practice among groomers who share on the Internet. Forty one percent of those responding to the question, “Do you routinely express anal glands?” stated that they do not provide this service. Another twenty four percent responded that they express glands only when specifically requested, which is infrequent.

For some groomers there seems to be a lack of clarity as to whether injury to the pet can occur as a result of gland expression and their liability for any subsequent problems. Others expressed that they had heard from mentors, breeders, or vets, that manual expression might lead to dependency. While there seems to be some anecdotal support for this matter, it is unknown whether there is scientific evidence. The general trend, which seems to have some veterinary support, is that the procedure might be helpful for those individual dogs that have an identified problem with natural anal gland expression, but that for the healthy majority, less expression is better. Because the anal glands are internal organs, some pet groomers, as well as some veterinary associations have defined this as not appropriate for pet grooming. Schools of grooming do not universally teach how to do this, some do, some do not, and others teach it is not appropriate. While the practice is still quite common, it is by no means universal.

Grooming Tips - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

2008-08-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

A reader asked: "Please give me tips on how to groom a Cavalier with a cotton cancy coat. Thick, profuse coat with fine hair. I've tried Mars coat king 20blade, mikki stripper and furminator. Besides those products, can anything else be done and can we use anything electrical for ease and also speed? Thank you."

I have to admit that in 37 years of grooming, I have only worked with 2-3 Cavaliers, so I put the question to my groomers email group. Here are some replies.

Ellen Meyer, NCMG, owner/operator of The Grateful Dog in Trinidad, Colorado, a competition groomer, wrote:
Cavalier coats overgrow after spaying, shaving or long time neglect. It can take a couple of grooms to get it under control and toughen the skin to the process, but then it shouldn't be difficult at all to maintain with monthly grooming.Start with a dirty dog. Place it sitting in front of you facing the opposite direction. Use a coarse (8 tooth) Coat King in long strokes from the neck all the way down the back, holding the skin firmly behind the skull. If it produces very little, cross the grain very slightly, but watch that you aren't cutting hairs.

When the tool stops working, advance to the medium Coat King and repeat. Next the fine. Once you are very experienced with these tools, it doesn't take too long to do a thorough strip (20 minutes including knifes). Now check the skin for irritation. You can stop and bathe, and use the knifes after, use stripping knifes now, or if you are satisfied with the density and color you've produced skip stripping knives all together.

I would probably wash and sack (towel) the dog and blow dry the feathers and ears. After the dog was dry, I would again place the dog in the same position (sitting, facing away) and go over with a coarse stripping knife. To make a knife very effective, I hold the skin tight in the area I am working and use short, brisk strokes in the direction of growth with the knife held almost flat against the skin, teeth facing up. Make sure it is a dulled knife so you don't cut hair or skin! Check the skin a lot, especially on a dog who hasn't had it done in a while. A fine stripping knife is probably unnecessary.

Now stand the dog up and finger pluck any downy hair growing down the legs. Use a stripping stone and finger pluck the face and stop until you're satisfied. Finish tailoring the body and head with thinning shears. Trim out the pads. Trim the feet into an oval shape using thinners if they are ridiculously overgrown.This may be slow going for a couple grooms, but it will restore the dog's beautiful colors and produce the correct coat growth. It should become easy to maintain in a few months. You just won't get the same results with anything mechanical and the undercoat will continue to become more profuse. I find this work very satisfying because of the beauty of the results.

These are just basic stripping instructions for spaniel and setter coats and they work on LH daschunds and chihuahua. Treat it like you would a cocker.

Lois Brown, NCMG, MPS, of The Grooming Booth, Fredericksburg, OH, said:
Treat it like you would a cocker. You could try carding the coat, or I've done everything from blades to snap on combs on them (only if they don't like all the hair though).

Susy the Groomer, CMG, Mobile Grooming with Style, Snohomish, WA, shared:
I have a fluffy cav and I've tried the gambit of tools and I have
ended up taking the green ss comb (Wahl snap-on comb) over him. Stripping him would have worked I suspect, but the owners don't want to pay that much.

BBird sez: I want to thank my groomer buddies for these responses. I can add that one of my favorite carding tools is the Mat Breaker. I started using this before the Coat Kings hit the scene, and I'm still reaching for it today. There are two significant differences between the CKs and the Mat Breaker - the handles, (the CK is on a perpendicular or T-handle, the MB has a horizontal or straight handle) and the MB has little barbs inside the blades that work great to pull out fuzzy stuff. I use the Mat Breaker to remove undercoat and fuzzy hair on everything from Collies to cats.

Another of my "secret weapons" for removing fuzzy hair is latex gloves. I use these to help me quickly hand pluck. I do lots of hand stripping of terrier coats with my fingers and the gloves, and I also use a glove to help me pluck out unwanted fuzz from Collies, Shelties, Newfies, Springers, etc.

Let's take a minute to further discuss a mechanical approach. Susy says she has resorted to using a snap on comb. Using a comb attachment or clipping with a blade is a last resort, as it will cut the hair. Just as with terrier coats, if we cut the fine fuzzy coat of a Cavalier, we will get finer, fuzzier, hair with faded color. The only way to promote new growth of less fine hair is to manually remove fuzz and allow a new, fatter, follicle to replace several fine fuzzy hairs. Unless you clear the follicle, you will not get a better replacement, as there is only room in the follicle for more fine fuzzy stuff. Does that make sense?

It is possible, however, to combine approaches. If you cut the topcoat, as with a snap-on comb attachment or a #4F blade, and then card out lots of fuzz (easier to card through a shorter coat), you will still be promoting some new growth of good hair. You will then have a combination coat, which you probably have anyway. As the new growth comes in, you can more easily address the old, fuzzier stuff. Of course, some new hair will be more of the fine, less desirable stuff. It does depend a lot on the DNA of the dog, and the hormonal status. For pets, however, a combination of clipping and carding can be a good compromise.

Grooming Pelted Poodle Ears

2008-08-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

An anonymous viewer wrote:

My toy poodle's ears have matted pelts on the exterior. What is the best way to fix this problem? Besides grooming more often...

BBird responds: MAGIC WAND? Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Pelted fur is difficult to "fix"...it is best to try to avoid this problem by combing and brushing before the hair becomes matted. There are a couple of ways to approach undoing felted fur. Silicone detangling products can help. Silicone ingredients work to form a smooth glass-like surface on the hair cuticle allowing the hair to be gently pulled apart. Spray on products work best when allowed to dry into the coat. There are also silicone gel products, such as "Cowboy Magic" that can be used to coax tightly matted hair apart.

The gray-handled "Mat Breaker" tool will work to undo felted ears. It is best used with a picking action, digging in and lifting up in short quick strokes, rather than trying to drag the tool through the hair. The hair should be cleaned and conditioned or coated with detangling gel first.

A very wide toothed comb will also break apart mats. Again, you would use a picking action to break the hair apart.

One of the things to keep in mind when working on felted ears is that the skin on the ear leather is sometimes rather fragile, and there are a gazillion blood vessels around the edges of the ear leather. You can easily rip open the skin from just pulling too hard and cause unsightly bleeding. Because of this condition, most professional groomers prefer to clip felted ears rather than untangle them.

A key to preventing ears from becoming felted is to always use conditioner with antistatic agents after bathing. The ears on a Poodle should be fluff dried (brushed out while drying) in order to separate and straighten. Left to air dry, or rubbed on furniture will cause felted ears, as will scratching. A leave-in spray misted on the coat before brushing or combing, is also helpful.

The bottom line, however, is that the best way to eliminate this situation is regular grooming. Sorry!

CHANGES IN EQYSS PREMIER SHAMPOO

2008-06-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

EQYSS PREMIER Natural Botanical Shampoo has changed. Here is a comparison of the ingredient list as it appeared a few years ago and today.

(2005)
1. Deionized water
2. Sodium Laureth Sulfate
3. Cocamide MEA
4. Sodium PCA
5. Hydrolyzed mucopolysaccharides
6. Allantoin
7. Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
8. Tetrasodium EDTA
9. Acetamide MEA
10. Cocamidopropyl Betaine
11. Polyquarterium-10
12. Citric Acid
13. DMDM Hydantoin
14. Aloe vera
15. Extracts of lavender, clove, thyme
16. FD&C Blue #1
17. Fragrance

(2008)
1. Deionized Water
2. Sodium Laureth Sulfate
3. Cocamidopropyl Betaine
4. Glycol Stearate (and) Steareth-4
5. Palmitamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride
6. Cocamide DEA
7. Polyquartium 10
8. Aloe Vera
9. Sodium PCA
10. Acetamide MEA 1
1. Glycosaminoglycans
12. Extracts of lavender, clove, thyme
13. Allantoin
14. Peg 75-lanolin
15. Urea
16. Citric Acid
17. Methyl Paraben
18. DMDM Hydantoin
19. Tetrasodium EDTA
20. Salt
21. FD&C Blue #1
22. Fragrance
23. Pearlizing Agent

SUMMARY OF CHANGES: The primary surfactant has not changed, SLES. There appears to be more cocamidopropyl betaine in the new formula. Cocamide MEA has been replaced with Cocamide DEA, although the company website still claims "DEA Free" about this product. A major pearlizing agent, Glycol Stearate (and) Steareth-4 has been added which changes the appearance of the product.

A key ingredient to this shampoo has been the Sodium PCA, which is a moisture attracting agent, and it has dropped from the prominent place of#4 in the list to a lesser #9 position. A powerful emulsifier and thickener has been added, palmitamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride, and Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein has been dropped. The Hydrolyzed mucopolysaccharides are listed under another name, Glycosaminoglycans. PEG 75-lanolin and Urea have been added. These are both moisturizers. Salt has been added. Salt is noted to work well in conjunction with Palmitamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride as a thickening system.

The preservative system has changed from relying solelyon DMDM Hydantoin, to a combination of Methyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin andTetrasodium EDTA. EDTA is also a chelating agent, which probably helps the product perform better in hard water.

None of these ingredient changes are going to make this product clean the dog any better. They are mostly changes that make the product more appealing to the human marketplace. Eqyss has always marketed to what is called a "cross over" market, animal AND human. They advertise "Fit for Man and Beast", and state about the Premier shampoo, "absolutely the finest shampoo ever made for humans or pets". With the changes in emulsifiers, boosting the cocamidopropyl betaine, and adding the pearlizing agent, the shampoo is thicker, creates more suds and the foam is more firm, and the concentrated stuff has a nice silky feel. This is all in line with the trends in human products.

The change from formulating with Cocamide MEA to using Cocamide DEA is one that particularly annoys this blogger, as this company has emphasized "NO DEA" for several years. This statement still appears on their main website and on the product description on websites all over the global Internet. To use the avoidance of a substance as a selling point and then use it anyway lacks integrity. Really, how dare they! The truth, as I see it, is that Cocamide DEA is much easier to formulate than Cocamide MEA. Cocamide MEA is waxy flakes that must be melted requiring a heat phase, Cocamide DEA is a liquid that can be cold mixed. Eqyss is having it both ways, marketing to our DEA fears AND taking advantage of the formulating benefits of Cocamide DEA. It is misleading and it gripes my grits!

The contact info for EQYSS :

Eqyss Grooming Products Incorporated
Mailing Address:PO. BOX 130-008 Carlsbad, CA 92013
Tel: 1(800) 526-7469 Fax: (760) 599-0808
Email: info@eqyss.com

ASK YOUR PET GROOMING QUESTIONS HERE!

2008-04-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Have a question for BBird? Leave it here and I'll try to get to you asap.

Dealing with Lhasa Apso Undercoat

2008-04-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

A groomer asks:
This is about a full coated lhasa - his last groomer told the owner that he should only be carded twice a year. You should see his coat! I feel he needs it more regularly, at least for a while, until his coat lies flater and has more luster. Am I right in my thinking and if so how do I convince the owner.

I'd like to see it. As a former Lhasa fancier, and one who has finished several champions, I would say that if the coat is not draping properly, it probably needs some undercoat removed. It's not a pekingese, it shouldn't look like one. Be careful, however, because you can overdo carding. My mother ruined the coat on our first Lhasa by constantly combing with a fine comb and removing all the undercoat. It was a rough lesson learned. Undercoat gives the coat body and fullness, but too much makes for a coat that does not flow. It also makes for more matting. Get rid of some.

DEALING WITH DILUTION - PET GROOMING

2008-02-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

A GROOMER WRITES: ok, so Ive beem grooming for years now...but.... since Ive had no
"formal" training I have no idea about how to mix shampoos,
conditioners to their most efficient ratio, labels confuse me....at
work we dump in a half inch or so into a katchup bottle and call it
"ready". I have opened my home shop now and so I bought the mixing bottles and
I want to do things right and so heres the questions:
some shampoos say can be mixed to 32:1, like griminator etc...maybe it
can be watered down that much, but will it still work great at that
ratio? or should I add more shampoo per water to really clean those
dirty dogs well?
Same with conditioners? more matted the more conditioner to water?
It probably varies with each product right? what is the general rule
of thumb to follow then?
I want to learn, please help.

BBIRD RESPONDS:
Generally speaking, when a manufacturer says that their product can be
diluted xx:1, it means that this is this dilution that they recommend
for optimum performance of their product. They have formulated the
product so that it will meet their standards of performance at that
dilution.

Unless you have extremely hard water, the dilution ratio on the label
is the best place to start. Many products can be diluted more. When we
use bathing systems, we dilute to 128:1 and greater. On an extremely
dirty pet, a second bath might be necessary, or some extra product
(diluted) on especially dirty areas, such as feet, underchest, rear
end of the dog. A hard concept to grasp is that cleaning mostly
happens in the rinsing, not in the amount of shampoo put on the dog.
This is especially true of high sudsing products.

Conditioners are different, and it makes more sense to use stronger
dilutions of conditioners on severely matted dogs, or on matted areas.
Conditioner ingredients are substantive to the hair. This means that
the ingredients stay on the hair, unlike shampoos. Another approach on
challenging coats is to use a rinse through conditioner in the tub,
and spray with a leave-in and/or detangler product on the table as you
dry or brush out.

Conditioners are usually recommended at dilutions of under 10:1, but
often work very well through a recirculating bathing system at vastly
greater dilution. Conditioners often don't work as well through
application type bathing systems. The big difference between hand
bathing and a recirculating system is that in hand bathing we are
applying product and then rinsing it down the drain. In recirculating,
we are applying it over and over until more molecules of the active
ingredients are used and all the hairs are addressed.

P.S. If you have extremely hard water, it is best to use products that
contain "chelating agents" such as EDTA, that help to keep the
minerals in your water from interfering with the action of the
surfactants in the product. Since hard water minerals bind with some
surfactant molecules rendering them unavailable for cleaning, hard
water can require approximately 2 more parts shampoo. Also in this
situation, it is better to use products that ask for less dilution, so
there is less of your hard water and more of the manufacturers
de-ionized water being applied to the task. Did you follow that? I
hope.

SHOULD I CLIP DOWN MY GOLDENDOODLE?

2008-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

A pet owner asks: I was just wondering --- If you had a VERY matted doodle -- that had a coat more like a poodle than a golden -- and you lived in south carolina -- would you go ahead and shave him down once to 'clean' him up...??Or can a professional groomer get Mattes out unlike us amatuers?Also -- it will be his first shaving -- he still has his puppy coat. Wil his puppy coat be different from the next coat that grows in?THANKS!

BBird responds: Jim, it's Shaving Time, regardless of where you live. Once a coat is "very matted" it is not worth the effort and money it would cost to save the coat. First of all, it can be rough on the dog and on the groomer. Your dog has many more groomings ahead, there is no hair worth souring his/her attitude toward grooming. Also, my experience has been that even a master dematter like myself will do so much coat damage in breaking apart matting that the coat will mat easier more profusely after an extensive dematting. The clip down is inevitable, you might buy some time, but for what? Do it now and save the dog and groomer. The new coat will be his adult coat, and it should be a little easier to maintain.

Many doodles go through this matting phase. It is due to the mixed nature of the coat, which is a challenge to maintain in many individual dogs, especially when they are transitioning between puppy and adult coat. You will get the adult coat when it grows back in.When I have to clip down, I like to wet clip, which often enables me to use a bigger blade and leave more length. Here is a picture of "Cowboy" a goldendoodle that I clipped down five weeks ago. He doesn't look too bad.

I had groomed Cowboy two times previous to his clip down and done some moderate dematting. On his third visit, it was clear that we had backslid into a worsened matted state, especially on the inside of the legs and under the chest. Although the dog is very tolerant and the coat actually comes apart rather easily, it was clear that we were on a downhill slide with the matting. I clipped him after the bath and conditioning with the coat very wet, using mostly a #4F blade. On the worst areas, I switched to a #5. He did not look terrible, and in this photo five weeks later, he looks pretty good. (I think). The owners are very happy. There was no matting at all this time, and I just evened it up. Cowboy is cool! He is also a giant Goldendoodle. I would almost wonder if there wasn't an Irish Wolfhound in the woodshed.

Pet Grooming Procedures - Removing Ear Hair

2008-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

"Is it necessary to pull out the hair from inside the ears of my Bichon?", asks a pet owner who has begun grooming her own dog.

BBird responds:
The premise behind removing the hair that grows inside the ear is that this hair can block air from the inner ear that is necessary in order to evaporate moisture in the ear canal. Also, excess wax cannot be shaken out naturally. On the whole, removing and managing the hair inside the ears seems to reduce the possibility of ear infection. that being said, there are individual dogs for whom the pulling of the hair in the ears can CAUSE a problem.

Most dogs accept the procedure fairly well. Done properly, it does not cause pain. It might feel weird, but it does not hurt. This hair is not very firmly imbedded. I sprinkle ear powder lightly on the hair and simply pinch a few hairs at a time. This does not seem to be a problem for most dogs. There is always somebody, however, to make a liar out of me and cause a huge dramatic scene about the procedure and scream so loud you'll be afraid the neighbors will call the authorities. If this is the case, you might want to hold off and get the vet to do it, if they feel it is necessary. The goal should be to remove enough hair to allow the inside of the ear to receive air.

Groomers: For those rare pets where removing ear hair seems to be a "deal breaker" and risks your relationship of trust with the dog, I suggest you decline this service in order to preserve your ability to do all the other things you must do for the dog in his/her grooming. The same goes for toenails.

Here is a link to a little video showing me plucking the hair from a toy poodle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mi3Aouu3e4

BITING LHASA NEEDS BEST MUZZLE

2008-01-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

A pet owner writes: My Lhasa was cut by a groomer and now when I get near him with scissors or anything he will bite me. Do you know of a muzzle that will absolutely keep him from being able to bite but will allow me to trim around his eyes, nose and under his chin? He weighs about 15 pounds I think. Thank you!

BBird responds:
I am so sorry for your problems. When Lhasas are difficult, it can be seriously so. There is no muzzle that is absolute and will allow you to groom the face, as most cover the muzzle. It is very scary to work around the face of a biting subject, whether you are novice or professional.

I find that I can usually do over the eyes with a regular nylon muzzle on the mouth. If the dog is not struggling, I can sometimes snip out some from the inside corners of the eyes also with the muzzle on, using the blending shears. For a Lhasa Apso, this is usually a size small muzzle. It is important that a muzzle not fit loosely around the mouth.

I've had some success in using an old knee high nylon looped over the top of the muzzle, tied in a single knot under the chin and then tightened and tied behind the ears. I can use the ends as a kind of handle, while I trim under the chin. Sometimes I can get some trimming done without a muzzle when the dog is dripping wet in the tub.

There is also a device available called the "Groomers Helper", that allows you to tie the dogs head to a pole to keep them from being able to jerk their head around. This can be combined with a Gentle Leader type of head harness to greatly reduce (but not totally eliminate) the possibility of biting.

My recommendation would be that you enlist the services of a behaviorist, a trainer, to help you work with the dog so as to change the behavior. Problems with biting at the grooming can drift and escalate into other areas of life, especially if the dog is able to manipulate your behavior with his biting. It's a dangerous situation. You can both get hurt. I urge you to get some help to turn this around.

I have owned several Lhasas. It was our family breed for about 15 years. My mom was a responsible breeder, and we showed our dogs. I have dearly loved my Lhasas. When I became a groomer, I was horrified to learn that this breed has a terrible reputation amongst groomers for being difficult and biting. Groomers have a term, "land shark", that often applies to Lhasas. Some can be sweet and compliant, but others can be very resistive and snappish. There is something of an "inner terrier" in this breed, they can be fiercely independent and I suspect that there was some irresponsible breeding during a popularity surge in the 80's where temperament was not well monitored and attitude problems were not bred out. Some of this has trickled down to haunt the dogs, their owners, and groomers today. Behavior problems can be genetic.

It's hard to say what "caused" the behavior you are dealing with. Rarely does a single episode on the grooming table, or even an accident, cause bad behavior. It may, however, provide a trigger or escalate existing tendencies. It is very unfortunate that the groomer cut the dog. There may have been difficulties down the road regardless of the groomer. What is important is that the problem is in your lap. I think a good behaviorist could help you deal with your dog in such a way as to reduce the intensity of the behavior and teach the dog to control the biting.
BBird

>

Mixing Pet Shampoo and Conditioner

2008-01-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

A groomer writes: Hi, I enjoy your articles and comments on groomers.net, I have a question. I use mainly tropiclean shampoos and cond. with a rec. washer, is it OK to run the conditioner through the washer with the shampoo water, or do I need to rinse and then run the cond.? And is this ok if I am hand washing a dog to apply the shampoo, work it in, and then apply the conditioner over it and rinse ?

BBird sez:
Hi Lisa. Thanks for writing and asking your question. This could get technical, so first I am going to simply say that it is not the best idea to use rinse through conditioners that are formulated for use after the shampoo on top of shampoo product. It is not dangerous, or anything like that, it is simply that you will waste some of your conditioning ingredients that will be carried off by the shampoo surfactants, and you may lose some cleaning ability of the shampoo as well.

Shampoos are formulated using anionic surfactants grab the dirt and sebum and run (so to speak). Rinse through conditioners are made primarily with cationic surfactants that replace the sebum and cling to the surface of the hair. By mixing the two, you may lose some of the properties of either system. One of the common reactions of mixing shampoo and conditioner is that the strong detergent molecules carry off some of the conditioner molecules along with sebum and dirt. In that case, you have wasted conditioner. Oh, some conditioner will find its way to the hair, but not nearly as effectively as if you had rinsed the anionic solution first. Another possibility is that the cationic conditioner ingredients can neutralize the anionic solution causing the shampoo solution to “drop” the dirt and oil that it is holding in suspension and allowing some dirt and sebum molecules to be re-deposited back to the hair. In that case, you have less effective cleansing.

It has taken the chemists decades to develop two-in-one “conditioning shampoos” that mix conditioning and cleaning ingredients. The conditioning ingredients that work well in combination with shampoo ingredients are silicone polymers and selected quarternary ammonium compounds. These ingredients are found in some conditioners, as well, especially the leave-in conditioners. EZ-Groom makes a solution that they call “The Answer” that can be used with shampoo to obtain an effective conditioning shampoo. It is mainly silicone ingredients.

Label Analysis - Bobbi Panter Pet Shampoo

2008-01-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Let's take a look at the Bobbi Panter line of shampoos.

How Marketed: "Natural pet pampering products" that "contain only the finest hand-picked ingredients that are custom blended to achieve their sought after results." They also highlight these points: "We use NO sodium chloride to thicken our products"; "All of our products are tear-free - pH balanced to match the eyes"; "All of our products are SAFE FOR CATS!"; and, "Not just shampoo - it's skin care for your pet!". Oh yes, and "As seen on QVC".

Okay! Sounds great. Let's take a look at the ingredients.. I must say I am very impressed that they include ingredient lists for their products on the website. This is a big plus in my book, as we know that they do not really HAVE to disclose this information. They have explanations of each ingredient. My comments follow in [brackets].

Ingredients: Gorgeous Dog Shampoo

Deionized Water – High quality pure water, [in ready-to-use shampoos, this can be 75-85% of the product. In products intended for dilution it is usually 50-75%. P.S. Deionized water has had all the minerals removed, electrically. It is not water as in its natural state. The real purpose of deionization is to remove the ionic activity of the trace minerals naturally found in water that can interfere with the ionic cleansing activity of the cleansing detergents and create precipitates that leave a film.]
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate – A cleaning agent from natural coconut alcohols, [One of the most common, and lowest cost primary surfactants used in shampoos, this alkyl sulfate is not significantly different than its very unpopular cousin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Although it may be derived from a natural source, the processes of extracting the oil from the coconut, obtaining the Lauryl Alcohol from the oil, and combining the alcohol with the Sodium Sulfate (sulfonation) are chemical manipulations that result in a substance that retains none of the properties of the original natural coconut. The cleaning ability of the surfactant is related to its ionic nature and chemical properties, not to anything about the coconut.]
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine (and) Aqua – Enhances foaming. [also has excellent anti-static property and helps to thicken. Notice that this ingredient also adds more water].
Cocoamidopropyl Betaine – Conditions and softens, [This ingredient has multiple functions, including being a counter irritant to sulfate surfactants, but it’s primary use in most formulas is for its foam building ability.]
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (and) PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides (and) Water – Lowers irritancy, [Also known as Crothix Liquid, this chemical is primarily a thickener and foam stabilizer. It is used as an alternative to Cocamide DEA or MEA, and has the extra feature of also lowering irritancy of surfactant systems, and producing a pleasant smooth after-feel to skin. Notice that this ingredient also adds more water to the formula.]
Hydrolyzed Oat Protein – Soothes sensitive skin. [Also helps to thicken. Although oat protein has value as a skin soothing agent, "hydrolyzed" means that the natural substance has been mixed with water (more water) and broken down by enzyme, acid, or other method of hydrolysis. Also we need to note that some dogs are allergic to oat protein.]
Glycerine – Absorbs and retains moisture,[Correctomundo!]
[ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE PROBABLY HAS VERY LITTLE VALUE BEYOND NAME VALUE (MARKETING) AND FRAGRANCE. ]
Lavender Extract – soothes, [Fragrance value]
Aloe Vera Gel – moisturizes, [Name recognition value]
Jojoba oil – soothes and conditions, [Name recognition value]
Tocopheryl Acetate – Natural Vitamin E, moisturizes [Name recognition value]
Rosemary Extract – Conditions and adds sheen, [Fragrance value]
Camomile Extract – Benefits dry or irritated skin. [Fragrance value]
Preservative - A small amount of preservative is required to protect our natural ingredients. [Notice they have chosen not to disclose what chemical preservative system they are using.]

Summary Impressions: I don't really see anything very "natural" about this list of ingredients, other than the substitution of botanical extracts for the fragrances. Everything else is commonly found in other products that do not make the "natural" claim. They have formulated to avoid some of the "boogeymen" ingredients found on many natural "hit lists", such as Cocamide DEA , Propylene Glycol, and colorants. Their choice to not use sodium chloride (salt), a natural substance, as a thickener is interesting, because in order to thicken without it, they are using some very complex chemicals. The ingredients have been carefully chosen to include names that have recognition value as "good" and "natural", although the shampoo base itself does not appear to be particularly natural. What is "natural" in this formula are the additives, not the major ingredients.

ShowSeason "Results Rinse" vs. Chris Christensen "After Bath"

2008-01-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

A groomer writes on the Groomers BBS: BBird--I love the results rinse. I picked up a little sample size bottle at a trade show and am planning on ordering some in the near future. But what do you know about the Chris Christensen After Bath? Does it do the same thing? If they are both similar, I would like to use the one that will be less irritating to allergenic dogs. Do you have any info on this? I know you are the Chem. Wiz. and I would appreciate a comparison of the ingredients, if you got it. Thanks for your time and expertise.
Love, Meg.

The Chris Christensen After Bath is a much more complex formulation than the ShowSeason Results Rinse. I use both. After Bath provides more moisturizing and conditioning than does the Results Rinse. Although the After Bath leaves coats less soft and floppy than many rinse through conditioners, there is still a little softening effect. Here is a link to my GroomBlog article about After Bath. It was my first post to the GroomBlog.

http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2004/11/chris-christensens-after-bath.html

ShowSeason Results Rinse is a much more simple formula, and as such, it is probably one of the least likely to cause any allergic reactions. Results Rinse will leave the coat the most "springy" and the very best for scissoring. It does not, however, nourish the coat. It has some detangling (silicone) and provides shine and protection, but if used exclusively over time it might dry out the coat. I use it on lots of dogs (it also reduces drying time), but for my regulars, every several shampoos, I switch to the After Bath or do a deeper conditioning treatment. On my very allergic Bichons i have used Results Rinse exclusively with no real problems, no excessive drying or coat breakage. But when the dog is not allergic, I like to switch off every now and then.

Does that answer your question? You need both products!!!

MYTHS ABOUT TEARLESS PET SHAMPOOS

2007-12-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

A groomer on the Groomers BBS asked: Do tearless shampoos have numbing agents in them?
A shampoo sales person responded : Tearless Shampoos that have too much salt, dye and synthetic perfumes in them usually do put a numbing agent in there. I know it was the
case with some tearless baby shampoos as well. Almost any shampoo that does not contain to much salt, dye or synthetic perfumes will be okay to use on the face and around the
eyes. We recommend our Silk Solutions Shampoo for around the face.

BBird Sez:
Okay, I have to jump in here and try to disagree diplomatically. I have looked and looked for this so-called "numbing agent" which allegedly is added to tearless shampoos and have never found it. Can you please name it? I have read dozens of labels and looked up every ingredient. No numbing agents. I have read through several dictionaries of cosmetic ingredients. No numbing agents. I have talked with several formulating chemists and they can't name a shampoo ingredient that would have this property. As far as I can tell, this is a myth.

The term "tearless" has no agreed upon standard, like "hypoallergenic" or "natural", and can be used by any manufacturer with any formula. Almost any formula that has any detergency also has the potential to cause some irritation if directly contacting the eye tissue. The stronger detergents, such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate are among the most potentially irritating.

Some so-called "tearless" products contain co-surfactants that actually reduce the irritation potential of the primary cleaners. These ingredients, such as Cocomidopropyl Betaine, are often found in tearlesss formulas. Another more recently developed ingredient, Crothix (listed on the label as PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (and) PEG-6 Caprilyc/capric Glycerides (and) Water) (Say THAT fast 3 times!), is used as a thickener to replace sodium chloride (salt) and has the ability to lower irritancy of detergent surfactants. But, you are trading a totally naturally occuring substance for a very synthesized chemical.

Let's look at salt in shampoo. How is it used, and is it really a bad thing? Sodium Chloride is used as a thickening agent in some anionic solutions. It does this by reducing the charge density of the micelles of the solution and changing the form of the micelles, which results in a thicker solution. It only takes one or two tablespoons of salt to thicken a gallon of shampoo. Been there/done that. I demonstrated this to a seminar at Groom West a couple of years ago.

A tablespoon is roughly 15 ml. A gallon is 128 oz x 30/ml per ounce or 3840 ml. Let's say it took 2 tablespoons to thicken your gallon. Hey, I'll give you three! But you have to be careful, because the nature of this reaction is such that, if you add too much salt, the solution becomes thin again. So, three tablespoons of salt in your gallon of shampoo is 3x14 or 45/3840. That's about 1/100th of a percent. Are you still worried?

Here's another thing: when the sodium chloride interacts with the micelles of the anionic surfactant, it is no longer the same free salt that you put in there. It's tied up, so to speak.

And another thing, just to pound a point into the ground: there are therapeutic opthalmatic solutions (eye stuff) that contain as much as 5% sodium chloride. IN SOLUTION up to as much as 5%, sodium chloride is considered a Good Thing for eye tissue.

As consumers we have to be aware of what I call "Boogeyman Marketing". This is marketing by myth and innuendo that is geared to make us distrust or fear our existing products and persuade us to trust and purchase an alternative. With all due respect, and I HIGHLY respect anyone who has formulated their own line of products, this kind of marketing just plays to our ignorance under the guise of educating.

STATIC ELECTRICITY AND PET HAIR

2007-12-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

A pet owner asks (BichonFrise list): My poor darling Troutie has gotten knots galore since we cranked up the furnace and static electricity has claimed her fur. Any suggestions for something that will not just untangle her, but keep her static-free?
Is there such a thing?

BBird sez: It can get terribly dry in our homes in the winter, and a humidifier will help everyone. Hair (human and animal) begins to accumulate a static charge when the relative humidity falls below 55-60%. When the dry air in the home becomes negatively charged and meets the naturally negatively charged surface of the hair, there is a repulsion effect and fly away hair occurs. Worse yet, the surface of the hair cuticle is made more rough, which encourages snagging and tangling. And if the dog rubs a little on the carpet or furniture (which Bichons seem to love to do), aye yai yai, we can have overnight matting. Groomers tend to scoff at owners who say that the dog matted "almost overnight". As a Bichon owner, I can testify to the possibility of this!

Almost any spray-on, leave-in conditioner will contain anti-static ingredients and smooth the hair cuticle. The class of ingredients called quats (quaternary ammonium compounds) such as cetrimonium chloride and polyquaternium 10 or 11, are particularly effective anti-statics. Some of these same quats are found in fabric softener products.
If you have an advanced case of static cling and some tangling, I would suggest a bath and regular conditioning, followed by weekly maintenance with a static reducing spray on spritzed and brushed through the coat. A readily available quick fix product that is found at the supermarket is Infusium 23 - Leave-in formula-Original. Many groomers have found this product to have an affinity for dog hair, and it is a great detangler. Even a light spritzing of plain water (preferably distilled) will help reduce static cling in hair.

In the grooming shop, I sometimes spritz fabric softener (I'm in love with Downy Lavender/Vanilla) in the air over my table. This keeps the static from making hair cling to my scissors, etc. The suggestion of using a fabric softener sheet on the dog is not a bad, but it's a surface fix and won't help the hair deeper in the coat from matting. Bichon Frise is one of the more easily matted coats, because of the porous undercoat. Porous hair has a rougher cuticle than shiny topcoat hairs, and this makes it more easily tangled. It takes only a little rubbing or build up of static to cause a mess.

My recommendation to reduce matting in the winter from static electricity in the home is to combine some form of humidifying with use of a spray on conditioner spritzed through the coat as needed or weekly. A fun way to add some humidity to a room is through the Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Diffuser with essential oils or our new fragrance oils (For The Smell of It - to be announced in Jan. 2008) available at bbird.biz. Click here to go there. Happy humidifying!

P.S. During the winter flu & cold season, we highly recommend our Healthy Shop aromatherapy blend, which contains essential oils of lemon, lavender, eucalyptus and ravensare for multiple activity against airborne germs and virus. Hey, it can't hurt and we think it helps transmission of airborne disease. And don't forget to wash your hands, even if you are bathing dogs!

Does Silk Protein Have Real Value in Hair Products?

2007-12-06T13:29:00.001-08:00

I asked myself: Is silk protein just a fad ingredient, or does it have real value in hair care products?

Silk protein, aka silk peptides or silk amino acids, seems to be an increasingly popular ingredient in both human and pet shampoos and conditioners. For one thing the concept of "silk" has tremendous marketing value, because most people associate silk with luxury, smoothness, and nature. For decades, products have promised to leave a "silky feel" to our hair; now we have the real thing, right IN the product. How cool is that?

Silk peptides are obtained by the hydrolysis of silk fibers (silk worm yarn) with strong alkalines or enzymes. This removes the gummy outer layer of the natural silk and breaks it down into tiny pieces which can be blended into products. So we could say that silk protein is the "inner stuff" of silk.

Applied to the hair, silk protein dries to form a transparent crystalline protective film. That puts it into a category of ingredients called "film formers". The protective film seals the hair cuticle, increasing combability (detangling) and shine, and acts as a moisturizer by preventing drying. These properties make silk protein an excellent conditioning ingredient. It is often selected by formulators as a more natural alternative to silicone polymers. Like silicone, silk protein is a light weight ingredient that does not weigh down the hair. Also like silicone, however, the silk protein can build up over time causing really bad hair days. Any ingredient that clings well to the hair in spite of water pressure, blow drying, styling, etc., is subject to building up.

Some companies take the marketing a bit further and claim that silk protein actually rebuilds and strengthens hair. They will also claim that it penetrates the hair cuticle and toughens the cortex of the hair strand. This is a big stretch and generally goes beyond the scientific knowledge. Protein molecules in their natural form are too large to penetrate the hair cuticle. That goes for all the protein ingredients, including hydrolyzed wheat protein, collagen, soy protein, whatever. In order to penetrate, the protein molecule would have to be chemically altered. If I find out otherwise, I'll let you know.

The bottom-line answer to our question is that silk proteins have excellent value in hair care products, but simply do not repair or rebuild hair as some companies claim.

HOW DOES THE MARS COAT KING WORK?

2007-12-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

A groomer asks:How does the coat king work, exactly? Today I used one to pull undercoat out of a German Shepherd Dog like nobody's business, but I really can't figure out why it gets so much more hair than other tools out there and not knowing how it works makes me hesitant about using it... what it is doing, how does it work?

My take on the Coat Kings is that they both rake out hair and cut hair. They work best when they are new and the blades are sharp. Because of the cutting action, they thin out coats much more efficiently than just raking with other tools, but you need to be careful to always rake in the direction of the hair growth. If you cut against the grain, it can make an unattractive spot, or even a large yukky area.

The cutting action also makes the Coat King a compromise when used on a hand stripped terrier coat. I will confess that I really messed up an Irish Terrier coat with a CK several years ago. The first time I used it, it seemed like a Gift from the Goddess, and it greatly reduced the time it took to have the dog look good. But three or four months later when she came back in, the coat looked horrible. The dark red coat was streaked with straw colored hair where I had cut instead of pulled out hair. I was able to eventually bring the coat back but it took about two times.

If you are stripping a terrier on a regular basis, the CK is less problematic, because you can pull out just the hairs you cut the next time or two. I have used it to thin out thick hips on Norwich terriers, and it helps to create different lengths in the coat, which is desirable if you are attempting to "roll" the coat.

A NEW BLOG FOR PET GROOMERS

2007-12-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here we are, our own little place, just me and you talking about pet grooming. I've been writing for groomers on email lists, bulletin boards and my GroomBlog for years, and truthfully, it has made me what I am today - a grooming journalist. Ask BBird is a place for me to interact and answer groomers' questions in a central location, and with the freedom to shameless plug the products that I sell on www.bbird.biz. The bbird.biz shopping cart supports my writing by freeing up my time to do so. In order to make it work, however, I have to be free to market it shamelessly.

HOW WILL IT WORK? Good question. We will probably have to feel our way around this for awhile. This is NOT a bulletin board. Not all questions or comments will be automatically posted. Questions will be moderated and posted when appropriate. The more likely a question or comment is to have value for others, the more likely it will be posted and addressed. Most likely, some key topics will emerge and some postings will generate more comments and additional questions. I am open to suggestions. I will try to stay responsive, but there are times when other demands, deadlines, exhaustion from grooming, and what have you will draw me away.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS in the space provided below any blog entry. This is a good place to begin. I'll get an automatic email notifying me of your comment. If I choose to respond, I will either post my reply under yours, or I'll generate a new blog post with your subject heading. We'll make it work, keep it organized, and most of all, keep it INFORMATIVE.

Welcome aboard the Ask BBird Blog. Let's see where we can take this cruise ship!

Do Thinning Shears Cause Matting?

2007-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

A groomer asks (on the Groomers.org BBS)
bbird = I can't remember where I read it.. wait it was a video by Jodi Murphy where she said not to thin the beard on a schnauzer because she thought it caused more mats because the shorter hair will tangle up with the longer hair as it grows. She suggests using a coat king to thin instead. What's your opinion? (your groomblog helped me do the first bichon I was ever proud of - thanks :) )
I certainly don't wish to position myself as arguing with Jodi Murphy for whom I have the greatest respect. but IMHO the most important thing in thinning is that you use very sharp tools. Coat Kings also cut the hair within the coat, so I think it's six of one, half dozen of the other if we are going to talk CK vs thinners/blenders. Having shorter hairs in the interior of the coat is not in itself going to cause tangling. After all, new hairs are growing all the time, right? It is when the ENDS of the shorter hairs are ragged from being cut with dull blades, or being ripped and/or broken inside the coat that matting is most likely to occur.

How many groomers have actually replaced the blades on their Coat Kings? How often do you have your thinners sharpened? These are tools that become dull gradually and we adjust to the lack of sharpness, because it sneaks up on us. Then one day we might notice that we are chomping and chomping with our thinners or dragging those Coat Kings with more and more force. "Gee, didn't this used to be easier?" Yes, when the cutting surfaces on the tools were, (hello), sharp. When tools get dull or worn, we create raggedy snaggy hair shaft ends within the coat that snag each other and form tangles. It's not the shorter hairs, per se, it's the beat up cuticles and ends that causes tangling.

On the other hand, when using thinners, we need to be careful of not over doing it in any one place, but being uniform in our cuts within the hair, or you can actually create bushiness, by having more shorter hairs that form a ledge and push out the longer hairs. Hair dressers actually use this technique on purpose, and it is one of the main use of texturizing and chunking scissors.

That's my opinion and theory, what is your experience?

BBird, Author, All About Shears Available from bbird.biz Click here to go there.

Link to the discussion on the Groomers.org BBS: http://www.groomers.net/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?126/108365