Best Deshedding Shampoo for Dogs
A deshedding shampoo is essential if your dog sheds a lot. The shampoo will save the effort and time you would have spent removing shed fur stuck on seats, bedding, carpet, floor, and any other upholstery or fabric. However, which is the best deshedding shampoo for dogs?
Undoubtedly, pet stores have plenty of dog shampoos that will prevent shedding. While they all promise to clean, moisturize, nourish, and minimize excessive shedding; only a few will work effectively. Many will disappoint.
Perhaps, that’s why you’ve heard some dog guardians complain that anti-shedding shampoos don’t work.
If you’re looking for a shampoo to minimize excessive shedding, this post will help you choose the best dog deshedding shampoo for dogs which you can find in pet stores.
What to look for in the best dog deshedding shampoo:
There is one trick to buying an effective dog deshedding shampoo—know the ingredients that prevent shedding. Assuming this is the first time you are buying, here are some essential ingredients to look out for.
1. Natural plant extracts
Most, if not all, anti-shedding shampoos for dogs contain natural plant extracts. They are the source of cleansing, nourishing, moisturizing, and exfoliating agents found in the deshedding shampoo.
The common plant extracts to look out for when buying the best deshedding shampoo for Fido include:
• Lavender oil
Lavender oil is one of the magic extracts used in deshedding shampoos for canines. Boasting of a divine scent, lavender is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and oils. It boosts hair growth, eliminates dander, and it inhibits microbial activity that supports shedding. Regular use will strengthen your dog’s fur, thereby minimizing excessive shedding.
• Coconut oil
Used in human skin and hair care products, coconut oil is excellent for your dog’s coat too. It will make your canine’s fur grow thicker, stronger, and healthier. It is rich in vitamins, antimicrobials, antioxidants, and fatty acids. It moisturizes your dog’s dry skin to reduce itching, flaking, and dander. Moreover, coconut oil will protect your dog’s skin against infections that trigger excessive shedding.
• Aloe vera extract
Aloe vera is another great extract for best deshedding shampoo for dogs. It is rich in vitamins that strengthen your dog’s fur and enzymes that strip away excess coat oil. Also, aloe vera has anti-inflammatory agents that decrease itching and antibiotics that avert infections that can accelerate shedding.
• Rosemary extract
Rosemary has phenols, carvacrol, antioxidants, quercetin, and rosmarinic acid. The compounds join forces to boost blood and nutrient circulation to your canine’s coat. In fact, Rosemary’s rosmarinic acid is a potent antimicrobial that will fight fungal, viral, and bacterial infections that can cause shedding.
• Oatmeal
Loaded with essential minerals, amino acids, and minerals, oatmeal will nourish your canine’s coat with the vital nutrients needed for healthy fur growth. Apart from nourishing, oatmeal is a strong exfoliate that will unclog pores to boost fur growth.
2. Essential fatty acids
The fatty acids added in dog shampoos are vital in deshedding. They support production of keratin, a protein that supports healthy fur growth. Moreover, fatty acids support the production of sebum, an oily stuff that hydrates your dog’s coat.
Some of the vital fatty acids often used in dog deshedding shampoos are:
• Omega 3 fatty acids
Omega 3 fatty acids prevent excessive shedding in two significant ways. One, they minimize hair follicle inflammation, one of the causes of excessive shedding. Two, the fatty acids nourish the follicles and coat with the amino acids required to support the growth of dense and strong fur while minimizing premature shedding.
• Omega 6 fatty acids
Omega 6 fatty acids are important for healthy fur and scalp. Omega 6 promotes the production of sebum, the oily substance that moisturizes your dog’s skin. It will minimize flaking and scratching, two primary causes of extreme shedding.
3. Vitamins
Like any part of your canine’s body, its coat and fur need adequate vitamins to grow healthy. A deficiency of these nutrients will lead to sensitivity, infection, drying, and other issues that accelerate shedding.
Therefore, when looking for the best deshedding shampoo for dogs, it would matter to get one enriched with a single or multiple vitamins that support hair growth and coat health. Not sure of the vitamins to look out for? Here are the 3 most essential.
• Vitamin A
Like muscles and tissues, your dog’s hair and coat need Vitamin A to grow healthy. Also, vitamin A stimulates the production of sebum, a substance that helps skin to self-moisturize. With a deshedding shampoo, your dog will never shed as a result of drying and itching.
• Vitamin E
Vitamin E’s role in deshedding is linked to its antioxidant properties. It will reduce hair follicle damage, one of the causes of excessive shedding. It slows down the shedding occasioning from exposure to sun, heat, and harsh cleaning products.
• Vitamin C
Like vitamin E, vitamin C minimizes shedding by blocking the effect of free radicals on your dog’s skin, fur, and follicle cells. Furthermore, vitamin C supports the production of collagen, a compound that strengthens hair growth.
4. Natural foaming agents
Ordinary shampoos use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) as their foaming agent. While it produces enough lather to make cleaning easy, dog wellness experts claim that SLS will thin your dog’s fur and dry up your dog’s skin. It accelerates shedding rather than preventing.
For that reason, if you want a safer dog deshedding shampoo, look around for one with gentle foaming agents. Probably, you should go for those deshedding shampoos with coconut, olive, almond and any other natural foaming agents.
5. Glycerine
Glycerine is an emollient and moisturizer. It coats your dog’s skin and hair with an invisible layer of oil. Your canine’s skin will stay hydrated and less flaky even when exposed to harsh conditions, like dry air indoors or hot and humid weather outdoors.
What ingredients should not be in dog deshedding shampoo:
While we expect anti-shedding shampoos to minimize shedding, that isn’t the case always. Some cheap brands contain chemicals that can dry and irritate your dog’s coat. Exposure to such irritants will promote shedding instead.
Therefore, before you purchase any deshedding shampoo, make sure it is free of harmful chemicals like:
• Isopropyl and propanol
Manufacturers use alcohols like acetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and to thicken their shampoos as well as keep your dog’s skin moisturized. But, alcohols like isopropyl and propanol will dry out your dog’s coat, thereby accelerating shedding.
• Parabens
Parabens, a common preservative in mass shampoos, isn’t great for managing shedding. It causes flaking, irritation, and itchiness. That means using a shampoo with parabens will trigger shedding rather than reduce it.
• Diethanolamine and Triethanolamine
Diethanolamine and Triethanolamine are stabilizers that help your shampoo’s ingredients to form a homogenous liquid. While they execute their function flawlessly, DEA and TEA can damage your dog’s keratin.
• Propylene Glycol
Used as a thickening agent for shampoos, propylene glycol will strip moisture and the natural oil that keeps your canine’s skin hydrated. As a result, your dog’s coat will start flaking, and its fur will break. The coat will shed more as a result.
Our suggestions for best deshedding shampoo for dogs:
If you are out there looking for the best anti-shedding shampoo for your dog, and you feel skeptical about your find, don’t fret. Here are three effective shampoos that are gentle on your dog’s skin.
TropiClean Natural Shed Control Shampoo
The TropiClean shed control shampoo is made from all-natural ingredients to soothe, exfoliate, moisturize, and nourish your dog’s coat. It contains coconut oil, wheat protein, colloidal oatmeal, and a botanical blend of chamomile, blueberry, ginger, aloe and pomegranate.
This best deshedding dog shampoo lathers up quickly to clean excessive oil, dander, and any other dirt on your canine’s skin. The botanical blend penetrates deep into your dog’s skin to nourish your dog’s coat and fur with vitamins and minerals.
FURminator Premium deshedding shampoo
Free of irritating additives and enhanced with beneficial fatty acids, the FURminator premium shampoo will never disappoint. It contains omega 6, omega 3, cranberry, kava, papaya leaf, and calendula extracts.
With this blend, the FURminator premium deshedding shampoo will not only exfoliate, moisturize, and minimize deshedding. But, it will also nourish your canine with the essential nutrients required to keep its coat in top shape.
The Coat Handler deshedding dog shampoo
A quick look at this shampoo’s ingredient list will leave you assured that the deshedding shampoos work. It contains omega 3&6 and vitamin E. The shampoo penetrates deep into your dog’s coat to clean, purify, moisturize, and nourish it.
Using this deshedding shampoo will keep away sensitivities, clear dander, and leave your dog’s coat healthy and shiny. It is free of soap, parabens, and other synthetic compounds that could cause more shedding.
Verdict—what’s the best deshedding shampoo for dogs?
The best deshedding shampoo is a blend of plant extracts, vitamins, fatty acids, and other gentle ingredients. It cleans, exfoliates, moisturizes, and nourishes your dog’s coat, fur, and follicles.
The shampoo should be free of harsh chemicals like alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate, soap, silicone, and parabens. These ingredients can dry out your dog’s coat which leads to even more serious hair loss!