Can human hair conditioner be used on dogs?

    • Gold Top Dog

    I use human conditioner on my dogs..i cant remember what brand it is, i know it has aloe vera in it..and they do wonderful..ColleenC funny you said your Petco boss fusses at you about using human conditioner..I teach obedience at petco, and its actually the grooming manager that told me to go get this conditioner over the stuff we sold!  As for shampoos..i use to use Pantene Pro-v on my golden for years with no problems, but my akita has more sensitive skin, and it kinda made him itch so i quit using it.  I mostly use nova pearls tearless shampoo, and then the human conditioner..my dogs get a bath generally once a week, and never have any problems with itching/dry skin etc.  In the winter if we have a little dry skin or if they get yucky (cant keep them out of the pond!) and have to be bathed more often, if actually used Show Sheen (horse product) on their coats to make them look super nice, but not oily.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I think it might depend on the dog.  My cairn has sensitive skin.  I use a dog shampoo, Pet Silk Oatmeal and no conditioner.  It works very nicely.

     My MIL has a border collie mix and she bathes her with Pantene and uses Pantene conditioner.  It works very well for her dog.

    • Puppy

    Thanks, I sometimes use human conditioner on my Dal and it's good to know im not doing anything wrong! I've used Mane and Tail before and it was pretty good for both of us. :)

    • Gold Top Dog

    I've heard of a lot of people using human shampoo/conditioner with great success. I've tried several and didn't have good results with any of them. Pantene was the worst. They took forever to rinse and the conditioner left a gross residue. The dog products I've used rinse MUCH faster and work better for my dog's coat. He has a soft coat that's very prone to matting and the conditioners made for dogs just work better for him.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I think this is one of those things where if you don't know the answer, you run the risk of causing skin problems.  Some dogs tolerate it very well, some ... not so much.

    My groomer recommends I use Pantine or White Rain on my Yorkie.  I wouldn't experiment with anything else because Yorkies have sensitive skin.  Our Ph levels do differ from dogs, however, I have tried some conditioners formulated for dogs, and I was NOT pleased.  I spent big money on a wonderful baking soda and oatmeal shampoo and conditioner for dogs.  The shampoo is awesome, but the conditioner made my Yorkies hair tangle and flighty.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I had lucky at the vets about month or 2 ago and asked them if I could use human shampoo and conditioner on my dogs she said no because the ph is different and isn't good for dogs she also said don't use hartz said it strips the flea medicine off said to use oatmeal with aloe dog shampoo

    • Gold Top Dog

    My groomer recommends the Pantine and White Rain only for her Yorkies and only the conditioner.  It is supposed to be used only on the length of the hair and then rinsed.  She doesn't recommend putting in on the  skin.  However, she does use regular baby shampoo on the Yorkies.  It is better on their skin than even the dog shampoo's.  I personally wouldn't use ANYTHING made by Hartz.  I won't use Seargent's either.   There are some good pet products on the market, sometimes it just depends on the preference the owner.

    • Bronze

    I think that the PH stuff is mostly advertising hype.  Your ph can and will change drastically based on the ph of your water.  

    I use dog shampoos because they are more concentrated.  Same goes for conditioners, dog conditioners don't usually contain wax which isn't good for human hair either.  I don't think that human shampoos or conditioners would hurt the dogs. 

    Hope this helps.. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    I use apple cider vinegar for conditioner. I just spray it in and rinse it out. It doesn't even matter if you rinse it out as it won't hurt them at all, but they will smell like vinegar until they're dry if you don't. Works like a charm and is totally natural. I find it great for tangles and loosening dead hair during moulting. For shampoo, I use a basic glycerin soap. It's nothing other than just soap, no additives or chemicals or anything fancy, just very very gentle, moisturizing soap. It's the only soap I'll use on my (human) baby, too!
    • Puppy

    Not sure anyone still following this thread as its dated 2007, but here is what I have recently found out. Lots of auto dogwash machines have human equivilant conditioner in them. As for shampoos the base of a shampoo for dogs can be either, clear dish washing liquid, baby shampoo or liquid hand soap. So basically I know that these products have been wide use for over 7yrs no issues, results have been soft shiney good smelling dogs.

    • Puppy

    As far as the lots and lots of rinsing goes, simply get a bucket or 2 depending on dog size ready for final rinse, have apple cider vinegar(ACV) in the rinse water it is not only good for dog hair to remove soap residue but human hair.

    Make a rinse to improve your dog's skin and coat. Dry skin and irritated skin respond well to ACV applied directly. After bathing your dog, brush the vinegar through the dog's coat; not only does this improve the shine but also deodorizes the dog.[5]

    Treating your dog's skin this way will help prevent dry skin and itchiness.

    You can do this while also feeding your dog a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day.