shampoo & conditioner for itchy dogs

I know I'm in the minority, but I don't like oatmeal.  Oatmeal stimulates, and stimulates oil production and most of the dogs I've had suffered *because* of oily skin and dampness-related problems (yeast and staph). 

I use very very gentle soaps (not necessarily dog soaps, in fact usually NOT dog soap) -- like Dr. Bronner's Lavender (it's a very gentle castile/hemp soap that you dilute seriously before using -- like I'd dilute maybe 1/4 teas in a quart of water!!).  Then in the rinse AFTER washing, I would use essential oils like lavender and tea tree -- maybe 30-50 drops in 2 gallons of water as a *final* rinse to help cool down the skin and condition the coat.

I don't use "conditioners" -- they stay on the coat and typically hold dust which is an allergy-dog nightmare. 

if the skin is staph-y I will use Benzoyl Peroxide shampoo (like Oxy-Dex if I'm using a dog shampoo) and if the skin is yeasty, I've used - at my vet's suggestion - Selsun Blue (don't leave on long -- and rinse copiously).  But again with the same essential oils in water 'final' rinse.

And yep- this is for MY skin-challenged English cocker.
 
And another thing I often use is chammomile tea (both adding the tea and the wet herbs to his food AND simply making up a gallon of it to use as a rinse).  Chammomile is very soothing and helps reduce inflammation and itch.
 
Also-- for 'shampoo' I often use baby shampoo but my favorite is Baby Magic's lavender/chammomile soap -- it's very gentle and doesn't leave a film.  But I always dilute ANY soap before I put it on them.

Shelly,  Nova Pearls is a very good shampoo for itchy dogs ( it smells like coal tar); a conditioner that really seems to help is Oxy-Med by Tropiclean; there is a red cross on the bottle. I hope you read my reply to your last post in Allergies, Skin & Coat; antihistamines; I posted it this morning.

Jessies Mom,
 
Yes, I did read your reply in the allergy, antihistamine thread.  Thank You.  I am also going to look into those books you mentioned.

I had a dog with severe itchy skin. Tended to be worse in the spring and fall. The only thing that really soothed it was Relief shampoo and conditioner. The minute it touched his skin he would look at me so sweet and you tell he felt better just by his expression. 

Plush Puppy has a great itchy skin dog shampoo, and most of their products are recommended for sensitive skin/ skin disorders.
[linkhttp://www.plushpuppycoat.com/index.html]http://www.plushpuppycoat.com/index.html[/link]
 
You could use Coat handler products - they are hypoallergenic, oil, lanolin  and silicone free, detergent-free and very good for the most sensitive skin.
[linkhttp://www.pfwh.com/discount-coat-handler-dog-shampoo-conditioner.html]http://www.pfwh.com/discount-coat-handler-dog-shampoo-conditioner.html[/link]
 
Absolutely Natural is another brand that would be worth looking into.  Their products are also unscented, hypoallergenic, free of oil, silicone,lanolin, detergents, etc and are enzyme based. I just love their conditioner.
[linkhttp://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?storename=afimcon&DeptID=80935&ItemID=2507792&detail=1]http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?storename=afimcon&DeptID=80935&ItemID=2507792&detail=1[/link]
 
 

Marley stopped itching all the time when we started adding Salmon Oil to his food! Just a suggestion.

Rory always seems to find herself rustling through bushes, getting scratched by sand, dirt and branches leacing her tummy and undercarriage scratched and irritated. She accumulates bug bites playing in the woods and I noticed a lot of shampoos dry her out, leaves a residue no matter how well we rinse. By chance I picked up this shampoo called Septiderm-V and Oh my she was so happy!
It soothed her skin and left her coat very clean feeling and soft. I defintly reccomend it. I found this article about it!

[linkhttp://www.petmarket.com/septidermv-bath-16-oz-p-1057.html]http://www.petmarket.com/septidermv-bath-16-oz-p-1057.html[/link]
It soothed all her lil scratches and I could tell she enjoyed it!

I use an aromatherapy natural shampoo from barknbath.com, it really helps. Plus I feed a fish and potato food and since they started that, their itchies are decreased.