Can human hair conditioner be used on dogs?

 Honestly? Beats me, but I do, and it works great. I just am very very very very careful to very very very thoroughly rinse his fur afterwards. I spend at least twice as long rinsing him as I do actually rubbing stuff into his fur. But his fur shines nicely and we've noticed no ill effects at all. (When I had him at college briefly, I would just take him into the dorm shower with me and shampoo/condition him the same way I did my hair.)

Now I'm bracing for 10 people to come on and tell me I'm actually killing my dog by doing this  

Thanks for the reply.  If you rinse thoroughly, I can't imagine any harm being done, but who knows.

I can't imagine why you couldn't.  It's gentle enough to use everyday on us, why not them?  We use conditioners on babies? 

I've always used it on my dogs and have never had a problem.

 I once heard a vet on TV say that the Ph is different, and that's why you should use products specifically formulated for dogs.  But, I have no idea if that's really true. 

spiritdogs

 I once heard a vet on TV say that the Ph is different, and that's why you should use products specifically formulated for dogs

I've heard that too. BUT, I also heard one of the forum members here (I think it was... bunny? someone with a bunch of toy poodles?) say that she had personally tested several popular brands of human shampoos/conditioners and compared them to dog shampoos/conditioners and had found no pH differences.

So...... beats me!  

I used to use my Pantene conditioner on my family's Westie because it made him so soft and silky.    Never hurt him a bit -- but I never went near the head; just did his body.  I don't think you'd want to get near the eyes or ears with it.

Yeah, it was the user bunni, she said that the pH levels were all VERY close on the products she tested.  However, I can't remember if she tested shampoo and conditioner, or not.  I would think that if you rinsed real well, it would work fine.  Just like you can use Dawn (in an emergency) for fleas, as long as you rinse, rinse, and rinse some more. 

They make cruddy shampoos/conditioners for dogs, just like people.  But since there are dozens of superior products made for dogs, I don't see any real need to experiment with human products.  But that's just my opinion.

 

I use human products on Salem. When he was younger I used dog products, but I never found anything that made him as soft as good quality human stuff. I don't bathe him that often, but when I do I rinse really really throughly and I've never had a problem. I still do use dog shampoo and conditioner around his face and ears though only because I'm afraid of getting the human stuff in his eyes.

 I'm kind of a shampoo/conditioner addict.  I have Tropiclean, some Lavendar one, a citrus one, Mane and Tail, Pantene Texturizing, Shimmer Lights, and Nova Pearls.  I also keep Dawn on hand for when they get really, really nasty.  The two in bold are for humans, Mane and Tail is for both.  I swear by Shimmer Lights for whitening and I know tons of other show people who do the same.  I've never had a problem with it and I even use it on their faces.  My Petco boss thinks I'm committing a sin by using human shampoo, but I know TONS of people who do the same, and the dogs all still have their hair.  I even know people who use human hair coloring on the dogs!

I use Shimmer lights for showing too, and it gets the dogs so white! I also use the conditioner and suspect the shampoo alone would be too drying.

For regular baths in between events, I use Microtek because it's mild.

Pit_Pointer_Aussie

I use Shimmer lights for showing too

This stuff is wonderful.

I won't try human conditioner on my dogs because they are so big and have so much fur (and double coats) it would take hours to rinse them!  I can't imagine having to groom a Malamute or Pyr.  I use any cheap dog shampoo that does not have an offensive smell (for them).  Basically, I want them wet for brushing, not really shampooing/conditioning, though they get greasy in certain spots.  I use Miracle Coat spray leave-in conditioner.  I like the smell, it's not oily, and it makes their black hair look stronger and more sleek.  In the summer, a "bath" = swimming, being rubbed with shampoo, swimming again, shaking dry, lying in the sun, lol. 

I can see where the pH differences could be harmful, but it's not like we're putting shampoos/conditioners on dogs and leaving it there.  After a good rinse and proper dry, I don't think it would matter unless the dog had really sensitive skin.