One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.

Over a week ago, the BCs were bathed using Pop's Pet Organics Multi-Purpose Pet Shampoo. It is an awesome product! Clean, smooth, shiny. It's definitely a keeper!
Below is a response from the company after I inquired about the INCI names of their products:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gerald Kass <gerry@popspetproducts.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: Pop's Pet Products: User filled in Contact Us form!
To: Around the Dog Bowl

Hi Around the Dog Bowl,

Great to hear from you, so glad you and the border collies liked,did you get these from me at Glynn Highland Farm?? We are not a sister company of Vermont Soap, as far as I know Vermont soap only makes 1 product for dogs and cats, I do not have the INCI names, the new flea, tick and insect repellent is getting great reviews throughout the USA, will be coming out with 2 to 4 new products this fall, thnaks again for your kind words and support, we have really worked very hard to make the healthiest products we can.

Warmest Regards,
Gerry

On August 14, 2011 at 8:50 PM info@popspetproducts.com wrote:

> This email is from Pop's Pet Products™
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Name:         Around the Dog Bowl
> Subject:      product ingredients
> Message:      Tried your product on my two border collies and loved it! I recently blogged about your Pet Organics Multi-Purpose Pet Shampoo on August 13 and 14 at http://www.aroundthedogbowl.blogspot.com/ and would you happen to have the INCI names of your ingredients (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient)? Also, your Pet Organics Multi-Purpose Pet Shampoo looks very similar to Vermont Soap Organics Pet Shampoo - are you "sister" companies?
>
> Thank you for an excellent product!
>
> Pop's Pet Products™
> Phone:                             914-764-8145
> Fax:                               914-764-0533
> URL:                               www.popspetproducts.com 

Splish Splash - Part 2 of 2

This is a continuation of the previous post about dog shampoo.

Time to take a closer look at ingredients. Most of the products use a "coconut-based cleanser" or "vegetable derived cleanser" as a base but Google tells me that these terms mean different things. If you want to find out more, ask the company to provide the correct INCI names of their ingredients - International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient.

Chemistry stuff
For example, the INCI of a "fragrance" would tell you if it is a synthetic oil or an essential oil. A "coconut-based cleanser" or "vegetable derived cleanser" would tell you it is a surfactant (or detergent) that creates the foam. Surfactants or sudsing agents are widely used in human products such as shampoos, toothpaste, lotions and creams today: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocomidopropyl Betain, or Cocomide Monoethanolamine (MEA). Sulfates may irritate skin. Good or bad, labeling regulations allow "derived from coconut oil" and "natural" to be used on many products.

Again ask for the INCI names of their ingredients, of their surfactants. For example, a quality natural cleanser would be something called Decyl Polyglucose. It is a gentle yet effective surfactant derived from sugar such as corn, glucose and starch; it is also often described as derived from corn and coconut & palm kernel oils, too. Decyl Polyglucose is primarily used in human baby and personal care products for sensitive skin formulas.

Pop's Pet Organics Multi-Purpose Pet Shampoo uses "saponified organic coconut oil." Saponification is a simple chemical process using oil that produces soap, glycerin and water. I know, too much chemistry. It is your choice to identify what is most important to you: natural? organic? sulfate-free? detergent-free? paraben-free? eco-friendly? vegan? holistic? If your dog's skin is sensitive, look for less irritating ingredients.

Reviews
Our new favorite dog shampoo is Pop's! We like the fresh citrus smell, easy rinsing, and squeaky clean feel. This is a low sudsing product. Pop's shampoo is thinner and just like the bottle said, a little goes a long way. It cleaned extremely well and the rinse time was so much shorter! As dogzoomies noted, Pop's is a USDA certified organic and eco-friendly pet product. It is the dog shampoo at Glen Highland Farm's Sweet Border Collie Rescue, too!

earthbath and CloudStar are very popular brands and very good products, too. earthbath has a dizzying array of "smells" and CloudStar is very sudsy (and in my experience, longer rinse times). CloudStar also makes a conditioning spray which we like to use between baths! TrueBlue and Pet Aromatics are very pleasant smelling (which is why I bought them in the first place). TrueBlue's shampoo with green tea has a soft, soothing smell. Pet Aromatics Honeysuckle Hound is like summer in bottle with lots of sweet honeysuckle but may be too heady for some folks. Expect to pay anywhere from $10.99 to $14.99 for a natural shampoo.

Bottom Line 
Pop's is the only dog shampoo we'll buy from now on. 24 hours after their bath and several brushing sessions, Josey and Lucas look amazing. Clean, smooth, soft, and fluffy! I am inclined to give them baths more often because we can cut the bathing time.

towel-dried and pissed off

fluffy and happy (she just had dinner)

again, towel-dried and not happy

 so clean and handsome 

We are also going to test Pop's Pet Organics Flea, Tick and Insect Repellent this fall and winter when we'll stop using our Frontline Plus. As part of my due diligence, I plan on contacting Pop's to learn more about their products and ask for the INCI names of their ingredients.

*Sorry about the black corners on photos, shutter on camera is a little tired.

Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath...Long about a saturday night...

Part 1 of 2

Josey and Lucas had baths today. It's a production and having the right tools, products on hand can make the job easier. For example, we love the Zoom Groom by Kong. Though honestly, I do not know that much about selecting a dog shampoo. But we do know how to read labels!

current supply of dog shampoos

Orange-label bottle in the middle is the most recent addition. Our friends at dogzoomies enjoyed a summer vacation at Glen Highland Farm's Canine Country Camp and picked up an extra bottle of dog shampoo for us...Pop's Pet Organics Muli-Purpose Pet Shampoo by Pop's Pet Products. Below are the shampoo ingredients of 3 brands in our supply, plus 2 more brands we've purchased frequently in the past.


Pop's Pet Organics Multi-Purpose Pet Shampoo
Ingredients: saponified organic coconut, olive and jojoba oils, natural essential oil blend including naturally extracted tea tea and lemongrass, organic aloe vera, and naturally extracted rosemary as a natural preservative. 16 oz.


TrueBlue Natural Balance Conditioning Shampoo 
Ingredients: water, natural cleansers and conditioners derived from coconuts, corn, sugar beets and wheat, fragrance (essential oil blend), glycerin, citric acid, sunflower oil, chamomile, green tea, vitamin E, vitamin A, soy lecithin, vitamin C, natural preservatives (sodium hydroxymethylglycinate and glyceryl caprylate). 12 oz.


Pet Aromatics Honeysuckle Hound Shampoo (w/ Conditioner)
(Not a good sign if you can no longer find the company's website)
Ingredients: purified water, vegetable-derived cleansing agents, cucumber extract, almond oil, chamomile, aloe vera, oat flour protein, palm oil, coconut oil, ProVitamin B5, macadamia nut oil derived emulsifier, natural fruit pH adjuster, food grade anti-microbial preservatives, fragrance derived from honeysuckle and mediterranean rosemary leaf and essential oil blends. 12 oz.


earthbath Totally Natural Shampoo - Tea Tree & Aloe
Ingredients: purified water, renewable coconut-based cleansers, aloe vera, xanthum gum, melaleuca oil (tea tree), olive oil squalene (natural presevative). 16 oz.


CloudStar Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo - Lavendar & Mint
Ingredients: coconut shampoo base, aloe vera gel, essence of lavendar, essence of mint, chamomile extract, sage extract, nettles extract, rosemary extract, wheat protein extract (natural deodorizing agent), tea tree oil, vitamin E, vitamin C. 16 oz.

Seems like the shampoos have identical, similar ingredients but they're called different things. So far I like what I read in Pop's over the others.

Okay, I'll pose pretty next to Pop's

Wait a minute...are you serious about the bath?

Stay tuned for Part 2.