We write about dog shampoo ingredients (of course), how to reduce your dog's exposure to environmental toxins, ingredients, holistic care tips for your furry family member & more!
4-Legger uses raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar in our USDA Certified Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioning Rinse for Dogs. It can be used to itchy skin, relieve yeasty skin, and as a natural pest repellent to get rid of fleas. You can also use it to clean your dog's ears!
Learn more.
The eucalyptus in our Cedar, Peppermint, and Eucalyptus Organic Dog Shampoo balances the cedar and peppermint essential oils while providing impressive antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and deodorizing properties.
Peppermint is one of our favorite essentials and for good reason.
It is versatile and offers many benefits for your dog's skin and coat. Dry skin will benefit for its natural moisturizing while oily coats will benefit from its ability to normalize the sebum secretion.
Cedrus atlantica (cedarwood) is known for its scent and its ability to repel fleas.
It is very good for your dog's skin and coat as a natural conditioner and beneficial for dogs with dermatitis of all types.
We use it in our certified organic dog shampoo for its safety. It is non-toxic, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing.
Vitamin E is important to your dog's body to help protect the skin and other cells from free radicals and fight off infection.
The antioxidant properties of a component within vitamin E make it very valuable in natural products.
A component of Vitamin E, called Tocopherol, is one of the few ingredients that can be used in certified organic formulations to serve as a preservative - antioxidant.
Lavender is used to treat common skin disorders such as psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions.
It is known to eliminate nervous tension, relieve pain, disinfect the scalp and skin, enhance blood circulation, and treat respiratory problems.
Lavender acts as a natural anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, & anti-bacterial.
Guar gum has a number of properties when used in our formulation:
Topically, rosemary is known to serve as an anti-inflammatory, improve circulation, treat dry skin, boost healing, increase natural shine and hydrated appearance, and improve the quality of the skin.
We also use rosemary extract as an antioxidant to serve as a preservative in many of our products.
Vegetable glycerin has emollient like properties which can soften and soothe the skin. Glycerine is very mild and excellent to use on the most sensitive of skin.
Glycerine is also thought to be a humectant - meaning - it can attract moisture to your dog's skin and keep it locked in!
All of our shampoo bases are glycerine soaps as they will keep your dog's skin feeling more hydrated for several hours after you use it.
Compounds found in oat are known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, and moisturizing characteristics. What this means for your dog is that oat can soothe, smooth, and nourish skin and hair.
While oat is recommended for all skin types, it is especially good for sensitive and dry/flaky skin. Oat is also recommended for dry or damaged hair as it helps to provide moisture and improves conditioning and manageability of hair making it appear smooth.
St John's Wort has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, able to speed the healing process of burns, bruises, and scrapes by stimulating the circulation of oxygenated blood to the cells that need repaired.
Calendula flower oil is highly effective, gentle, cooling and soothing.
Applying the calendula flower oil to cuts, scrapes, and insect bites will accelerate the healing process thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant compounds. It helps remedy dry and damaged skin, irritations, and other skin problems. Aside from stimulating healing, calendula oil can significantly boost the appearance of the skin by increasing the blood flow.
We are more interested in the use of lemongrass on skin/hair, aromatherapy, and its natural ability to repel insects. Many natural human mosquito repellants contain lemongrass. Natural pet products include it for its repellant effects on lice, fleas, and ticks.
Lemongrass is a very effective natural astringent (cleanser) with toning qualities which helps stimulate blood circulation and tone up dermal tissues.
Used in aromatherapy - lemongrass is known to revitalize the mind and soul!
We use organic - sustainable - fair trade certified - the highest grade, coconut oil. As an organic oil, it was grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.
Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and helps to provide a protective layer, retaining moisture in the skin. As a mild oil, it is very good for use with inflamed and irritated skin, or dogs with skin sensitivities.
It is also the number one later-producing agent used in soaps.
Name:
Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil
About Our Olive Oil:
We use organic, the highest grade, organic olive oil in our bases. As an organic oil, it was grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.
Olive oil is one of the most universal oils used for cosmetics, shampoo, and in cooking. It has a great conditioning effect and can be used in almost all applications due to its stable nature.
Name:
Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Method of Extraction
Cold pressed and unrefined (no solvents or high heat)
About Our JoJoba Oil:
We use organic, the highest grade, jojoba oil. As an organic oil, it was grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.
Jojoba oil comes from the beans of a shrub-like plant that grows in Mexico and the Southern regions of the United States. It is actually a liquid plant wax, not an oil.
Our responsibly harvested certified organic shea (or karité)butter is sourced from around the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary (WCHS), a unique community-based project, protecting and preserving the wildlife and the environment of a 40km stretch of the Black Volta River in Ghana's Upper West Region.
What is so great about shea butter?
Shea butter really is amazing stuff. It is essentially a vegetable (vegan) fat that is harvested from the nut of the African shea tree. This fat, we refer to as "butter" is composed of fatty acids (triglycerides) such as stearic and oleic acids. Shea butter can be used in balms, salves, lotions, and moisturizers.