great products for matting and staining

[lfung5]

Wanted to share these great products I discovered. I use the EZ Groom products. www.ez-groom.com

For matting and to keep the coat conditioned and easy to groom, I use the Ruff Out spray. It really makes it easy to comb my dogs. They also have a dematting shampoo or spray that I have not tried.

For weekly washing, I use the Sliky Almond shampoo & conditioner. It really keeps my dogs coats conditioned and silky. My dogs hardly ever get a matt and we hike and swim everyday.

For stains, I just tried their Chrystal White shampoo that has optical brighteners and enzymes. Scudder had bad saliva stains:( and in 2 shampoo's it's 90% better! :whoo: You need to read the instructions and do exactly what's instructed. I will use it before shows.
All the shampoos are concentrated so you dilute them 8:1, 16:1, 32:1 etc. What a value!
If anyone tries these, I really hope you are as happy as me!:biggrin1: I am telling everyone about them!

[Julie]

Thanks for the info Linda!I'm always on the look-out for a great stain-remover for Quincy's "stache"
:)

[radar_jones]

Sounds Pretty good for those stubborn Face-Stains. Also I'm always looking for anythng that would make it easier to groom Radar.
Derek

[Missy]

Thanks Linda, always looking for the de-matting, de-staining solutions. When I run out I will give it a try. If I wanted to bring out the fawn in Jasper- do you think I could I could use the shampoo for gold dogs? or would it just make his white look dingy?

[lfung5]

I hope you guys like it. Bella and Fred are in a puppycut, so they are easy to groom, but Scudder is in full coat at 8 months. They get loaded with burrs on our walks and the Ruff Out Spray makes them slide right out. Please note: Scudder is silky soft so that helps.

Missy- If you have a chance I would call the company if I were you. If it was my pup, I would use the Chrystal white, but I'm not an expert. I used the Chystal white on Scudder and he is black & white. I am so happy with the way it cleared up his horrible mouth staining.
Be sure to dilute it. Even after I added 8x water, it lathered up nicely.

Julie, Quincy is a doll baby. Everytime I log in and see those beach pictures, I smile! What a sweetie.

Derrick, you are too funny, how much you love your little Radar! I wish my husband was more into my guys!

For horrible matting problems their matting shampoo looks good too!

[anneks]

You all are such bad influences!! Between Kara and her mink oils and now these shampoos and conditioners I just spent a ton on different products to try. :banplease: But I need to make sure that Mirabel is properly primped if we are ever going to get a good picture. :photo:

[lfung5]

Yes, this forum is good, but the only negative is we feed off of eachother! I end up wanting to try what everyone else is using! It can get pretty ugly.LOL

[Havtahava]

I have tried EZ Groom's stain removing shampoo. And yes, you do need to follow exactly as the bottle says if you want results. It smells nice and light too. After a few uses, you do need to stop using it and I'm not positive why. I had two different people tell me to alternate between using EZ Groom's product a few times and then go over to All Systems' version and then go back. I can't remember why though - but it seems like one of them will dry out the hair (but I think that was the All Systems version). I think I'll see the guy who told me that tomorrow and I'll ask him.

[lfung5]

Kimberly,
That would be great to find that out. I was only gong to use it every other washing. I only wash my guys every 1-2 weeks, depending on what they roll in on our hikes!:biggrin1: . I will use the silky almond most of the time, because it is so conditioning and I like the way they feel after I use it. Thanks for your feedback.

[Jane]

Kimberly and Linda:

Can you tell me a little more about the Crystal White shampoo? I'd like to try it, but I've got a cabinet full of other whitening products, none of which worked. So, before I invest *again*, what are these "instructions" that must be followed exactly? Does it have to do with the dilution, or how long the product is left on, or something else? Is it toxic if ingested (since I'd be using it on the muzzle area)?

Thanks :)

[lfung5]

Hi Jane,
I started using the silky almond shampoo & conditioner. I loved it so much so I tried the Ruff out spray and this lead to me calling the company about the crystal white. They told me it was used by the last 5 Westminster winners! He said a lot of handlers put the crystal white full strength on the stain and wrap it in plastic wrap for 5-10 minutes. They heat it in the microwave first. The heat activates the enzymes.
Scudder is an 8 month old black & white pied. He is a mouth licker, so his saliva cause bad staining around his mouth. I tried every product and nothing worked. This stuff is awesome. I only washed his entire body once with it, but I treated his mouth stains a few times. He looks great. I will see if i have some pictures to show you. I know I have some soaking wet ones, but he looks so sad and cold in them! All I can say is his mounth never looked better! He does lick the shampoo, which freaks me out and I try to stop him, but he didn't get ill or anything from it! Maybe I can take some new pictures. I will try, but his mounth is wet alot from the licking and he drinks alot of water. The opportunities to take a dry mouth pic are slim!
I use the silky almond for the most part, but will use the Chrystal White before shows. I just love the way the silky almond leaves the coat

Ok, I found some pictures. The dry picture show the stains, but this was not as bad as they were. The stains were a lot worse. In his soaped picture you can see how light they looked and the staining always looks worse when wet. I will also try to take a dry picture tomorrow.

PS. Forgive his soaped picture. I did not have any help and he was cold! He really does have a nice topline!

[lfung5]

Jane,
Here are 2 before pictures and 2 after. I think pictures speak 1000 words. Remember I only used it 3 times. I can't say enough about this product for stain removel and still being gentle. The after pictures were taken at 5am! He was half asleep. Poor little guy.

Pretty amazing huh?!

[Havtahava]

Jane, just come use some of mine before you buy any more. You're due for a visit anyway. Or is it me that is due? :D

Just going from memory, you have to mix the shampoo with as warm of water as the dog can tolerate and then you use it immediately.

Linda, the guy who gave me the advice wasn't there this weekend. He was either away at lunch or only sent assistants. I'll look for him again this coming weekend.

[mckennasedona]

Jane, just come use some of mine before you buy any more.
Kimberly, you're having grooming sessions at your get-togethers?? And I'm not invited?? :) Just teasing!
I must agree that I read these threads on grooming and I want to immediately buy what everyone else is using! I'll hold off though. I know the groomers still have soom EQyss shampoo and some Coat Handler's conditioner left. I'm not convinced that I like the Coat Handlers better than the EQyss conditioner. The girls' coats seem a bit dry to me. Of course, since I leave the girls at the groomers I can only assume they are using the products I left for them. I have no reason to think they aren't but if I did it myself, I wouldn't have such concerns. I'm still trying to talk myself into doing my own bathing and brushing. Oh the dilemmas!

Susan

[Laurief]

Linda, I am on the ez website & am ready to order some of the silky mango shampoo, which is assume is the same as the sily almond, just a different smell --- and I was going to get the crystal white.
You def feel it works well?? Like Jane, I have a ton of products for in between groomings , but they only seem to just get the dirt out and dont seem to help the coat at all, or the staining. I dont want to throw good money after bad, but I respect your opinion on this.
Laurie

[Havtahava]

Susan, you are always welcome to come over. You don't need a special invitation. :D

Hey, I hadn't thought of that - a grooming session. That could be fun.

I keep looking for some of the EQyss Premiere. We don't have any horse supplies locally (to my knowledge), but that is the best stuff for Hillary's black coat. It does moisturize the best and it leaves her black coat shining.

Laurie, you made some interesting comments that made me want to share a couple of things. When using the Crystal White, I do use another shampoo first because I don't think it is a good cleaning shampoo. In fact, I wouldn't really consider it a shampoo EXCEPT on how you apply it. It's more of a stain treatment. Like any stain treatments, I wouldn't want to use it too often. It does seem to dry the hair a bit, but if you want to remove protein stains (licking, feces, urine, etc.), it definitely helps.

[Laurief]

Kimberly,
Do you use all those products that Linda is talking about? If I could just extend my groomings for a few weeks, by bathing them myself with something that will help the stains & matting, then I might. It gets very costly to pay for grooming for 3 pups every 5 weeks!! I need to pull the trigger on buying more upscale stuff, but dont want to waste my $$$$
Laurie

[mintchip]

Susan, you are always welcome to come over. You don't need a special invitation. :D

Hey, I hadn't thought of that - a grooming session. That could be fun.

I keep looking for some of the EQyss Premiere. We don't have any horse supplies locally (to my knowledge), but that is the best stuff for Hillary's black coat. It does moisturize the best and it leaves her black coat shining.

Laurie, you made some interesting comments that made me want to share a couple of things. When using the Crystal White, I do use another shampoo first because I don't think it is a good cleaning shampoo. In fact, I wouldn't really consider it a shampoo EXCEPT on how you apply it. It's more of a stain treatment. Like any stain treatments, I wouldn't want to use it too often. It does seem to dry the hair a bit, but if you want to remove protein stains (licking, feces, urine, etc.), it definitely helps.
Hmmmmmmmm! Bathing and brushing OK but haircuts....You are brave!

[Havtahava]

No, of the EZ Groom line, I only use the Crystal White. I was given a small bottle of Ruff Out and that's a nice spray conditioner/static remover. (They list it as a finishing spray & detangler, but I haven't used it either of those ways yet.)

For "dirt" shampoos, I use a cheaper dog shampoo that is heavily fragranced (pina colada), but for my regular shampoos, I prefer the Pure Paws Recontructor Shampoo. My all-time favorite conditioner is the Coat Handler conditioner, and my second favorite is the EQyss Premiere conditioner.

[Jane]

Thanks for taking the time to post before and after photos, Linda! Lincoln's muzzle gets the same way - very brown. I have him on Tylan powder (which worked 100%) but I'd eventually like to take him off of it since it is an antibiotic and have something topical to use when needed just in case his staining comes back. Some of the things I tried that didn't work for me were: All-Systems whitening shampoo, All-Systems whitening gel, hydrogen peroxide homemade paste, denture cleaner, Chris Christensen white on white, etc. Sigh!!

And thanks, Kimberly! I'll bring a little plastic container with me next time I head over to your place....hopefully soon after my kids go back to school in the fall! I always enjoy visiting you and your crew (getting my Hav fix) :biggrin1:

Jane, just come use some of mine before you buy any more. You're due for a visit anyway. Or is it me that is due? :D

Just going from memory, you have to mix the shampoo with as warm of water as the dog can tolerate and then you use it immediately.

Linda, the guy who gave me the advice wasn't there this weekend. He was either away at lunch or only sent assistants. I'll look for him again this coming weekend.

[Havtahava]

Sounds good, Jane!

[Jane]

I'm not convinced that I like the Coat Handlers better than the EQyss conditioner. The girls' coats seem a bit dry to me. Of course, since I leave the girls at the groomers I can only assume they are using the products I left for them.

Susan

Hi Susan!

I wonder if your groomer is following the bottle instructions for dilution. I actually dilute it much less than the bottle says and then I leave it on for a couple of minutes, then barely rinse it out. Your girls' coats look like they are getting quite long now from the SF playdate photos I saw! They look great!

[lfung5]

Kimberly- thanks for remembering. I am in no rush so when you see him, great!

Jane- I too have tried everything! I didn't like the peroxide based stuff, because it made the hair porous to pick up even more stains.

Laurie- If you want to wait until you have your next playdate, I could bring you some. I have an entire gallon of the mango scent. Have not smelled it yet, but I did like the almond scent.

I really do love this line. I am not sure how good it is at deep cleaning, but it seems to do the job. My guys hike every day and seem clean and silky when done. I don't use the Chrystal white as the main shampoo. I just use it the day before showing or on stained areas for fear it could possibly dry the coat.

I hope I answered everyone's questions and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

[Laurief]

Thanks Linda, I appreciate that. I think I might just do that. As soon as my nieces wedding is over and I get my son off to college I will pick a date for the next playdate.
Laurie

[lfung5]

That sounds great. I think we will wait for you. Didn't get any feedback on the other thing, plus I'm not a very good hostess! I can do most weekends unless there's a dog show. I have a bunch in Sept.

If for some reason you have it on a day I can't come, I will send the shampoo's with Karen.

[Laurief]

Thanks Linda, I will try to def pick a day that you can come. I really want to see how that crystal white works on Lily & Lexi's face.

[Jane]

Lincoln's staining is reemerging:(

It completely cleared up with Tylan powder and he has been stain free for the last year! But, now I see a slight brownish cast coming back. I was in denial for a couple of weeks there.

Anyway, I would like to try the Crystal White that LindaF and Kimberly mentioned - can anyone recommend a place to get it online (with not so astronomical shipping fees)? Thanks!

[Me&2Girls]

Hi Jane, it looks like Amazon is going to be your cheapest source and for shipping. It's $15.95 and $5.95 shipping. You can buy direct from Showdogstore, but they've got a minimum order. Let me know how it works.

[Jane]

Thanks, Lisa! I'm still digging around on the Internet.

I found these:

They are having a "sale" on many grooming products here; they say a 16 oz. bottle of Crystal White is $10. I can't figure out tho if that include shipping - it looks like it might:
http://www.k9specialties.com

A less scary looking site has it here for $12.75 + 5.95 shipping:
http://www.3cdog.com/product_info.php?products_id=352&osCsid=03f54267612c4af13097e1b9f772cae3

Hmmmmm.....

[jjndjgotahav]

I am having problems with matting with my 8 month old Hav. It seems like no matter how hard I work on getting the mats out, they come right back.
I want to give her a bath and do a good conditioning with the Coat Handler. Should I get all of the mats out before doing this or would the conditioning with the Coat Handler help me to get them out? I assume I would try and comb them all out while wet and then dry. Any advice to a frustred first time Hav owner? Thank you!

[Thumperlove]

When they are blowing coat, you just have to be uber vigilant about combing them out, it helps some of the shedding hair not hang around and create mats. What really helps for me is to brush 2x a day and use a really GOOD conditioner, for Gucci's coat, the Pantene Pro V blonde Expressions leaves her coat like silk, but all coats are different, so the key is finding a product that works for each individual dog.

I also love my buttercomb and MINI-buttercomb, which I paid $4 for, it is alot like the expensive butter comb, but smaller..it is by Little Pals

http://www.dog.com/item/lil-pals-comb/

That is the best $4 I ever spent on a grooming product. I use it to get out mats and it is as smooth as my buttercomb.

Kara

[Havtahava]

I am having problems with matting with my 8 month old Hav. It seems like no matter how hard I work on getting the mats out, they come right back.
I want to give her a bath and do a good conditioning with the Coat Handler. Should I get all of the mats out before doing this or would the conditioning with the Coat Handler help me to get them out? I assume I would try and comb them all out while wet and then dry. Any advice to a frustred first time Hav owner? Thank you!

Unfortunately, this is how it goes when they are blowing their puppy coat. The only way to deal with it is to keep up on it or shave her down.

I highly recommend dematting first, and then bathing. The Coat Handler conditioner is a light, leave-in conditioner and will help her coat after the bath. Blow drying any loose hairs out will also help you a bit more than air drying will.

This phase isn't fun for you or for your Hav, but it does eventually pass.

[Jane]

I tried Crystal White today for the first time on Lincoln's muzzle!

I think it did lighten the stains a little bit! It says it will take 3-4 shampoos to remove the stains. It says to apply it hot and full strength. My question is, how do you get it hot? It also says to wrap the area in saran wrap and aim a blow dryer at it (I guess to heat it), but I didn't try that since that would WAY too upsetting for Lincoln - it is his face, after all!

I do think it works better than the All Systems White Lightening shampoo. JMHO.

[Havtahava]

Microwave or set in a dish inside a saucepan with water, Jane. (Think: old-fashioned bottle warming.) Just be careful to test it before you apply it to Lincoln.

[elregalohavanese]

Before I buy some, I would like a look at the ingredients...does anyone have a bottle and would not mind listing at least the active ingredients. I tried to search for them with no luck. Thanks Susan

[Thumperlove]

I was just posting about this on the other thread. I had to email them, they did tell me the active ingredient is catalase, and I emailed them back to ask if it contained peroxide since catalase is used to convert peroxide (with heat as a requirement!) they never emailed me back, so I'll just assume it does. Technically, if you "heat" the shampoo, it transforms the peroxide to water, but if you dont heat it, well, its probably in its peroxide chemical state.

They assured me there was nothing 'damaging to the coat' if used 'correctly'. However, after talking with them via email, I chose not to buy their product. They weren't very forthcoming.

Kara

PS. I did PM with someone here on the ingredients, and I believe it just listed "enzymes", but not which particular one. (catalase)

[elregalohavanese]

Kara, Thanks for the info. I will probably not use it either if I don't know what all I am putting on my dogs. I will try the whitening shampoo I have a couple more times first. Maybe also chalk her before ring time..hopefully the stains Izzy has will fade out before then. She must have sat smack dab in that pee...her rear end came nice and clean but her back feet still are a little yellow. We will keep trying...I read somewhere that prolonged use of the crystal white( over a certain number of times) can make the hair turn gray...almost sounds like it is eating the outer layer of hair with the stain in it off??? Don't know , just sounds strange. Susan