Hello Havanese land! I just introduce myself and now I’m pleading for feedback.
I have a couple questions about grooming. We have 3 Havanese and I do my own grooming. I recently retired early (I’m 60) so have left the youngest, 18 months, in her long coat. The other 2 boys have puppy cuts. I have always enjoyed brushing Jodie each day. I do her feet and tail first. Then I divide her hair vertically in 4 clumps (pinned with alligator clips) and then horizontally comb/brush 4 separate layers for a total of 32 sections. Her head and neck come last. Recently though I’ve suddenly had issues with matting. She started blowing her coat 6 months ago so I’m pretty good with catching those little tangles. Her last 2 baths have been awful though. It doesn’t matter what I use or what combination I try. I’ve been practicing on her paws the last 2 weeks. In general her hair is in good condition. She is definitely the hairiest fluffiest Havanese I’ve ever seen-except maybe Bono😋 Jodie does not need volumizing anything.
Grooming things I’ve tried are:
Redken All Soft (still like it)
Pantene products-strong smell for me but works well
Chris Christensen Spectrum 10
Chris Christensen Shine for Sure-left rust colored blotches on my hand
Chris Christensen Spectrum 10 hyper pac- no affect, sent it back
Laser lights stripping shampoo
Several other Laser Lite products-donated
Nature’s Specialties-sent it back
Several more I still can’t remember
My conclusion: Pantene, Spectrum 10 & Redken shampoos are fine but conditioners themselves don’t do a lot after being rinsed out. I use a very small amount of All Soft conditioner in my water mister. Any more than that leaves her hair with a film on it.
Grooming utensils I’ve tried:
Wahl cordless clippers-love it
Mini-arco trimmer for pads, eyes and sanitary trims-love it
Chris Christensen butter comb-$50.00?!
Andis buttercomb $10.00-love it, sent the other one back
Chris Christensen curved slicker brush-I actually like that one and the pins are soft
Matting rakes-didn’t work for me with the tight mats against the skin
Mat splitter (looks like a mini cythe)-works but very sharp
TIJERAS 7 Inch Dog Grooming Scissor-excellent and worth $27.00
ShearsDirect Professional 46 Teeth Blender, 6.5-Inch-it works but could be weighed better
Zen Clipper Pet Nail Clippers-definitely not
Miller’s forge stainless steel nail clippers-yes! $5.00 & has a clean sharp cut with minimal pressure on doggy’s nerves
Mars Professional Grooming Brush for Dogs and Cats-meh, pins are tipless though
Bass bamboo pin brush-pins break easily
Chris Christensen Ice Slip Dematting Brush-20 mm-$37.00 this actually works well, thick pins well spaced
Chris Christensen Chris Christensen Breezy Large Oblong Brush 16mm-too whimpy
SPA by TropiClean Tear Stain Remover for Pets-Stung my eye for 20 minutes-not using on my babies!
Earthbath Puppy Shampoo-didn’t sting my own eye so I use 1:1 dilution for dogs faces
Resco Professional Comb for Pets-it’s okay but $30.00 is far too much
LIVINGO Premium Manicure Scissors curved blade $10.00-excellent quality
...and my favorite grooming tool is my magnivision headband-especially for cleaning ears!
I also have a grooming table, hair dryer clamp and pet dryer. We always towel dry Jodie by squeezing her hair with a towel in a downward motion. I also dry her hair downward and layered in a similar fashion to line brushing. However, her hair still has mats next to the skin. It doesn’t matter what products I use or how thoroughly Jodie is rinsed. The Mat Zapper helps but I cringe at the noise it makes tearing the wet mats away from her skin. So, if you’ve actually read this far-thank you! My main question is what am I doing wrong, or missing, with the mat issue? How often do I need to use a stripping shampoo? My other question is: is there any way to moisturize her top layer of hair that is frizzy and feels a little rough? I ordered Ice oc Ice ready to use conditioner with sunscreen from Amazon and received milky colored water. It doesn’t resemble the bottle my sister-in-law ordered from Cherrybrook.
Thank you! JaJa
This is what Jodie’s hair looks like under the top frizzy, rough hair
I have a couple questions about grooming. We have 3 Havanese and I do my own grooming. I recently retired early (I’m 60) so have left the youngest, 18 months, in her long coat. The other 2 boys have puppy cuts. I have always enjoyed brushing Jodie each day. I do her feet and tail first. Then I divide her hair vertically in 4 clumps (pinned with alligator clips) and then horizontally comb/brush 4 separate layers for a total of 32 sections. Her head and neck come last. Recently though I’ve suddenly had issues with matting. She started blowing her coat 6 months ago so I’m pretty good with catching those little tangles. Her last 2 baths have been awful though. It doesn’t matter what I use or what combination I try. I’ve been practicing on her paws the last 2 weeks. In general her hair is in good condition. She is definitely the hairiest fluffiest Havanese I’ve ever seen-except maybe Bono😋 Jodie does not need volumizing anything.
Grooming things I’ve tried are:
Redken All Soft (still like it)
Pantene products-strong smell for me but works well
Chris Christensen Spectrum 10
Chris Christensen Shine for Sure-left rust colored blotches on my hand
Chris Christensen Spectrum 10 hyper pac- no affect, sent it back
Laser lights stripping shampoo
Several other Laser Lite products-donated
Nature’s Specialties-sent it back
Several more I still can’t remember
My conclusion: Pantene, Spectrum 10 & Redken shampoos are fine but conditioners themselves don’t do a lot after being rinsed out. I use a very small amount of All Soft conditioner in my water mister. Any more than that leaves her hair with a film on it.
Grooming utensils I’ve tried:
Wahl cordless clippers-love it
Mini-arco trimmer for pads, eyes and sanitary trims-love it
Chris Christensen butter comb-$50.00?!
Andis buttercomb $10.00-love it, sent the other one back
Chris Christensen curved slicker brush-I actually like that one and the pins are soft
Matting rakes-didn’t work for me with the tight mats against the skin
Mat splitter (looks like a mini cythe)-works but very sharp
TIJERAS 7 Inch Dog Grooming Scissor-excellent and worth $27.00
ShearsDirect Professional 46 Teeth Blender, 6.5-Inch-it works but could be weighed better
Zen Clipper Pet Nail Clippers-definitely not
Miller’s forge stainless steel nail clippers-yes! $5.00 & has a clean sharp cut with minimal pressure on doggy’s nerves
Mars Professional Grooming Brush for Dogs and Cats-meh, pins are tipless though
Bass bamboo pin brush-pins break easily
Chris Christensen Ice Slip Dematting Brush-20 mm-$37.00 this actually works well, thick pins well spaced
Chris Christensen Chris Christensen Breezy Large Oblong Brush 16mm-too whimpy
SPA by TropiClean Tear Stain Remover for Pets-Stung my eye for 20 minutes-not using on my babies!
Earthbath Puppy Shampoo-didn’t sting my own eye so I use 1:1 dilution for dogs faces
Resco Professional Comb for Pets-it’s okay but $30.00 is far too much
LIVINGO Premium Manicure Scissors curved blade $10.00-excellent quality
...and my favorite grooming tool is my magnivision headband-especially for cleaning ears!
I also have a grooming table, hair dryer clamp and pet dryer. We always towel dry Jodie by squeezing her hair with a towel in a downward motion. I also dry her hair downward and layered in a similar fashion to line brushing. However, her hair still has mats next to the skin. It doesn’t matter what products I use or how thoroughly Jodie is rinsed. The Mat Zapper helps but I cringe at the noise it makes tearing the wet mats away from her skin. So, if you’ve actually read this far-thank you! My main question is what am I doing wrong, or missing, with the mat issue? How often do I need to use a stripping shampoo? My other question is: is there any way to moisturize her top layer of hair that is frizzy and feels a little rough? I ordered Ice oc Ice ready to use conditioner with sunscreen from Amazon and received milky colored water. It doesn’t resemble the bottle my sister-in-law ordered from Cherrybrook.
Thank you! JaJa
This is what Jodie’s hair looks like under the top frizzy, rough hair