At some point, we all have to deal with fleas on our pets. It's a frustrating battle to fight, but these homemade flea shampoo recipes will make the job easier.
Getting rid of fleas is more difficult than just getting them off your dog. Fleas are parasites, meaning they need to live off of another creature to survive. However, they can survive in your carpeting, on bedding or embedded in the fibers of your furniture for weeks.
In order to completely get rid of a flea infestation, you must understand how fleas survive and reproduce.
During its life cycle, the flea changes from an egg to larvae to pupae and finally into an adult flea. An adult female flea can live for more than three weeks and lay 20-30 eggs each day.
As you can see, a clutch of fleas can reproduce at an alarming rate. They will quickly spread from your pet to your home and every upholstered surface you have.
You'll need to throughly clean your home in order to completely get rid of fleas. You can check out my guide on the subject here.
Once your home is rid of fleas, you need to make sure that they are off of your pet. In order to do that, you'll probably have to bathe your dog a few times. These homemade flea shampoo recipes have proven to be effective with my own pets over the year.
Homemade Flea Shampoo for Dogs
3 easy recipes
Many owners choose to avoid commercial flea shampoos because they are made with harsh chemicals and toxic ingredients. Instead, some pet owners (like myself), are choosing to make homemade products that are gentle, safe and effective.
The Center for Veterinary Medicine (a subsidiary of the FDA, has issued reports and warnings for pet owners on the toxicity of some pet shampoo brands several times before.
On top of that, there have been several studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the illnesses associated with the use of certain dog flea shampoos. One of the biggest culprits is a substance called pyrethrins, which are pesticides that are often included in poor-quality dog flea shampoos.
To avoid any possible issues, you can make your own homemade flea shampoo to get rid of the infestation without any harmful side effects to your pet. I've used these 3 recipes many times, and they've proven to be effective time and time again.
Homemade Flea Shampoo – 3 Recipes
The first recipe uses white vinegar and Dawn dish soap. As you will see in my video guide above, I put my homemade flea shampoo in squirt bottles.
Combine equal parts water, white vinegar, and Dawn dish soap. The dish soap will reduce the surface tension of the water, causing the fleas to sink and drown.
My next recipe calls for:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup baby shampoo
Another recipe that I've used to kill fleas is:
- 10 ounces water
- 2 ounces of aloe vera gel
- 1 tbsp. baby shampoo
- 2 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
- 2 drops of lavender essential oil
- 2 drops of rosemary essential oil
No matter which recipe you choose, you'll mix all of the ingredients together in an empty squirt bottle. Use the shampoo generously when bathing your dog.
You may need to bathe your dog a few times before all of the fleas are gone. Once your dog is completely dry, inspect his fur or use a flea comb to check for any fleas that may have survived. If you find more fleas, give Fido another bath.
READ NEXT: How To Make Homemade Flea Spray for Dogs (3 Recipes)
