Waterless shampoo is exactly as it sounds – a shampoo that cleans your dog's coat without needing to be rinsed out with water. Does it work as well as traditional shampoo? Is it even safe for your dog? I'll answer those questions and more in my review of Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo.
With waterless shampoos, also called dry shampoo, you simply apply it to your dog's coat, rub it in and towel dry your pooch. These products are definitely more convenient, but they should not be used as a full time substitute for a traditional bath.
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Products like Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo are great to use between bathing to get rid of unwanted dirt and odors. However, your dog will still need a traditional bath when necessary. I say when necessary, because your dog's grooming schedule will depend on his coat and unique health conditions.
A dog with an oily or naturally smelly coat may need to bathe more often than a dog with a thick double coat who has average skin. Likewise, dry shampoo may not be effective on every coat type. It could also be detrimental to dogs with certain skin conditions.
The bottom line is, just like with any other grooming product you use, you need to ensure that the product you're buying is safe for your dog.
So, now let's take a look at Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo and its ingredients. Did I find it effective? Is it going to be a good option for your dog?
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Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo Review
I can say that these products are certainly easy to use. As you'll see in my video review above, the dry shampoo comes as a liquid. There is not gel to massage into your dog's coat. It's the consistency of water and forms a nice lather that is easy to work into your dog's fur.
The ingredients in the Original Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo are: Wwater, TEA lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, coccamidopropyl betaine, phenoxyethanol, fragrance, alkene glycol, disodium EDTA.
The ingredients in the version with flea repellent are: Water, TEA lauryl sulfate, benzyl alcohol, coccamidopropyl betaine, propylene glycol, dehydroacetic acid, benzoic acid, disodium EDTA, sorbic acid, limonene, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, mentha arvensis, (peppermint) leaf oil, cupressus funebris (cypress) wood extract, eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, foeniculum vulgare dulce fruit oil, melaleuca alternifolia (TEA Tree) leaf oil, tocopherol.
As you can see, while they may be effective, these products use a lot of synthetic ingredients that may irritate your dog's sensitive skin.
You can't see it as well in the video review, but the picture on the right shows how much dirt came off of our little Beagle, Molly, after using Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo. She gets a bath about once per month, but I still got a lot of dirt out of her coat after using this dry shampoo.
I've used these on our dogs multiple times in the last few weeks, and they have had no negative reactions. However, if your pet has sensitive skin it may be irritated by these shampoos. Likewise, if your dog has dry skin the chemicals in these products may dry his skin out even more.
In my video review, I also show our Labrador, Saddie, who I washed with Nilaqua Waterless Pet Shampoo before making this video. I gave her coat time to dry so that I could show you that there is no residue left behind.
I've used other dry shampoos in the past that left a flaky or greasy residue in the coat. To me, that's is a deal breaker, so I was very pleased to see that this waterless shampoo left nothing behind. I wash my dogs to make sure their coat is clean. I don't want to use a product that is going to leave gunk behind in their fur.
If you plan on purchasing this shampoo, I would recommend looking on the company's website. You can't order it there, but you can put in your location and it will show you the nearest retailer.
You can find the shampoo on Amazon as well, but it sells for $56 plus shipping. That price is also for a 500 mL (about 17 ounces) bottle. That is quite expensive, but it may be much cheaper if you purchase it through a local retailer.
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