# Whitening shampoo



## KristenC (Sep 20, 2021)

I just gave my pup Charlotte a bath with CC whitening shampoo. My neighbor (Linda who has Sunny- also on this forum) gave me a small amount to try to see if I liked it. She came out really white but her hair seems to be a little bit dryer. Anyone else use a whitening shampoo notice that it makes the hair a bit dryer?

I’ve been using CC spectrum 10.

It’s great to be able to share with Linda treats, food and grooming before I buy it.


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

She looks great! I think someone on this forum told me that you should use a separate conditioner after white on white, because it is drying (same as if ppl use a super clarifying shampoo!) I generally just use the 2 in 1 spectrum 10 but with whitening I’ve used the separate conditioner too. I’ve also been generally using a stand alone conditioner even after the two in one the last few weeks, which is helping with the tangling from blowing coat on my 8 month old!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yes, I ALWAYS use a good conditioner if I use a whitening shampoo. And I never use a whitening shampoo every time.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I barely rinse spectrum 10 conditioner after white on white. For a while I “floated” his coat after white on white and sometimes didn’t rinse at all. There are lots of ways to do it and I tried different ratios until it worked best for Sundance. I usually add a small amount of conditioner to a teal Ikea size tub of water. Then I use a squeeze bottle mixed about 8:1 water to conditioner and disperse it over the driest parts of his coat while he’s in the tub. I rinsed very lightly, mostly just around his ears. The trick is keeping him from climbing out. If the bath goes on too long he’ll try to climb out, but if I’m fast he’ll stand in it as long as it keeps him warm and it isn’t too deep. We live in a very dry climate and I could use a conditioner that is just a little more than spectrum 10 but I haven’t found one that doesn’t weigh down his coat. This method seems to make the most of the conditioner for Sundance. It doesn’t really take longer to do it this way but I don’t do it very often because it’s more setup and I get really soaked, and DH gives him bathes a lot.

There is a CC product that helps “neutralize” shampoo that comes with the trial sets. I tried it after white on white and sometimes I really thought it helped and sometimes I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t convinced enough to buy a full size bottle, but maybe one day I’ll try it again and keep notes, since I only use white on white every 4th bath or so.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I've met Charlotte in person, and I don't think her coat would do well with the Spectrum 10 left in... I think it would weigh her coat down. But floating her coat nd letting her coat coat in it, if she'll tolerate it, is a great idea. This is always a great way to let the hair really soak up the conditioner!


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## KristenC (Sep 20, 2021)

krandall said:


> I've met Charlotte in person, and I don't think her coat would do well with the Spectrum 10 left in... I think it would weigh her coat down. But floating her coat nd letting her coat coat in it, if she'll tolerate it, is a great idea. This is always a great way to let the hair really soak up the conditioner!


Floating coat in conditioner? I,ve tried to look it up on YouTube but it just gives me dogs in life preservers for boating and water activities


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KristenC said:


> Floating coat in conditioner? I,ve tried to look it up on YouTube but it just gives me dogs in life preservers for boating and water activities



What EvaEl1zabeth talked about, where you fill a tub with warm water and a bunch of conditioner in it, and get her to stand in it. Use a pitcher or cup to keep pouring the water over the parts of her that aren't in the water. Do this for up to 10 minutes, or as long as she'll tolerate it, then rinse her off and dry her. She'll have the silkiest, softest coat you've ever felt! 💗


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

“Floating coat” is when you add the conditioner to clean bath water and the Havanese coat is conditioned from soaking in the water. It dilutes the conditioner and distributes it more evenly so that it’s easier to rinse, if it needs to be rinsed at all. I don’t always rinse after floating the coat, it depends on how diluted it is (but it sounds like rinsing would still be a good idea for Charlotte if you try floating her coat, just don’t over rinse until it feels squeaky clean).

I think most people use 1-2 pumps of conditioner (or more) in the bath water. I use a portable utility tub that’s a lot smaller than a bathtub so it doesn’t waste water. It’s not quite enough saturation for Sundance with spectrum 10, which is why I also use a squeeze bottle with a less diluted solution. It is also a great way to occasionally use conditioners that are too heavy for regular use on Havanese.

I haven’t floated Sundance’s coat in a while, but it works well. Lately I apply a bit of spectrum 10 full strength to the area on his back that tends to be dry (and sometimes his feet in the winter) and let him stand under a very soft spray of water while I mix up the rest. Then I use a squeeze bottle with spectrum 10 diluted to about 10:1 on the rest of him. I rinse with the most gentle setting on my hand shower for only a minute or two, just until I can’t see any conditioner and he’s thoroughly soaked. His coat really holds the water this way and is quite saturated, so I have him “shake, shake, shake” before I let him out.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I NEVE use Spectrum 10 full-strength. I can't even get it out of the BOTTLE full strength! LOL! As soon as I get a little out, I start replacing that with water until I get down to about 50/50 conditioner and water. Then it is like the strength of MOST conditioners. That's why I think it is really more economical than most "cheaper" conditioners. It is just SO concentrated!!!

For us on the dogs, I pour some of my already diluted conditioner into a 2 quart pitcher, fill THAT with warm water, and slowly pour it over the dog after having rinsed the shampoo out. So it's not QUITE as good as floating the coat, but it does get a good even coverage into every single hair. I DO love how they feel after floating their coat, but honestly, it's been a LONG time since I;'ve done it. With 4 to keep up with, I don't have time, unless one of them has a REAL problem with their coat. And I try not to let it get to that point!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

krandall said:


> I NEVE use Spectrum 10 full-strength. I can't even get it out of the BOTTLE full strength! LOL! As soon as I get a little out, I start replacing that with water until I get down to about 50/50 conditioner and water. Then it is like the strength of MOST conditioners. That's why I think it is really more economical than most "cheaper" conditioners. It is just SO concentrated!!!


It’s very hard to spread when it’s not diluted!

I should have clarified, because too much conditioner can cause build up really quickly. I don’t put it on full strength the way I would human conditioner. It’s more of a dab on my fingertip, and I spread it in my hands like lotion and then apply it to the ends of Sundance’s coat in two spots on his back where his coat isn’t quite as fine and his ends tend to feel dry. Full strength conditioner also seems to soften up salt from the street in the winter, but I don’t use very much. Just enough that I can work it in, because when it’s diluted it’s too watery to control. However, I don’t always use Spectrum 10 for this. Often I’ll use up an “experiment” or impulse buy conditioner on feet. I also use full strength conditioner for “butt baths,” only a dab, to provide more control. It hasn’t caused a problem for Sundance, but I’m sure it would not be good on a very light coat because it would be too much anywhere else on Sundance’s body.




krandall said:


> For use on the dogs, I pour some of my already diluted conditioner into a 2 quart pitcher, fill THAT with warm water, and slowly pour it over the dog after having rinsed the shampoo out. So it's not QUITE as good as floating the coat, but it does get a good even coverage into every single hair. I DO love how they feel after floating their coat, but honestly, it's been a LONG time since I;'ve done it. With 4 to keep up with, I don't have time, unless one of them has a REAL problem with their coat. And I try not to let it get to that point!


I don’t dilute my conditioner ahead of time because it makes it freezing cold! But since you are diluting it again that probably warms it back up. My spectrum 10 is in bottles with pumps that dispense just the right amount of conditioner in proportion to the bottle I use for application. Many times DH has accidentally left the lids off, or used 1/4 of a bottle for one bath, and it’s honestly not something I’m going to complain about when he’s helping out. But my system has to take that into account! I think pitchers are such a great idea for even distribution, and it provides the same deep saturation. I tend to use squeeze bottles to target different parts of Sundance’s coat but it’s probably overkill.

Baths must be so much work for you right now! How are you splitting them up?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> It’s very hard to spread when it’s not diluted!
> 
> I should have clarified, because too much conditioner can cause build up really quickly. I don’t put it on full strength the way I would human conditioner. It’s more of a dab on my fingertip, and I spread it in my hands like lotion and then apply it to the ends of Sundance’s coat in two spots on his back where his coat isn’t quite as fine and his ends tend to feel dry. Full strength conditioner also seems to soften up salt from the street in the winter, but I don’t use very much. Just enough that I can work it in, because when it’s diluted it’s too watery to control. However, I don’t always use Spectrum 10 for this. Often I’ll use up an “experiment” or impulse buy conditioner on feet. I also use full strength conditioner for “butt baths,” only a dab, to provide more control. It hasn’t caused a problem for Sundance, but I’m sure it would not be good on a very light coat because it would be too much anywhere else on Sundance’s body.


I don’t think I’ve ever had a situation where I wanted to use it on just one spot. And for butt baths I go straight to Fair Advantage, which has shampoo and conditioner in one.




EvaE1izabeth said:


> I don’t dilute my conditioner ahead of time because it makes it freezing cold! But since you are diluting it again that probably warms it back up. My spectrum 10 is in bottles with pumps that dispense just the right amount of conditioner in proportion to the bottle I use for application. Many times DH has accidentally left the lids off, or used 1/4 of a bottle for one bath, and it’s honestly not something I’m going to complain about when he’s helping out. But my system has to take that into account! I think pitchers are such a great idea for even distribution, and it provides the same deep saturation. I tend to use squeeze bottles to target different parts of Sundance’s coat but it’s probably overkill.


Because I mix it into 2 quarts of warm water, it’s not the least bit cold!  I can understand you needing to regulate the amount that gets used… I don’t have that problem very often. I think Dave has given PIXEL a bath ONCE when she got into something stinky right after I’d just given her a bath, and I balked at doing it again. I am the sole bath-giver around here! LOL! I DO sort of limit how much could get wasted, because, like you, I decant out of my gallon bottles into small squeeze bottles, partly because it makes it easier to handle, and partly because it makes it easier for ME to dispense it in reasonable amounts.



EvaE1izabeth said:


> Baths must be so much work for you right now! How are you splitting them up?


In the last few months, (since last fall, my RA has been giving me a hard time and my shoulder has not been up to doing the whole gang at once, so I’ve been alternating, and doing two one day, and two another day, or sometimes Just Ducky, since he’s got the most coat now. But when my shoulder is OK, I do have a system, and I can get them all done in 2 hours! I start turning the heat up a bit, if it’s not warm out. Then I bathe Kodi and Pixel, towel dry them and let them loose with towels on their beds. Then I bathe and blow dry Panda and Ducky, it doesn’t matter which order. By the time I’m done with them, the other two are MOSTLY dry, and I can finish drying them pretty quicky. 

If I have to trim feet and nails, It takes another hour or a little less. But I try to split that up, even if my shoulder is OK… doing feet and nails on all four on the same day is a back killer!!! Oh, and I wash all bedding when I wash dogs too!


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## KristenC (Sep 20, 2021)

Thanks for the info on floating the coat. I’ll try it next time after I find a tub to fit her.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KristenC said:


> Thanks for the info on floating the coat. I’ll try it next time after I find a tub to fit her.


Instrad of a tub, go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a storage bin. Something that is taller than a regular wash tub, and not necessarily very big. Just big enough to fit her in! Like bankers box size!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I have a few of these already, because I use them to carry gardening, painting, and other project supplies around my house. IKEA Tub It’s long enough for Sundance to stand in, and it’s pretty deep, but I dont think it covers the shoulders, I don’t completely fill it. Since it’s flexible it’s easier to empty when I’m done. It’s a tiny bit big, especially for a puppy or a tiny Havanese. But a lot of people might already have it or similar flexible totes.

I don’t have a utility sink and a while ago I came across a dish bin with a drain in the bottom for soaking laundry Joseph Joseph dish bin . I really love it because it’s portable and easy to drain without splashing everywhere, and now I can still wash my hands in the bathroom if something needs to soak! But this one is too small for Sundance. Since I found this I have come across similar collapsible tubs at Home Goods that are bigger but haven’t found a big one with a drain yet. I think someone once mentioned an infant tub.

Any storage bin will work, and as Karen mentioned, it doesn’t need to be big, deep is good, and you probably already have one for a trial run. I just like these because they’re easy to empty. I was soaking curtains in oxyclean in a large bin a while ago and practically flooded my bathroom trying to empty it into the bathtub when I was done. I’m pretty sure most people think these things through better than I do and don’t end up in so many strange predicaments!


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## KristenC (Sep 20, 2021)

Ok great thanks. These look good. After the storm tomorrow, I’ll look for one.


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