# Daily brushing spray questions...



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

With Poodles, we don't want to brush dry coat is what I've read again and again. So even spritzing lukewarm water in a spray bottle will help.

For everyday brushing and combing, I love dilute Coat Handler and CC Just Divine. One I've not yet tried but want to is Eqyss Avacado mist.

If you can augment with products which don't utilize silicones, maybe that's a thought, although they are anything but bad. I've read about possible drying but am not certain and they definitely have their place.

Not familiar with Cowboy Magic, sorry. A wonderful pro groomer member here is having fabulous results with K9 Competition products from Sweden. Along those lines, consider contacting your local professional groomers to see if they can suggest steps you can take. Requesting a paid tutoring session might possibly be accepted, but if not you can definitely get on track with help from members here. Wish I were more knowledgeable to help better....


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Never heard of that and neither my breeder or groomer, who both show poodles, ever told me anything about that.

I don't spray anything on my dog and he can go 3-4 weeks without a bath.


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## PhoebeAndMe (Dec 25, 2015)

Thanks. I wonder if Nootie had silicones? I don't know offhand. Also, I think I'll try diluting more with distilled water if she starts to look odd or oily.

Streetcar I have the Eqyss for one of my cats. It was too heavy for Phoebe, really weighed her down, but works good on my long haired domestic cat(neither of my Ragdolls have hair issues like that).

I'm definitely going to see if I can get a tutoring session, especially once she has more hair. Currently, I clip her sanitary and feet, and do scissors for rounding kinda her paws...but I've never done any cuts other than that. My dad used to cut our mini as a kid and I remember I watched. He told me don't worry, you're going to make mistakes...I just hope she doesn't end up with a Mohawk (although I guess I could say it's a new style lol).

Dechi I think she's dirtier because we have a hole digger, not Phoebe but Seamus, and she will roll around in the one big hole he dug recently....I mean big! We're supposed to get a pool this year and we joke Seamus could help.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I too found that using a conditioner spray every day built up too much product, and seemed to 'attract' the dirt & would feel icky by day 4 or 5 .....the point to using spray is to prevent hair breakage and that it is the dampness makes the hair 'stretch' while brushing..... I found out that you can use plain old water! I also make sure I use a really fine mister type of spray bottle. I use a old aerosol hairspray bottle(8oz) filled with water that I add a teaspoon of hair conditioner to.
My girl almost never mats so I don't have a need for a detangler type spray but add conditioner anyway! For the smell! Hahaha!


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## PhoebeAndMe (Dec 25, 2015)

MollyMuiMa said:


> I too found that using a conditioner spray every day built up too much product, and seemed to 'attract' the dirt & would feel icky by day 4 or 5


YES! That's exactly how I feel, it's attracting more dirt than conditioning her hair! She's so far had ONE mat started, on the sensitive skin on her neck but under her chin. I try REALLY hard to make grooming pleasant, and it must be working because she notices if the sun is down and she's not been brushed...she walks back and forth to where I keep my stuff.

I'll have to find a good aerosol bottle, I'll probably have to poke around a bit to find a find mist. I might just dilute the cowboy magic with it since it smells good anyway. 

I've also read about K9 (here) so if she ever needs a change I'm thinking of that or Isle of Dogs. My cats are bathed with Burt's Bees but not regularly anymore.


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## CjTitus (Jan 25, 2013)

I use Isle of Dogs Everyday line called Everyday Elements I use the Violet & Sea Mist, which is a wonderful scent. We do therapy visits and the people love the long lasting, soft, but pretty scent. On the label it says Lush Coating Brush Spray and is made for poodles. I love this spray, it doesn't build up, but I also dilute to 50/50 with distilled water. I dilute everything though, shampoo, very seldom use conditioner unless my dog is going through a coat change, and my brushing sprays. Cj 


PhoebeAndMe said:


> YES! That's exactly how I feel, it's attracting more dirt than conditioning her hair! She's so far had ONE mat started, on the sensitive skin on her neck but under her chin. I try REALLY hard to make grooming pleasant, and it must be working because she notices if the sun is down and she's not been brushed...she walks back and forth to where I keep my stuff.
> 
> I'll have to find a good aerosol bottle, I'll probably have to poke around a bit to find a find mist. I might just dilute the cowboy magic with it since it smells good anyway.
> 
> I've also read about K9 (here) so if she ever needs a change I'm thinking of that or Isle of Dogs. My cats are bathed with Burt's Bees but not regularly anymore.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

This is a helpful thread! 

I have a question: two people have mentioned diluting with DISTILLED water. Is there a reason why distilled water specifically? Thanks!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

When Matisse was showing, I spritzed a little water or a little conditioner mixed with water to prevent his long hair from breaking. It can break more easily when it's dry when brushing. However, I didn't put anything on him on days he was showing of course, or it would have made his hair curl and weight it down. 

When he retired from showing, I clipped him quite short. And now I never put anything on his or Maurice's coats after bathing. I just bathe with a gentle shampoo, rinse well and dry while brushing. If some hair breaks, I don't care. It will grow back and anyhow, I don't notice any breakage or hair left in the brush. I think conditioners and oils weight down the hair and attract dirt and stuff. If the hair seems dry, it isn't going to help anything by simply coating it with oil or conditioner. Hair is dead and can't really absorb anything. If the coat is dry, try adding a teensy bit of fish oil to the diet and make sure the diet is good.

(Oh, I don't know why distilled water makes a difference unless one has hard water where they live. Maybe a lot of minerals or iron louses up the hair??? I just don't know)


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

For regular brushing when his hair is clipped short, I just spray the comb once or twice before using it, and I don't even do that every time if he doesn't seem to need it. I only directly spray his tail, since it's pretty long at the moment and he gets pretty sensitive if I spend time on tangles there.

He does get a weekly bath with conditioner, followed by a thorough mist of Ice on Ice when I blow-dry and brush him afterward. He doesn't like getting sprayed much, though, so I figure if spraying the brush works fine for in-between brushes, I'll just stick with that.


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Distilled water won't clog the item with mineral build-up because it lacks all the minerals of tap water. This applies to steam irons as well as mister bottles.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

That makes sense Pecan. I never thought of that...maybe because we have very soft, low mineral water around here.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

PhoebeAndMe said:


> I do brush, really comb, Phoebe every day. She's bathed once a week, and by that day she needs it LOL.
> 
> A little background is I use EZ Groom Crystal (tried white on white and it dried her out, but OMG the EZ didn't and got her whiter the FIRST time), currently using Cowboy Magic conditioner and Ice on Ice.
> 
> ...


My favorite brushing spray is K9 Competition Aloe Nano Mist


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## CjTitus (Jan 25, 2013)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> (Oh, I don't know why distilled water makes a difference unless one has hard water where they live. Maybe a lot of minerals or iron louses up the hair??? I just don't know)


Exactly! when I lived on the coast and had naturally soft water, I never used anything but tap water for everything. I now live in the Ozarks, where the water is super hard. I have filters on all my faucets/showers and a large one that takes out everything on the handheld shower I use for dog baths. Stained looking white dogs or rusty looking blacks don't look good for the show ring from hard water. Hard water is what makes shampoo impossible to suds up unless you use way to much and then makes it impossible to rinse out. So distilled water or reversed osmosis water is used to mix shampoos, detergents and soap, plus any sprays used, and that goes for the humans too! Itchy skin isn't fun as a human or dog.


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## PhoebeAndMe (Dec 25, 2015)

Funny MIL story. She's always lived with soft water, and is VERY OCD with cleaning when she cleans. When DH had cancer she stayed here to help out and did things while we were at appointments, cleaning and stuff. She'd always kind of given me a side eye for years when I explained there were some very hard water deposits I could not remove from the shower. I'd tried CLR, Ajax and Comet powders, and gosh a lot of stuff over the years from different stores, hardware and like Target and Walmart. One day we got home and she looked exasperated. I asked what happened. She said she scraped, tried bleach, CLR and ammonia mixed (she's hard headed and doesn't care about the danger...but I doubt she actually mixed it), those Brillo steel wood pads, etc., etc. She said "you're right, those damn stains won't come off!" 

Now the funny part, I mentioned it around thanksgiving to my best friend who's from here. She said "oh you just use 3/4 white vinegar and 1/4 Dawn, it works." And I'll be damned if those stains, here since we moved in (the house is almost 20 and we've had it five years) disappeared with NO SCRUBBING at all!

Now on a Phoebe note, I took a tablespoon of Cowboy Magic and mixed it with distilled water (I use it for ironing and the neti pot) and I'll be damned if she does NOT need a bath this week! I mean she's a little raggedy which cleans up fine once she's brushed, but she's not as dingy as usual. I am having to wash her face, beard and eyes, twice a day (I use tropiclean face scrub every other day and just water the off day as I read it could be drying). So glad it's working and economical!


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## PhoebeAndMe (Dec 25, 2015)

MollyMuiMa said:


> I too found that using a conditioner spray every day built up too much product, and seemed to 'attract' the dirt & would feel icky by day 4 or 5 .....the point to using spray is to prevent hair breakage and that it is the dampness makes the hair 'stretch' while brushing..... I found out that you can use plain old water! I also make sure I use a really fine mister type of spray bottle. I use a old aerosol hairspray bottle(8oz) filled with water that I add a teaspoon of hair conditioner to.
> My girl almost never mats so I don't have a need for a detangler type spray but add conditioner anyway! For the smell! Hahaha!


Thanks so much! That's exactly what I started doing. I purchased the first hairspray I saw on sale (why not?). Emptied the bottle and rinsed repeatedly in hot water and kept priming the pump to make sure the hair spray was gone. Added about a teaspoon of the Cowboy Magic and distilled water. That's what I've been using since then and these last almost three weeks I've had a cold so I didn't wash her until today (mostly because everyone was gone and I wouldn't have to hear them say "just leave her"). It worked fine. She got a little grungy some days due to rain and mud, but overall a winner. Best part, my husband says she smells like a puppy.


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