Rubba-Dubba: Our Favorite Grooming Products

Every month we take Athena to a local self-serve dog wash for her routine bath.  Because I'm super picky, we usually bring our own grooming supplies instead of using the ones that are provided by the facility.  

Aside from her monthly bath, Athena also gets "feet cleanings" on occasion if she happens to get her paws super muddy at the park.  For these quick clean-ups we wash Athena's paws in our bathtub at home, so I like to have our own grooming products on hand.  

Below is a list of the different grooming products that we use during bath time, feet cleanings, and everything in between:

Shampoos & Conditioner:

Photos via Earthbath & Molly Muriel

We switch between using Earthbath's Oatmeal & Aloe Shampoo (liquid) and Molly Muriel's Dog Shampoo (bar).  Both help Athena's dry, itchy skin and leave her coat soft and shiny after a bath.  I actually don't have a preference between the two, but I've noticed that the bar soap seems to be much longer lasting than the bottle of liquid shampoo (not to mention the bar is cheaper-- $6 vs. $16).  It's also a plus that Molly Muriel is local to Portland.  I have been very impressed with how well both shampoos lather without using too much shampoo.

After a good sudsing and rinse, we apply a small amount of Earthbath's Creme Rinse & Conditioner to Athena's coat to help detangle her brindle furs and keep them super shiny.

Microfiber Towel:

Before Athena gets out of the bath, we give her a thorough rub down with our Microfiber Pet Towel.  The microfiber material helps to speed up the fur drying process.  Athena actually thinks the towel drying is the best part of the bath process (as you can see from the pictures below).  She then gets fully dried with a commercial dryer as well as a hair dryer.

Freshening Mist & Wipes:

Photos via Earthbath

To keep Athena smelling fresh throughout the month, we often spritz her fur with a deodorizing spray.  We own Earthbath's Lavender Spritz, as well as Earthbath's Mango Tango Spritz.  These delicious smelling sprays have proven to be quite necessary after a long day of daycare when Athena comes home smelling like wet-stanky-dog.  We also use these sprays to keep Athena's fur soft and shiny in between baths.

Photo via Earthbath

We keep packages of grooming wipes all over the house and in our cars to ensure that we always have these life-savers around.  Every time Athena enters the house after a walk or from prancing around in the mud, we wipe her paws with a grooming wipe to ensure that our house stays clean and that Athena doesn't lick anything icky off from her paws.  She knows that "paw" means to lift her paw for us to wipe.  Our favorite wipes are Earthbath's Hypo-Allergenic Grooming Wipes.

Paw Cream:

Photo via Musher's Secret

From time to time we massage Athena's little feetsies with Musher's Secret Paw Cream to keep them soft and protected from the elements.  We haven't had much extreme weather (snow or heat) since purchasing this wax, so I will have to wait until later to give it a full review.  As of now, we've mostly used it to soften Athena's crackly paws (which she loves to stick in our eyeballs).  It does seem to be working, and Athena especially loves the pampering she gets during the procedure!

Other Grooming Supplies:

Photos via Amazon

Of course, aside from all of the above grooming supplies we own the usual gadgets such as dog toothbrushs, toothpaste, ear cleaning solution, nail clippers, and brushes.  Our favorite brush to use during bath time (when Athena's fur is wet) is the Kong Zoom Groom.  We like to use a Longhaired Shedding Comb on Athena's dry fur to brush out her loose fur.

What are your favorite dog grooming products?  How often do you bathe your dog?  Any tips for grooming?