DIY At-Home Pet Grooming Creates Customer Need

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By Jennifer Higgins

Let’s face it: if it’s got fur, it will shed; if it has nails, they’ll grow; and if it likes the outdoors, it’s going to get dirty! The “it” to which I am referring, in this case, is none other than the family pet. Countless pet (and working) dogs and cats residing in their humans’ homes haven’t the means or ability to tend to their own hygiene. For some pet owners, monthly trips to the pet spa, salon or groomer is the answer.

However, there are plenty of pet owners who prefer—for one reason or another—to go the DIY (Do It Yourself) route. Be it shampoos, body wipes or brushes/combs, if pet owners need it to be easy to use, environmentally friendly and/or safe as well as aesthetically pleasing, then it will appear on the shelves.

Good, Clean Fun
Pet Head pet grooming products, under The Company of Animals house of brands, offer a wide array of alluring, brightly packaged, fresh-n-fruity smelling as well as cleverly named shampoos, conditioners and sprays. This includes “Life’s an Itch” skin soothing shampoo for dogs as well as the user-friendly ‘Dry Clean’ waterless shampoo spray for both dogs and cats. Head of Marketing for The Company of Animals, Bianca Rossi, describes how these products “have been made based on the needs of dogs, cats and pet parents alike, providing solutions for everything from dogs with itchy skin to waterless baths for cats. All Pet Head products are uniquely designed and fabulously fragranced with owners and their pets in mind.”

Pet Head has obviously done its research and has identified a need for puppy-specific grooming and bathing products that are safe enough to ensure puppy’s safety even if they decide to drink the soapy water! Similarly, with the threat of hot summer pavement under puppy’s feet, Pet Head has developed Pet Head Oatmeal Paw Butter, which, “combines shea butter, oatmeal, mango, vitamins E and F, jojoba, coconut oil, olive oil and aloe vera to help keep paws nourished and fresh all season long.” Natural and safe, Pet Head products are, “free from petroleum derivatives and DEA and they won’t harm your dog if ingested.”

Knowing that ease of use is one of the many top requirements for in-home grooming products to be successful, Swees America developed its de-shedding tool. As CEO of Swees America Eddy Cathaud describes, the Eazee by Foolee Click and Brush system, “won’t scratch pets or people, making at-home grooming safer and more comfortable.”

Easy clean-up of grooming tools is also key to moving product off the shelves.

“The composite comb is reversible for short or long hair, and fur does not stick to it,” Cathaud said. “To remove the hair from the comb, users simply push the button and the teeth retract, letting the hair slip right off.”

Products being safe is just the beginning for Jax & Cali, a female-owned and family-operated indie brand out of Miami and Orlando, Florida. Jax & Cali President Gail Beregovich has made sure her body wipe product is “natural, with no harmful chemicals or ingredients, hypoallergenic, PETA certified, cruelty-free and vegan,” which has resulted in extra-large, super thick and textured paw and body wipes.

Jax & Cali Paw and Body Wipes have a unique formula to cleanse, nourish and protect using vitamins B3 and E. They are pH-balanced, fragrance-free and free from alcohol, parabens, DMDM hydantoin (formaldehyde), propylene glycol and butylene glycol, ethanolamines (DEA, TEA, MEA), polyaminopropyl biguanide (PHMB), SLS, latex, and harsh chemicals.

“Jax & Cali has a straightforward philosophy to protect our pets’ health through cleanliness, as well as the homes they live in,” Beregovich said.

Jax & Cali Holistic Paw and Body Wipes have a wide array of uses. They can be used for allergies, skin conditions, post-surgery, dermatitis, irritations, dryness, flare-ups, odor control. They sanitize, nourish and protect and are vitamin-enriched for use on face, ears, eyes, paws, body and anal glands.

Oh, Honey!
Cardinal Pet Care Marketing and Promotions Manager Kerissa Kelly-Slatten announced the coming debut of EcoBath Manuka Honey, due out this summer.

“EcoBath products blend Natural Manuka Honey with other high-quality organic and botanical ingredients to create Cardinal’s exclusive Honey Hygiene, a new nature-based approach to caring for your pet’s coat, skin, teeth and gums,” Kelly-Slatten said. “EcoBath Natural Manuka Honey is ideal for involved pet parents who seek high-performing eco-friendly products, made with sustainable manufacturing practices, to use in their dog’s daily care regimen. As people have shifted to using more natural products themselves, they want the same healthy lifestyle choices to be available to their pets, who are increasingly being treated as family members.”

Designed to be safe for pets, people and the planet, the eco-friendly line contains no parabens, sulfates, cyclic silicones, DEA/MEA, phthalates, BHT, triclosan, plastic microbeads, formaldehyde releasers, gluten, harmful colors or harmful fragrances, petroleum, minerals or paraffin wax.

No in-home grooming experience would be complete without the proper and appropriate cutting and clipping tools. According to Allie Haen, PR manager from Ideas that Evoke, Andis offers a variety of grooming products for at-home use, including the new Cord/Cordless Nail Grinder which is “comfortable to hold and has a turbo boost speed for getting the job done quickly.”

Quick is a bonus when pet parents are attempting to manage sharp pet nails and sensitive pet feet. Andis’s Cordless Easy Clip Adjustable Blade Clipper is a great option for at-home touch-ups between original clippers. It is lightweight and gives users the freedom to groom anywhere.

Now when clipping, cutting, trimming and combing go a little wrong and a minor abrasion, quicked nail or nicked ear results, Ed Berger of Groomers Helper is confident that there is only one product that will suffice: ClotIt!

Odorless, colorless and non-staining, ClotIt is a white powder that stops bleeding quickly and efficiently. More importantly, the product is painless to the injured pet. According to the brand’s website, ClotIt uses “all-natural minerals to work with the body’s natural clotting process and stops bleeding faster than any other product on the market.”

And what a vibrant market that is! Whatever the needs of home-grooming customers, these products provide solutions to keep pets pampered and boost retailers’ sales.