Homemade Flea Shampoo for Pets

You can easily make your own homemade flea shampoo to avoid exposing your pet to potentially toxic store bought versions. Fleas are not only a nuisance and potential irritant, they can also transmit diseases like worms to your pet. By making a gentle, effective homemade pet flea shampoo you will be able to use it regularly to remove fleas and keep them off your pet.

What You Need To Make Homemade Flea Shampoo

There are a couple of different methods for making homemade flea shampoo for your pets. If you want to go all natural, you will need to find dried soapwort root, which is available online and in specialist herb stores. Otherwise, you can use dish washing soap, or another kind of gentle, liquid soap for the shampoo.

There are several kinds of essential oil that repel fleas, including lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus and peppermint. You can also use citronella or lemon for dogs, but it is not recommended for cats. You should make sure that you buy only pure essential oils. If you prefer, you can use fresh or dried ingredients, like rosemary leaves, in place of the essential oils.

In addition, depending on what you wish to add to the shampoo, you will need apple cider or white vinegar and purified or distilled water.

How To Make All Natural Flea Shampoo

1. Add 2 teaspoons of soapwort to 3 cups of purified water.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for around 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. Leave it to settle for around 1 hour.
4. Decide on your preferred essential oils. You can use one type or more in combination. Lavender is a repellent for several different kinds of insects and makes a good choice. 
5. Add 3 teaspoons of your preferred type of essential oil to the cooled mixture. Mix thoroughly. If you are adding solid ingredients in lieu of essential oils, try adding them just after taking the pot off the heat.
6. Pour your shampoo into a sealed container. You should keep it in the fridge. It can be used for up to 10 days.

How To Make an Easy Homemade Flea Shampoo

If you can't find soapwort, or you have a gentle, natural liquid soap to use as an alternative, you may prefer this recipe.

1. Combine 2 cups of purified water, half a cup of vinegar, and half a cup of liquid soap.
2. Mix thoroughly. If you wish, add up to 3 teaspoons of your preferred essential oils.
3. If you want to use solid ingredients, try heating the purified water (before combining the other ingredients), and steeping the herbs in it for 30 minutes before straining them out, and continuing with the recipe.

You will need to shake the bottle before using it in order to remix the essential oils into the shampoo. Wash your pet gently, but thoroughly, starting at the neck and working your way down to discourage the fleas from fleeing to your pet's head. Use the shampoo once per week and your pet should be flea-free.