Natural Flea Shampoo for Dogs: Salt Recipe

There are many commercially available flea shampoos on the market that do a good job of ridding your pet of fleas. There are drawbacks, though. First of all, they are expensive. But more importantly, the toxic chemicals they contain to kill the fleas can harm your pet. Here's an inexpensive and effective natural dry flea shampoo that is made from ingredients you probably already have on hand.

  1. Why Salt?

    • Fleas are incredibly resilient creatures, but even they have their Achilles' heels. Salt is one of them. If a flea swallows a grain of salt, the salt will kill it from the inside out. From your pet's point of view, salt is great because it's a natural substance with no side effects when used topically.

    The Recipe

    • In a container that has a lid, place two cups of corn starch, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of regular table salt. You can substitute unscented baby powder for the corn starch, but make sure the salt is finely ground. Seal the container and then shake the mixture thoroughly.

    Applying the Shampoo

    • Sprinkle some of the mixture all over your dog and rub it in to your pet's scalp with your fingers. Make sure also to get the mixture between the animal's toes and under its legs. The purpose of most dry shampoos is to absorb excess oil from the dog's skin. This particular shampoo also kills fleas, but for both tasks to happen, you need to leave it on your dog's coat for at least 10 minutes. Finish by brushing the shampoo out of your dog's coat.

    Cautions

    • Be careful not to get the mixture in your dog's eyes, ears, nose or mouth. This is an external treatment only. Also make sure not to rub the mixture into any open wounds, since the salt will sting and cause pain.