Is human hair gel safe for dogs, or should I buy a pet-specific one?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. No, I do not recommend using human shampoo on your dog. The pH is different between our skin and a dog's. This can cause irritation. I would use a moisturizing pet shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula. I hope this information helps!

It is not recommended. The nor.al pH and oil levels of dog skin is different to humans and dog shampoos are adjusted for this. Human and baby shampoos can cause drying, scaling and irritation but if you must use something in an emergency, diluted baby shampoo would be the safest alternative

The problem with human shampoos is that they contain fragrences and ingredients that can strip a dog's skin's natural oils and dry it out. I would use a gentle baby shampoo instead, or you can use Dawn dish soap to wash him.

Actually the active ingredient found in head and shoulders is "Zinc Pyrithione" and the safety of this was studied and published in a journal article titled Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol. 2002 Nov-Dec;15(6):434-41. It studied the safety of Zinc Phyrithione and Ketoconazole and also how efficient they were at treating canine seborrhea (dry skin). They both were deemed safe for use, avoiding any product going into the eyes, and Ketoconazole was found to be far superior for treatment of canine seborrhea than Zinc Pyrithione. So to answer your question, yes Head and Shoulders, with the active ingredient Zinc Pyrithione, is safe for use in bathing pets as long as none gets in the eyes or is ingested (zinc in large quantities can be toxic to all pets). But there are more effective options out there such as Ketoconazole based shampoo's.

I'm not sure what you mean by this - there are chemicals in everything we use in life, which is not necessarily a bad thing :) If there is a specific ingredient you're concerned about in your pet's shampoo, feel free to post again with your concerns. We would be happy to try and give more specific information if we can.

If the product is safe for pets, it will be indicated on the labeling. If it is not labeled as safe for pets, don't use it. Remember that pets lick themselves so you can only use products that are labeled as safe for pets. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This product is labelled for human use and has no information available for animals that I could find. I would say that most of the ingredients formulated in the phytoplex are safe for use in dogs, however, use with caution as there is no information on its safety in animals. There are safer options out there such as Vetericyn or hydrocortisone spray that I would recommend before using Phytoplex. I hope this helps!