Get

In Your Inbox

Dogster is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

5 DIY Dog Shampoos With Coconut Oil You Can Make Today! (With Pictures)

Share

Cute cocker spaniel with shower supplies in bathroom Bath Dog

If you want dog shampoo with coconut oil, it may be hard to find. Not all retailers carry it, and some products are prohibitively expensive.

Fortunately, creating your homemade dog shampoo with coconut oil isn’t that challenging. That’s why we took the time to track down and highlight five different dog shampoo recipes that you can make yourself. No matter what you’re looking for in a dog shampoo, you can find it here.

divider dog faces oct 2024

The 5 DIY Homemade Dog Shampoos with Coconut Oil

1. Simple Dog Shampoo with Coconut Oil

DIY Dog Shampoo

Ingredients: Castile soap, distilled water, coconut oil, and lavender oil
Cost: Low
Effectiveness: High
Scent: Lavender oil (customizable)

Just because you want to make your dog shampoo doesn’t mean you want the most complicated dog shampoo out there. With this simple dog shampoo recipe, you get the best of both worlds.

It’s easy to create and super effective to use, and you can customize the scent to whatever you want! It’s affordable, effective, and customizable, and it’s all-natural and an excellent moisturizer. If you try this simple dog shampoo, you may never get store-bought brands again.


2. Flea & Tick Shampoo

DIY Dog Shampoo

Ingredients: Distilled water, castile soap, lavender essential oil, peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, and coconut oil
Cost: Medium
Effectiveness: High
Scent: Lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus

Nobody wants to deal with fleas and ticks, but fortunately, you can make homemade remedies. With this flea and tick shampoo, you’ll have a natural product that’s gentle on your pet’s skin and coat and gets rid of all those bugs for good.

The important thing to remember when using this homemade shampoo for flea and tick removal is that it needs to stay on the skin and coat for a little while. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to take full effect; otherwise, you’ll end up washing it off before it kills the bugs!

Finally, while it can be tempting to customize the essential oils to get the exact scent that you want, you should not alter the recipe. The selected scents and essential oils are especially effective against fleas and ticks, and if you swap them out, there’s a good chance that you won’t get the effect that you’re looking for.


3. Sensitive Skin Shampoo

DIY Dog Shampoo

Ingredients: Distilled water, oatmeal, coconut oil, castile soap, lavender essential oil, apple cider vinegar
Cost: Medium
Effectiveness: Medium
Scent: Lavender

Not every pup can handle all the different chemicals and cleaning products in store-bought shampoos. Luckily for those dogs, there are formulas like this sensitive skin shampoo that do a great job of getting them clean while protecting their sensitive coat.

Oatmeal is the key ingredient here, but you need to get the right kind. It’s ground oatmeal, and you’ll need to grind it even further into flour. This gives the shampoo the maximum soothing benefits. The coconut oil is also excellent for their skin and coat.

This shampoo has awesome cleaning power, and the apple cider vinegar helps with parasite control. It’s an all-in-one DIY product that works great for your dog!


4. Extra-moisturizing shampoo

DIY Dog Shampoo

Ingredients: Unscented and uncolored dish soap, coconut oil, aloe vera, distilled water, essential oils, fragrance oils
Cost: Low
Effectiveness: Medium
Scent: Customizable

Sometimes all you want is a shampoo that will leave your dog with the softest coat possible. If that’s the case, this extra-moisturizing shampoo is exactly what you’re looking for. With coconut oil and aloe vera, it’s a masterful blend of moisturizing power in a single shampoo.

It also uses essential oils and fragrance oils for the scent, which means you can customize it to whatever you’re looking for. The most important part of this process is picking out the dish soap. If you go with a regular dish soap, you need to pay special attention that it’s both unscented and uncolored.

You can also substitute it for castile soap, which is recommended in many other recipes because it’s a natural ingredient that’s gentle on your dog’s skin and coat.


5. Super-Natural Shampoo

DIY Dog Shampoo

Ingredients: Ground oatmeal, baking soda, Dr. Bronners, coconut oil, essential oils, distilled water
Cost: Medium
Effectiveness: High
Scent: Customizable

If you’re making your shampoo, it’s probably because you want it to be as natural as possible. While every option on this list only uses natural ingredients, this super-natural shampoo takes it a step further.

Everything about it is great for your dog, and you don’t have to worry if your dog accidentally ingests a little. This shampoo also has natural skin-soothing properties, especially if you take the time to thoroughly grind the oatmeal before mixing it with the rest of the recipe.

divider dog paws 4 oct 2024

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can Coconut Oil Get Rid of Ear Mites in Dogs?

Yes! While the coconut oil in your homemade dog shampoo likely won’t be enough to get the job done and you shouldn’t put it directly inside their ear, gently rubbing raw coconut oil inside their ear canal over a few days should take care of the problem.

What Are the Benefits of Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil has many benefits, which is why you want it as an ingredient in your DIY dog shampoo. First, it helps prevent skin flaking. Second, it helps soften up your dog’s coat. Finally, if you leave it on long enough, it has anti-parasite properties.

While it won’t dispel fleas and ticks all by itself, it can act as a deterrent to keep new ones from hopping on board!

How Long Can You Leave Coconut Oil on Your Dog?

While you can safely leave coconut oil on your dog for 20 to 30 minutes to maximize benefits, you don’t want to leave it for longer than that. Coconut oil is thick, and if you leave it on for too long, it’ll clog up pores.

divider dog paws 3 oct 2024

Final Thoughts

With any of these natural formulas, you can create your dog shampoo in no time and get your pup clean with nothing but the best. Try them out for yourself, and see how effective they can be — and they’re great for your wallet too!

Related Read: Does Dog Shampoo Expire? What You Need To Know!


Featured Image Credit: Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock

Want content like this delivered to you?

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

News, insights, expert advice, and everything dog

* By submitting, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy & Cookies Policy.




How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate (you can leave written feedback after clicking submit)

Help us improve Dogster for pet parents!

Your feedback really matters.

What did you like about this post? Also how can we improve it?

Join the conversation

Leave a Reply

You’re very welcome to leave a comment or question. Please know that all comments must meet our community guidelines, and your email address will NOT be published. Let’s have a positive and constructive conversation.


Talk With A Vet Online

Peace of mind,
anywhere, anytime

Affordable vet advice

Ask Dr. Paola- Help! My Dog’s Sleeping Habits Have Changed! (May 18, 2026)

Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” series, where every Monday we bring expert advice straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to help our...

The Crate Setup Most Dog Owners Get Wrong (And How To Fix It!)

Most people assume that if their dog hates the crate, the crate is the problem. So they try a bigger one, a different...

1,500 Beagles Rescued from Wisconsin Lab Farm – Here’s Where They’re Going

You may remember that a few weeks ago, we reported on a tense situation at Ridglan Farms, Wisconsin, a facility infamous for housing...

Dogster’s Weekly Photo Contest Winners: Window Watchers (May 11, 2026)

Every week our team gets the privilege of sorting through our readers photos to choose what dogs will win this weeks contest! See...

More related

Why Are Puppies So Cute? What Science Tells Us

There is no question that puppies are cute. It does not even seem to matter what type of puppy we’re looking at —...

How Long Do Teacup Chihuahuas Live? Vet-Verified Average Lifespan, Data & Care

Chihuahuas are a popular dog breed known for their feisty attitudes and the strong bonds they form with their owners. They’re pretty small,...

Can Dogs Eat Whipped Cream? Vet-Reviewed Nutrition Facts & Info

Our dogs can eat all sorts of things we can. After all, they are omnivores just like us! However, that doesn’t mean everything...

Nom Nom vs Spot & Tango: Which Fresh Dog Food is Better? 2026 Update

If you’re tired of researching dog food brands, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In the last 20 years, several new dog food manufacturers...

Keep reading

Can Dogs Eat Tapioca? Vet-Verified Facts, Pros & Cons

We see various ingredients on the back of commercial dog food labels, on our own food, and otherwise. It’s hard to track exactly what’s safe and what each ingredient does for the body. When it comes to tapioca specifically, you...

Can Dogs Eat_Tapioca

Can Dogs Drink Wine? Vet-Verified Risks & FAQ

If you enjoy relaxing with a glass of wine in the evenings, you might feel inclined to give your dog some. Their adorable begging as you sip the wine could make you question whether a small sip could do them...

Can Dogs Drink Wine

Can Dogs Have Vanilla? Vet-Verified Nutrition Facts & FAQ

Vanilla is a common additive that is used to flavor sweet treats like cake, biscuits, and ice cream. Although some people keep and use the pods in their culinary efforts, most homes have vanilla extract, which is made by combining...

Dogster-Can-Dogs-Have-Vanilla

Can Dogs Eat Carrot Cake? Vet-Reviewed Facts & Safe Recipes

We are all well aware that human foods can be harmful to dogs. Some just don’t have any health benefits for canines, while others are highly toxic to them, including many sweet treats. Dogs shouldn’t eat carrot cake, though if...

Can Dogs Eat Carrot Cake

How to Feed Dogs With Pancreatitis: 6 Tips & Tricks

Feeding a dog with pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) can be difficult, especially when it comes to finding the right diet for them during recovery and long-term feeding. Both acute and chronic pancreatitis both require changes to your dog’s diet...

Golden Retriever dog eating

Fromm Dog Food Review 2026: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Review Summary Wisconsin is best known for its cheese but is also home to Fromm. This homegrown American company has been making dog food for more than a century and uses the best ingredients—many of them sourced locally—to create premium-quality...

Dogster_Fromm Dog Food Review

How Long Will It Take for a Dog to Digest a Bone? Vet-Verified Facts & Risks

Dogs and bones seem like a match made in heaven, but should you be worried if your dog swallows a bone? And can dogs digest a bone if they do eat one? The answer is pretty complicated. Dogs can digest...

red border collie dog chewing on a bone

How to Improve Your Dog’s Diet: 12 Vet-Approved Tips

Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of keeping your dog healthy and happy while giving them the best chance of a long life. And yet many owners buy the cheapest or most convenient dog food, tip some in...

Natural dog food Dog lying near its bowl

Love Dogs? So Do We! Join the Dogster Community

Stay informed with expert pet care insights delivered straight to your inbox! Discover professional guidance on animal behavior, feeding tips, trusted product picks, and much more.




Sign up for the Dogster Email Newsletter