Dog Health Supply Reviews

A Trip to the Self Wash with Organic Oscar & Giveaway

MyDogLikes reviews Organic Oscar dog shampoos
Written by Kevin Sando

If you have been watching the national news recently, you have probably seen the Northeast getting hammered with snow!  The boys love it of course, but such a deep snow pack can make hikes and walks in the park quite difficult!

Winter Hikes = Dirty Dogs

We headed out to Black Creek Park and had a blast hiking and exploring some of its more than 1500 acres! Now you may think that with frozen ponds and snow covered ground the dogs would keep from getting too messy.  Well, as any Golden or other long haired dog owner know, the snow itself leads to another problem:

Our boys with real "snow pants!" These clumps of snow often collect in their hair in the wintertime. They can be uncomfortable and warm water helps to remove them.“SNOW PANTS”

If you have ever dealt with snow pants, you know, there is no combing these balls of snow and ice out of their fur. Allowing them to simply melt is not only uncomfortable for your pup, but it can be dangerous for their skin. Adding to our snowy problem, was the classic “wet dog” smell! After loading into the car we decided that a quick stop for a bath would not be a bad idea at all!

Working at the Car Self-Wash

After a short drive, we arrived at our favorite pet store, PetSaver Superstore, which just so happens to have great (and newly remodeled) self-wash stations. These self-wash stations have been designed to take the fuss out of giving your pet a bath. Their motto: “You provide the dog, we provide the clean-up” says it all.

Spa Day

The room is brightly lit and contains 4 walk-in tubs (no lifting-big dog owners rejoice). The friendly staff is eager to show you around and walk you through the whole process. They give you plenty of time to complete the bathing processing and show you all of the bathing supplies and grooming products that are at your disposal during a wash!

Petsaver Superstore's self wash stations have everything you need to clean up that dirty dog. A very convenient dog grooming option in Rochester, NYFor the price of $9.99 you get it all: Shampoo, Conditioner, Towels, APRONS (Hallelujah), Grooming Tools, and anything else you might need to help get your pooch clean. Even better, if you are part of their responsible dog owner club, you earn points toward store rewards (Cha-Ching!).

It was all hands on deck, for these two little snow bunnies!

Though PetSaver provided us with lots of great shampoo/conditioning options, after meeting the folks from Organic Oscar at Backer Total Pet Expo, we were eager to try the two bottles they provided to us!  Let’s see how the boys (and their sensitive, allergy prone skin) responded to this new wash!

MyDogLikes reviews Organic Oscar dog shampoos

About Organic OscarThe logo for Organic Oscar dog grooming products

Organic Oscar was founded in 2007 by Marie Svet. Shortly after moving from Europe to California, she fell in love with the health conscious lifestyle around her. When it came to her dogs however,she felt stuck. They were a loved part of her family, and she wanted to provide the same level of care for them as she would anyone else in the home. She looked high and low but could not find a shampoo or conditioner that was a good match for her dogs’ sensitive skin. As her faithful companions,her dogs provided their unconditional love, in return they asked only for her care. With their simple devotion  in mind, Marie used her years of experience in the cosmetics and perfume industry to create Organic Oscar:  high-quality, affordable, organic pet products!

Organic Oscar's Natural Dog Shampoo is also organic and made in the USA.Integrity & Altruism – Not just what they say, its what they do!

Organic Oscar operates with these two values in mind. How you wonder? Read on…

  • Integrity – Organic Oscar provides accurate, complete information on all of their pet grooming products. There is no fine print; their organic pet shampoos and conditioner are made only with the finest and purest ingredients. In addition, all Organic Oscar products are certified cruelty free, meaning NOTHING (individual ingredients or final product) has ever been tested on animals.
  • Altruism – A portion of Organic Oscar proceeds goes to charitable organizations and events that support the humane treatment of animals.In addition they are committed to the health of our environment, which is why their packaging is 100 percent recyclable, and they are working to create a compostible bottle and refillable option as well!

The Goods

All Organic Oscar products:

  • Are organic, all-natural, biodegradable formula
  • Are made with 90% certified organic ingredients
  • Contain no soap, parabens, sulfates, petroleum-based ingredients, dyes or artificial fragrances

Organic Lavender Puppy Shampoo

  • Extra mild shampoo designed to be safe and gentle for a puppy’s sensitive skin
  • Formulated with organic lavender to calm puppies during baths
  • Leaves skin moisturized and fur feeling soft and fluffy

MyDogLikes reviews Organic Oscar all natural dog shampoo

Hollistic Bite & Itch Relief Shampoo

  • Great for smoothing and soothing environmental skin irritations
  • Formulated with organic citronella, organic neem, and organic tea tree oils, known for their natural properties to restore the skin, and reduce itching symptoms
  • Soothing peppermint and aloe vera calms and cools itchy skin

Scrub-a-Dub-Dog – Let the Bathing Begin!

Giving the boys a bath at the self service dog grooming stations at PetSaver Superstore!

We love that the self-wash unit is in the back of the store, in its own separate room (fewer doggy distractions). We needed all hands on deck for these pups and it was nice to let one sit outside the tub (with his leash on), while we worked on the other together – After all teamwork makes the dream work!

Harley in the spacious dog bath tub at PetSaver Superstore in Rochester, NY. Today we are washing with Organic Oscar dog shampoo.

Climbing into the tub was easy, even for our sweet senior, Harley. The stairs and tub are covered in a no slip mat, taking away the fear that our sometimes cautious canine has on slippery surfaces. We love that the tub is an easy walk in style with no door, the boys climbed right in. Each tub is equipped with a gentle sprayer hose and an adjustable tethered leash, to make sure your best friend stays safe (and in place).

Wet n’ Wild

After securing the pups, it was time to get wet! Click here for our step-by-step guide to bathing a dog!

MyDogLikes reviews Organic Oscar Bite & Itch Relief Shampoo

A few pumps of Organic Oscar Shampoo and we were in love. Its clear formula, helps you to know that here is no added junk like dyes.

Charlie enjoying the lavender aroma of Organic Oscar's dog shampoo!

Both Organic Oscar products have a gentle scent, different from the sometimes harsh or heavily perfumed scent of many shampoos. The Lavender scent of the puppy shampoo and the minty scent of the Bite & Itch Relief come alive with some warm water and scrubbing!

Giving Harley a dog mohawk while reviewing out Organic Oscar dog shampoo

Because of the ingredients, both shampoos are not nearly as “sudsy” as what you might be used to, but it easily spread through those golden locks, creating just the right amount of suds to know that you had thoroughly covered an area.

Bathing Charlie with Organic Oscar's all natural, organic dog shampoo

We took care to make sure that no soap or water got in their eyes and ears, but our resident wiggle-butt, Charlie, squirmed his way right into a sudsy eye. Dog panic…I think not-it was no big deal and no tears were shed (by him or me)!

Our Golden Retriever Charlie tolerating a dog bath at our local PetSaver Superstore

Green Clean – No Sacrifice

We were thankful that the tubs at Petsaver Superstore had a Drain Hair Catcher after the dogs bath!

Though the formulas are gentle, organic, and natural, there is no sacrifice in their cleaning power and both easily tackled the daunting golden task before them: washing all evidence of messy transgressions right down the drain.

Its A Breeze!!

Giving Harley a towel dry at PetSaver Superstore's self wash stations in Rochester, NY.

With the pups nice and clean, it was time to be dried. PetSaver provided us with all the towels we needed to start the process. After the towel, it was time for a blow dry! The blow dryers are gentle and not so noisy that it scared the boys….In fact I would say they enjoyed it quite a bit!

Utilizing the great Dog Grooming Equipment in PetSaver Superstores self wash stations! Here Harley is enjoying the powerful blow dry!

As we worked through those golden locks, we were able to use some of the handy grooming tools to remove and knots or mats that eluded us before. Having everything right there really made it easy!

Nothing but Clear Skies Bellies!

Harley jumped into the dog bath tub while we were giving Charlie a bath!

Well the end result was pretty kissable – We had two fluffy, soft, super yummy smelling puppies, ready for extra smooches and cuddles (I just wanted to stick my face in their furry bodies – and yeah, I pretty much did!!). Typically after a bath or groom, our boys are itching and licking their pink bellies, no matter the shampoos that we have tried. After our Organic Oscar bath – nothing but clear bellies and no itching!!!

Why MyDogLikes: PetSaver Self-Wash & Organic Oscar 

We love taking the boys to the self-wash. For adventurous pups who like to explore and get dirty, its a great option when you don’t want the great outdoors, brought indoors! Not only does the pricing include all of the supplies you need, but you earn points toward free store rewards! The facility is clean, well-kept, and flexible! Best of all, no worries about clogging your pipes with all the loose fur!

Our Golden Retriever enjoying a refreshing dog bath at PetSaver Superstore!

Though PetSaver has great options for shampoo and conditioning, we were eager to give Organic Oscar a try. We love that the ingredients are transparent and support the health of our boys and the earth. There are no “extras”like soap, parabens, dyes-its all natural and left our boys feeling soft and smelling great! Despite its organic and natural origin, there is no sacrifice in cleaning power and Organic Oscar was up to the difficult task of getting our boys clean! What we loved MOST of all was that there was no red or itchy skin after the bath. Their sensitive skin was soothed and not at ALL irritated. When you can get the same or in Organic Oscar’s case, a better result, at a similar price-why would you use anything else!?

Want to try out Organic Oscar for yourself?  

Click Here to Buy From Amazon

About the author

Kevin Sando

Kevin is a mechanical engineer with a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has move than a decade experience in new product design, prototyping and early stage manufacturing. Pairing this background with his love of dogs, gives him a unique perspective to evaluate the design and execution of new and interesting pet products.

71 Comments

  • Aw they look so well behaved for their baths! Shiner hates her baths. We have some Organic Oscar shampoo too but have not used it. It looks like a great shampoo though!

  • What a interesting experience! We usually wash QQ and Chyler monthly in our own bathtub, but it always results in a very wet bathroom. I’ve never thought of taking them to a commercial place although we do have one nearby. This post makes me think we should try it!

    • It is soooooo worth the money! Our bathroom stinks and we dirty so many towels otherwise. Most importantly they hate climbing in our tub. This was so easy!

    • We love it because it gets the job done with none of the mess. Plus the boys tolerate getting in and out of the tub much better! If you open one, be sure and let us know 🙂

  • The girls are not fans of bath time! I really like going to self washes! Even though they have short hair the blow dryer is so useful!

    Your boys are soooooo cute!! I love all their photos and that shampoo looks awesome!

    • The boys HATE baths at home, but were pretty excited about the self-wash. We always have trouble with sensitive skin, and we were shocked that there were no pink irritated bellies afterward!

  • I like the look of the shampoos. Kilo hates baths and hates public places like that so not sure about the self-wash. I should send you our Spaw Dry Towel Gloves. They are amazing in this weather for drying off paws. Super fast. XS

    • Yeah the ingredients are great and all natural. I’m intrigued by the towel gloves….those golden locks can certainly hold some water!

  • Hi Y’all!

    Wow! What a great place! I could use one of those when I’m in the mountains. Unfortunately, no such luck. I love to get a bath. It makes you feel great and my Human gives a great massage!

    Y’all come on by,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

  • My dog does not like bath time one bit! He shakes and quivers for probably the first 5 minutes, then finally accepts it. Poor baby!

  • We’re big fans of Organic Oscar. The Ginger Sisters don’t love baths but they are very cooperative, and Ruby does like the drying off part, followed by post-bath zoomies.

  • My dog doesn’t love it, but she doesn’t complain. She’s very happy and wiggly when it’s over and time to shake all over the place lol.

  • Kandy does not enjoy bath time and tries to escape the entire time. Diamond doesn’t mind it at all 🙂

  • Harmony- hates it, Cairo- hates it, Reagan- tolerates it, Nakita- loves it! I currently take everyone to the self wash EXCEPT Harmony, I leave her to the professionals. I have seen the product and thought about trying so I am excited about your give away!

    • Yeah, we leave it to the professionals to do most of the trimming and washing a couple of times per year. We once tried to trim the boys up ourselves and mostly it was ok….except for the ears!

  • My older dog Bay-Li loves baths, Car-Li is not a fan, but takes a nice long nap afterwards!

  • Jerry loves baths, so wedont have much of a issue there, but he has sensitive skin, so normal dog shampoos irritate his skin. Hoping this one may be better

  • My dogs are okay but never thrilled when we have to bathe them. I wonder if they’d like a trip to the self wash better…

  • My Leonard, aka Little Man Leonard, loves bath time as long as water stays away from his face and eyes. He likes to lick the water out of the spout while I am sudsing him up. He also likes the massaging spray I use on him. But what he loves best – is after his bath when he gets to cuddle with mommy in his favorite huge and soft towel.

    • Awww! I love that…I think the boy look forward to getting out of the bath and zooming around the house!

  • Such cute doggies!!

    I have 2 dogs. My little shih tzu tolerates a bath, but loves being clean after. My great dane is nuts. She can’t have a bath in the house because she literally tries to climb up the walls and jump out of any tubs. She has to be washed outside. Luckily we live where it’s warm!

  • My dog does not like bath time. He is a new dog that i rescued from the animal shelter and he was a stray when they found him. I think he was abused at one time because he very skittish.

  • our puppy Elsa is just crazy over bath time she hates it when myself or the kids are in having theirs she always wants to get in with them she figures it’s her turn and will sit there and whine till I open the bathroom door to let her in so she can jump in with the kids then it’s all out for recess and what a mess to clean up but it’s fun watching them all have fun but I can’t wait to see when Elsa gets bit she is by far a Doberman puppy LOL

  • both of my dogs are angels in the tub! they hop right in, and my girl, Nala, will stand there without having a leash tied to the tub bar! theyre wonderful for baths.

  • Jada and Bailey don’t like baths, but they tolerate it! Bailey likes to grab onto my arm when she gets freaked out in the bath. lol

  • Some of my dogs like it & some do not, but tolerate it. I usually towel dry. The self wash place looks really nice.

  • I have five rescued Treeing Walker Coonhounds and none of them really like getting baths. The worst one is my Kenji, who is 77 pounds and will do everything he can to get out of the tub when I first get him in. The others aren’t happy, but at least semi-cooperate. With the extreme winter weather we’ve been having, none of them havehad abath for awhileandwillreally be needing ones when the weather gets alittle warmer.This would be great for that!

    • This sounds perfect for that! I like the self-washes because getting a 90lb dog in a bath tub is next to impossible if they are not cooperative….as you know! Good luck! Your pups would smell as sweet as they sound!

  • My Bailey hates bath time at home but when I take him to the groomer he loves bath time there

  • My dog is still learning to like bathtime. He certainly doesn’t like the hose outside so we put our big lab in our bathtub at home and reward him with treats for being good.

  • Thankfully my girl Roxy doesn’t mind it ….i love grooming her…brushing any dog can be very therapeutic to me,I love it! They really are THE BEST creatures on the planet. We are so blessed to have them,we really are.Just too bad they got such a short end of the stick in regards to life spans! The GREAT designer of everything, messed up on that one!!

  • My pup, Aeife, is terrified at bath time. It is getting better though. I spend her whole bath praising her and telling her how wonderful she is. Hopefully, she will eventually learn to enjoy it!

  • My dogs go to the groomers. While they are nervous going and while we’re waiting to be checked in, they calm right down as soon as I leave and are perfect angels for the groomer.

  • My dog reacts timidly but is thrilled once lifted up into a towel to shake it all off lol !!!