When I first thought about dying Wasabi I talked to many
people online about what they would use that wouldn't be harmful to my dog's
skin or any other part of her body. One lady said she uses red
Kool Aid to dye her standard
poodle pink.
I searched on the internet and found a site that talked about dying human hair
with Kool Aid. I decided to try it.
The 4th of July was coming up, so I dyed Wasabi red, white and blue....or at
least I tried. She came out looking like an Easter egg.
To get rid of the light blue color and the white tail. I dyed her whole
body with the red Kool Aid, turning her pink with a purple stripe down her
middle. Eventually the stripe faded and she became only pink.
Now I'm so used to her being a pink shade when she starts to fade I have to
re-dye her.
How do I dye my
dog pink?
The second most asked question.
I will let you in on my two secrets to dying your white dog.
The Kool Aid Technique
What you will need:
* 6 to 20 packets of sugar free Kool Aid depending
on how large or small your dog is
* Many 'dog' towels. Kool Aid stains, don't
use your Egyptian Cotton towels.
* Dog conditioner. This can be picked up in
any pet store.
* A crate or something that is metal (that wont stain)
to put your dog into while the kool aid does it's job.
* Rubber gloves or your hands will be red for a week.
* Patience. This is a big one don't rinse off to
early or the color will be too light.
Step One:
Start with a white dog. I do not recommend bleaching your dog's hair in
any way, that will harm them.
Step Two:
After you have your white dog take the Kool Aid packets and dog conditioner and
mix:
* 1 tbs. conditioner to 1 packet of sugar free kool aid.
Depending on how large your dog is, you may need many of them. For Wasabi
I use about 6 or 7 packets and she is only a 6 pound dog.
Step Three:
Apply the Kool Aid solution to the dog (it seems to work best if the dog's coat
is dry).
Be sure to use your gloves at this point or the Kool Aid will stain your
hands.
Start at the head (try not to get the solution in the eyes) and work your
way to the rear.
- Be sure to put extra on the tips of the ears, the legs and the
tail.
Those seem to be the spots that fade the quickest.
Step Four:
Put your dog in the crate for 30 to 40 minutes while you clean up the
Kool Aid mess from the sink/tub.
If you do not clean the mess up right away, your tub will be pink for a long
time.
Step Five:
Rinse your dog thoroughly.
You will now have a pink dog for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how often you wash the dog, how quickly the coat grows and how long you left the solution on.
Wasabi after using Manic Panic
This is a slightly easier way to dye your
dog. I found out about Manic Panic while at a dog grooming competition in
Chicago, IL. There was a creative group, which consisted of Standard
poodles, and a few Bichon Frise dyed in wonderful colors. I had to ask the
owners what they used.
The two owners I could pin down said they had used a human hair dye called Manic
Panic.
Manic Panic can be bought either online or in your local Sally's Beauty Supply store and is very simple to use, although much more caution must be taken when using it around the eyes.
What you will need:
* 1
or 2 containers of Manic Panic hair dye (depending on the size of your dog)
*
Rubber gloves
*
Crate to let your dog soak
*
'Dog towels'
Step One:
Apply Manic Panic to dog's coat using rubber gloves as you would the Kool
Aid mixture.
Be very careful around the eyes.
Step Two:
Let dog soak in crate for 40 minutes.
Step Three:
Rinse thoroughly again being careful of the eye area.
Things that can go wrong.
Now this isn't idiot proof (nothing is idiot proof
when working with animals).
Here are a few problems and solutions
Problem: The color comes out too
light.
Solution: You didn't leave the product on the dog long enough.
I'd advise to wait 4 weeks before trying it again. It's safe for the skin
but over exposure to anything can be irritating.
Problem: Dog whines when put in cage
and gives you the Why the hell are you doing this to me? look.
Solution: Put the dog towel in the cage with the dog, you wouldn't want
to lay on metal while your hair is soaking would you?
Problem: Dog is black, brown,
beige, red, or golden. How can I dye him?
Solution: You can't. Please don't try. Bleaching dog's
hair is very very irritating to the skin, not to mention if they lick the bleach
off they can become sick.
Problem: Manic Panic or Kool Aid
solution gets into eyes of dog.
Solution: Rinse the dog's eyes immediately! (Try not to get the
water in the nose) If the eyes seem irritated the next day, make an
appointment with your vet to get the dog checked out. And remember this is
why you don't get the solution near the eyes.
Problem: My dog's color looks
awesome! The face is still white though, how can I fix this?
Solution: There are a few things you can do. The first is to
leave the face white, it's nice to have accents. But if you are insistent
on having the dog's face colored too why not try
Chalk?
Chalking is exactly what it sounds, using colored chalks on the dog's hair.
Some show dog owners even use chalk to make slight imperfections less
noticeable. Most grooming supply places sell white, brown and sometimes
black chalk. I do not know where to buy colored chalks, unless you try an
art store of some sorts.
Chalking is not a permanent fix b/c the dog will either lick it off eventually
or it will wear off. But it should last for a day, long enough to show off
your new colored pup.
I hope this page helped you understand how to
color your dogs, and that it is not painful to the dog, nor does it harm the
skin. I love Wasabi dearly and would never want anything to happen to her
and if I thought for a second that this would hurt her, I would stop.
If you have any questions or comments please email me at:
Rebecca
I've created monsters! Check out the others who have dyed
their dogs too after meeting/seeing Wasabi
The Pink League
