The Science Behind HV Drying: De-shedding, De-matting & De-Tangling by Dave Campanella, Best Shot Pet Products www.bestshotpet.com
By now you have come to realize shedding and matting are the top reasons pet parents seek professional grooming help. Unfortunately, prepping usually requires long hours of brushing, de-matting, de-tangling and de-shedding well before any trimming and styling can occur. All this repetitive physical motion produces a lot of muscle and mental fatigue which increases the likelihood of injury for both groomer and pet. Injury in the grooming profession is not a matter of “if”; but when, how often and how severe. There’s got to be a better way. Right?
Unfortunately, there’s a barrage of de-matting, de-tangling and de-shedding claims out there, and far too many tools and gimmicks. All this clutter stems from the basic marketing challenge every grooming supply company faces…Take an essentially simple product or concept and make it appear magical, as if you can’t live without it. Some brands offer one or two products that claim to do everything, while others offer every possible thing under the sun for your convenience. It’s confusing, frustrating, misleading at times and it really needs to stop. But don’t hold your breath in anticipation of that happening any time in our lifetime.
I’m going to attempt clear things up. No hype, no sales pitch…just the facts. What if I told you that much of the hard work can be accomplished with your HV Dryer? Here’s how.
There is a definite balance which threads together the key elements required for managing a successful and effective grooming business. Knowledge of basic (1) Coat and Skin Physiology, together with a simple understanding of how (2) Grooming Liquids work is critical for today’s professionals. Not understanding these two elements makes for an up-hill struggle of “trial and error”, not to mention unnecessary physical and mental anguish often leading to burn out. In fact, mastering these two elements leads to effectively mastering other key elements like one’s Tools/Equipment, Methods/Techniques and Health/Safety protocols. After all, professional grooming is a process.
Once you fully understand how to effectively manipulate the coat by smoothing over lifted cuticles, then you can safely begin to master de-matting, de-tangling and de-shedding with your dryer without creating further hair damage and with far less effort.
To begin with, consider what we know about hair and coat types. The skin’s sebaceous glands produce sebum, a naturally oily substance which coats and protects the hairs cuticles, sealing in moisture. However, sebum is a virtual dirt magnet, attracting unwanted debris and oils. Washing hair removes sebum and debris from the hair, yet exposes cuticles regardless of how mild or harsh the detergency is. Washing can potentially strip away all of the hairs protective sebum along with any other added deposits, including conditioners.
Hair and skin are “anionic” or (-) negatively charged by nature. As rough adjacent hairs rub against each other, there is a transfer of electrons produced by the negative hairs repelling from each other.
This explains how “fly-away” static hair occurs. Conversely the positive (+) cationic surfactants in the conditioners one uses are attracted to the anionic hair and skin, offering among other things a multitude of desirable effects necessary for safely de-shedding, de-matting and de-tangling. So, pretreating the coat will definitely make HV drying more effective.
Try taking into account the hair’s “Porosity” as well as the “pH levels” of the liquid products to be used before ever lifting a brush to an animal. Breed coat types have low, medium or high porosity characteristics.
Damaged hair has more open ragged cuticles, while healthy hair has more closed cuticles. Damaged coats trap shedding undercoat or snag hair leading to tangles and mats. The imagery shown below really provides a sense of how open cuticles snag and hook like Velcro, fighting the groomer while brushing.
Shampoo and conditioner do not feed, resuscitate, enliven or revive hair because hair is not alive. It is nothing more than dead protein, mainly keratin. However, shampoo and conditioner with pH levels from 5.0 to 6.5 can close lifted cuticles to some extent, while shampoo with pH levels of 8.0 to 9.0 further open lifted cuticles. Most groomers don’t realize simply washing and rinsing with warmer water temporarily lifts cuticles, while rinsing with cooler water tends to smooth the cuticle. Understand that cuticle scales don’t exactly open and shut like a hinged door, but they most definitely can be treated during the bathing process to achieve this result.
Now bear in mind that combing and brushing are among the leading cause for hair damage. This begs the question as to why anyone would risk further damaging the coat by pre-brushing, without pre-treating the coat first with products designed to repair damaged areas and smooth over lifted cuticle scales.
When engineered with advanced silicones, cationic surfactants and proteins shampoo and conditioners can achieve the following desirable effects:
- Replace the protective sebum stripped away by detergency
- Smoothen hair cuticles, keeping them closed for long periods
- Protect hair from further damage caused by brushing and combing
- Facilitate de-tangling, de-shedding, de-matting brush out by adding slip and reducing static
- Enable HV drying to virtually replace one’s brushing, avoiding further damage from grooming tools
- Decrease the drying time of any coat type (conserve electricity, save time)
Bathe Before Brushing Method
These scientific facts explain why it is easier to de-mat and detangle clean treated hair versus dry filthy hair. Volatile lightweight amino silicones together with hydrolyzed or quaternized proteins (+) found in today’s professional pet shampoo and conditioners have virtually no build-up and will smooth the hair much better than heavy pack conditioners made with fatty lipids. Bathing with these newer products eliminate the need for most pre-bushing, saving you a ton of time and aggravation.
3-Step Bathing Method
Now animals can go straight into the washtub. This method incorporates separate shampoo, conditioner, and finishing spray steps utilizing amino silicones, proteins and pH levels between 5.0 and 6.5. Each step repairs and further closes cuticles until finally sealing the hair with a finishing spray. Groomers quickly notice how most coat types will safely release shedding undercoat in the tub as they are bathed. This means less stress for all, which is great news!
The electron-microscopy images pictured illustrate how overall effective this practice is once the hair is treated and dried. Slides 1 and 2 shows filthy damaged Newfoundland hair neglected for many months. Notice the open cuticles and heavy grime build-up. Slide 3 shows how shampooing (Step 1) and conditioning (Step 2) with amino silicones and quaternized proteins repairs much of the damage, leaving the hair smooth and shiny. Slide 4 shows what a difference (Step 3) treating with an amino silicone spray now has, fully closing the cuticles, sealing and protecting the coat as the sebum was intended to do. Groomers who practice this comment on how coats appear full-bodied, comb easily, and stay more manageable for weeks.
However, some groomers rely solely on their conditioner or cream rinse for de-matting, while still others rely totally on a detangling spray. The problem here is that the cuticle damage may be so severely lifted that it would take repeated treatments to smooth over and repair them. Therefore the secret to the 3-Step method lies in that it efficiently treats the coat repeatedly, once in each phase.
Brush-Less Drying Method
After treating the coat following the above method, groomers will find that it now enables their HV dryer to release more shedding undercoat than ever before. One can preferably use the dryer in place of a brush, leaving many coats virtually tangle and mat free. Once completely dried, any lingering mats and tangles work out with significantly less effort and minimal damage to the coat. You’ll find taking the cone nozzle off allows more airflow for more complete drying.
NOTE: Severely pelted coats are the result of serious neglect over time and have typically reached such a point that they can’t be effectively treated or saved. Festering sores and skin conditions are commonly found lingering underneath the accumulation of felted matting which requires shearing down the coat entirely.
However, now many groomers find they can save more of the coat adhering to the recommended products and methods discussed above. Take for example a thick abundant coat Cocker Spaniel whose underbelly is severely pelted. The groomer now has the option of only removing the matted underbelly, while saving the skirt and legs using these methods. The client is now thrilled and the dog keeps its dignity. A win/win for sure!
Conclusion
Look for a combination of Hydrolyzed or Quaternized Proteins, together with Amino Silicones or Silicone Quats in the products you plan on using with these methods. If the ingredients are not listed on the bottle, most manufactures will gladly assist you in determining which of their products will work best.
Here’s one final thought. Why is it that many groomers still reserve their best products for their biggest challenges, and use lesser products for their routine clients? If these wonder products are that good, imagine what miracles they could do if put to use daily. Ponder how much time and effort would be saved, not to mention the increase in revenue potential each day.
There you have it! Put your blinders on and look beyond any advertising hype or farfetched product claims. Apply your understanding of canine physiology with today’s modern cosmetology chemistry so you can choose the best product mix and methods. Soon you’ll be making masterpieces out of nightmares in record time! ■
AUTHOR DAVE CAMPANELLA has been with Best Shot Pet Products for over ten years and is director of sales & marketing. He has a total twenty five years’ experience in the pet services industry including co-owning and operating a successful full-service grooming salon, pet boutique and self-wash with his wife Tracy. Dave‘s professional experience spans three decades specializing in consumer goods, new product development, direct response marketing and advertising. See www.bestshotpet.com for more information.
© Best Shot Pet Products Intl. LLC. June 2014
Be sure to check out the Bestshotpet channel on YouTube for related video case studies and groomer videos of these methods and techniques in action.
Look for upcoming related Seminars by Dave Campanella & Janice Fehn CMG, CAH
ARE YOU A SHAMPOO JUNKIE? – Shampoo & Conditioner explained, and doing more with less!
BLOW AWAY YOUR TROUBLES – The secrets to getting more accomplished with your HV dryer!
MAKING MASTERPIECES OUT OF NIGHTMARES IN RECORD TIME – The science of de-matting, detangling and de-shedding.
