Paw Butter & Hand Butter … both silky smooth and a tiny bit goes a long way.
In general, butters are oil-based products, which means they don’t contain water. There are also different types of butters like whipped (Hand & Paw Butter), with bees wax or even the bar type. Butters with bees wax in them are firmer and harder to absorb, whilst the whipped butters are more easily absorbed into the skin.
Every butter is a combin
ation of carrier oils and butter. In Vita Canis butters you will also find essential oils. Carrier oils are oils that hold and deliver the essential ingredients into the skin. When applied they retain moisture, lubricate and nourish the skin. Depending on skin type they are quickly absorbed or they may leave a slight oily barrier. It feels like a soft, silky film on your hands … you can even feel it after washing a dog or doing the dishes.
Constant dryness and cracked skin on my hands was the reason I created the Hand Butter. By then I was using different creams, sleeping in gloves covering a thick layer of cream, but nothing had a lasting effect. Later I learned that creams are water based, so some part of it evaporates from the skin pretty quickly which is why we get the feeling to apply the cream more often on the dry skin.
At the same time, I switched the shampoos in the salon and found 2 brands that were kinder to our hands: Wildwash and For All Dogkind. We now also use Eurona’s Natural Shampoo for dogs which is kind not only to our dogs but also our hands. This shampoo contains antibacterial peppermint and lemon balm essential oils, together with moisturising glycerine and plantain extracts which leaves the coat looking beautiful and glossy.
I stared applying a small amount of the Hand Butter before every bath, and I could feel the smooth silky barrier on my hands even after finishing bathing the dog. And I could see and feel the difference on my hands immediately.
For years I didn’t connect how constantly bathing and drying dogs in the salon, using chalk when hand stripping, etc. was causing the harshness on my skin, and I just thought that it was part of the love for my job. But I think deep down inside I knew I couldn’t forever a part of my job, and that there must be a solution.
I also used to get dog hair stuck under my nail cuticles causing inflammation and pain; it stuck into the skin on my elbows, between my fingers … it was very uncomfortable and sore.
This all stopped once I started using the Hand Butter. When my skin was dry and cracked it was like an open gate for dog hair to come in. And they did. Once my skin, including the cuticles, was moisturised, supple and elastic it didn’t let any hair in. I think when the skin has its own elasticity the hair kind of bounces off instead of burying into the skin. That’s my explanation anyway 😊
The same effect occurs with the Paw Butter. The Paw Butter has the same soft silky feeling as the Hand Butter, and the Paw Butter contains neem oil which is an antifungal and is deadly to 14 different types of yeast. It also has antiseptic properties, and together with lavender and German chamomile essential oils it has a pleasant smell too. Shea butter also helps to reduce irritation and redness.
Paw butter can also be used on cracked skin on the dog’s nose and elbows.
But it has other uses as well:
“Bella attends hydrotherapy sessions every two weeks but the necessary chemicals in the water have stripped her skin and coat of its natural oils and she often bites and scratches herself causing red patches and baldness! I spoke with Jitka who suggested trying Vita Canis Paw Butter to create a barrier before swimming and to help soothe the skin after swimming. Paw Butter has made such a difference to Bella, when the wax has been applied Bella’s skin doesn’t rage red and if we see her nibbling we apply the butter and she stops. This has allowed her coat to grow again and much improve her quality of life. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Vita Canis Paw Butter.”
Dawn Inett, Carradine Cairn Terriers. Carradine Cairn Terriers The Dog House, Fernhill Heath Breeding happy Cairns! Dog Grooming & Home Boarding www.carradinecairns.co.uk www.thedoghousefernhillheath.co.uk