DIY Dog (And Cat) Detangler Spray That Actually Works (Better Than Cowboy Magic?)

As a pet lover, there is nothing worse than causing pain for our dogs and cats when we try to remove those painful mats in their fur. When we got our Goldendoodle, we knew we would have to deal with more frequent grooming, but it gets even more extreme when your doodle is a water dog like ours. She just loves the water, but her fur doesn’t like the water because it causes a lot of matting and thus a lot of work for us to keep her fur looking good.

What’s the Best Homemade Detangler for Pets?

A simple and effective detangling spray can be made with a few simple ingredients. The best formula is a combination of 1 part conditioner to 2 parts Water plus 1 tablespoon of Moroccan oil mixed well, poured into a spray bottle, and liberally applied to any mats or tangles in any hair.

I came to this opinion after much, much trial and error. Keep reading for a full rundown of why this works, what else works, and, equally important, what DIY detangling recipes do NOT work.

Why We Used & Stopped Using Cowboy Magic

We asked our breeder and groomer what they recommended, and both of them said the dog detangling spray Cowboy Magic was the way to go. They used it all the time to get mats out of their Goldendoodle’s fur.

At their recommendation, I purchased a bottle of Cowboy Magic on Amazon and gave it a try. They suggested using a metal grooming comb, like this one, in combination with the Cowboy Magic to remove the matted fur and loosen knots in your dog’s coat.

I purchased both and got to work trying to remove the mats.

Did Cowboy Magic Detangler Work?

I tried a little bit of Cowboy Magic, and I tried a ton of Cowboy Magic. I’ll just say this stuff is slippery. If you ever get a ring stuck on your finger, give Cowboy Magic a try to get it off. LOL

While it did work to eventually loosen up the mats, Lexie, my Doodle, would cry out in pain as I diligently worked to remove all of the mats in her fur.

In fairness, Lexie is a bit of a wimp, but still…

Nobody wants to willingly cause pain for our loving doodles, and I am no different.

For this reason, I simply had to find a better way to remove mats without causing pain for my Goldendoodle. It was horrible knowing that with each brush of the comb, I was causing pain, and no amount of Cowboy Magic was going to solve that problem.

If you have ever tried to remove a mat that caused your dog great pain, this article is for you.

If you want to make removing mats a less painful experience for your doodle, then keep reading because I am going to outline for you exactly what I do now to remove mats from fur with the least amount of pain and discomfort.

This process works so well that Lexie will just lay on my lap now as I remove any mats that she gets! It’s amazing, and it is a DIY solution too.

3 Brushes To Remove and Prevent Matted Fur

Okay, we need to talk dog brushes.

I have a full write-up on these brushes that you can read in our article on how to prevent Goldendoodle matting, but I’m going to skip over the detail and just tell you the 3 brushes, de-matting combs, and rakes that you need to buy.

Just buy them! You and your Goldendoodle can thank me later.

The Wet brush

Hands down, the best brush for daily fur maintenance is a wet brush. You may already have one at home. I stole one from my daughters and tried it on Lexie. It was amazing. I brushed out her entire body and never had a single complaint. She let me brush everywhere, and she patiently sat there and let me work.

Dematting rake/comb

This alone is a life changer when you need to quickly and painlessly remove a mat from your dog’s fur. I’m sure other brands work, but this one is cheap, and it is the one I use. Many times this alone will remove a mat.

Metal comb

In my opinion, this comb is completely optional. With this said, everybody, says you have to have one. My groomer, the breeder, all the message boards, but I have to admit, I never use the metal comb except with the DIY detangler spray I am about to tell you about! If you want to get one just to fit it, great. If not, don’t worry about it.

Let’s get into the good stuff. The special sauce, the magic elixir, the super-secret recipe passed down for generations… okay, not really, but this stuff really does work well.

Detangler Spray You Can Make At Home: And It Works!

If you are like me, you have tried a lot of products that you think might work, really they “should” work, but in the end, they are just okay.

When it comes to removing mats from my Goldendoodles fur, this describes a lot of the home remedies I have tried, including a few drops of coconut oil, a teaspoon aloe vera gel, a whole egg egg, cornstarch, drops of glycerin, olive oil, Cowboy Magic and detangler sprays from the drug store.

My guess is that you might have even tried a product like this…

Am I right?

We certainly tried it. We used it on our kids, and it did the job okay, but neither of our human daughters had the tangles like our four-legged daughter.

For this reason, we need something strong. Something that would work its way down deep into those mats and allow us to remove them without causing a lot of pain.

So here is the formula you need to make your own DIY Detangler Spray at home.

How Do You Make A Homemade Detangler For Your Dog?

The Best Detangler Spray You Can Make At Home

Here’s Your Shopping List:

• A Spray Bottle. I got mine at the dollar store, but you can get them at Walmart or other retailers. Get something that looks like this

• Conditioner. Garner Fructis – Sleek & Shine Fortifying Conditioner. You can select another conditioner, but this is what works, so it’s what I am sticking with for now. It says it is designed for hard-to-straighten hair. Feel free to experiment.

No products found.

• Moroccan Oil. I stick with the Garner Fructis – Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment. This stuff really makes a difference, so make sure you use the formula as I give it to you.

Here’s The Mixture / Formula For Matted Dog Fur Repair:

• 4 Parts Water
• 1 Part Conditioner
• 1 Tbsp (tablespoon) Moroccan Oil

How To Apply The Detangler Spray

It really is simple to make and is a good everyday detangling spray. Three ingredients are all it takes. If I can do it, I know you can do it too.

With the spray bottle you purchased, squeeze in the amount of conditioner you want to use, then pour in the oil, and finally, fill the rest of the bottle with a few cups of water.

Give it a good shake and a swirl so everything dissolves in the liquid, and you are good to go. If you want, you can add a few drops of essential oils like lavender or fresh rosemary to add a fresh scent while your comb through all that matted dog hair. They also have antimicrobial properties to help kill germs.

To apply it, I like to spray it on the fur and work it in with my fingers. Be careful for slippage when working around your dog’s face and sensitive areas.

Then I start brushing with the Wet brush listed above. This type of brush effortlessly glides through the fur and helps painlessly remove tangles. It might not get out all of the mats, but it definitely helps to loosen them up.

Then, I will apply a few sprays directly on top of more severe mats and let it soak in really well.

I give it another go with the wet brush because I know it doesn’t hurt.

Then, I will grab the Metal rake I mentioned earlier and carefully work it through the mat. The rake has a sharp edge that will cut through the mats.

Once I have freed it up, I will come back with the metal dog comb, a slicker brush, or the wet brush and keep working until I fully remove the mat.

Every now and then, a mat is just too big to get out without causing too much pain (have treats handy for rewards). In those rare cases, I simply cut it out.

Thankfully, once I started using this DIY detangler spray, the need to cut out mats really decreased.

Use It On Your Kids Too!

On a side note, this detangler spray works great for kids and adults too.

I had to make up 2 or 3 bottles to keep around the house because my daughters would get a hold of it, and it would always be gone when I wanted to brush out Lexie’s fur.

Closing Thoughts

This is now my family’s go-to detangler spray. I use it for our doodle, and my two daughters use it on their hair too. It really works great.

Armed with these three brushes and your new DIY detangler spray, you should be ready to tackle any mat your fur baby can create.

I hope this was helpful. If so, please feel free to share it with other Doodle lovers, and let’s make grooming our pups as painless as possible.

Better Than Cowboy Magic? A DIY Detangler Spray That Actually Works