Saturday, February 22, 2014

Guinnea Pig Product Review: Beaphar Grooming Spray

Beaphar Grooming Spray is supposed to "[detangle] the coat and [moisturize] the skin, and [leave] the coat beautifully shiny." Sounds nice, doesn't it?

There's a guinea pig on the front. That's often a good sign.
However, the bottle itself didn't have the ingredients listed. After our humans discussed this stuff on a guinea pig forum, we were concerned that if there were any bad ingredients in this stuff, we could end up ingesting them since we like to groom ourselves. (Keep this in mind if you ever run across any similar products.)

After doing some web searching and even emailing the company, we got a list of ingredients in this stuff: "The main ingredient of the Beaphar Grooming spray is the almond oils as this conditions the coat and leaves it feeling soft and shiny. After this there is water, Bronidox and castor oil in it." Bronidox is an anti-microbial compound commonly used in shampoos, and the US FDA considers castor oil to be a "generally recognized as safe and effective" (GRASE) ingredient. So none of the ingredients seemed particularly toxic. However, one of the fine folks at the Guineapigcages.com forum told us: "Leaving oil all over the pig (or human scalps for that matter) for longer periods of time without washing it out can disrupt the acid mantle."  According to Wikipedia, the acid mantle is: "a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin." That definitely doesn't sound like the kind of thing you want disrupted!

The forum poster did point out one safe way to use oil products like this, however: you can use it half an hour before you give your guinea pig a bath. So I guess that's what we're going to have to do to try this product.

Wait, I'm the one who gets baths all the time! Maybe we could just skip this review?

What is this stuff you're spraying on me? It smells!

I'm not enjoying this!

Already, the bottle has made several statements that I strongly disagree with:
  • "Many pets enjoy being groomed." --I can't speak for other pets, but I don't like this at all!
  • "It keeps the fur in good condition and strengthens the bond between pet and owner." --It made my fur smell funny, and I can't remember the last time I've nibbled on my human's hands so angrily!
  • "It contains macadamia oil which helps the tangles slip out more easily, moisturizes the skin, and leaves the coat beautifully shiny." --The comb didn't go through more easily, I already talked about how it's probably not good to leave on the skin, and my coat just looked like an oily mess. (Also, I thought the main ingredient was almond oil, not macadamia oil?)
As if I wasn't having a bad enough time reviewing this product, then I had to have a bath to get this stuff off me!
I'm so miserable! (But at least the Gorgeous Guineas shampoo smells much better than the Beaphar Grooming Spray!)

Time to dry off and put this nightmare behind me.

As should be obvious by now, there was nothing about this product I enjoyed. It smelled bad, I didn't look good after being sprayed, it didn't make it easier to brush me, and I had to have a bath to get it off. This product gets 1/5 stars!

18 comments:

  1. Agh! That must have been terrible, Buffy! We dislike getting groomed. It feels weird.
    XOXO
    Ashley & Wendy

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  2. But, we do feel we need to get some kind of grooming because our fur is starting to get a lot of bedding/hay in it. Next time you find some good spray, detangling, etc. please review it!!!
    XOXO
    Ashley & Wendy

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    Replies
    1. We're a little skeptical of sprays at this point, but if we find a good one, we'll review it here. Have you tried Gorgeous Guineas shampoo yet? It's the best thing we've found for making our fur look great.

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  3. PS You guys are awesome!!!
    XOXO
    Ashley & Wendy

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  4. :)
    We have not tried Gorgeous Guineas shampoo yet, but we will try it. Anything you guys recommend!
    XOXO
    Ashley & Wendy

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    Replies
    1. Glad to hear that you find our reviews helpful when it comes to deciding what to get your piggies!

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  5. Can we eat water cress? My owner has a lot of it, and she wants to know if we can eat it.
    XOXO
    Ashley & Wendy

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Dear Buffy, Broccoli, and Lola,

    I have 2 guinea pigs that we have had for a year or two, Teddy and Gremlin. They are mother (Gremlin) and daughter (Teddy) and I have a few concerns about them and caring for them because we had bought them from their previous owner who couldn't take care of them any more.
    Why do my guinea pigs Teddy and Gremlin always scurry away when I try to pick them up? Am I picking them up correctly? Are they afraid of me? Am I catching them at a bad time? Please help, I am very confused and worried.
    Second of all, how often should guinea pigs be bathed? Currently we bathe them once a week, but we don’t use any shampoo. Is this a problem or is this fine?
    Now for food. Currently we feed then pellets and lettuce. I have read on your site that they should eat hay as well but I don’t know any proportions food-wise. Is there any other food that we should feed them? And what other vegetables can/should we feed them for more of a variety.
    The next thing on my list is checkups. How often should guinea pigs be brought to the vet and what should we bring them in? Is there a specific carrier that we should use and should they be in the same carrier?
    Well that’s all for now, if I think of more I will post another comment containing those said questions.
    Sincerely Reilley.

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    Replies
    1. Romaine lettuce is good, but iceberg lettuce is poisonous. Carrots are awesome, and we also need vitamin C to survive. Oranges are good, and we like fruit, but your piggies may not.
      XOXO
      Ashley & Wendy

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    2. Oh, and about the scurrying problem, they need to get used to you. Sit by their cage and feed them a carrot. We like anyone who will feed us something good. As for the vet question, 2 or 3 times a year is what we think is good, but consult with Lola, Buffy and Broccoli.
      XOXO
      Ashley & Wendy

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    3. Hi Reilley! In response to your questions:
      1. See our post, "Ask A Guinea Pig: Why Are Guinea Pigs Skittish?" to find out why Teddy and Gremlin scurry away.
      2. The short answer to your bathing question is guinea pigs should be bathed when they start to smell, and no more than once a month. Long-haired piggies tend need this more than short-haired piggies. I think we'll do an Ask A Guinea Pig post on this with a longer answer, so stay tuned!
      3. You should give guinea pigs unlimited access to hay, which should comprise about 50% of our diet. There are lots of fruits and vegetables you can feed us! Just check out the "What Can Guinea Pigs Eat" label to find posts with ideas.
      4. Regarding the vet, see our posts on "Should I Take My Guinea Pig to the Vet?" and "Review of All Living Things Small Animal Carrier, Large". These are just the carriers that our humans use and we like, not necessarily the only good choice. We each get our own carriers. Whether your piggies should all be in the same carrier or not probably depends on how large your carrier is and how well they get along. You don't want to have fighting in the car with no good way of separating them!

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    4. Thank you! This REALLY answered my questions. I will grab lots and lots of hay, grab some other veggies for some variety and reduce the amount of pellets they get.
      -Reilley

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    5. Iceberg lettuce isn't poisonous, it just doesn't have any nutrients cause it's mostly water. It can give piggies diarrhea if fed in excess.

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  8. Is it true that guinea pigs simply adore the color green?

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