Keeping your dog’s coat silky smooth and free from damage can be extremely hard. For long coated breeds like Shih Tzus and Yorkies, preventing damage is your #1 priority. Since it’s impossible to keep your dogs from playing and getting dirty, it’s also impossible to prevent damage. No worries though – it can be fixed!

WHAT IS DAMAGE

Remember when we talked about the cortex? (If you don’t, check it out here.) When the cuticle layer gets damaged, or doesn’t get laid back down by conditioner, the cortex becomes open to damage – specifically loss of pigment or loss of proteins – causing frizz, split ends and broken coat.

Once the cortex is damaged, there’s only a couple things you can do.

1. Remove the damage. One of the simplest things to do is cut off the damage. However, when you want to keep coat length, this isn’t the best option for you.
2. Repair the damage. Add back lost pigment with our color shampoos (if needed) and restore lost proteins.

REPAIRING THE DAMAGE

Assuming you don’t want to just cut the damaged parts off, your only option is to repair the damage as best you can, and protect the coat from further damage! It is vital to strengthen damaged hair that has been weakened from loss of proteins.

STEP ONE: PRIME THE COAT

First things first – bathe your dog in your favorite Chris Christensen shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, and follow with a color treatment shampoo – White on White, Red on Red, Black on Black, Gold on Gold – if necessary.

Pro Tip: ALWAYS apply your color treatment shampoo BEFORE applying Thick N Thicker or Spectrum One Substance Builder!

STEP TWO: REPLACE LOST PROTEINS

Thick N Thicker Volume Response repairs damage and creates volume by implanting proteins into the cortex. By replacing the lost proteins, Thick N Thicker Volume Response, strengthens weakened hair strands, and helps to repair split ends. Note: It may not repair all damage the first time. If the coat is severely damaged, or isn’t being protected from damage, it will take a couple applications, at least, to repair the damage.

STEP THREE: ADD MOISTURE

It is very important to NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You have to lock the proteins and color pigment into the hair shaft, by flattening the cuticle layer – this means conditioner! And in the case of damaged coat – lots of it!

In severe damage cases (breakage, thinning hair, etc.) seal in the proteins with Spectrum Ten Hypro Pac. Make sure to leave this on for at LEAST 5 minutes. If you have a long coated breed, you can also use this to wrap and leave it over night!

If the damage isn’t too severe, use your favorite Chris Christensen conditioner, or conditioner appropriate for your breed’s coat type. If you’re not sure, you really can’t go wrong with Day to Day Moisturizing Conditioner!

STEP FOUR: PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE

To prevent further damage, and maintain healthy coat, make sure to keep the coat strong, & healthy by spraying Precious Drop lightly over the coat before drying! (Precious Drop can be used on dry coat too!) Precious Drop contains Keratin (which is the protein that hair is made of!) to help keep the coat strong, while moisturizing, and taming frizz! On soft and drop coats, Precious Drop can be used daily. For rough/coarse coats, limit use to right after the bath, to prevent the coat from becoming too soft.

HOW OFTEN TO APPLY

Even on healthy coat, we recommend you use Thick N Thicker Volume Response and White on White (also Black on Black, Red on Red, Gold on Gold) treatments every 2-3 baths to maintain coat health and to not over-do it. By skipping application every other or every two baths, the products work more effectively which gives you the best result!