Dog Nose Balm: A Simple Shea Butter Recipe for Dry, Cracked Noses
Melt 1/2 oz (14 g) shea butter, 1/4 oz (7 g) shea oil and 1/8 oz (3.5 g) beeswax, pour into a small tin and let it set. Use a rice-grain amount on the nose. Baraka's shea butter and shea oil are made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.
How do you make a dog nose balm?
You weigh shea butter, shea oil and a little beeswax into a jar, melt them gently together, pour the mixture into a small tin or push-up tube and leave it to set. The hands-on work is short and the rest is waiting. You need a kitchen scale that reads in small amounts, a heatproof glass jar, a saucepan and something to pour the balm into.
Shea butter is the base. Baraka shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising, so it suits a recipe where you want a short ingredient list. Shea oil is the liquid fraction of shea, separated from the butter so it stays pourable. Baraka shea oil keeps the balm soft and sits lighter on the skin than the whole butter.
The balm is unscented on purpose, because dogs lick their noses. Nothing is added for fragrance, so there are no essential oils, no fragrance oils, no cocoa butter and no kombo butter. Unrefined shea butter has a mild nutty smell of its own, and its colour runs from ivory through cream to pale yellow. Both are normal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz (14 g) unrefined shea butter
- 1/4 oz (7 g) shea oil
- 1/8 oz (3.5 g) beeswax for a soft tin balm, or 1/4 oz (7 g) for a firmer push-up stick
- A small tin, such as 1 fl oz (30 ml), or a push-up tube
With the tin amount of beeswax the recipe makes about 7/8 oz (25 g) of balm. With the stick amount it makes 1 oz (28 g). Because a nose needs so little, this is plenty, and a small batch stays fresh.
Directions
- Weigh the shea butter, shea oil and beeswax into a clean, dry, heatproof glass jar.
- Stand the jar in a saucepan with 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water and warm it over low heat so the water barely simmers.
- Stir with a clean spoon or stick until everything is completely liquid, then lift the jar out with a cloth.
- Let it cool for a minute or two, then pour it into the tin or push-up tube.
- Leave it undisturbed at room temperature until it is firm, then put the lid on.
- To use, warm a rice-grain amount between your fingertip and thumb and dab it thinly on the dry part of the nose.
- Keep your dog busy for a few minutes afterwards, with a game or a walk, so most of it stays on the nose.
Storage
Keep the lid on and store the tin in a cool place, away from heat and direct sun. Shea butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, but a small batch is best used while it is fresh, so write the date on the lid. If the balm softens in a warm room or a hot car, it will firm up again when it cools. Keep the tin where the dog cannot reach it, since a whole tin is far more than a nose-sized dab.
What can you put on a dog's dry cracked nose?
A thin layer of a simple, unscented balm made from shea butter, shea oil and a little beeswax is what many dog owners choose. Shea butter is traditionally used on dry skin, and a balm like this simply keeps a thin, soft layer on the surface of the nose. It is not a veterinary treatment.
The rule to follow is to assume it gets licked. Use a rice-grain amount, spread it thin and apply it again later rather than putting on a thick coat. Keep to plain ingredients. Scented human lip balms, anything with essential oils or fragrance, and medicated creams made for people are better left alone unless your vet says otherwise.
A balm is for dryness. If the nose is bleeding, crusting or sore, or the colour is changing, skip the balm and call your vet first.
Why is my dog's nose dry and cracked?
The usual reasons are weather, sun, age and breed. Cold air and wind dry a dog's nose in the same way they dry our lips, and noses often look worse in winter, especially after long walks in wind. Strong sun can dry out a nose, and a pale or pink nose is more exposed. A balm is not sun protection, so ask your vet how to look after a pale nose in bright weather.
Age plays a part, because noses can change as a dog gets older. Some breeds also seem more prone to dry noses than others, and your vet can tell you whether that is likely to be normal for yours. Lying beside a heater or fire and spending a lot of time outdoors in dry air can add to it.
A dry nose is not always a problem, but some changes need a professional look. They are covered below.
What each ingredient does in the balm
- Shea butter makes the balm rich. It is solid at room temperature and melts on contact with skin, so it spreads thinly and easily from a warm fingertip.
- Shea oil makes it soft and light. It stays liquid at room temperature and absorbs more readily than the whole butter, so the balm glides on and is less heavy on the nose.
- Beeswax makes it hold its shape. It firms the balm so it stays in the tin or stick instead of running in a warm pocket or bag.
How to change the texture
The rule of thumb is simple: butters make it rich, oils make it soft and light, and wax makes it hold its shape. Change one thing at a time and make a small batch each time.
- Firmer or stick-like: raise the beeswax by about 1/16 oz (2 g) at a time, up to 1/4 oz (7 g) in total.
- Softer or runnier: add a little more shea oil, or use a little less beeswax.
- Richer or thicker: use a little more shea butter and a little less shea oil.
- Lighter: use more shea oil than butter, and keep the beeswax at the lower amount.
In hot weather, add a little more wax so the balm keeps its shape. In cold weather, a softer balm is easier to warm and spread.
Also good for
Cats' noses. Use plain shea butter only, with no wax and no oil blend. Warm a dab smaller than a rice grain between your fingers and touch it very lightly to the nose. Cats groom constantly, so the tiniest amount is the right amount.
Horses' and goats' muzzles. The same balm works on a dry muzzle. Make a larger batch, warm a little in your hand and smooth it on in a thin layer. Animals that lick will still taste it, so keep it thin.
Dry paw pads. Press a thin layer onto the pads and keep your dog busy for a few minutes so most of it stays put. Wipe off any excess with a clean cloth.
When to see a vet
Call your vet if the nose is bleeding, crusting or has sores, or if it is losing colour. Also call if it keeps getting worse or keeps coming back. A balm is only for ordinary dryness, and it does not replace a proper look at something that is changing. Check with your vet before putting anything on broken skin.
Many pet owners use these recipes and are happy with the results. They are made from simple, natural ingredients, but they are not veterinary treatments. Your vet should always be your first source of advice for your pet's skin, paws and health.
Make it your own
These recipes are a starting point, not a rulebook. Use your judgement, be inspired, and don't be afraid to experiment. Everything here is a pure, natural ingredient that blends happily with the others. Start with a small batch, write down what you did, and see how your dog's nose responds. When you find a blend that works for your dog, make it again.
Quick answers
How do you make a dog nose balm?
Melt 1/2 oz (14 g) shea butter, 1/4 oz (7 g) shea oil and 1/8 oz (3.5 g) beeswax together in a heatproof jar set in a pan of barely simmering water. Pour the mixture into a small tin and let it set. Use a rice-grain amount on the nose, kept thin because dogs lick.
What can you put on a dog's dry cracked nose?
Many owners use a thin layer of a simple, unscented balm made from shea butter, shea oil and a little beeswax. Skip anything scented or with essential oils. If the nose is bleeding, crusting, losing colour or has sores, see a vet.
Why is my dog's nose dry and cracked?
Cold, wind, sun, age and breed can all dry out a dog's nose. A dry nose that is also bleeding, crusting, losing colour or sore needs a vet's attention.
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