Yukimi amino acid shampoo // Cloud Review
Believe it or not, the Yukimi logo was not modelled off Lulu!
I was genuinely surprised with the results after using Yukimi for the first time. With so many pet shampoos on the market, it’s hard to know which ones to use for your furry friend.
I would like to note as we get into this review that I did receive my larger pouch of Yukimi as a gift, however I purchased their sample pack previously to try it on my own dog!
Yukimi Amino Acid Shampoo Product Overview
Some Key ingredients of Yukimi’s Amino Acid Shampoo are an Amino Acid-Based Surfactants Proprietary Formula, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Rosemary Oil, and Thyme Oil.
From the Yukimi website “All products are designed and undergo research & development in collaboration with veterinary dermatologists in California. The bottle filling process is commissioned at a sterile laboratory in Taiwan.”
I am a huge fan of any pet product R&D with veterinarians and scientists. Non-medicated pet shampoo is a cosmetic, and because of that it falls into a category that is not regulated by the FDA. Shampoo us pet parents use is regulated by the FDA, though its not subject to an approval process before being sold.
Since grooming products are not regulated in the United States, it gives me relief to see that companies like Yukimi go above and beyond keeping our animals safety and well being in mind. Yukimi doesn’t stop there either, they also have a DERMATEST Excellent Certification.
Overall, I’m very happy with the thorough development that went into this product. After using countless shampoos in the last 10 years of professional grooming, I’m always looking to see what went into making the final product. Did I mention they’re also environmentally conscious?
Tools of the trade
I wanted to make sure testing the shampoo I was consistent as possible with applications when I used it on different coat types.
I decided to use my new shampoo foamer which I decided to paint since the original duck design was a little goofy looking. I was able to get really good saturation on all coat types I used the foamer on with Yukimi.
I also used my Chris Christensen Mark VII Slicker Brush to fluff dry all the dogs I tested the shampoo on once I was at the drying stage. Unfortunately, I did step on my brush a couple weeks ago (rip) and its still usable but may have a different tension of the backing.
Even though I was happy with the results I got, I just wanted to write a disclaimer because having an intact brush may yield different or improved results!
Yukimi and Spaniel coat types
At cloud, I mostly see non-shedding dogs on my schedule. It must have been a sign that the day I had dedicated to testing yukimi out I had mostly shedding dogs! I did test it on other coat types, but this is a special niche where this product shines.
Birdee the Cavalier
Cavaliers have a spaniel type shedding coat. My other shampoo trial dogs were spitz type coat, so it was good to get a feel on another coat type.
Birdee has a healthy (no shave shock) coat that gets clipped on the body and legs with 3/8”. What I’m looking for in spaniel coats is good separation of the individual hairs while still looking thick, we’ll call this fluffy and volume. I’m especially interested in a fluffy look on spaniel type coats due to them being commonly very thick and more oily/greasy than other coat types.
Other criteria I’m looking for is shine. A shiny coat looks healthy, non-damaged, and polished. While many dogs can look shiny in the sunlight, my LED lights in the van are a little harder to see shine in so its a good baseline lighting environment to see if theres some shimmer on that hair.
Our first video is our starting point. This is before any bathing or grooming. Pay close attention to those ears, see how they have curls that are separated but look kind of thick? This is very common to see in spaniels and a good indicator its bath time!
Our second video is after a wash in Yukimi and fully fluff dried. Look at those ears now! The volume and the fluff factor is very clear and easy to see. Her little legs got super fluffy too! Having hair quality post bath and brush with volume and still having a fluffy look is always the goal, but not always something shampoos can provide. Some products clean well but leave the coat feeling dry, and some don’t clean well enough and leave the coat looking dull. Yukimi cleans well even on notoriously more greasy spaniel coat and still gives it a fluffy texture with volume and adds shine.
Yukimi and spitz type coat with clipper alopecia
Not all Pomeranian coats are of equal quality, and I always like to test out products on a variety of coats to see the effects on each of them. These two cutie both have some clipper alopecia that they developed before seeing me. We do fully hand scissored trims on these guys (minus pads and sanitary of course), so getting their coat to release undercoat where they still have that fluff is really important in their grooms. Shampoos and products can aid greatly in this process, you just have to find the right one!
Lulu the Pomeranian
Pomeranians have a thick, dense spitz type coat. Traditionally you wouldn’t want to cut too close down with scissors or clippers on this breed as they’re more prone to developing post-clipper alopecia. Alopecia can also pop up in pomeranians that have not been shaved. There isn’t very much science to my knowledge (but if there’s been new studies, please let me know!) on how or why clipping can cause alopecia in poms and other double coated dogs. That being said, its what these guys have! So we work with it and make it gorgeous.
Lulu has normally growing coat on her head and legs, but shave shocked coat on her back and sides. She gets hand scissored all over for her haircut. In the first video, this is her after her bath with a still slightly damp face that dried while we groomed her body. Her coat is quite fluffy after using Yukimi shampoo and has really nice volume in areas where her coat isn’t affected by her condition.
In the second video of Lulu, honestly? She looks like she turned into a marshmallow. She’s a very cute dog and her hair does usually turn out pretty cute after her grooms, but I’m loving the hair quality after bathing her in Yukimi!
Harley the Pomeranian
Harley has shave shock similar to Lulu, but his coat fluctuates between very thin on his body and sides or sometimes starts sprouting a bunch more coat. Not entirely sure why, but he was in his thick coat era this visit.
The first video of Harley before his bath. Notice the separation of hair on his chest and the scraggly looking legs. He never looks particularly dirty before his grooms, but when you see the after results you can really see the difference!
Our second video is after a wash in Yukimi, fluff dried, and apparently one paw and leg partially scissored because I forgot to get an after bath and dry picture before starting his trim… and then I forgot to get a fully groomed after picture face palm emoji. Between the two poms though, we got before bath, after bath, and after groom photos, so that’s something, right?
Harley’s coat looks very fluffy and still has a lot of volume after bathing and drying.
Overview
Overall I’m happy with the results on this coat type using Yukimi! Since fully scissored trims require fully combing out that coat before starting the haircut and a whole lot of combing during to make sure you’re getting everything even, you have to make sure you’re using good products. Their coats were properly clean and able to let go of some of that undercoat in places where their coats were still thick. There’s another element on trims that are around 3/8” to 3/4” weather clipped or scissored and that’s looking plush. In my opinion, coats that are around these lengths on dogs with coat that stands straight up like a spitz and have the fluffy and volume quality look very plush. This quality is kind of a replacement for the shine quality on this coat type. Their hair is still really healthy looking after, but having the density and the fluff with the coat not laying down as much gives it more of a plush effect.
Yukimi and healthy spitz type coat
Yes, this is giant Lulu and yes, I did have her on my schedule right after Lulu! This is Moro and she’s one of the few bigger de-shed dogs that I have, so I was happy to be able to test Yukimi out on this coat type! Don’t worry, I helped her get that treat after I tossed it.
Moro the Samoyed
Samoyed and other spitz type coats are dense. Their thick and profuse double coat needs frequent brushing to maintain. At the grooming shop, spitz type coat like this should be line brushed systematically to be able to run a comb from the skin all the way through the coat.
As you can see from the first video, Moro was very ready for a bath! Her coat looked just a little bit greasy but the texture and color of her hair is what gives it away for me. She is kept up very well at home by her owners, but the coat in the before video is much flatter, the texture is more pieced out rather than fluffy, and her color is a bit more grey than white.
On this coat type I’m looking for shampoo that will be able to clean all that dense hair. Not all shampoo will be able to fully saturate a coat like this. I think you’ll always need more product when bathing a dog with this coat type but not all shampoos are created equally and some have better cleaning power than others.
Other criteria I look for with this coat type is hair release. I want to make sure the shampoo is aiding in easier release of coat. You can really tell once you get the blow dryer on the hair if the hair is releasing. By that I mean you’ll be in a hair blizzard (don’t forget your mask!) The coat released well on Moro’s coat. I could see the hair physically loosening with the use of the dryer after her bath. I also needed a deshed myself after, which is usually a pretty good sign hair is coming out.
The second video of Moro you can see the texture of her hair is very fluffy, her coat texture is much more uniform and looks very clean, and her color is super bright white! I really, really enjoyed using Yukimi on this coat type. The hair was able to release well which let me get that coat looking as fluffy as possible. She also shed so much. So. Much. Hair.
Yukimi and a curly coat type
Curly furnished coats are the most common coats we see at cloud, so of course I had to test it out on a little poodle! This is Leo and he LOVES food. He’s a little sensitive so we dry his face and neck at a distance with some treats as payment. He’s sometimes a little more curly than dogs who don’t mind the dryer around their face, but that doesn’t stop him from being adorable.
Leo the Poodle
Leo has very small ringlet curls especially on his legs. His coat has a little more softness compared to some other poodles, but it definitely fluffs up well! You can see in the first video that leo’s hair is quite short still and is very curly and close to his skin. It isn’t matted but its definitely time for a good bath!
To get a good finished result when grooming these coat types you want them to be as fluffy and straight as possible. This allows for a smooth and even trim with clippers and scissors.
Unlike the other dogs featured in this article, we’re not as concerned about release and deshedding. Rather getting that fluffy texture to ensure a good trim. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Leo’s coat turned out! The second video of Leo is after his full groom is done and looking at the before and after side by side, his legs fluffed up so much they actually look a bit longer after his groom than in his before video! Leo’s hair also looks shiny and polished after.
I will definitely use this on my curly coat dogs as well as my double coated pups! I have used it on other pups since Leo and I’ve had good results getting fluff and shine with all of them!
Yukimi Amino Acid Shampoo results overview
I am so glad I tested this product out! I have tried so, so many products over my 11 years of professional grooming. So many leave the coat feeling unclean or completely stripped of oils. Yukimi is well formulated and enhance the coat and still leaves the skin hydrated. It’s important to remember skin health when using shampoo! It’ll make the difference in healthier coat in the future. Our dogs don’t have access to the same skin moisturizing products that we do, so their skin care also comes from their shampoo.
I’m extra excited to have this shampoo for shedding dogs. The amount of coat that’s been coming out of my pomeranian clients this summer is absolutely nuts (we’re talking a fur blizzard) and Yukimi really does help with the coat release! So ideally the fur blizzard forecast is kept to a minimum the next time those pups come in lol!
I’m planning on incorporating Yukimi into my everyday products at Cloud. Overall Yukimi checks my boxes for cleaning, moisturizing, and enhancing. The results I recorded helped me look back and see the differences of coat before and after use. It’s easy to forget what coat quality is like once you’re done with their bath/ groom if you don’t have a reference to look back on. It’s clear that all of these dogs have professional grade results from this product!
Since this brand passes the Cloud standard, you can find some to try out in our shop!
