Cradle Cap - Hagerstown, MD

Both my kids had/have cradle cap. I'm convinced it's an inherited thing because their cousin has it, too. The only thing that works for us is Head n Shoulders shampoo. Use caution, it really stings eyes, but it smells nice and is gentle to the hair.

C., It sounds weird but 2 things have worked for me. The first is actually selsen blue dandruff shampoo. The doctor recommended it and I was shocked- it seems strong but i put the tiniest drop on a washcloth with a little water and rub gently. It is also great for baby acne. The second is the baby oil and soft brush. It takes off the cradle cap. Hope this helps! Jenn

Olive oil works better than baby oil. Massage it in and try to loosen the scales then shampoo with Paul Mitchell Baby Don't Cry. Once you get rid of it the shampoo will help keep it at bay and a little olive oil when she is dry. Worked great for my son!

Hi Chrisa,

Olive oil works wonders, put about a teaspoonful on her head rub it in good, comb the scalp good let it sit there for a few hours then shampoo well. It may take a few days of that process to get it all gone.

Good luck, S.

I used a product by California Baby for my 6 month old - the conditioners they make are really moisturizing (and completely organic/non-chemical) and it all but went away witihin weeks of using it every night at bathtime. Be sure to scrub the scalp lightly, as well.

We used the Disney Natural's cradle cap care(has winnie the pooh and friends on the bottle). Used it once and it NEVER came back. Also, we stopped using Johnson's shampoo, it was too strong for our baby's scalp. We started washing his hair every 3 days with aveeno shampoo/wash.

Try putting baby oil on the scabs. AF

Whenever my daughter had an episode of cradle cap I washed her hair with Head and Shoulders Sensitive Skin. It works like a charm! I do recommend however only using the Head and Shoulders for no more than 5 days and if it has not gone away take a few days off then repeat for another 5 days. Good luck!

Mustela Foam Shampoo for newborns works like a charm! It is specifically designed to take care of and prevent cradle cap. I love it and feel much better using it as I know it doesnt contain the harsher chemicals that dandruff shampoos contain. You will probably need to use a lot on a 3 year old with hair as opposed to a baby with fluff grin. My 5 year old just got a terrible case of cradle cap behind her ears (go figure) I didnt realize that was what it was... when her Dr. told me it was cradle cap I used the baby's foam shampoo and she was good as new. The first time you use the foam shampoo I do recommend you also lightly scrub her scalp with a toothbrush while the shampoo is on to get rid of the scales. Good luck!

i always used baby oil and a fine tooth comb. rub the baby oil in...let it sit for a while; then comb from back of head to front and sideways with a baby soft comb as to not hurt the scalp.
if that doesn't help i would check with your dr

My son has the same issue. We were told to use Selsum blue which seems to be helping. We also put mineral oil on his head. It makes him a greasy little man but it helps!!!
Good luck

The chemistry of shampoo actually removes oil from hair, but oil is what is used to combat cradle cap. I used baby oil and/or vaseline, and rubbed the oil vigorously into the scalp. That worked for me, in a matter of one or two days.

Hi, C. - Many moms find Melaleuca products to be effective. When baby is bathed and shampooed with products that contain no harmful ingredients and are soothing, penetrating, and healing - all with natural ingredients - skin does extremely well. All products are 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Please check out melaleuca.com and saferforyourhome.com. Happy to provide more info if needed. Good luck. N.

Two things my friends have tried

1) Rub a little olive oil in her hair, then brush it out, wash as normal.

2) a bit of Head & Shoulders.

Cradle cap is evidence of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is the wrong organisms living in and on the body because of the absence of the right organisms. Babies are born dysbiotic, have diarrhea, thrush, and cradle cap because of this. (This is an alternative medicine explanation, not a conventional one, by the way.) Dysbiosis is the precursor for more medical problems down the road. It is better to get the right organisms in you before or from birth, to avoid sickness later. Even though conventional doctors will say that cradle cap is not a real medical problem, it would be wise to treat the cause, the dysbiosis. You do that through HMF, or human microflora. This is lactobacillus, but not the usual form found in stores. It is human form, which is necessary to colonize in the human. Otherwise, you lose the organisms you ingest. HMF can be found on my website, www.sevenpillarstotalhealth.com. There are forms for newborns through adults. The fact that your baby is dysbiotic would also indicate you don't have the good bacteria in you either, since it is transferred to the baby as it passes through the birth canal. C-section babies are automatically dysbiotic and need HMF.

L. Cheek, MD

Hi C.,
Tea tree oil,(girls only), baby oil, and an over the counter treatment which is real oily and sold at drugstores...also believe it or not, dandruff shampoo.

Selsum Blue..It worked wonders for my kids. All three kids had it as babies and I used it for them. You don't ned a lot, just use a dime size amount and work it in really well. What i did was, use it everyday until it cleared up then switch to once a week as maintance. Do NOT use baby oil, it will only make things worse. What cardle cap is, is oil build-up on the scalp and putting more oil on the scalp will only make things worse. yes it will lossen it up but the oil from the baby oil will only seep back into the pores making it worse. I hope this helps and wish youluck with it.

I was told to use Selsun Blue on my 6 week old by my pediatrician. She just said to make sure to avoid the eyes and wash twice a week. I was too scared to use Selsun Blue so I just used Head & Shoulders today. So far, it worked. But a co-worker of mine swears by Selsun Blue, so if the cradle cap comes back I'm going to use Selsun Blue.

I used Mustela's foam shampoo for newborns (for cradle cap) on my daughter and it worked much better than the olive oil or Selsun Blue. Plus it was formulated for babies so it didn't aggravate her eyes or her skin. Good luck.

My doctor recommended Selson Blue shampoo and it worked like magic. Use a small amount just on the craddle cap area and be very careful to keep it away from your baby's eyes and face. The craddle cap rubbed off with a soft baby brush.

When my daughter had it we used Mustella. It worked great and was very gentle on her head.

I've never tried it, but my cousin swears by Selsun Blue for cradle cap. Good luck!

Hi C.,
When my daughter was a bay she went through a bout with cradle cap. My ped told me to use olive oil on it. That did not work. My aunt suggested that I try a small amount of Head and Shoulders shampoo. That did the trick for my daughter.

My pediatrician said that once a child is over 6 months old you can use adult dandruff shampoo on them. I did it and it took care of the "cradle cap" in 2 washes! Just be super careful it doesn't get in their eyes since it'll sting like crazy!

you need to go get Nutrogena T-gel shampoo and wash her hair with it everytime you baithe her.Just make sure she doesnt get into her eyes because it isnt baby tear free shampoo.That coupled with good hair brushes will clear it up in no time.Good luck

My son had the same thing at age 2. Our pediatrician suggested Nizoral shampoo and that took care of the problem very quickly.

I agree with the previous poster--Head & Shoulders is what we used on our son with his cradle cap. Cleared it up quickly!

When my son was 1 yr old he had a bad case. We used a small amt of Selsum Blue shampoo to wash it and then we oiled the scalp with a tiny amount of gel baby oil. It worked in about one week. Good luck.

I used olive oil in my son's hair - and massaged it gently with the hair brush in little circular motions. that usually worked.

Baking soda...sounds weird but mix a little (tsp or so) in with the shampoo in your hand, and when you comb the hair it cimes out. Got to use a comb, this is the only remedy that got rid of my sons cradle cap which was horrible! The best part is it in no way will bother them when you rinse it out. Hope this helps!

I haven't had to try it, but my mom was talking to me the other day about how I had horrible cradle cap as a baby; she said those little liquid vitamin E pills broken open took the scales right off. But watch out, it's pretty sticky! A good shampoo afterward gets the scales and the vitamin E out.

My 4 yr old niece still has flare ups of cradle cap from time to time. When it happens they use head and shoulders 2 in 1 on her, plus a leave in conditioner. It clears up in about 2 wks.

Baby Oil and toothbrush. Put the babyoil on the spots let it sink in a little and brush it with the took brush to flake it off. I put it on my daughter ever evening at bath time. Did she just get it or just not gotten rid of it. It's surprising me that she's just gotten it at 3yrs old. I'm wondering if it's cradle cap at all. Me personally i would as the pediatrician if it could be something else.

Toothbrush scraping and frequent shampoo will only agravate it more by irritating an already dry patch. It will look better immediately after, but then get worse.
Oil will improve the dryness, but time works best especially if you don't further irritate it by rubbing or shampooing.

you can do a test patch of neutrogena T GEL shampoo.
try it in a small area to make sure there is no bad reaction.

You have to care of cradle cap daily baby oil and brushing daily will get rid of it.

There is a product I used to purchase at the drugstore called Nestle (pronounced NESS-ul) that was specifically for cradle cap/helping to prevent it. Sometimes the pharmacist had to order it specially for me. It was a clear liquid in a bottle that I applied to the baby's scalp with a cotton ball. It made her hair smell SO GOOD!