Hi I'm looking for a remedy for cradle cap or baby drandreff for my three month old son because I have tried shampoo and baby oil. It seems like the cradle cap comes back every day and it's stubborn little flakes. Does anyone have any remedy to git rid of it? I would really be thankful for it!!
My son had it pretty bad when he was around 2/3 months. The only thing that worked was baby oil. Try massaging it onto the scalp and leaving it for a bit. Then gently come it out with a soft bristled brush.
My DD had really really bad cradle cap... To the point that it spread down her body in a rash on her neck, chest and back. My pediatrician gave me some advice on how to help it... and I also used advice from mommas here to come up with this remedy:
What helped the most, was about 10 minutes before her bath, I would massage just a touch of baby oil into her scalp. Then, when I washed her hair, I would use a soft-bristled toothbrush to VERY GENTLY brush the flakes off.
I ONLY washed her hair about once a week... washing it more will make the oil glands (which cause the cradle cap) more active and make it worse.
During the week, I would "comb" her hair with the toothbrush, which helped keep her hair clean; and I could brush the flakes off while I was at it.
Some moms mentioned to try using an anti-dandruff shampoo, like Head and Shoulders or Selsun... but only use a TINY bit, and be VERY VERY careful not to get it in his eyes! I never tried it... but will throw it out there...
My dd's dermatologist said to just olive oil. We have been doing this a couple of times a week for about 2 months and it is almost all gone. She is 2.5 though, not a baby. But, she said this is what she used on her new baby too. We coated her head so that it was actually oily and it made a difference. Also, scratching, rubbing with shampoo seems to work well.
Olive oil, if you let it sit for a while on the scales, is great for softening the scales and moisturizing the scalp so that you can remove the scales.
You also don't want to use something harsh like Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. We used Baby Don't Cry shampoo by Paul Mitchell after using olive oil to remove the scales in order to keep the cradle cap under control. It was the most gentle shampoo and one bottle lasted through two babies.
Our dr just told us to leave it alone and that it would eventually go away. It doesn't hurt them. My daughter is almost two and still has a tiny bit of cradle cap, but it's finally almost gone. When she was around 12 months we did switch to a Paul Mitchell baby shampoo at the advice of the person who cuts our hair, and that seems to help a little, but I wouldn't use it on a three-month-old.
My third daughter had cradle cap *really* bad when she was about 2-3 months old. I tried everything already suggested: olive oil, baby oil, rarely washing, washing often. Finally I took her to the doctor for it and she suggested Head and Shoulders for sensitive skin. It took washing my baby's hair with it twice (twice!) and the oily scales were gone and never came back!!
If you decide to use Head and Shoulders on your baby, just use a tiny amount and be VERY careful not to get it in his eyes. Let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse off, again being VERY careful not to let the suds get in his eyes.
See now I found washing their hair daily with a very sensitive shampoo worked the best. If I did not wash it, it got much worse. The dryer flakes were easier to brush off when they were dry and flakey rather than greasy and sticky.
We used Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment. It worked great! You can find it at Walmart or Target. Website below:
