Help with Cradle Cap - Appleton,WI

Try only wash her hair once a week. The more her skin drys out, the worst it will be come. Her skin will become more and more dry the more you get it wet..

Put baby oil on her scalp and rub it gently. Then use a soft bristled brush and scrub gently. Do this every day or every day you give her a bath until it is cleared up.

Gently rub baby oil on to the scalp and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then just comb through the hair. You may have to do this a couple of times depending on how bad it is.

I don't know if you're familiar with Arbonne's botanically-based products, but they work wonders for craddle cap. My oldest two had it before I had tried the products, and my youngest never got it because I was using them by the time she was born!! Let me know if you'd like to try them! Good luck with it!

Arbonne's baby wash and baby oil work well. Use with a soft brush. www.arbonne.com

I can help you get the products at a discount. Let me know if you are interested.

M.

Dear M.,
I am a mother of 5 and have experience this once or twice alreaday.I know that this will seem weird but use baby oil on it(I know it is greasy but it really works).Also whenever you do bathe her brush her hair with the soft brush and use it in a circular motion when you brush her hair.Never ever pick it or peel it as that will make it worse or you may pull off to much exposing raw skin. I know that it is tempting to just fleck it off but that is the worst thing to do for cradle cap.Just understand that many parents have gone through this and anyone who is a parent will know that it is just cradle cap, not bad hygenie or anything.So use the baby oil and a soft(baby)brush and that should do the trick.It may take awhile to go away but it will eventually.Remember it bothers us more than them, it doesn't hurt them at all(unless you pick at it exposing raw skin, then that will hurt them).So just be paitent and it will go away eventually.Good luck!!
J.

Most likely she will develop allergies down the road too.

Our son had terrible cradle cap. We found that he was allergic to wheat products.

If you look at most the shampoos on the market, they all have wheat germ in them. Try a shampoo that has wheat germ free.

J.

Put baby oil on the effected area and let loosen it up. leave it on for hours. Then use a fine tooth comb and comb through. Don't be afraid to be a little aggresive. But don't scatch her scalp. Repeat if needed. Olive oil works also. J.

Baby Oil worked with both of my kids. Massage it into her scalp, then take a comb and go forward and back a couple times (not too much or too hard). Then wait about 10 minutes and shampoo her hair - it will take a couple times to get all of the oil out and you may have to do the oil a couple times. I've also heard Olive oil works too, but I use the baby oil with Aloe in it (the green cap).

M. -
My son had it pretty bad too, and he also had light hair like your daughter's. As others have said, baby oil worked great. After letting it soak in for awhile, I used the very fine baby comb we got from the hospital. Sometimes I had to do it several times to get it all, but it worked and wasn't hard to do.
Be careful about washing her hair too often. As someone else mentioned, Cradle Cap is a buildup of shampoo and dead skin cells. Overwashing dries the scalp, and adds more build-up making the problem worse. When my son had it really bad, I would only rinse his head in the bath using no shampoo until the Cradle Cap had cleared up.
Good luck!

Hi M.,

Renew lotion is the BEST thing! It has pharmecutical tea tree oil in it so it really penetrated the 3 derma layers of skin. i can send you a travel size for you to try. I'm headed to the post office today so if you email me your address I'll get it out to you. You will see how wonderful it is for yourself.

Baby oil is a natural recommendation, but it is really greasy!

My son had terrible cradle cap for months and I couldn't get rid of it. Then I switched to Paul Mitchell baby shampoo as suggested by the person who cut his hair. Hard to believe designer shampoo for a tot but it worked.

As soon as I saw cradle cap on my infant daughter, I decided to buy the Gentle Naturals shampoo at Target and it works great! I only wash her hair about once a week - it can be very drying to their sensitive skin and she's not one to spit up so she's really not 'dirty' - and it works great. It does warn not to get it in their eyes so I squirt a little on her head and use a soft baby brush in a circular motion, then rinse. I follow it with the Paul Mitchell shampoo as that smells a little better.

Good luck and remember, it doesn't bother the baby nearly as much as it bothers you.

I don't have any advice because I actually came out here to see the answers! My 4 month old also has some nasty cradle cap and I am pleased to say that I will by trying some of this advice to see how it works.

Thanks for asking the question, M., and thanks for all the advice from everyone else!

My pediatrician recommended, and I used, rubbing alcohol. It was kind of gross because it all comes off at once in the shower after you apply the alcohol, but after that it was gone and never came back.

Baby oil on a cotton ball - massage into baby's head morning and night.

MJ - SAHM of 2 kids

Massage some baby oil on it before bathtime, let it sit for a few minutes, and brush it with a baby brush. It will help lift it up so when you shampoo it takes some of it away. You'll have to do it several times to get it all. Good luck! J.

M.,
There is a great product out there in the baby stuff made for cradle cap. It is in a light greeen bottle and has cradle cap on the label. There is one for ezcema and then this one. We had red headed kids and it seems to show up worse I think on them. You just put the stuff on and then shampoo like normal.

Good Luck!!

A.

My sister's dr told her to use T-Gel shampoo or Head and Shoulders on her baby.

M.; yes, my son had it really bad too, i asked the dr, the dr said when you wash his hair, use a small scrub brush on his scalp , this worked fine, took a while to get it out, but you just rub their little head in the shampoo with the brush, this did not hurt them, and his scalp looked alot better, my sons was thick, and almost brownish at times, but with regular scrubbings it did go away, hope it helps, D. s

Hi,
Grapeseed oil helped our son's flaky scalp immensely. It's a little more costly than olive oil, but it is absorbed much better and isn't as greasy. You can find it in most organic sections of grocery stores or at Whole Foods or other Coops. Take care.

Hi M.! Baby Oil... that gets it off. Wash her hair in baby oil and then take a soft comb and run it through her hair, and it will come off slick as can be! Good luck! K.

She will grow out of it, first of all. But in the meantime, any type of oil you are comfortable using will work with a very fine tooth comb after.

If baby oil was really so toxic, don't you think more of us would be dead by now? Really...

Massage the scalp with baby oil or olive oil (bath time is best for this), let it sit a few minutes, comb/brush her scalp and wash her hair. It usually works with just one treatment.

Hi M.! Olive Oil is good but flax oil is better. It clears it up very fast. Cradle cap is a buildup of dead skin cells and soap residue so during the day just use the tips of your fingernails to gently rub all around her head. Then before you wash her hair use one of those little combs and some oil. Baby oil has petroleum in it and will do more damage than good.
Also, the popular baby washes on the market are garbage. They have so many chemicals and cause alot of cradle cap problems. I use Aveda Shampure on my baby and my 4 year old. It's wonderful stuff!

My daughter ha it pretty bad also from birth to 8 months and she had sensetive skin. The doc gave me some samples of Cetaphil which really seemed to help. The shampoo softened the cradle cap so it was really eay to comb out... my husband hated combing it out so I did it most of the time.

I believe you can pick Cetaphil up anywhere... I never needed to buy it because my doc gave me almost 30 samples (still have a few bottles left). Ask your doctor for a sample or see if you can find it at a store.

If I were to choose between the two most natural sounding options out there (olive oil vs. baby oil) I would definitely go with the olive oil. Here's why: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=...

Baby oil is really mineral oil which is made from petroleum. I think I'd much rather put something on my baby's head that's made from olives, not petroleum.

Baby Oil from Johnson's is a petroleum-based, hydrogenated oil. DANGER - do not use!!!!

Use olive oil or something else that's all natural. Remember - it's your baby's brain that's under that scalp. Brain cancer in children is on the rise... I have a 13 year old friend who is attempting to survive it as I write this.

Skin is porous and what you put on your baby's skin will soak into her organs as well. Be careful.

My daughter had this too for quite a while. I rubbed some baby oil (per the doctor) onto her head and then gently used a comb to loosen it up and it flaked right off. It worked great. I did it for about two days and it was pretty much gone.

My little boy is only 6 weeks old but we have been battling cradle cap already. My pediatrician told me to wash his hair everyday and to massage his scalp with the little plastic brush that we took home from the hospital when he was born. If you don't have that, she said that a soft toothbruch would do. She told me to use Head & Shoulders shampoo on him twice a week-but just to make sure that you dont get it into his eyes because it is not tear free-and to use regular baby shampoo the other days. Once his hair was dry, I would brush the flakes out with a baby hair brush. I tried this and after the first week, it was virtually gone. Now I am back to washing it everyother day and using only baby shampoo. Hope this helps!

baby oil is in-expensive and works great! My son had really crusty cradle cap that was all cleared up in a couple of days. Good luck with your new clean scalp!

Hi M.-
My first daughter had cradle cap. My sister (mom of 6 and always has great advice) told me to use a tiny tiny bit of dandruff shampoo and really scrub it in. It's a little hard because you obviously have to be very careful not to get it in their eyes, but it really worked for us. Good luck!

My eldest had the same problem. Rub baby oil into her scalp and let it soak in, then carefully comb through with an extra fine-toothed infant comb. You may have to scrape the scalp a bit, but if you let the oil soak in well and work gently it will come off. Then shampoo carefully. You may have to repeat the procedure again later, but other than a mildly tender scalp for a little while, there is no danger to the child.

SAHM of seven

I have something that should work wonders!! It's baby oil from Arbonne. Have you heard of it? It does not have mineral oil in it and it is very moisturizing! I have a sample of it, you could try it! I would love to give it to you, especially if it will work! my email is ____@____.com

I used conditioner on my daughter's scalp and later the physician did recommend a special shampoo. We did not use it as she was older and the Sauve shampoo with conditioner then used the Sauve conditioner after rinsing out the shampoo. Worked fiarly well.

You can rub alittle olive oil on her head and it should help,Good Luck! J.

M.,
My son had cradle cap pretty bad as well. My doctor recommended lots of really expensive shampoos, but through trial and error I found that Disney's cradle cap shampoo seemed to work the best. Good luck!
J.

When I was going to school for cosmotology, my instructor recommended rubbing baby oil into the scalp the night before giving her a bath, right before the bath comb her hair gently and the comb it again right after. I haven't tried it, but I have heard that it works.

Hi M.,

I work with a company called Arbonne International who has botanical based products and an awesome baby line that would help with the craddle cap. There is a wash, oil, lotion, diaper rash creme etc. The wash and oil are the 2 key products.

Let me know if I can help by getting you a free sample. I live in oconomowoc, but I can always send you one in the mail. What have you all tried?

** The oil is made up of natural fruit and plant oils **

Looking forward to helping.

Thank you
S. Bertolas
Arbonne International
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.agift.myarbonne.com is my website.

Over the weekend (or when you don't have to go anywhere for a day) load her head up with baby oil and just let it soak in. Then take a fine tooth comb and comb her hair. The "cradle cap" junk will eventually come up. I did this with my two and it worked like a charm. :)

my baby had kind of moderate cradle cap and it never really bothered me until one sunday right in the middle of church. I had his tiny comb he got from the hospital in his diaper bag and I sat there and very gently combed under what would flake off easily and combed it out of his hair. his tiny scalp was a little red for about a day but it never came back.

A lot of mom swear by rubbing baby oil or even olive oil on the cradle cap for a couple of days and then comb it out.

I use Aveeno Shampoo. It can be found in the baby aisle at walmart. Its mild, and works very effectively.

My son had persistent cradle cap until he was about 4-5 months old, when I found Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment. I had been doing the baby oil, brush, etc. and couldn't get rid of it. After I used this 2 or 3 times it was completely gone! It's in a blue-green bottle near the baby shampoo at Target. It's not as oily as other treatments and seemed to wash out completely. Seriously, the only downside is that it worked so well I have a nearly full bottle of it leftover! Good luck!

I had some skin issues with my baby as well. Her cradle cap turned into more serious issues. Cradle cap is an overproduction of the glands. So using Head and Shoulders, or a shampoo called Nizoral (which doesn't stink) is similar to steroids (hydrocortizone) in that it controls the overproduction. If you want to use this; scrub into scalp and leave on for 1 minute and then rinse out. Be careful not to get into the eyes. Use once a day for a week and it should be gone. I used Nizoral and it worked very well. Some of the natural remedies that were suggested work ok. You might be able to get out the scales, but it might come back. Its hard to thoroughly rinse out the oils which means you have to wash more often. This can dry out your baby's skin. Try some things and see what works. Good luck!

Rub Olive Oil all over his head and then put a infant cap on him..you know the ones that fit snug and are usually made of cotton. Leave it on for awhile and then at evening bath wash it out. Kepp repeating until its gone. Worked for me and my friends!

My mother in law told me to rub a little baby oil on my children's heads.

Use baby oil and cover her head with it before bed. The next morning use one of those soft baby brushes and it should brush right off. I had the same problem with my daughter and this remedy is straight from Grandma. It worked for me and I already had the stuff, no need to buy anything else :)

we used over the counter dandruff shampoo for my son's cradle cap. worked good. use every day or every other day. you can loosen the flakes etc with an old toothbrush or firm bristled baby hairbrush before during or after bath.

also, what does the doctor say? my dad has always had and still does have something that looks like cradle cap on his head and he uses a medicated dandruff shampoo to keep it under control, it's actually a fungus of some kind. ask the doc if it's normal cradle cap or something else.

Head and Shoulders, Selsen Blue, or Neutrogena T-Gel. Really work it into the scalp 1-2 times a week. Be careful of their eyes obviously. The head and shoulders worked wonders for my daughter.

My son has very thin hair and this is about the age that I asked my pediatrician what I could do. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, he suggested using a little bit of Head & Shoulders. I did and it worked within a few days. Just make sure not to let it get in her eyes and you probably want to run it by your doctor too, just in case there's some other issue that might be worsened by using a product like that. The only downside for us was that he didn't have that Johnson's Baby Shampoo smell anymore :) Good Luck!

i put some melaleuca bath oil on my babies head while she was in the tub. i rubbed it in and let it sit for a couple minutes. then i washed it out with shampoo. it worked great!

Coconut oil works well.

Just put it on and leave it on for as long as you don't mind how it looks and just wash it off and it will come out with a fine tooth comb.

Worked for my son. I used to leave it on all day when we would be home.

The best (& safest) thing that worked for me was olive oil & using a soft toothbrush to buff it away.
Brekka

My son is 6 months and also had cradle cap quite bad. What I did is bought a baby brush and comb (make sure it is a baby brush as the bristles are much softer--you can buy them at Target). You take a little bit of Johnsons baby oil and put it on there scalp and then gently (very gently as that skin is tender)use the brush and massage the scalp where the cradle cap is. This will loosen it. Then take the comb (you can also use a mens barber comb that is fine tooth) and run it through the hair, this will bring up all of the dead skin off the hair. You may need to do this a couple times. I suggest doing it every three days, as you don't want the scalp skin get raw from brushing it. It really works and is an easy fix. Good luck!

I used a cradle cap shampoo from Babies R Us and the scrubby brush they gave us at the hospital, and used that with each bath. It took ahile, but eventually it all went away.

I put baby lotion on it and gently rub the scalp with your finger tips.

Teresa K.