My son is about 3 months old. He's had terrible cradle cap since about 2 mo old. We have been putting apricot oil on his scalp about every other day, but doesn't seem to help. Also, I take extra B vitamins, because I understand that B vitamin deficiency can contribute to cradle cap. any other suggestions?
Hi M.,
My daughter had cradle cap. I washed her hair every other bath, and after I washed her hair I put baby oil in her hair, and massaged it in, and let it sit on her head while I gave her a bath. I'd rinse the oil off at the end of her bath, and after a week or two, she was looking good!
Good luck, K.
Lose the shampoo that you are currently using, most likely Johnson's or Mennan etc. which contain sodium hydroxide. Most people don't have a problem, every now and again someone has a sensitivity to it. It causes chronic skin irritation and can burn the tissue. The body then over reacts to bring the skin to the normal pH or "acid Mantle". ABBA used to make a fabulous baby shampoo. Go to the Health food store and see if they might have a unique one. I used Shaklee's Basic H. Turned it around immediately. I have much confidence in the company and the product, so I hesitate to tell anyone to use it. Put it is a Natural, PH balanced, organic cleaner.
What ever you decide to use, it MUST be pH balanced, organic with no chemicals. ( can be tough to find these days)
Hello,
When my oldest son was little he also had cradle cap....we used baby oil, after putting it on we put on a infant cap/hat. After it soaked into his skin, we where able to pull of the cradle cap. We had to repeat this for awhie and then the cradle cap stopped coming back. I hope this works for you.
head and shoulders dandruff shampoo (spelling?) rub it in with a toothbrush...that is what my sons ped. told us to do if he got it
There was just a post on this a few days back, and 33 wonderful mothers gave great advice. My son has cradle cap as well, and I am trying all the different techniques. Search a few days back and you can read the advice.
My daughter had a terrible case of what I called Cradle Crap. That stuff is the worst. Anyway, I had it cleared up in two days by using baby oil on the scalp and combing it out. I think I did this three times a day and before I knew it, it was gone.
Good luck and congratulations on your son!
N.
We would rub olive oil on my sons scalp about 1 hour before his bath/hairwash. Then when we washed his hair we'd scrub it gently, and brush it aftewards (he really didn't have too much hair in the first place, so we were really brushing his head). This cleared it right up for us. I tried baby oil and that seemed to dry his skin out much more than the olive oil did - I thought the olive oil worked a lot better, for what it's worth.
My youngest son had cradle cap that was terribly resistant. I picked up "Gentle Naturals" cradle cap lotion/treatment at Target, and was amazed at how fast it worked. Either it was really good, or my son's case was going to get better about that time anyway... but he had sensitive skin and it was gentle enough for him.
Good luck!
Safflower oil or olive oil worked for my daughter.
I think lotion would work too, maybe Aquafor, or
something equally as concentrated.
Hi MK -
I'm super psyched to see a natural birth mama like myself!
:-( I had an unfortunate c-section w/ my DD (#2 and final baby) but loved my midwife anyway.....
Re the cradle cap: Someone else posted recently on this. This is the link to my reply on it. http://www.mamasource.com/request/17787841179832811521
Also, another mama had suggested breastmilk! I hadn't thought of that, so that's worth a try!
Best of luck.
Johnson's Baby Oil works great, we put it on in the bath when the scalp is already wet/warm, let it sit for a few mins then start combing it out. Might take a few days/few baths to remove most/all. Don't know if Johnson's is different than apricot oil, but it worked for my son's alligator skin cradle cap.
We used olive oil on my sons scalp. We would rub a little on and wait about an hour and then comb it out.
Good luck to you!
My daughter had cradle cap at that age also. What I would do was rub her scalp with baby oil ( I like Arbonne because they do not use mineral oil) then after the baby oil sat on her scalp and the "scales were wet" I would gently comb her head and out came the cradle cap. It was painless for her and she liked it. She grew out of the cradle cap and I only had to do this to her 3-4 times. Good luck I hope this works for you.
I was actually told to use a little bit of dandruff shampoo every few days, and that helped with my boys =)
Have you ever heard of Arbonne International? It's a 27 year old internet-based company. They have a natural, botanically-based baby oil (and wash) that has been known to solve this problem and if it doesn't, they'll refund your money. They also have a lotion and diaper rash cream. I can also show you how you can save 35%. Write back if I can be of any further help.
Some of the responses received on this website talk about using baby oil and I wanted to the share the following information from a Certified Infant Massage Instructor about mineral oil because it's the main ingredient of baby oil.
Mineral oil is a common ingredient in many household products. It is found in lotions, soaps, cosmetics and motor oil. Mineral oil is a clear liquid oil with no scent and will not spoil. It is produced as a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is the leftover liquid, and because it is abundant, it is very inexpensive. In fact, it is more expensive to dispose of mineral oil than to purchase it.
Mineral oil is the main ingredient in many baby care items as well. Baby Oil, Vaseline® (petroleum jelly), baby wash liquid soap and baby lotions all contain mineral oil as a key ingredient. As mentioned above, manufacturers can buy it very inexpensively and it will not spoil.
The problem is that mineral oil is foreign to the human body and has many harmful effects, especially on infants. Mineral oil acts as a thin plastic layer on the skin. It is difficult to absorb and clogs the pores, which slows the skin's ability to eliminate toxins. Remember, the skin is the body's largest organ and plays an important role in maintaining overall health!
Once the oil is absorbed, it is broken down by the liver. But because it is an unnatural product, the liver must work extra hard to remove it from the body. And once the oil is present in the intestinal tract, it will absorb all of the fat-soluble vitamins found there. It is essentially stealing important vitamins from the body, which the body will not be able to replace. This can eventually lead to nutritional deficiencies. Studies have also shown forms of pneumonia caused by mineral oil decreasing lung function, known as lipoid pneumonia. Because of these dangers, the medical community has condemned the use of mineral oil taken orally or as in ingredient in medications.
Given these harmful effects, when caring for babies, it is best to use all natural products. Many caretakers know that babies love to put their hands in their mouths. This also means that whatever is on their hands is also going in their mouth, and into their bodies. It is best not to chance your baby's health with mineral oil and petroleum-based products.
