Cradle Cap Solutions?

Updated on July 05, 2009
N.S. asks from Aliso Viejo, CA
31 answers

My 3 month old daughter has cradle cap - any suggestions on what has worked for you to get rid of it? I have the Mustella infant shampoo for cradle cap, and have heard baby oil works, but i dont know what you do with it! thanks!

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So What Happened?

thanks so much for all the great advice! i ended up using olive oil, letting it sit overnight and then washing it off with the Mustella infant shampoo for cradle cap and using the baby comb to get it off - and it seems to be gone!!

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D.M.

answers from Las Vegas on

N., put the baby oil on her head and let her sleep with it on. The next morning brush with a baby brush. This moistons the dry skin and it will brush off. Repeat if needed. D.

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J.K.

answers from San Diego on

Hi N.. What has been working best for us is a combination of oil on the head for a few minutes and then (or infected area) and then scrubbing with a handtowel and baby shampoo...i just started the mustella stuff and it works well it just iritates my baby's skin so I will only use is every other day. i have been doing the oil and wash every day and it has really helped! good luck!

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T.

answers from Las Vegas on

N.,

One of my friend's little boys had really bad cradle cap. Her baby sitter smeared his head with A&D ointment (the one in the brown tube), let it sit and then washed his hair. Cradle cap was gone. It did come back but much less so she did it again. For whatever reason, it really cleared it up.

T.

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C.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

hello!
There are different ideas out there, my doctor said to just leave it, I don't agree with that since one of my children got it so thick it actually started bleeding when it got scratched off accidentally.

so this is what I did with my babies.

I bought an expensive Jojoba oil ( since it is closest to human oil ) and made it warm in a small dish. Then I dribbled it all over my babies head, and gently rubbed it in with my fingertips. The best time is after a bath when it is sort of soft. Then I used a new toothbrush and gently started to brush her hair from one side to the other and front to back. My baby loved it but it is sort of gross, since the brissels get all mocked up with the yellow cradle cap but - hey! it comes off the head - right? :)

It might take a few times to get it all off, and some maintenance to keep it that way but after a while kids don't get cradle cap anymore anyway.

I usually left the oil in the hair - it completely soaks in over night.

good luck and have fun! lol
-C.

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B.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

My youngest had the worst case of cradle cap!!! I used olive oil. I put it on let it sit for a few minutes and kinda rubbed/scrapped (too harsh of a word!). Then used a baby comb, like the one you get in the hospital, real fine and combed it out. It did take a couple of tries but I eventually got it all out. Good Luck!

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J.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I second what this poster said:

Use the cradle cap shampoo/treatment that they sell at BRUS (green bottle with winnie the poo on it)

That worked for me.

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J.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

keep it simple...a little olive oil on the scalp daily rub it in with a cotton ball...it will slowly flake off and go away. Baby oil is mineral oil which is made from petroleum stay away from it...natural oil is the best as babies absorb it. THe skin is a digestive organ. Baby oil is "evil"

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S.M.

answers from San Diego on

My DD has cradle cap and our doc said to leave it alone. But I have heard that olive oil and a soft brush is the best way to go if it's driving you crazy. If it's really thick check with your doc- it might be a fungal infection that needs treatment with a special shampoo or cream.

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H.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

i didn't read all the other responses, i'm sure you've used them by now, but here goes mine: my son had it pretty bad. i used baby oil (i like to go simple) and just put it on the area and either used a soft baby brush or just kinda picked it off myself. i'd take a bath with him and do it in the tub so it seemed like nothing to him. the dr told us to use selsun blue, but my baby is so fair, i didn't want the harsh shampoos to hurt his skin. it went away after a while, mostly from me constantly picking at it ; )
good luck!

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M.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi N.,

Yes, baby oil works great when you use a very tiny toothed comb that helps "scrape" it off when it's softened. Good luck.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I used baby oil with my sons. It's pretty easy. Just rub the baby oil into the affected areas and let it absorb in for a minute. Then use a soft brush to rough up the flakes so you can wash them out with baby shampoo. I used to do this right before a bath, and I used an old soft baby toothbrush so I wouldn't get their hairbrush messy (since the bristles of the brush tend to get gummed up with the flakes when the treatment is working right). If the cradle cap is really bad you may need to do this a couple of days in a row to get it all. Good luck!

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D.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My pediatrician had me use regular baby shampoo, but to put it on her baby hairbrush and gently scrub her scalp while she was in the bath. It worked for us.

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Y.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi N.,

I found that the best remedy for cradle cap is olive oil and a fine tooth comb. We used it on our son's head before we gave him a bath and washed it out with his regular baby shampoo. The olive oil is natural and gentle and helps keep your baby's hair conditioned and scalp moisturized. Put plenty on your baby's head (but don't let it drip in the eyes) and gently comb it through the hair. Don't try to dig into the scalp or scratch off the cradle cap, you cut hurt your baby's scalp. It took a few times to finally be rid of the cradle cap but once it was gone, it was gone for good. Give it a try, it certainly won't hurt your baby and it's a lot less expensive than trying out different types of shampoos. Good luck!

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V.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

N., My pediatrician had us use head & shoulders shampoo! He had a flaky scalp and lots of baby bumps all over his adorable little face! I thought he was kookie when he told us. But it worked wonders and it smells great too! Use a trial size and the original sent! Be sure to not get it in the eyes. I used a wash cloth and lathered really well. Seriously it worked for us! Good luck.

B.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hey N.,
First you should brush the area with a soft baby brush to loosen the scales. Then you apply the baby oil directly to the affected area of the scalp. Make sure you rub it in really well. Leave it on for 20 minutes or so, and then shampoo it out. You might need to do this two or three times, but it works like a charm! My son had the worst cradle cap and using baby oil cleared it up. Good luck!
B.

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A.J.

answers from San Diego on

My daughter also had this, and luckily she has outgrown it by now (she's 6 mo old). I found that baby oil made her skin super greasy, and it made her look dirty as well, so I didn't continue using it. I like a product called California Baby Calendula Cream: http://www.californiababy.com/calendula-cream-2-oz.html
It is an organic product, available in CVS/Longs, Target, or Whole Foods. It smells good and doesn't leave the scalp so oily. I would gently rub it on her scalp after a bath. It's good for any part of the body, although. Most likely, your baby will outgrow this so don't fret! Congrats on your new baby girl.
Best wishes,
A.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

what i did with my daughter was scrubbed her little head really good in the bath then used baby oil or baby lotion on her head after the bath and took a fine tooth comb and comb the loose scaley pieces from her head. that worked for my daughter and i also did this with my twin nephews too. good luck!

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A.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Yes, two of my kids had really awful cradle cap, even on their foreheads and eyebrows! We took a very soft bristle tooth brush and some olive oil and gently brushed it off, then washed as normal (we use California Baby body wash for our kids) it never came back after the olive oil and tooth brush treatment =)

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J.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi N., cradle cap may be relieved by gently brushing the area with a hair brush during your baby's bath but if the scaling is very thick, you can soften it by applying baby oil an hour before the bath. Good luck and God bless!

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Message about a teaspoon of baby oil into your daughter's hair and scalp. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then, comb through hair gently, but making sure the dry scalp is loosened. Finally, wash her hair with some J&J baby shampoo or whatever brand you use. You may have to lather up twice.

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C.J.

answers from San Diego on

I use baby oil after every bath ... my son is 4 months old. It works like a charm. Just a dime size works wonders -- massage into scalp. And they smell yummy! :)

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M.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello! I used the mustela foaming shampoo and it worked for my daughter when she was almost 2 months old. I had used it only twice when I saw results. I still continue to use it with her. I was hesitant to buy it but I just did and I am pretty sure that helped her cradle cap. I also heard of baby oil but didn't know how to use it. Hope this helps! -M.

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A.S.

answers from San Diego on

N.-well i did what my mother had suggested thought it was funny but it worked.i used olive oil and my son had alot of hair when he was a baby so we got one of those lice combs to get out the cradle cap gently-A.

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M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello,

My daughter had this, but all I did was wash her hair more often...every other day. Eventually, it went away. And I didn't use a special shampoo, just Burt's Bee Baby Bee Shampoo.

Hope that works for you.

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K.R.

answers from San Diego on

I tried the oil like a lot of people suggest, but what a MESS and it didn't even work very well! (or maybe that's because I used olive oil? (I don't have any baby oil))

What did work for me was Head & Shoulders shampoo during bathtime--and repeat at the next bath day too. That's what I did for both my baby girls and it never came back. Just take care not to get the shampoo in her eyes.

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A.R.

answers from San Diego on

My daughter had this too and a doctor told us to use head and shoulders to wash her hair and then take olive oil on a cotton ball and use it on the areas. It worked great!

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S.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi
Both my boys had this. I tried everything (baby oil, olive oil, dandruff shampoo) to get rid of it with my first. What finally worked was
1. Useing the cradle cap shampoo/treatment that they sell at BRUS (green bottle with winnie the poo on it) and

2. johnson and johnsons leave in conditioner/detangler (turquiose bottle, similar style bottle to ones you see for hair gel).

I used the shampoo daily to get rid of the cradle cap and then after I was done I put on the leave in condtioner. After the cradle cap was gone, I just used reg shampoo and followed with the leave in condit when I was done.

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S.A.

answers from Las Vegas on

OK, I read the others and they are all good advise. I did something different, I used olive oil. I would brush her head with a soft brush first, then I would rub in olive oil, I would repeat this a few times a day. Worked for us.

My nurse in the hospital said that a way to solve thick cradle cap was to soften about a tbsp of butter and rub it in, let it stay for a few minutes then gently shampoo out. I did not try this myself as my daughter did not have a thick case, but I would believe it would work!

Good luck.

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K.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try olive oil - it's messy, but works!

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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I used baby oil and a soft tooth brush and it did the trick.

Good luck!

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R.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi N.,
My daughter had raging cradle cap. I used the Head and Shoulders "sensitive skin" shampoo, then combed with a fine tooth comb afterwards. It took a couple of weeks for all the flakes to come out, but now her scalp looks great! My pediatrician suggested the Head and Shoulders. I was a little hesitant to put adult dandruff shampoo on a baby, but it was fine and it worked.
-R.

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