What have you mommies tried that works on cradle cap? My son's cradle cap is just not going away. He has fair skin like me, blonde (fine hair) hair, and gets easily burned by sunlight. When I brush back his hair I can see patches of yellowish scab-like crusts on his scalp, I can comb/brush all I like to get the flakes out, but that is not the solution. Please help mommies.
I used over the counter cradle cap oil, called Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment ( Image here: http://www.amazon.com/Gentle-Naturals-Cradle-Cap-Treatmen... ), but all it does is make his hair oily.
Thanks for all your advice!
Selsun blue is what I now use and it seems to be going away!!!!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!! lets hope it stays away.
Thanks for all your answers.... I will try some other suggestions if this does not work out.
I am a grandmother & have a couple of greats now. Years ago, I had the same problem with my light skinned, cotton-topped children & my GP back then told me to use Listerine. It works!
I used baby oil and would use a baby comb to gently get the scaley flakey stuff out. it was time consuming, I would usually gently work on an area while he was asleep on me. Yes, my little man had an oily head for a while...lotion works in a pinch although same result. They usually out grow it. My daughter is 10 and she has psoriasis and it affects her scalp, we have found that tree tea oil helps some, but I do not think it would be safe to use on one so young.
We used sweet almond oil. Apply on the scalp with a cotton ball, leave for at least half an hour, comb with a fine comb, then wash with shampoo and comb the scalp during and after shampooing too. Repeat until all the flakes are gone (several treatments might be needed).
My ped told us to CAREFULLY try Selsun Blue. It worked for my son.
Cradle cap is simply ezcema of the scalp and is systemic...which means it's coming from the inside out. If he's breast fed you need to look at your diet; if hes on formula he's on the wrong one. Ezcema can be treated from the outside but it's a blessing in disguise because you now know something is going on inside and it WILL affect something else down the road. Kids that have ezcema typically get digestive disorders, asthma, and even conditions symptomatic of ADD and ADHD.
We use a lotion called Renew that will heal it, however I would look at his nutrition. If he's "getting" the right nutrition, it is possible that he is not absorbing ir properly.
God bless,
M.
PS Please avoid petroleum based products like mineral oil/baby oil or vaseline as well as dandruff shampoos. They are dangerous.
A friend let me borrow that same shampoo, and I had the same results until I spoke with my friend how is a hairstylist. She said use the shampoo, then brush it out (like the ladies described below - with a brush on the scalp or even your fingernails). THEN, use an adult shampoo afterwards to get the oil out of the hair.
I was just rinsing and using the baby shampoo, which is too gentle to get the oil out.
Baby oil always did the trick for us.
Unfortunatley, I think you just have to deal with oily hair until it's resolved.
You could try a moisturizing shampoo, but in my experience, only something rich, like oil, does the trick.
How often are you washing your toddlers hair? With my son I was washing it way too much for awhile and it turned out that once I stopped washing it (I know usually only wash it twice a week - unless he gets it really dirty) and it went away.
I had to really rinse his scalp to get the residue off but once I got it off and went to washing twice a week it hasn't come back.
I used dandruff shampoo & used a soft nail brush to rub it in. It worked great! After a few days both of my kids had clear scalps. I think we used head & shoulders
I used Burt's Bees Apricot Oil. Before bath time, I would cover my baby's scalp with the oil (It smells great!) and let it stay on for about 15 minutes then wash out with the Burt's Bees shampoo bar. This worked miracles for my little ones. The great thing is that most Wal-mart's carry Burt's Bees now, but it is also available online. Good Luck.
My 3 year old still had bad cradle cap and my hair stylist suggested we use the Paul Mitchell baby/child shampoo and really scrub/work it in to a good lather with our fingers. She said it is one of the few child-friendly shampoos out there with the proper pH balance. We continue to use this shampoo and haven't seen the cradle cap since.
My son had a really bad case of cradle cap that extended down to his face and onto his chest. Our doctor recommended Selson Blue and it worked like a charm!
My 7 year old got this too. I couldn't believe we had gone all these years without an issue and then it showed up. Careful use of Selsun Blue seemed to help the most. I also have a friend who is a hair stylist and she recommended a good quality clarifying shampoo.
Actually, our ped suggested the dandruff shampoo, and it didn't help. We went to a kids salon and the stylist said that's the worst thing for it, and to start using conditioner. Totally made a difference!
When you use the cradle cap oil (we used Burt's Bees Apricot Oil) take a soft bristle brush and the scrub/brush h*** o* the affected areas. Then wash it out (one or two times) will help. Do this consistently until it is gone, and then once a week or so as maintenence. It will work, it just takes a little time to get under control, and then it is easy to keep away.
Good Luck!
Bianca
We would use the softest toothbrush you could find (kept one just for this job), and very, very gently brush against the flakes, then shampoo and rinse very well. Usually had to do it a few times in one week and then it was gone. This always worked for me. I just never had luck with the oils....
I don't know what the other moms have written but when my youngest was an infant she had cradle cap. I took a corn silk remover brush and used baby shampoo to clean it off with and then applied creamy baby oil. It didn't make her hair as oily. But it did help. Not sure if this will help you or not, but it is worth a try. Good luck and God Bless.
