2 Year Old Has Dandruff

On Good Morning America last week they had a person on that said that if you had dandruff to brew some green tea, let it cool and then use as a rinse....I have yet to try this but it sounds much gentler than anything else. K.

my friend was in italy & says they have some kind of stuff there with olive oil for cradle cap, but can't remember the name of it.

I'm asian and got dandruff since moving to the south. We use the neutrogena t-gel 2in1 that doesn't stink and only every three days. Don't know if you can use that on 2 yr olds. I use that green bottle of olive oil conditioner that you get from walmart. and I have the leave in olive oil to cut down on frizzy hair because I tried friedas, lalooks, loreal, aussie, etc & nothing. olive oil is what works in this humidity.
the kids also have used that johnson & johnsons stuff with honey, but that was when we lived in calif. don't know if it works in ms.

Hello!

I am a childcare giver to my friends son. He will be one in May, and he has the same issues with his scalp. His mom took him to the Doc and he recommended washing only every other day, and told her to use Selsun Blue but it has to be equal parts shampoo and water. She is pleased with the results. Hope this helps.

Do not use Head and Shoulders without consulting your child's pediatrician. Creamy baby oil can be used massaged into the scalp. The dandruf will lift off and the creamy oil will clean the scalp. Baby oil is mostly mineral oil which is a significant ingredient in one of the best "dandruff" relieving medicinal shampoos prescribed by a dermatologist.

But, having worked in a hospital for over 30 years--nothing is too small to check with the doctor about. But I know mineral oil (baby oil) is safe. I used it on my daughter and son, and it helps with my husband's dandruff problem. Check with the doctor.

Do you use gel or hairspray in her hair? If so it may be product build-up. Try making a paste of baking soda and warm water, massage it in her hair and on her scalp. This will loosen and strip any product that may have damaged her hair. After rinsing, follow it up a gentle washing of her usual baby shampoo. Hopefully this will help. Good luck, :0) T. S.

Hi A.! My name is A. and I moved here from Utah, as well! Welcome to Oklahoma!
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Many blessings,
A. K. (mother of a 5 y.o. son and 9 y.o. daughter)

Greetings to you. I know how frustrated you must be with this situation and you said that your daughter never scratches where her scalp is flakey. Even though that is the case are you sure that she doesn't have ringworm? When my son was 4 I noticed he had a patch that was flaky and nothing I did helped. I finally broke down and took him to his doctor only to find out that he had ringworm and may have picked it up from preschool. (He didn't scratch either) She then perscribed a medicated shampoo that I had to use to wash his hair every other day and an oral medication because it was in his scalp. I don't want to cause you more worry, just something to think about. I wish you luck. BTW he hasn't had ringworm again since then and the flakyness hasn't come back.

Hi A.,
Hi, my name is J., and I am an RN, but I also am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne. Arbonne carries a line of products specifically formulated for babies, called ABC.
The line includes a hair and body wash, baby oil, baby lotion, sun screen and diaper cream. I think that you would be pleased with the results, if you used either the wash alone or in combination with the baby oil. I would be happy to send you a sample pack if you would like and additional information. Arbonne's products are botanically based, safe, pure and beneficial. My eighteen year old son was diagnosed with psorasis after taking a particular malaria medicine for a mission trip and was put on a strong medicated shampoo that smelled. The scaly patches started to disappear, but were not completely gone, when I switched him to Arbonne's products. It has been over two years and he has only had one minor reoccurrence during football season. One last thing, what does your pediatrician say about your child's scalp? Hope this is helpful. My regular email is ____@____.com and my website is keytohealthyliving.com no need to use www. before my web address. Have a great day.
J.

Well, from what you describe, it is more than likely an overuse of products- caused a buildup. Try cradle cap remedies.

If that doesnt work, try going to a healthfood store and asking the employee there to look at her head and make a suggestion. That is where you will find the least harmful solution.

go to a good health food shope where you can ask questions and get some advice.........buy shampoo there.........it will work better.......your daughter may be allegic to the regular shampoo.........and while you are there........purchase some APPLE CIDER VINEGAR with the "mother" in it.........they will know when you ask for it........use it on her scalp after you rinse off the shampoo........let it set for a few minutes and then rinse it out......don't get it on her eyes....let her put on googles like you take to the beach!

My boys had this, they are 4 and 6, I did use head and shoulders on them and it worked! However I did get it is my own eyes and it burns like hell. If you use it on her be sure to have her keep a wash cloth over her eyes while you wash her hair. A more natural approach I learned from my mother in law after I had already solved the problem is to put baby oil on her head at bedtime and put a hat over it, make sure to use an old pillow case you don't care about as it will probably get ruined, than in the morning wash her hair. This should condition the scalp.

Our daughter had this when she was about one and we were told to use a regular dandruff shampoo. I have always washed the kids hair nearly everyday during their bath and I would use the dandruff shampoo on her a couple of times a week and just have to be really careful when rinsing with her head tilted back. I would rinse that water out of the bathtub so she could then play for a few minutes and not keep it on her sensitive skin. It honestly solved her problem within a week or two.

The flake may be from overactive oil glands in the scalp that can cause build up much like cradel cap. Arbonne has a great line of baby care products that may help. The hair and body wash that will not sting her eyes. They also have a body oil that contains all natural oils that works great on the scalp. I have had problems like you have descibed all of my life and dandruff shampoo doesn't help! I also use the conditioner from the Intelligence line on myself and my 2 1/2 year old and it doesn't sting her eyes. I am a consultant with Arbonne you can find my listing on the mamasource site or visit me online at www.wendyhightower.myarbonne.com

Try using the Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and Body wash. It's free of all the harsh chemicals that can dry out the scalp. You can get it at Target. That's what we use on my son and I absolutely love it!

I've heard that a little tea tree oil in a regular, gentle shampoo can help.

Please don't use Head & Shoulders, for your and especially your young daughter's sake. I do a lot of research in household toxics, and Head & Shoulders is one of the most toxic body care products on the market.

You can learn more at the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep website. You can search for any type of body care product you are interested in, or even search specific brands and products, and they rate them by their safety. They even list the particular hazards of each product, such as "possible carcinogen," "skin irritant," "teratrogen," etc., so you can decide if it's a hazard that really concerns you. The URL is http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Good luck!
L.

I can relate...there are a couple of options for you...JC Penney carries a shampoo called Nioxin (so does Walmart) & it will clear it up quickly or Walmart has a shampoo called T-Gel...several types..both work great...good luck!!

My doctor recommended the Head and Shoulders when my daughter had the same problem, but it is not tear free. I used the H & S for about 2 weeks. The best thing I found was backing off washing her hair so much. I was an every day person, now I wash it every 3-4 days depending on what she has done that day. This seemed to fix the problem. Other people recommened vitamin E oil and lotion and all that did was make her hair nasty and harder to wash. Good luck.

When my daughter was very young like a few months, she had trouble that didn't rise to the level of cradle cap. The doc said to just use the tiniest amount of dandruff shampoo (not the neutragina type strength, but the head & shoulders/selson blue). It cleared it right up, but with a 2 year old you will have to be extra careful of not getting it in his eyes since they obviously don't hold still really well at that age. Maybe have your husband help you.

If you wash her hair every day, stop. She only needs her hair washed every 3 days (unless she has very oily hair). Try using baby oil. Apply it with a q-tip just on the flaky spots after you shampoo it, not alot. When you wash it the next time use a baby brush (the bristles are soft) and just lightly scrub. You don't want to make her head red. Try this for about a month. Hope it helps.
D.

My son had this problem when he was small. I used one of the stronger shampoos (Selsun Blue, Denorex, etc.) on him twice a week and used regular shampoo the rest of the time. It cleared right up. My pediatrician gave me this advice. You do have to be careful not to get it in their eyes, but it isn't an everyday thing. He had HUGE flakes that would come off his scalp and it was extremely gross. I don't think conditioner for the hair would help this situation since it is a scalp problem. Have you asked her doctor for a solution?

I hope you find something that works for you. This can be very frustrating.

I used head and shoulders on my daughter. Once it cleared up the patchy problem, I used it once a week to make sure that it held it at bay. Most cradle cap shampoos wouldn't work for her head. Head and shoulders can sting the eyes, but my daughter always covered her face with a towel during rinsing. It also made her hair more manageable and pretty!

Don't use any kind of shampoo for a while just conditioner. Most shampoos are very drying to hair. My daughter who is now 6 had the same problem and it worked for her. It even worked for me. I mostly just use conditioner unless I put some kind of product in my hair then I will shampoo it.

My son had this same issue. It was really, really bad on the top of his head. Our peditrician told us we could use Head & Shoulders like twice a week. We did & it worked! It took a couple of weeks for it to completly go away, but it did. Also, we have to keep our son's hair cut shorter or it tends to come back (he's 9 now). Go for the Head & Shoulders, be careful not to get it in her eyes, and only use it a couple of times a week.

My Daughter had the same thing as an infant and there where a couple things that we tried that semi worked though it didn't get rid of it for good it kept it under control.
After I put her hair in pig tails I would take a cotton ball or a soft baby brush and put listerine on it and brush or tap it on the exposed areas. On the days that her hair would be down I would just put the listerine on my hands and rub it through her hair making sure that I got contact with the skalp before I combed it. A friend of mine swears by sea breeze as her son had the same problem. Regardless in time my daughter just sorta grew out of it.
Hopes this helps, Bblessed always in all things

You've gotten lots of good suggestions about trying natural remedies. That is definitely what I would do. Make sure the shampoo she uses is natural as well as your laundry detergent. My son had a problem with this for a while. I used a natural shampoo and then tried to gently comb out as much as I could after each wash. It didn't take long to get rid of it. If you are interested in some natural products for the whole family and for your home cleaning and laundry, please visit my site, http://www.audreysallnaturalshoppe.com , or go to your local health food store.

Hope this helps.

A.

It sounds like cradle cap. My 4 y/o son suffered from that for a while. I talked to our hairstylist and she recommended to comb as much of the crusty area off of the scalp with a fine tooth comb. She then recommended that we use "American Crew Tea Tree Oil Shampoo" We already had this shampoo because we use it but I think you could also use Head and Shoulders. I would lather the shampoo on the area and let it sit for a little bit and then rinse. Be careful because neither of these shampoos are tear free.

Hi A.,

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you could try oil like rosemary oil that you leave in over night then rinse out(just use small amount),maybe she is allergic to your laundry detergent and the pillowcases are irritating her scalp.I would definately avoid the the shampoos and conditioners with scents.There are some medicated scalp shampoos but make sure and read the labels and maybe ask the pharmacist before using them on your daughter.

I had the same problem with my child. I would suggest not using reg. shampoo, use a natural baby shampoo from health food store add about ten drops of tea tree oil to shampoo miracle within days. Berts Bees Baby or Natures Baby

A.,
I have done hair for a long time, and suggest something natural.The best thing to use for dry scalp is Mayonaise, or a beaten egg. I know it sounds weird but both those have cholesterol,which is excellent for the scalp and hair, and cannot hurt your child....Just be sure if you use the mayo (use a small amount)pea-quarter size because it can be quite greasy......When applying, massage on scalp,and through to the ends of the hair, leave in for about 30 minutes. Then rinse and shampoo if needed.....I would suggest doing that once a week...and continue with a gentle shampoo. I would not condition the hair more than once a week (if needed) because you can actually over condition, and that will build up on the scalp, and hair shaft..If your child is that young you should not really have to condition, but instead use a detangler when needed........Hope this has been of some help....Please let me know how it works for you...If you have any other questions feel free to email me.......Good luck..J.

My son and I have the same problem. You can use Head and Shoulders, Nizoral, etc. but don't use it all the time. Just use it once a week or so (per my pediatrician). It really works for us.

My daughter had the same problem when she was 2. Her Pediatrician suggested using "Neutrogina T-Gel" to wash her hair about 2 times per week. It worked great! The only thing was that it did not smell to good, it smells like medicine. The dandruff was gone after only 2 uses and was a lot better after the first use. You have to make sure though that she keeps her eyes closed when rinsing. I just followed the directions when using it, and I think I even bought the generic brand to save some money. I hope this helps!

When my youngest was a baby he had bad cradle cap. My doctor told me to use selsun blue. It worked very well. My second son did not ever have cradle cap but does occassionally get very dry spots on his scalp. He just turned 4. When I notice a dry spot I will use selsun blue for a couple of days and it works great. I tried other brand and they did not work as well. I know you have to be very careful not to get it in their eyes, but you only need to use it occassionally. Hope this helps.

After washing her hair try putting baby oil in it, and leave it in till you wash her hair again.

Hi A.! My daughter has the same problem. My pediatrician recommended some shampoo call Sebulex. I had to get the pharmacy at Wal-Mart to order it for me. I use that on her, and use conditioner afterwards, and be sure and rinse her hair good! Since the weather has started warming up, it's mostly all went away. I've also used Head and Shoulders; the main thing is to use conditioner no matter what kind of shampoo you use, because the shampoo dries their hair out. I hope this has helped some! Good luck!