Cradle Cap with My 6 1/2 Mo Old

I used olive oil. I rubbed it on my DD's head, let her marinate for 10 -15 minutes and then washed her hair - using my fingernails to lightly "scratch" her scalp. Worked great. One thing to note... If you leave any oily product on her head without washing it off, it will make the cradle cap worse. Good luck!

Cradle cap has nothing to do with how often hair is washed.
The dandruff/scales/dead skin cells still need to be loosened and removed. My son had it bad when he was 3 months old. I used olive oil on his head then used an extra soft toothbrush to loosen the scales before I combed them out, then washed his hair with baby shampoo.
The first time he was clear for about a week, then I had to do it one more time and he was done for good.

I have never heard of using shampoos for cradle cap. If I'm correct it's a problem of dryness. What my midwife recommended is rubbing the whole head with baby oil. Let it sit for a few minutes and then gently brush with a baby brush. Wipe her head with a damp towel but don't wash her hair or you will dry it out more. Let it stay over night and wash her hair in the morning if you need to go out. I did this with my son and his cradle cap went away in a few days.

We used Burt's Bee's baby oil on our daughter's head right before we washed her hair. Put a tiny amount (like a pea-sized dollop) in your hand and massage it into her scalp. Wash her hair like normal. It was the best, safest cure we could find and it worked like a charm! It also made her hair very soft and helped with tangles. I hope this helps!

My son had cradle cap really bad!! I used baby oil just little drops and used a comb to try and get some of it out! That worked a little but then someone told me about aveeno baby moisture shampoo and Ive been using that and his cradle cap is getting alot better!! its almost gone!! If that done work they have a cradle cap kit I believe its at target or k-mart!! That works really good too!! Good luck!

Yes, use the dandruff shampoo. We used Tegrin which was suggested by my son's doc. We still had to use baby oil and comb it out every day. If we missed a day it spread down his cheeks and ears and forehead terribly. Just be to keep her laying down in the tub when you wash her her and rinse thoroughly.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

There is some stuff at the grocery store in a greenish, turquoise bottle if I remember correctly. In the baby aisle. It works great. You put it on, let it sit for a few mins then you scrub gently with a comb or wash cloth, can't remember details, it has instructions. It worked really well.

We tried every home remedy with no success. Olive oil, baby oil, you name it. Brushing only made it more yellow and gooey. What finally worked was hydrocortizone cream and Head and Shoulders shampoo.

My two younger daughters had it; my youngest still does. I rub a little baby oil into her scale before a bath and let it sit for a good 10 minutes. Then I brush it gently with a stiff bristle brush (VERY gently). Then I wash her hair once with baby shampoo, brush again and wash one final time.

Quite honestly, I think it's something they have to outgrow, but doing the above keeps it from getting out of hand and looking too gross.

mix bakeing soda and warm water into a paste and work it in real good. rinse and shampoo. use a soft brush ., worked for my son who even had it on the back of his ears. R.
ps. it is not dryness. it is too much oil.

Hi! My daughter had cradle cap really bad too. I used olive oil, but mostly I just let her grow out of it.

I tried all of the remedies at least twice and they didn't seem to help much. It took about a year for it to fully clear up.

If you really think its worsening, maybe take her to a dermatologist?

Good luck!

Hi D.P.,
We used one of those scrubby hair brush things that we got from the hospital to scrub our daughter's head - I'm not talking about a light scrubbing. Don't hurt her, but it needs to be scrubbed pretty thoroughly about every other day. I have heard the olive oil thing works great, but we never tried it. Good luck!
Cyndi

Just a bit of baby oil, or olive oil, rubbed on her head, then comb gently with a fine toothed comb and it should come right up.

I would often coat her head with baby oil, let it set 20-30m, then scrub her scalp with a fine-toothed comb. That seemed to work the best for me. Alternately, I used some head and shoulders and it seemed to work.

http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Mustela_Foam_Shampoo_for_...

It makes their heads smell so good too!!! This stuff is great. I still use it on my 4 month old. it is foam, I use a couple of pumps, and then massage it in with a newborn brush...it is fabulous!!

I used baby oil, left the hair saturated in it for probably 30+ minutes, then combed and combed the stuff out, then shampoo to remove the oil. DD's head was covered in cradle cap, that one treatment cleared it right up. I'd only use head & shoulders as an absolute LAST resort. We now wash her hair with every bath (everyday) and use aveeno lavender & vanilla... no more problems.

Does she have other rash issues, on her skin? My son had the worst cradle cap and excema (among a few more symptoms) and when I finally put two and two together I realized he had a milk intolerance. Your daughter could totally just have cradle cap, but be on the look-out for other signs. Olive oil works, I also used Burt's Bees. Maybe you could mix head and shoulders and baby shampoo, I don't know, it would still sting if she got it in her eyes though.

I used head and shoulders with my daughter and it worked great. I also tried olive oil, that worked well too.

How often are you washing her? You should only be washing her hair every 2-3 baths... more than that will make oil glands in her scalp think they have to compensate for the oil that is being washed away... putting them in overdrive, which results in worse cradle cap. If that's not the case, you could try the head and shoulders. Just use a tiny amount and concentrate in one spot at a time instead of the whole head so there aren't as many suds. You could also fold a washcloth (or use a sweat band if you can find one small enough for her) and put it over her forehead so the soap will run sideways instead of into her eyes.

My son had it bad.
I used olive oil.
But be careful not to scrub too hard because it can redden the scalp... and abrade it.

It will go away... but may take time.

olive oil. leave it on her head for at least an hour then brush worked for us!

On my son, I used Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care. It's at Target, and it has Pooh Bear on the front of it. Usually it would clear up most of the scaly stuff. I would let it soak on his head for a few minutes, use my fingernails to loosen some of the scales, and then use a baby comb to rake out the chunks.

Head and Shoulders definitely works, but do try very hard to keep out of your baby's eyes! One thing that I found that worked for my baby girl's cradle cap was right after her bath, while her head was still damp, was to use a little bit of baby-oil and then brush her hair out with a little brush. It made her hair a little oily looking, but has totally cured her of the cradle cap! :-)

I used shampoo with Tea Tree Oil on it for my son, he is now 8 and when he gets itchy patches, that is still what I reach for. Since you are doing the washing of the hair for a 6 1/2 month old, you should be fine.