Dandruff in a 3 Yo

Try any kind of tar shampoo. Yep! tar. My daughter (now 33 years old) had the same problem, but she had HUGE flakes. Doctor had me use a steroid something-or-other. That made me nervous. Steroids! A friend suggested tar shampoo. It worked!!and after only 1 use.

Try head and shoulders, I've had better luck with it. I use to use selsum blue on my dads head and he still seem to have problems so I buy the generic head and shoulders at the general dollar store. It works better on my dads. So it's worth a try.

Hi Cindy, at 3 months old it's called cradle cap and is very normal, I was told and it worked, that when i washed my babie on the babys hair, use a soft tooth brush on the baby's scalp to loosen up the cradle cap and then rinse really good. J.

I suggest trying a product with tea tree oil--known for its antiseptic yet non-irritating properties. I got Tea Tree Hair and Scalp Treatment at my local salon. It reduces oily build-up that clogs pores and helps alleviate flaking and drying caused by surface irritants. It's a Paul Mitchell product and cost $24.16 for 16.9 oz. I also like "rainwater tea tree oil shampoo." I don't remember where I found it but here's the web site www.naturesgatebeauty.com. It's a non-medicated dandruff shampoo that's pure and gentle; made with coconut oil. Cost $7.95 for 18 oz. Good luck and God bless!

My daughter (now 5 years old) had dandruff as a toddler as well. I used Head & Shoulders for sensitive scalp/skin (it was a nicely scented formula) and I interchanged with Fructis Garnier's dandruff shampoo brand. I also used conditioner on her hair after shampoo and all these things combined seemed to do the trick. As her dandruff disappeared, I would still use dandruff shampoo every other bath just to make sure it didn't come back. Hope this helps.

I know first hand that pure lemon juice or vinegar massaged well and set for a few minutes works well with dandruff without harsh chemicals. you can rinse and wash with shampoo right after too. hope that helps!

Try Erbaviva's cradle cap oil. I dealt with it with both by girls and it is the only thing that worked. Plus you can use a reagular shampoo so her hair will smell nice. www.erbaviva.com

try rubbing olive oil in her hair at bath time before shampooing and rinsing (maybe a couple of times to get all oil out) and then combing w/ fine tooth comb. this works well for cradle cap - which may be the source of the dandruff.

Head and Shoulders makes a great Dry Scalp line that my 7 year old uses and it is awesome and smells so good! I get it at Target. It is called Head & Shoulders Dry Scalp Care, I use the shampoo & conditioner on her not the two in one but the two separate products. It is a dandruff control product, becareful to not let her get it in her eye's.
Good luck!!

Tea tree oil shampoos are amazing. The smell wonderful and are great for the skin and shine of hair, this may still bother her eyes, my mom used to put a wet wash cloth over my closed eye and forehead, tip my head back, then the washcloth catches the runaway water!
Good luck.
J.

Hi Cindy,

Soak her head in pleasantly warmed cooking oil, not hot enough to burn OK. Wrap her head in a towel and let it soak. It sounds like cradle cap. You'll find it comes off the scalp easier. Selson blue is a toxic chemical. Please contact me to learn about the Going Green line of baby products my company makes.

Good Luck ~ F. ###-###-####

Hi Cindy,
Try rinsing her hair with white vinegar before a shampoo. Really massage the scalp with it. The rinse and shampoo like normal. The vinegar smell will rinse out with the shampoo. My husband had bad dandruff and he finally gave the vinegar a try. It worked for him!
If your daughter's scalp has any cuts from scratching, the vinegar may sting a bit.

Good luck!
E.

Are you sure it is dandruff and not something else like psoriosis. My mother has psoriosis and it looks just like dandruff. Also any kind of skin condition can be helped by fish oil. You can buy the caplets at any drug store but ask your ped first.

You can always follow up the dandruff shampoo with a sweet smelling conditioner. And you have to be very careful with her eyes, as the medications burn. Have her hold a wet washcloth over her closed eyes, to catch any shampoo that runs down. Good luck!

I used Head & Shoulders, and beleive it or not, it actually smelled really good. My daughter had dry scalp and her ped recommended. Its worth a try!

Selsun Blue does have a Naturals one and it smells better. I use it. There are two different scents which I don't remember off hand. Head and Shoulders isn't a good one to use. I was even told by hair dressers that it isn't good. After frequent use it caused my hair to start falling out. That was well over a year ago and my hair is barely starting to thicken again.

I hear you. My son has the same problem and I just treat it like it was cradle cap. I use Gentle Naturals (comes in a green bottle) on his head only I don't wash it right out. I leave it in most of the day and wash it out at night. It works so good, as it tends to make the flakes come to the surface. If you don't want to subject her to that all day, just leave it in for a couple hours before bath time. Good luck.

Are you sure it's dandruff? My son had allergies to various shampoos and it presented itself as dandruff. The doctors gave me poor advice on how to treat it. My hairdresser was a better resource. I would cut back on washing her hair for awhile. Drop down to once a week. I would also find a very mild, allergen free shampoo and see if that helps. I can't recommend a brand name but I would go and speak to the people at somewhere like Mother's market to discuss which product to buy. My bet is that she has allergies. Hope this helps!

Okay I know what you are going through!!! I myself suffer from dry scalp and none of the 'regular' shampoos and stuff works for me, not only because the smell is disgusting but it's just so harsh with chemicals. After much research, and having a 23 month with more sensitive skin than me, I found that Burt's Bees has a great baby line with a super shampoo that smells good and moisturizes. They also have adult products that can be used on kids that my Uncle uses for his severe dandruff.

Here is the link for the baby shampoo:
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Produc...

Here is the link for the adult product:
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Produc...

They also offer free samples from their website of products, but can also be found at stores like CVS and Target. While they are a little pricey I don't mind as long as my son's flaky skin and itchiness goes away!

Good luck!

Deanna

Hi Cindy,

One of my daughters had that, and a couple of the daycare kids I used to care for.

The other parents and I used simple over the counter anti-dandruff shampoos, one of tried a Tee-Tree oil based shampoo, and we all had success with getting rid of it.

My daugher is a teen now, and has not had dandruff for years...

Simple solution. Now if the simple solutions don't work, I would look into topical herbal remedies. But try these first.

In friendship and support,
V.

What we thought was extreme dandruff in my son turned out to be very dry skin. If he uses a regular shampoo, he's all kinds of flaky. Any moisturizing shampoo seems to work just as well as dandruff shampoo in eliminating the flakes. A "shampoo plus conditioner" won't do it for him, but any "dry hair shampoo" will.

I recommend the Aubrey shampoos(usually available at health food stores and amazon.com). Sometimes the scalp just needs more washings and friction to remove the excess skin cells that are being produced.

It's not a "baby" shampoo, so be careful not to get it into the eyes.
The normalizing swimmer's shampoo and conditioner are the best for removing chlorine. I use it on my 2.5 year old and myself. It has kept her hair beautiful and long without dryness.

Good luck

HI Cindy, Your daughter probably has nutritional deficiencies and is not getting enough pure water. Have you spoken to your doctor about the diet you are feeding her? Does she have a lot of hair, is it thick or thin?The soaps recommended contain known carcinogens and harmful chemicals and will not do your baby any good. You should be using safe and healthy products on your baby and yourself and in your home without any harmful chemicals. I use a brand called Neways Generations, a 20 year old manufacturer of the safest products in the world.. YOu can see them on my website here. www.ineways.com/positivehealthyliving.

You got a lot of really good ideas already. I can only tell you what works in our house.

My son and husband have dandruff pretty bad. They use Neutrogena's T-Gel shampoo. It smells like tar in the shower, but I never notice a smell on their dry hair. It works really well, and after using for a couple weeks religiously, they can pretty much stop using it and the dandruff is gone for months. But if they continue using it just once a week, I never notice the dandruff coming back. If you did try this and happen to notice a smell on the dry hair, try the detangling spray from L'oreal Kids... it's "burst of sweet pear" and it smells soooo good! Plus it would keep her hair from getting too dry with the shampoo.

I liked the idea of the Ti Tree shampoo. I bet that works really well. Ti Tree oil works for just about everything, it seems like.

Wow, Selsun worked when I was just a child as well... I remember the smell, you would think they would have improved it by now. Perhaps, they have? Anyway, since we know it works, why not resort to washing your daughters hair the way we used to back in the "old days", it was a fun experience we shared with our mother. Mom would make a pillow out of a folded towel then lie us down by the kitchen sink with the pillow at our neck and our head over the sink. If you have a sprayer you can then use it to wet and rinse her hair, give her a washcloth to place over her eyes. The process always made me feel special and loved and reminded me of going to the beauty shop!

Hi Cindy- I would recommend 2 different things - the cradle cap steps that have oil and creams in them as a kit and then there is a shampoo called T-Gel cant remember who makes it but its a brown bottle with T-gel written I think side ways - not sure how often you are washing her hair either but the less you wash it the less dry her scalp will be there are other shampoos that arent as harsh as selsun blue for a little girl - or just try the good old olive oil on her scalp - good luck there are lots of things to help her - best wishes

Hello Cindy. I have always had trouble with heavy flaking. I also have severe allergies. I tend to get excema and it presents itself like dandruff on my scalp and eyebrows. I have tried every dandruff shampoo out there. Most didn't work and made my hair dry and brittle (plus they smell). I finally found my magic bullet. It is called Neutregena Triple Moisture active soothing shampoo. After using it every day for about a week, I am able to use it about 1 to 2 times a week and my scalp stays clear. It leaves your hair soft and best of all, it doesn't stink. The only place near me that I have found it is at Ralphs. It is in an upside down tube with a green cap. Good luck. It sounds like your child could have allergies. My son also has excema and if we don't keep his skin dry after bath he will break out. It is also better not to over wash him because the soaps and shampoos will over dry his skin.

Chrissie in Murrieta

I had success using Neutrogena T-gel. It's not so offensive as far as smell goes, but don't get it in her eyes...not tear free. That's what my ped recommended and it worked for me! Good luck.

I would try Head and Shoulders Dandruff. It doesn't smell as strong and it works. It may take a little longer than normal, but it will work.

Good luck!

My mom had really good luck with shampoo's that contained tea tree oil - you can find them at the health food store or Trader Joes.

When my older son was about 2-3 months old, he also developed a lot of flaking which we thought was cradle cap. However, it got worse and worse and our pediatrician recommended Selsun Blue. We used it for about 2 weeks without any improvement.

One of my friends recommended Mustela Dermo cleansing hair and body gel.
http://www.mustelausa.com/dermo_cleansing.html

I could see the improvement on the first day and all the flakes were gone on the 3rd day. I do realize your daughter is older, but my younger son is now 2 years and has more sensitive skin than my older one. He is still using this (every time we try to switch, his skin starts to dry up). The best part is that it smells great! It used to be available only in the fancy department stores, but is now in Babies R Us.

Good luck!