Help with Cradle Cap

Both of my children had cradle cap, now this was a couple years back, but I found a gel form baby oil at a discount store. It was an off name brand, but it worked so very much better as you didn't have to worry about it dripping everywhere. Then we put on a shower cap and let it sit while they played. After a little while we combed it out with a generic plastic lice comb. It took us a couple of "sessions" but it worked. Hope this helps!

Hi C.,
My son had some cradle cap as well. I was told it was possibly a food allergy. A lot of children are allergic to dairy (or at least have a sensitivity to it). I've found that the less I give my son dairy & sugar, the less the cradle cap is. He's 14 months now and it seems to have almost all gone away.
Good Luck!
P.

I used hydrocortisone in the morning and at night. Also bathing them everyday with a mild baby soap seemed to help keep it at bay.

Both of my children had caddle cap my son's was especially bad. My pediatrician recommended washing his scalp with Head and Shoulders twice a week with an infant brush or other soft brisled brush. Once the craddle cap cleared up I use the Head and Shoulders once every other week for maintenance. make sure you get in there and scrub really well with the brush and let it sit for a minute or two if you can.

It's frustrating, isn't it? Do you know that my TEENAGER still has it? I hate to tell you, but sometimes it doesn't "go away". One time the flakes and scales were so bad he had to wear a baseball cap to school...this is when he stayed at his Dads and he didn't do any maintenance. I find if you stay on top of it you can manage it. For my baby I use the Mustela Newborn Foam and it keeps it well under control. My teen uses Neutrogena's T-Gel once a week, but it really dries his hair. I agree with using the lice comb...it is the best to get the scales out..and I found baby oil ineffective...but for the really bad patches I would soften them with vaseline overnight and comb out in the morning. Hope this helps!

My daugher didn't have cradle cap but she did have major dandruff. I bought a shampoo and body wash at Babies R Us called Earth's Best Organic and it cleared it up completely after like 2 washings. I was using Johnson and Johnson shampoo but it was way too harsh for her skin. This organic shampoo may help with the cradle cap.

This is an oily treatment too, so if you don't mind giving her a bath in the a.m. I had luck with calendula cream and vitamin e oil. i used them both, and got them at a health food store. Good Luck!

Have you talked to your doctor about it? By age two, is it still considered "cradle cap"? I'm wondering if there may be another condition that may need to be treated differently.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

Tea Tree Oil Shampoo is great. It strips your hair of all the impurities. Good to use it at least once a week to once a month. You can find it at any salon. Fair warning, it's a bit spendy since it's salon type stuff.....walmart usually has a style cut place in it, you may find it the least expensive there.

could she maybe have psorasis. I have this and while i am not missing patches of hair I know that in extreme cases it can happen. just a thought....hope everthing works out well!

Hi C.. I can totally relate to your problem... my 2 youngest children, ages 4 and 7 have also struggled with cradle cap their entire lives! I'm assuming you have researched about what it is (clogged up oil glands on the scalp that keeps the skin cells from shedding properly). I was using a prescription dandruff shampoo called Sebulex twice a week with excellent control of crusts, but it is no longer made. I still haven't found the perfect solution since, unfortunately.

Here is what I am doing now: Wash hair 2-3 times per week (more makes it worse) with Neutrogena or Selsen Blue, letting it sit for at least 5 minutes while they play in the tub. When I see the flakes, I gently pull them out. I use a lice-comb too, that is the best. Sometimes hair comes out (ouch, I feel so bad). Sometimes if it is inflamed (red and painful-looking) I use some hydrocortisone cream overnight on the scalp. It doesn't get their hair greasy like oil.

Good luck, and I am curious how other mommies deal with this. I will probably go to derm at CHOP to see if they have any fresh ideas. I too thought they would outgrow this, but the oldest is the worst!

My doctor said to try Head and Shoulders shampoo....just be careful to not get it in her eyes.

Use a dandruff shampoo. I remember my pediatrician suggesting Selsun Blue. Be very careful about not getting it in the eyes though.

My son is 18 months and has had cradle cap forever! I finally think it seems to be under control. I took him to a dermatologist. He has special shampoo (Nizolral-prescription strength) and a special foam(Luxiq). We also increased the fat in his diet with flaxseed oil to help with the dryness. If you haven't tried extra strength dandruff shampoo try that first. Hope this helps!!
M.

Both of my sons had it. I used the shampoo for cradle cap and it seemed to work. I have also tried olive oil. The best thing I found, which may sound gross, is just to scrap it off with your fingernails. Getting them to sit still, that's another problem. I just did a little bit at a time. When I took them outside in the sun is when I could really see it and I would try to do a little here and there. Then one day it just seemed to go away. Good luck.

My Daughter had horrible cradle cap at about 2 months. It went from the top of her head all the way to her eye brows. We were given a prescripton shampoo. It worked in about 3 weeks. It never came back. I would explored the allergy side, though. It is possible it is excema

My children had it also. I hated using the baby oil. My daughter had small patches of it and all i did was while she was in the tube wash her hair and then take a fine baby comb and comb her hair in the tube. It didn't get it all, but it helped it to go away and haven't had a proublem since. And there is no oilly mess or anything. Also i found that i have to watch what shampoo i use. That would cause her to have more sometimes. Speceially baby shampoo. That was one of the things that caused my childern to have the cradle cap. Best of luck.

I had this issue as well. My kids are now 16, 9 and 4. Anyway, Selsum Blue. My doctor told me to try this shampoo. My son had it really bad. The cradle cap came right off and you only need a little bit. I also used a bath shield, like a hat, for his head so the soap didn't drip into his eyes.

Rub baby oil into her scalp until it is gone.

Hi C. - My 1st son had cradle cap until he was almost 4. His Dr. gave me all sorts of things to try that didn't work and he really hated. Two years ago I ended up on my own trying Arbonne's shampoo with tea tree oil and it went away very fast. I was amazed. I still use this on his head. You can find tea tree shampoos at most salons. I saw one at holiday hair last week, it was a small bottle about 6oz for $10. I can also get you the Arbonne tea tree oil. Arbonne's is 18oz for $25. (I started my own business 15 months ago while I'm on leave with my 3rd child from my corporate job.) You can also check out the details of the tea tree oil shampoo at www.MichelleGeorge.myarbonne.com. Email me if you want to try the tea tree oil and I'll save you some money. ____@____.com Good Luck! M.

I used vitamin e capsules that I broke open and applied to my daughter's clean head. Then I put a hat on my daughters head and put her to bed. After three days of application it was gone and never came back. I did not wash or comb her hair for 3 days. I may have put the vitamin e on twice a day, I can't remember.

olive oil massaged into the scalp and then a comb to lift the skin out. The reason she's losing hair is because she sweats under the skin and then the sweat sits next to her scalp and can't escape because the skin is on top of it. It kills the hair. Use a tea tree oil shampoo on her and shampoo it every night, really scrubbing at her scalp when you do it. That will also help. Most people don't realize this but unlike some other types of dry skin, cradle cap really isn't the same and actually needs to be washed more often, not less. The reason I know this is because my older son had it as well. Good luck.

Go buy the shampoo Tee Tree shampoo it is green and it works. They use it in the nursing homes for dry scalp. You can get it at a beauty supply store it is only like $4.00. It also keeps you from getting lice because it puts oil in the hair shaft and the eggs can't stick to the hair.
good luck

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that my nearly 3yr old daughter also had horrid cradle cap that would come & go until she was 2 1/2. On a hopeful note for you, she seems to have grown out of it (finally!), as we haven't seen it for 6 months. We never found a prevention, but did have success with baby oil when she had "flare ups". I wanted to comment that when we used baby oil, we'd put it on, then let it sit on her scalp for about an hour or more. After waiting, we'd put her in a bath and use soft baby comb/brush to gently scrub her scalp, and work out the cradle cap. She protested at times, but it DID work to get rid of it! We'd then wash her long hair twice - it was not greasy after that.
Good luck!

My son had cradle cap for a long time and I found that California Baby conditioner really helped. It is a little on the pricey side, but I liked it a lot as it didn't leave his hair weird and I could just leave it in and not feel badly about any chemicals soaking into his head. It will also leave her hair conditioned and manageable.

I recommend getting food allergy testing,our daughter had the most disgusting cradle cap that would not go away no matter what I tried. we switched doctors and found out that our daughter was allergic to eggs. I cut eggs completley out of her diet and puff it was like magic. It never came back. I also recommend going to your health food store and getting a children's formula probotic In the mean time it will help considerably. I feel for you I know it's extremely fustrating you can also use head and showers too but that never worked for my daugther,mustela even makes a tear free cradle cap formula I used.Helped with the greasiness but didn't cure the problem.

C.,
First of all, you'll want to avoid anything with mineral oil as it is a petroleum product whose chemical strands are too large to penetrate the skin's surface. In other words, you may as well throw it in the toilet because it's just going to sit there and make the problem worse. My recommendation is Arbonne Baby Care oil and wash. Put the oil on for about an hour - or in your case, overnight. Wash the hair in the morning with the wash. Keep doing this for about two weeks. Your daughter will be able to completely renew her skin in about 16 days. So you should see a whole new head in about two weeks.
Best of luck to you!

My daughter had cradle cap until she was 31/2. My son still has it at 3. It will leave eventually. Different treatments work for different kids so try, try, try until something works.
One thing to keep your eye on is that Cradle Cap is related to other fungal illnesses. As it was explained to me many children who suffer from cradle cap also suffer from fungal diaper rash, as my kids did.
In the future your child maybe more prone to athletes foot and ring worm than other children. And finally girls are more likely to have problems with yeast infections and boys with jock itch.
Just some info that was related to me.
So keep in mind if your child had stubborn cradle cap there maybe other problems down the road, luckily most of those problems are easily treated and rarely if ever have long term consequences.

I work with wellness company and we have a product that is an all natural product. Let me know if you are interested in it.

C.,

The best shampoo would be Melaleuca Original Shampoo or Herbal Shampoo. These are moisturizing shampoos and are gentle on the scalp and hair. May daughter and husband both use it. My daughter always had a dry and itchy scalp and the Original shampoo worked for her. My husband swears by it and is going to try the Herbal shampoo because he said that it helps you to not loose as much hair as with traditional shampoos. Contact me and I can tell you how to purchase them as they are not sold in stores. Also the T36-C5 Brand Melaleuca Oil would be great to put on her scalp as well.

M.
____@____.com

My son had the same problem. I thought he would never get rid of it. I would wet his head in the tub while he was playing with his toys in his bath then I would pick/scrape it out and then use the baby comb to get more of it. Little by little it went away.

Hi C.!

I would suggest that you take your daughter to see a dermatologist. It could very well be an extreme case of cradle cap (which is typically gone by the age of 6 months!) but with the patches of thin hair/baldness, it sounds as though there may be some other cause. A dermatologist is trained more thoroughly in skin disorders than your pediatrician and would offer a much quicker diagnosis and treatment plan for your child. Good luck!

If you can wash her hair w/o getting the shampoo in her eyes then switch to head & shoulders. A friend did this with their baby & it worked wonders.

My son, 9, has had it since he was 6. I tried everything as well. What I found was to make sure you rinse all the shampoo out of her hair. While the hair is still wet and the scalp is wet, I would just comb it out. I found that the skin removed
easier when it was wet. He would let me comb for so long and then he was done. He evenually out grew it. I just tried to keep up with it as much as possible. I think it was most not getting all the shampoo rinsed out.

I swear by good old fashioned baby oil. My daughter had bad cradle cap and I would put baby oil on her head after bathing. It made her hair look like an oil slick but I didn't care because she smelled great. By the next morning the greasiness was gone. It worked wonders for her.

I know what you mean about the hair being greasy for about 3 days! I did find that the baby oil worked, but it really does need to soak on the head for 5 minutes (which seems like a lifetime with a toddler). The first two times I did it I tried to comb it out too soon (I have a very active girl too)! I laid a folded towel down after the bath, and before I put her pj's on I squirted the baby oil on her head and saturated it. Then I read her a few books and sang songs to distract her. Then I combed most of it out after 5 minutes! I rubbed as much of the oil out as I could and kept her greasy hair up in bows the next day until I could get her another bath! It did build up again, but I did the treatment again and it finally stayed away! Best of luck!

I work for a company that sells a baby oil that does wonders on the cradle cap. It is botanically based and doesn't contain any mineral oil. You massage it gently into her scalp while sitting and reading, etc. You will see a noticeable difference. Both my kids had it.......I was scratching and picking at it whenever I could. This is the only thing I found that worked. E-mail me if you are interested. ____@____.com

Selson Blue Shampoo (original) is the only thing that works. It's a little pricey, but it is doctor recommended for cradle cap. Good luck, I hope it works for you.