Cradle Cap
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Cradle Cap Remedies for Children

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Olive Oil

5 User Reviews
5 star (4) 
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1 star (1) 
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Posted by Rachel (Hartford, Ct, Usa) on 08/26/2010
 ★★★★★

My daughter had what was probably an average case of cradle cap. Thinking I'd save myself the time and aggravation, I went straight to a big box baby store and bought an expensive cradle cap shampoo that all of my friends with babies swore by. Not only didn't the stuff work, it was super greasy and smelled HORRIBLE. My husband had to wash our daughter's head something like four times in a row to get the grossness out, and even then, her hair still felt oily and I had to suppress the gag reflex when I nursed her because she continued to smell like this shampoo. When I brought up my daughter's cradle cap problem at my local mommy group, the lactation consultant who runs the group recommended olive oil. She said to leave it on for twenty minutes to allow the cradle cap to soften, then gently comb out the flakes with a fine-tooth comb. That night before her bath, I did just that. I filled a little dish with some extra virgin olive oil, then put my daughter in her Bjorn facing outward so she could be distracted by a show on TV and not touch her head with her hands. I placed a rolled-up burp cloth behind her head to prevent oil from getting all over my shirt. I dipped a finger in the oil and applied it to her head, rubbing it in gently. We watched TV, walked around the house for a bit, and straightened up the kitchen to kill those twenty minutes, and then I grabbed her comb. The flakes came off with almost no effort at all, and I got most of the cradle cap with one application. The rest of it came off with the next treatment two days later. My husband and I were thrilled. This solution is simple, cheap, and according to my husband, makes your baby smell delicious!

Olive Oil
Posted by Anna (London, Greater London) on 01/02/2009
 ★★★★★

Ailment-Cradle Cap -- Remedy: Olive Oil YAY

My sister is a hair dresser. She says some adults still have cradle cap! If you don't deal with it, it doesn't always go!

Both my babies had cradle cap. With my daughter I did nothing, believing it would just go in time. Not all of it did. Eventually her hair grew and it just became hidden. When she was 2 I decided to do something about it!

Pour olive oil liberally over your (baby's) head about about 20 minutes before a shower/bath. The oil softens and loosens the cradle cap. Gently scrape it off with a comb when washing the hair. If it is sticking, do not force it or it can get sore, just do it again another day. It can take a few goes.

When my son was born I did it when he was a few weeks old. You don't need to use shampoo if you don't want to.

This is also a nice, soothing thing to do if you have an itchy dry scalp. Just omit the combing part!

Replied by Katylady82
(Katy, Tx, Usa)
03/08/2010
★☆☆☆☆

i agree!!! both my daughters (1 yr and 2yrs) have it still. I only had two things advised to me by the doctor. i was told either use oil oil or dandruff shampoo) it was extremely hard to do either. The dandruff shampoo is not tear free and if it even barely got into their eyes they would be in a lot of discomfort. the olive oil took 10 washes to get out of their hair!!!! i literally washed their hair for 45 minutes each time. we gave up on it after not seeing any results, but now i am happy i found the baking soda remedy and i will update after i try it a few days!

Replied by Dovechilla
(London, Uk)
05/07/2017

The secret in getting oil out of hair is not wetting the hair before using shampoo. That's because water and oil don't combine well and water slides off oil, making the soap work harder to get rid of lots of oily matter. Just apply your usual shampoo directly onto the oily hair, lather into a thick paste, and only then rinse with warm water. Voilà, gone in one.

Vitamin B-6

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
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Posted by Dee (Australia) on 07/18/2015
 ★★★★★

B6 for Cradle cap:

Most cradle's cap is due to a deficiency of Vitamin B6 and magnesium (B6 needs magnesium to be absorbed).

*Take B6. A nursing mother should take 30mg of P5P (P5P is the best form of B6, it is active B6) supplement each day for at least a month, plus 250 milligrams of magnesium.

Topical B6 for Cradle cap.

This works very very well.

*Apply a vit-b6 salve or cream to head 2x daily for 2 to 3 days.

Topical B6 recipe:

Things You'll Need

  • Vitamin P5P (B6) capsules (or tablets)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Mortar and pestle (*if using tablets.)
  • Measuring cup

Instructions:

1. Using P5P capsules is best because there is less fillers in the capsules than the tablets. If using tablets, Mortar and pestle. Crush two or three Vitamin B6 tablets with a mortar and pestle until very fine.

2. Measure 1/4 cup vegetable oil and pour into a clean bowl. Add crushed B6 tablets and mix well.

3. Apply mixture to baby's scalp two times daily. The cradle cap should clear up in two days.


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