*outch* my little girl has an itchy scalp !!

[whooopsy]

my little girl (3) has a very itchy scalp, sometimes even flaky dandruff

she scratches basically every day! her skin is generally very dry. i do not wash her hair very often.

she is african/american-european and has light brown skin tone.

does anyone have an advice how to calm the skin on her head???

i already went to 2 dermatologists, but they both said that she is too young to use chemicals on her skin (which i agree with).

but i have got to do something about it! it really bothers her!

[EviesMom]

Does it look sort of like cradle cap on her head? DDs started out like that, seasonally, and then on the back of her knees, and started to spread! Finally tracked DDs down and hers is eczema, and it's seasonal, and aggravated by corn intolerance.

I try to keep her head fairly dry, bc sweaty head aggravates it. We've had good luck by reducing corn in her diet, but I don't keep it out altogether; using this shampoo when it's flared up (http://www.cofbath.com/Retail/little-DOCS); and using a baby comb and some olive oil to comb the sticky, crusty bits out of her scalp when it's gotten bad. Lately I've noticed that it's been much better, even when she has corn and seasonally, I think because she's been swimming 1-2 times a week. Chlorine baths are supposed to be very helpful for severe eczema.

[whooopsy]

she is allergic to several food already, but usually she reacts differently. but we are going to have an update allergy test next week anyway.

the other "option" could be psoriasis or even neurodermitis, but to find that out it is difficult to find a good dermatologist.

[rhiasmum]

My 2nd dd has food allergy triggered eczema. We battled with cradle crap off and on. I use just water when I bathe her. Once in a while I'll use a shampoo bar on her hair but usually only if she has something in her hair that needs help coming out. I've recently switched us from commercial shampoos to shampoo bars and we're all loving it. For soap we use Dr. Bronner's baby liquid soap - very gentle and no scent.
I would cut out the corn completely and see how her scalp reacts but that's me. Good luck!