How to remove yellow scalp patches on toddler?

[Marni]

I think my 14 month old still has some residue cradle cap, because there are some yellow patches on her scalp still. Does anyone have a good method for removing these, or should I not bother? I was thinking of using some essential oil, but how do you scrub it off if it is pretty stuck on there? My mom suggested using a fine tooth baby comb. Does that sound right?

Thanks a bunch!

[gardenmommy]

When my daughter had cradle cap as a toddler, I just soaked her scalp really well with warm water (like in the bathtub), and used a comb to scrape it off her head. I've also used oil (olive or almond) to soften her scalp and scraped it off with a comb. Gently, of course, and if she started complaining, I stopped and finished it another day. I think it helps to massage some more oil into the scalp when you are done to help the skin heal. If the hair is too oily the next day, just wash it out with warm water.

[lovemygirl]

I was just reading something (let me try to find it) that said not to remove it. I will let you know the source in a bit, dd is ready for bed.

[ChristaN]

I can see letting it be for a while, but both of my girls had "scales" on their heads until they were 2 1/2 - 3 y/o. They both had lots of dark hair, so it was hard to get out. I had the best luck with soaking it & rubbing tea tree oil into their heads & then using a fine toothed comb to scrape it off their heads.

[Kabes]

My oldest still gets "scalies", she is 3 1/2. Most of the time we just leave them unless there is a patch where I part her hair. I usually just scrape them gently with my finger nail after a shower. Then comb them through with a fine tooth comb. I feel like I have better control and sensitivity with my nail than scraping with the comb. Dh ( a licensed cosmotologist) says it won't hert her to leave them and its O.K. to take them out. I do wish he'd tell me how to make them go away!!!! But he just says its no big deal.

When dd was a baby I used olive oil to soften them and comb them out. It worked about the same but made a mess.

[meco]

I always used jojoba oil--it worked like a charm. Soak and it seems just to come off, or use the comb. Burt's Bees baby oil also works really well. Some of my friends swear by it.

[pilesoflaundry]

Burt's bees apricot oil and a soft comb or baby brush works good. I would put it on my baby's scalp about 20 minutes before a bath and let it soak in, then while she sat in the tub occupied with a toy I could gently brush out the scales and scrap the stuff off her scalp and then rinse it away.

[Benandjacksma]

I've used both olive oil and Burt's Bee's Apricot Oil. There was no difference in performance, but BBAO smelled good. I rubbed it into his scalp and waited about 15 minutes before gently brushing it away with a wet wash cloth- I have a boy with little hair. Good luck with whatever you decide!

[myrrhmaid]

Originally Posted by kabes

I do wish he'd tell me how to make them go away!!!!

i've heard it's from not enough scalp stimulation.
brushing is suppose to help it not form.
nak

[sunmountain]

ALL of my kids had cradle crap in fact they still battle with it (my oldest is almost 10). I've tried every oil and every treatment and the best thing I found was using olive oil first to soften it up, then comb through it using the same combs you get with a head lice kit, any other one will not be fine enough to get the job done as quickly or painlessly. With regular combs, you have to scrape them against the scalp, with the nit combs you just comb and the hair lifts up and removes the scales. Then shampoo.

I would have to argue with anyone who told me to leave it alone, it smells after a while...trust me I tried that route!

[veganmamma]

I'd use jojoba oil too. What I've found works, (and my dd never had cc, but many babies we know have, inluding my nephew who's crusty little head I picked at the other day,) is to massage the scalp with jojoba oil and a drop of rosemary essential oil. DO this after a bath and then comb through with a comb you don't care about anymore because you'll never get all the flakes out. You're porbably not going to get it all at first unless you do it long enough to cause irritation to his scalp so you can do it a few nights in a row. To wash the oil out of his hair, I'd recommend dr. bronners. During the day take a soft bristled brush and brush through his hair whenever you think of it.

To prevent it from coming back you need to give his head a good massage when you're washing his hair. Even if you're jsut using plain water or an herbal infusion to wash his hair, the scalp needs to be stimulated to clean out pores, open follicles, and really get the circulation going well.

HTH! Good luck! I put a tiny amount of jojoba oil in dd's hair frequently. It increases the frequency of hair washings in the long run, but her hair is healthier because of it.

[kamilla626]

I've mostly heard that there's no reason to remove it - since it's not harmful or itchy. My daughter has some yellow scalies (she's 12 mos.) and when she was really little I would try different things to get rid of it, but there's no real reason to - so I don't even think about it anymore. If people comment, I tell them she's part dragon!

[Marni]

I love the "she's part dragon" response.

Thank you all for your replies. I used some Jojoba oil, let it soak a bit, then combed out as much as I could in the tub. I think it will take a couple applications, but it is working.

Thanks again!

[Leonor]

My kid still has some at 4. What is the purpose or the cause of cradle cap? What a weird thing.

[jazminflower]

my dd still has some at age 28 months....i think it could perhaps be to not enough scalp stimualtion..her hair is very fine and curly so i tend to just let it go and she HATES to have her hair washed...at least i know it's not a reaction to shampoo/conditioner....i was also reading around here somewhere that the cradle cap could be excema (sp?) related to a milk allergy (which dd has) or could be caused my yeast...any thoughts???

[falcon]

My son had this problem when he was younger... we just rubbed some almond oil into his scalp, let it sit about 15 minutes (to loosen the scales), gently brushed them away, and then shampooed. We did this before his bath, whenever he was getting especially flaky, until he outgrew the problem.

[sunmountain]

cradle cap is fungal. I assume it can be aggravated by a number of things.

I heard that if you don't wash their hair they won't get it, but thats bull. I don't wash my kids' hair or use soap until they are a year b/c of their extremely sensitive skin, and they got it no matter what I did.

[Earthy Mama]

Stay away from baby shampoos with sodium laurel/laureth sulfates. I quit using J&J and it cleared up immediately. I use Burts baby shampoo bar. I think that is what got rid of it. I was scraping her head all the time, and now I don't have to.

[chel]

what worked for me was when dd and I shower I wash my hair with a TTO shampoo and then take some suds and rub her head with it.