17 Month Old with Terrible Dandruff

Sephora sells a product online by Mustella which is a foaming shampoo for cradle cap that is tear free. It looks expensive ($15) but I bought it for my DD and it has lasted almost a year, with a full bath at least every other day. I think it is a wonder product. Hope this helps!

Tea tree oil works great on this (try a health food store). Also, Paul Mitchell has a line of tea tree oil shampoo and conditioners.

When my daugher was that age she would have huge patches of dry skin. She is very blonde so the patches were very visible. I took her to the pediatrician for it because some of her hair fell out along with the dry skin. We were told to use baby oil on the patches of dry skin. Also to try to find a shampoo that doesn't have alcohol in it, which just adds to the drying effect. I went with a baby body/hair wash that contained oatmeal. I can't remember the brand, it has been over a year since we used it. It seemed to work, but in the winter months, it takes longer. Be patient, and maybe ask your ped what they think. Good luck!

A. -

I recommend the Arbonne ABC Baby Wash product for your 17 month old. These products are botanically based and pediatrician tested -- very safe for your baby.

I would not use baby oil because that is basically mineral oil, which is a petroleum based product. Arbonne also has a Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, which you could use.

In any event, I would be happy to send you samples before you invest any money -- just let me know. Good luck.

L. L.

Hi A.! Check out the baby line of Arbonne -- they have some wonderful projects! www.arbonne.com. Good luck!

It may not dandruff at all, but an infection. You should take her to the doctor to see if there's something they can do. My daughter, whose way older than yours by several years, has a problem with this. The flakes look like dandruff, and we'd been treating it like dandruff. But when I took her to the dermatologist, she told us that it was a scalp infection. She said the way to tell is that her scalp was not dry, so it wasn't dandruff. So if whatever you are doing isn't working, take her to the doctor to find out for sure.

I would use a dandruff shampoo. This should help it a lot. Just be sure to keep it out of her face and eyes because it will sting. Good Luck.

My sister was told by her doctor to use Head and Shoulders shampoo for my nephew when he had cradle cap. She would use it with a soft brush when washing his hair and it worked wonderful. It was gone in no time. I would see if it works for dandruff also! Good Luck, hope it helps! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hi A.,
Is this confined to a specific area of her hair? Two of my girls have trouble with eczema spots in their hair. I just had to make sure that they wash their hair at least every other day. Because of her age you would probably want to ask her doctor what you can use.
There is also a possibility that it is cradle cap that hasn't cleared up. If the dandruff is coming from the top of her head near the front that is probably what it is. For this you can wash her hair and then take a very soft toothbrush, separate the hair and rub gently to loosen up the spots. Then use a fine tooth comb (a baby comb would be good)to comb out the loose stuff. This worked really good for my children when they had cradle cap but they didn't like to sit still for it. If she is a heavy sleeper for nap time you might be able to work on it while she sleeps. Hope this helps. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
T.

Babyoil will only soften the scalp so the dandruff can be scraped off. It will not get rid of dandruff.

I used Head & Shoulders on my boys, and it worked great. It's not a baby shampoo, so you have to be really careful and lean the head back to rinse. I bought a shower head with a nozzle to help rinse. I would sit my little ones in my lap with their head back and resting on my knees to rinse.

I would advise changing her shampoo to one that is more moisturizing. Make sure that her hair is being thoroughly rinsed. Please don't put baby oil in her hair. I hope you can get it resolved.

Hi Amy!

What do you use to wash her hair? By chance is it J&J Head to Toe body wash & Shampoo? If yes, this could be the problem.

We used this without incident on my first daughter. However, on my youngest, who has bad skin irritations, cradle cap never went away. It wasn't until we went for a check up and the nurse saw her head and asked if we were using the J&J Head to Toe. I said yes, and she recommended that I change to at least the J&J shampoo for her hair and the body wash for her body. Since then, we haven't had any issues and it did clear up right away.

Good Luck!!
K.

hello, I'm a hair stylist and maybe I can help. Try getting Paul Mitchell Baby Dont Cry shampoo in my experience it has worked wonderful in the past. Hope this helps!

A., have you seen a ped. for the dandruff? I thought my DD had it wen she was a baby and it turned out to be cradle cap.. Honestly I dont know if they're the same, but her ped recommended a cream for it and it went away.. She still gets this for about a week as soon as the weather gets cold, but we get the same stuff and it always disappears for the year. ( she's now 12) Just a think,
A.

OK, before you spend all that money on expensive stuff or make a huge mess with the baby oil (with limited results), just use dandruff shampoo like Head and Shoulders or a generic brand. You just need a little bit. Use it like a couple times a week and then on other days use whatever you regularly use. It will clear it up and is totally safe. My Ped told me to use it on my twin girls (preemies) when they were 4 months and had cradle cap (looks just like heavy dandruff). They have sensitive skin and never had any problem with it either. You'll be surprised at how fast it clears things up.

If for some reason that does not work, then see your Ped to make sure it is not a fungal or yeast infection.

Use Denorex or Neutrogena T-Gel. I know that they are strong, but I used Denorex on my son as a baby, and T-Gel now that he is 10 and they work wonders.