Dry Scalp Help!

Updated on May 06, 2009
W.D. asks from Delaware, OH
22 answers

Thanks to all you moms for your advice! Mamasource has been a good help!

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D.F.

answers from Cleveland on

The pediatrician recommended Selsun Blue, which worked. It took a few applications. You have to becareful not to get it in the baby's eyes though.

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R.S.

answers from Mansfield on

My sons pediatrician recommended Olive Oil which worked great. My son is an adult now...but I have recommended olive oil to other parents..and the ones that tried it said it worked great.Good luck

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M.Z.

answers from Indianapolis on

its cradle cap. my dr told me to just let it be. he said that we could rub it during bath time or right after, but not to do too much else. it's just their hormone and glands balancing out. my son didn't get rid of all of it til he was about three months old. it doesn't itch like dandruff does for an adult.

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M.C.

answers from Youngstown on

When my baby was a newborn her scalp had terrible "cradle cap". Very flaky. I took baby oil and put it all over the top of her head. Then I took a very soft brisled baby brush and brushed her hair. The combo of the baby oil and the brushing got ALL of the flakes off. The next day the top of her head was red and bumpy so I put A&D ointment on it...presto...the next day her scalp was perfect and has been ever since. Try it. Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

My pediatrician had my use head and shoulders....worked great!

S.H.

answers from Cleveland on

The lady that does my sister's hair told us to try this on our son's cradle cap: When you put him/her in the bath tub for a bath, immediately get the hair wet and put Johnson's baby shampoo all over. Let it sit a few minutes while you start washing the rest of his/her body and then go back to the hair with a baby brush and brush backwards (from front to back). Do that a few times all over and then rinse the shampoo out. Add some more shampoo, finish washing the body and then go back and rinse the hair. We did this for about a week or less and his cradle cap is completely gone! When it looked like it was coming back a little or we missed some we would just try again and it would go away. My pedi also told us to try putting a hydrocortisone cream on it, so we would do that at night too. We tried baby oil, but didn't have any luck. Good luck!

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N.W.

answers from Bloomington on

I use California Baby Calendula Cream on my son for his cradle cap. I put a little on his scalp and then use a baby brush to rub it in. After rinsing, I then wash with his normal baby shampoo. The cream is also great for eczema or dry skin. :)

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K.Y.

answers from Canton on

go to a dermotologist or an alergy specialist.sounds like dermatitus or eczema.or your washing his head too much or too little

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R.B.

answers from Columbus on

Both of my sons had this problem (the one since he was 8 weeks old). Our Dr. told me to use Selsin Blue, but to put it on a wash cloth and lather it up first...do not put it directly on their head and then work it in, it is too high of a concentrate. We would lather it up, wash the hair and while it was still on it we would use the brush they gave us at the hospital to massage the scalp. It did the trick. We would use it every other shampooing.

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S.F.

answers from Fort Wayne on

The mineral oil and baby shampoo products on the market generally only add some moisture to the scalp and enable the dry scales to be loosened.

I used dandruff shampoo on my kids because the dry scalp was so bad. I used a little dab of dandruff shampoo and mixed it with baby shampoo in my hand. Of course, it's not tear free, so you have to be a bit more careful. Dandruff shampoo also helps relieve itchy dry skin for allergies and eczema. I think baby dandruff is part of a hormonal adjustment they make from the womb, a sypmtom of allergies and from eczema.

I have heard there are prescription shampoos for kids with dry scalp, but it's basically the same thing as adult dandruff shampoo. There is Neutrogena T-gel, Head & Shoulders, Selsum Blue, Pert Plus, etc. If used full strength, you might consider only using the dandruff shampoo once or twice a week and regular baby shampoo the other times during the week.

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I.D.

answers from Dayton on

My kids had the same problem. My pediatrician recommended rubbing olive oil on their head to soften up the scales and brush them off. The other option is to use shampoo for oily hair. This is very normal and eventually it will finish falling off by itself so don't freak out about it. It's not a permanent condition, it just doesn't look very pretty.

S.M.

answers from Columbus on

When my son had that problem, we were told to rub baby oil on his scalp with a soft brush until the flakes were lose. His poor little head was so flaky, we just kept adding more baby oil and rubbing the brush in circles, and he loved every second of it. It must have been itchy, because the whole time we worked on his head, he sat perfectly still and his eyes kept rolling back.

Once that is taken care of, change your shampoo. Johnson's is what caused this for us, but we switched to Huggies and have not had any more problems.

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S.J.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi W.,
As a hair stylist, I can tell you your child has cradle cap. Just rub baby oil on the scalp daily, and use s soft baby brush to loosen it up. Paul Mitchell makes a product called "Baby don't Cry Shampoo" that is sold in salons that can assist you with this. Good luck!

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D.S.

answers from Evansville on

There are toxic chemicals in a lot of the products you get from the store that you use in your homes and on and around your children. That is when you see skin irritations, breathing problems, and overall health concerns.

Do you REALLY still use Johnson and Johnson Baby products on your babies and children? If you knew what we do, you would not!

Do you REALLY still use Tide, Cascade, Clorox, Windex, Crest Toothpaste, Colgate, Oust, and Bleaches in your laundry and other chemicals in your home and around your family? If you knew what we do you would not!

Do you REALLY still take Centrum, OneADay, GNC, and other commercial vitamins? If you knew what we do you would not!

Do you really still use Pantene hair products, Lubriderm, and Eucerin actaully on your skin? If you knew what we do you would not dare!!!

Do you really still shop at the regular store and throw your money out the window on harmful foods and chemicals causing your family to suffer from many health problems like Eczema, Asthma, and Allergies? Can you imagine that you are paying super high prices for commercial products and don't even know you are making yourself and your family sick?

If you want some answers-Just Ask me! The stores and manufacturers do NOT want you to know what we know! All it takes to find out is to ASK! A little information never cost anyone anything. We are not afraid to post these things because the manufacturers know it is the TRUTH!

Now, I am an educated consumer using products in my home that I can feel confident in knowing will not harm my kids. You can to.

To get more information, go to www.livetotalwellness.com/SoCanYou

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M.L.

answers from Indianapolis on

How old is your baby? My son just turned four months and his head is finally dry and flaky free, it was craddle cap, is that what your baby has?

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J.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

head and shoulders!!! my son had horrible cradle cap and we tried EVERYTHING (olive oil, baby oil, moisturizing shampoo, etc.)!! Nothing worked until we started using Head & Shoulders (which was okay'd by my pediatrician). His cradle cap cleared up within a week and it's never returned. The only thing is having to be really careful not to get it in your baby's eyes b/c it's not "tear-free!" But, seriously, it was a welcomed solution to our family!

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M.G.

answers from Cleveland on

Per my ped's advice I used head and shoulders (or whatever simular generic) shampoo on my girls when they were only a few months old. they have sensitive skin and it never irriated them at all. it helped to clear it up very quickly.

It worked ALOT faster and better than the baby oil or other treatments and was ALOT less messy.

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M.W.

answers from Elkhart on

Tea Tree conditioner works wonders. Let it sit for a few minutes, and it will loosen the dead skin and flake off. It may take a couple applications to get all of the dead stuff loosened. Just be careful not to get any in baby's eye's, it's a strong mint and will sting.

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K.H.

answers from Youngstown on

W., since the day my son cam home from the hospital I used a little basic h2 in his water along with Shaklee's baby shampoo. I also put a couple of drops of the Basic H2 in the baby lotion. He never got cradle cap because of that. He did get cradle cap on his eyebrows. Two days of the above routine on his eye brows got rid of the dry skin on his eyebrows for good. So I know it was these products that prevent the dryness on his scalp. I can send you some samples or check it out on www.shaklee.net/gemsoffire or http://www.shaklee.net/gemsoffire/product/GetCleanHousehold.
This product is made from organic corn and coconut.
The Basic H2 and the entire baby line is organic and safe. You do not need to worry about the toxic chemicals found in other lotions and shampoos that might trigger alergies or asthma in your child.
God Bless!

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T.P.

answers from Cincinnati on

I had and still have this problem with my four year old - I tried lots of stuff but the best thing to do, and it sounds weird but it works the best, rub Aloe Vera on the scalp - let it sit all day and rinse at night (or even put more on in the evening and rinse in the morning) - it works great and keeps the dry, flaky stuff away!

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L.G.

answers from Cleveland on

We used head n shoulders 2 in 1 with conditioner...doctor said it was ok...we just made sure we washed her so that the shampoo wouldn't trickle in her eyes. My husband would hold her over the sink and I would wash her hair and rinse it with no problems. Before we knew it the dry scalp was fine.

Now we use Johnson and Johnson detangling shampoo + conditioner and her dry scalp hasn't come back.

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K.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

My oldest, now 15, had a bad case of cradle cap. We tried most of the other suggestions without success. An alternative health care practitioner told us to try butter. Sounds weird, but we rubbed butter on his head before he went to bed. We had to give him a bath in the morning and wash the sheets, but we never had a problem after that.

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