7 answers

Itchy Dry Scalp

My 6 month old daughter has been scratching the back of her head like crazy yesterday & today. Any suggestions on what to do? She uses Aveeno Baby Shampoo. The back of her scalp looks dry, flakey, & irritated.

What can I do next?

More Answers

Sounds like she is having an allergic reaction to the shampoo. I would stop using it and just use plain water. You can also take a little bit of olive oil to the dry areas. Babies and kids can have allergies to even the most sensitive products. Best to wait to the condition heals itself before you introduce a new product.

Warmly,

A./ Founder-Mother of Two
www.naturesbabyorganics.com

1 mom found this helpful

It sounds like an allergic reaction, possibly. Aveeno baby shampoo scores a #4 "moderate hazard" in the Skin Deep database (cosmeticsdatabase.com). It still shocks and angers me that so many products sold for babies in the U.S. contain so many untested chemicals -- and some that are known carcinogens. I would suggest using a gentler, more natural product. We used Dr. Bronner's for a while (diluted with water), and now we use something by Weleda, which is also sold in Europe, where they have to prove that chemicals are safe *before* using them, unlike here in the States.

Also, our doc told us that you don't even really have to shampoo baby hair at all. Just massaging warm water into the scalp is usually good enough. (And since her skin is irritated, I would stop using any shampoo for the immediate term.)

1 mom found this helpful

I use olive oil and apply with a qtip (so your hair's not nasty) before bed and wash it in the morning!

1 mom found this helpful

She may have cradle cap on the back of her head--there are many effective treatments for this that you can look up. She also might be allergic to something in the shampoo-my son was allergic to the Aveeno cream for diaper rash when he was very small. Why not try a sensitive skin wash, like the Johnsons Sensitive head to toe wash? We liked that one a lot.

Johnson and Johnsons makes a leave in conditioner/detanger for babys. It is in a green bottle....it is great.

Rub some baby oil on her scalp then shampoo - and maybe try a different shampoo for now. I always used Aveeno with no problem but it may be too drying for your daughter.

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