Advice for Very Dry Scalp

my daughter had it when she was about 3 months old and it lasted for a while due to the fact i tried all types of home remedies thinking it would work as it did for my son when he had cradle cap. however, my doctors pediatrician advised me to buy medicated shampoo by the name of Sebulex which can be bought at walgreens, cvs, walmart, etc. she also advised that i apply a generous amount of baby oil to the scalp for about 30 minutes and then wash it with the medicated shampoo. while i had the baby oil in her scalp i took a baby comb and gently scratched the scalp to lift the cradle cap up and then washed. i tried it every other day. it worked perfectly. within a week's time it had disappeared and has not come back. i also keep her scalp oil with vaseline.

My daughter had very dry scalp and my doctor recommended over the counter Neutrogena T/Sal therapeutic shampoo. It worked great hope that this helps out.

my daughter has some what the same problem. I was told that it was craddles cap and the only thing there is to do is every bath gently wash their hair.. they will soon grow out of it

H. B

M., washing the hair too often can actually make the conditon worse. Try using cream rinse or conditioner after you wash it with a gentle baby shampoo.

Hi M.
I have dry scalp. Then again I'm older and don't know what I use is ok for little ones.

I use Nizoral Shampoo (Ketocaconazole 2% generic) apply and rinse after 5 minutes, twice a week or when needed.
Fluocinonide for after every shower.
Derma-Smoothe/FS (scalp oil) after the nizoral shampoo days and leave it all night. Its messy so wear the plasic cap. This works for me. But I'm 32. Go to Dermatologis. It took me sever different doctor visits and alot of product.
Good Luck

try coconut oil, almond oil. try aloe vera gel/juice.

Then figure out what is in her diet and if she may have any allergies. does she have a lot of ear wax or nasal congestion? Both are signs of allergies that the baby's body is trying to fight. Stay away from cortisone if you can...but something is affecting your baby's immune system, and the sooner you can get it figured out the better.

Use the Baby Magic Creamy Baby oil it will help, but it will still take a little while before it will go away. Continue using the Selsum Blue and scrap it away little by little. Use the Baby Magic day and night it will help

I read the advice below and I can tell you the only thing that worked for my son's dry scalp was Cetaphil. It didn't take very long either. It is also gentle.

Good luck.

Hi M., I work for a female Pediatrician and I will ask her tomorrow if she has any advice. Ok? Bye for now.
L.

Dear M.,

That's great that you're using Burt's Bees... I was going to recommend the Baby Bee Apricot Oil for your daughter's scalp (http://www.nurturedfamily.com/detail.aspx?ID=71).

Also, I'd make sure that nothing you use contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate - (http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsmostdangerousirr.... With the issue your daughter is having, those chemicals would just aggravate it (and they're in about every shampoo). It's a shame that they use it in anything - for anyone!

I'm also CRAZY about the lotions from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com - the Virgin Coconut & Virgin Red Palm Oils in them make them WONDERFUL. Here's some info about that (sorry it's kind of long) - "All of the skin care products that Tropical Traditions offers are made with organic Virgin Coconut Oil and Virgin Red Palm Oil. No other products on the market are made with finer oils as their base. Virgin Palm Oil contains high concentrations of a powerful form of Vitamin E called "tocotrienols" which published research has shown is 40-60 times more potent than alpha-tocopherol (the most common form of Vitamin E found as an additive in most skin care products.) In addition to these powerful Vitamin E tocotrienols, Virgin Palm Oil is also rich in natural carotenes. It is one of the richest natural plant sources of carotenes with concentrations of 500-700 ppm. It is 15 times more retinol-equivalent than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes, for example. In addition to using only the best oils available for the skin, all other ingredients used in Tropical Traditions Skin Care Products are 100% natural. Our hand-made creams, lotions and lip balms contain no alcohols, no artificial fragrances, and no petroleum products. Because we recognize that many have sensitivities to fragrances, each product has an unscented version. For those products that are scented, we only use high quality organic essential oils which are distilled with low temperature and low pressure over an extended period of time. Low temperature and lower pressure have proven to be the most effective method of obtaining all of the essential constituents from the plant, and provide our products with the very best quality fragrances available."

Tropical Traditions tend to have sales every other day, so I'd get on their mailing list. I never buy anything until it comes around on sale. Their package deals are good, too, so take a look at those!

Hope you get it figured out!
Blessings,
R.

Supporting you as you nurture your family.
www.NurturedFamily.com

M. -

Not sure if this helps, but my daughter seemed to have an allergic reaction to Aveeno baby products, despite their reputation for being "gentle". She did much better with Johnson and Johnson products.

S.

Sounds like cradle cap. Usually you have to oil the head everyday until it goes away.I would heavy oil it when your home then wash it..then just put a little on it ..so shw want look all greasy when u go out..but keep doing it ..it takes a while to get rid of it. The doctor should give u something to put on it..if it want go away. I would also take a little soft brush and scrub it a little while u wash her hair. Hope that helps.

I can help you!
Olive Oil and t-tree oil- apply to scalp and let sit for 5 minutes and wash out with a non- toxic shampoo.
Visit my blog for more information: http://healthyhouse4u.blogspot.com/

Read the labels on the products before you purchase them- alot of the toxins in the products we use today actually can cause these problems you're experiencing.

I would be happy to share with you where I shop for healthier and safer products for my family.
You can email me at ____@____.com

Have a great day! C. W.

Sounds like cradle cap, my sons both had it as an infant. I used this stuff from the store I think it was called Natures Own (green bottle)or something like that and it worked for both of them! Hope that helps, you got lots of responses to sure you found something that works!

We used Gentle naturals cradle cap stuff for a long time and seemed to work really well.

Hope this helps. My son was born with ecszma. His doctor recommended Aveno, Dove, Nutrogenia, and Cetaphyl. Out of the four, the only one that was successful was Cetaphyl. They make a liquid that can be used on the hair. It does not even require rinsing it is so gentle. The liquid was all he could use until recently. He is now 2 1/2. I also only bathed him every other night due to bathing dries them out even more. Give it a shot, it can't hurt, and it is safe for even a 2 month old which is when I started with him.

My daughter had the same problem when she was 3 months old! I tried to many kind of shampoo and oil but it seem like it made it worse. I finally just washed her hair with Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo (purple one) every other day day. But every day I used a piece of cloth and warm water gently rubbed her dry scalp. It took a while before it cleared up though.

My youngest son had the same problem. We have a great friend at church who is also a hair dresser, she brought us a bottle of Paul Mitchell's Baby Don't Cry Shampoo. It did wonders for him. Plus I didn't feel it was as harsh as Selsun blue- we tried that too. The Paul Mitchell really seemed to help his little head. GOOD LUCK!

A Little About Me:
Married mom of 2 wonderful boys! I am a stay at home mom.

MY SON HAS VERY DRY SKIN TOO, AND THE DOCTOR HAS PRESCRIBED AN OIL CALLED DERMA-SMOOTH/FS ECZEMA OIL. I PURCHASED IT AT WALGREENS PHARMACY. IT WORKS VERY WELL. I CAN PUT IT ALL OVER HIS BODY INCLUDING THE SCALP. IT ALSO HAS A GREAT BABY SCENT TO IT TOO. IT KEEPS MY SON'S SKIN MOISTURIZED ALLDAY. HOPE THAT THIS ADVICE HELPED YOU.

is it cradle cap? i was given an extremely soft, wide bristled brush (with a sponge on the other side that dispenses shampoo) that specifically massages the babies scalp to get rid of the flakes. it took a few days of consistency but it works very well. made by the first years. good luck!

my daughter also has this problem i use pink oil moisterizer on her hair and scalp not sure of who the maker is it is a product that you use once a day when combing the hair also after you wash her hair make sure you use a good conditoner to keep hair moist creme of nature products are good very good detangler as well

I still swear by my Arbonne products. Would you like a sample?

Good Luck!
S.

To be completely honest with you, I was told the same thing and bought the high expensive things to try to get rid of the 'dandruff' but found I was going in a completely opposite direction. Try an intensive moisturizer, regular lotion at night, wash it out in the morning and repeat. A shower cap while she's sleeping might even be a better idea. Give it a couple of days. If you don't see improvement, then this method isn't working, but if it is, it might give her some relief, as well as ease your mind as well. Try non fragranced lotions as they have oils that can burn. Johnson's baby lotion comes to mind as one of the ones I've tried. Good luck!

Dear M.:
Selsun Blue is for dandruff, stay away from that. In the long run, it dries up the scalp and makes it worse. I found a shampoo in a pharmacy called 'Beta ...' (something or other). It is about $15 and its main ingredient is sulfur. When I look up the name, I can update this post.

Sulfur stinks, but it works after a few days. I take it once or twice a week, and I can even apply a (good smelling) conditioner. Just make sure you use something approved for dermatitis or psoriasis, not dandruff. My son complains about the stench while I wash his hair, but it works wonders.

Since you only need a little bit at a time, the $15 will last a long time.

Correction:
'Betatar Gel Shampoo', and the main ingredient is coal tar. The sulfate is an inactive ingredient, but it still stinks... :-)

Good luck,
W.

try to use huggies baby wash(shea butter)...pour it to damp wash cloth and lather it on the hair...after bath, pour a huggies baby lotion(shea butter)on a palm of your hands and spread it and massage to your child's hair...good luck!!!and God bless

Hi M., how are you?

My daughter had the same problem. Like you I used oils and Selsum Blue, nothing worked. I finally took her to the doctor for it and was referred to the dematologist. She had a severe case of cradle cap and had to have a special cream for it. Shortly after using the cream it cleared up. I know how frustrating this can be. I hope this helps you. Have a great day!

C.

My son has eczema/psoriosis. We have found that using shampoos and bodywashes that contain no sulfates help alot. My son hard ever had a break out unless we are slack in his moisturizing then he tends to get more dry. The Jason products we use alot of are great and have no sulfates. They can be bought at the vitamin shoppe. We have also went to using laundry soups without the sulfates. This total treatment seams to help my son.

I have one more to add to your other advice. My kids both had that problem well into their 4th & 6th yrs. I finally started using Paula Begoun products on them. (I use them for me, b/c of break-outs along my scalp.) She has a website called www.cosmeticscop.com, and if you look on the left-hand side under "LEARN", then under "Skin Care Facts", then look under "Problems? Solutions!" You'll see "Dry, Flaky Scalp". She gives some advice and some products you can try. Paula Begoun wrote the book, "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me", and she's the most well-researched, objective resource I've ever seen for questions regarding skin and haircare. I'm a huge believer, since her products have helped myself and family enormously. Plus, you don't have to buy her stuff if you don't want to - she recommends other brands you can get in stores, that also work well.

Good luck,
M. B