Dry Skin - Washington, MO

The exact same thing happened to my son when he was that age. he also has a full head of hair, and it happened again when he was around three. Both times I washed his hair with a mild Head and Shoulders, and bought a very soft brush, I put a tiny drop of tea tree oil in his scalp where the dry patched were and brushed it through with the soft brush. Do it at night on dry hair and I promise the hair will not be be oily in the morning, because it will be absorbed into the scalp. Took about a week and and his scalp was fine. To prevent it now, I wash his hair about once a week with the medicated shampoo (he's 5 now)

My daughter had cradle cap at 3 yrs old. I took her to the Dr. and he told me what it was. I have a son who is 3 yrs older than her who has Eczma and I thought she had it too. We switched shampoos and used a little baby oil on her scalp to massage it out before shampoos.

Hi J.
I can't say for sure what it is without examining her, but I can make a recommendation based on what you just said.

Johnson and Johnson and most mainstream soaps, shampoos, etc, contain mineral oils or some form of them as well as sodium laureth sulfate. In general their ingredients include chemicals and such. These items actually tend to dry out our skin. I would recommend switching to an organic brand -- target now carries california baby in their baby section.

Also, as far as nutrition goes, you'll want to take a close look and be sure she is getting fresh foods and a nice balance of carbs, fats and protein. Tough to tell a toddler what to eat, but I can usually sneak some great things into juice or milk (organic of course).

I hope this helps.
Dr. J

Both my boys get this from time to time. The best way to get rid of it is to use baby oil or a bath oil. Rub it into her scalp and let it sit there for a few minutes, then take a fine tooth comb through her hair to remove the build up on her scalp. Afterwards, use a different shampoo on her hair at least once a month. That will usually keep the build up from her normal shampoo happening.

Hope this helps.

Try putting baby oil on it. We used the baby oil gel. Just massage it into her head, leave it for about 10 minutes then wash her hair as normal. After a couple of days it should go away. If it is just dry skin, the oil will moisturize it, and it will go away. If it is cradle cap, the oil will soften it enough and you will be able to brush it out, but either way, this should work.
Good luck,
J.

I used to lightly scratch or flake it off. I tried using baby oil, but good luck washing that out!!! I finally had to use my shampoo on my daughter's head to wash out the oil..yuck! Scratching it with my fingernail worked the best. I would also use a soft bristle brush when I shampooed my kids hair to flake even more of it off. It eventually went away. I wouldn't use conditioner. If it is cradle cap, then it is actually excess oil on the scalp. Conditioner will actually make it worse.

My youngest, who's 3 1/2 still has this problem. I rub olive oil on his head and let it sit for 15-20 minutes while he plays in the tub, then wash it out. It seems to help some.

It soounds like she may have eczema. My niece had it really bad as a child. I wish I knew what race your daughter was. I know with a black child, oiling their scalp with a really heavy grease like royal crown is good. But if she is not, Avveno products are really good for skin conditions. . Also if she is caucasion maybe rubbing the spots with a little olive oil would help, since it is light and wont weigh her hair down as much as grease. dont use too much, just on those spots.

My 3 year old went through this and i too though cradle cap only happened to newborns. I consulted my beautician and she said that it's the baby shampoo that makes her scalp so dry and to just use my shampoo on her. I followed her advice and in went away after just a few baths. Good Luck!!

My daughter had that too. I switched to regular Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo & rubbed it in really well. I have no issues any more. Hope this helps!
L.

Babies can get cradle cap for a long time. You can scrape it off if you want with baby oil or after a bath, but it's really harmless.

My daughter had cradle cap as a baby and we used Mustela foam shampoo and it took care of it. Its coiencidental that you posted this, because just this week I was looking at her head and noticed that she has what looks to be cradle cap again! She also has a head full of hair. I've also been using Johnson & Johnson since I ran out of the Mustela shampoo. I plan on getting more this weekend.

Hi J.. My son didn't get cradle cap until he was over a year old. but he didn't have a full head of hair so it was easier for me to notice! :D it could be cradle cap, could be eczema, could be a lot of things. I would try treating it as cradle cap, I use Suave Smoothers for my kids (tear free and cheaper than Johnsons). It has a moisturizing conditioner built in. I know Johnson's offers a conditioning shampoo as well. good luck!