Help ! - Advice Needed for Baby's Itchy Scalp

I would try Arbonne baby shampoo. Arbonne's baby lotion/oils did wonders for dry patches, and many people say they have tried all kinds of things, and Arbonne is the only thing that would work. I know I would put it on my baby, and the dryness would be gone within a day or two. I know the shampoo is excellent as well, but it doesn't exactly smell good if you look for that kind of thing.

I noticed Aveeno has a new Overnight Anti-Itch Cream that works for eczema and dermatitis, and it is steroid free. It is made with colloidal oatmeal whatever that is. Saw it at KMart in the psoriasis/eczema lotion section. Good luck!

My kids both had it for months! I found that the California baby shampoo with tea tree oil helped. Also, don't wash it every day if you can help it. I've heard mixed reviews on using baby oil - to rub in then rub the extra off... some say it works well others say not to use oil. I'd try the baby shampoo w/ tea tree first. Good luck!

Try baby oil, worked for all 4 of my kids

I have used Burt's apricot oil to help ease the drying scalp. I would place a small amount on top of head before bath time. Also shampooing less helps.

The best thing that worked for Stella was rubbing baby oil on the cradle cap and then putting her in the bath, you can use Johnsons baby oil or Burts Bees and then washing her head massaging her scalp gently. After her bath I took a baby brush with somewhat stiff bristles and made circular motions while her scalp and hair were towel dry and it flaked off, it took at least one week of two-three baths to get it totally clear but it worked. Then for prevention you just need to make sure their hats don't make them sweaty so it comes back, hope this is helpful.

Hi,

I noticed your post is from a couple of years ago but I'm having the same exact issue with my 3 month old son and have tried all that you have. I'm wondering if you finally found a solution? Hope to hear back from you!

Thanks,
S.L

Have u tried this product ?? It's called Gentle Naturals Disney baby cradle cap care!!! You can get it at WALMART. I used it on my daughter and it worked great!!

Cetaphil cleanser even used as a shampoo. This is what my doctor recommended and it's the only thing that keeps it under control. I switch once in a while back to a Johnson's and Johnson's, but again, it flairs up. Her hair is getting longer now where I'm going to need to go to something else, at least a conditioner but she had terrible cradle cap when she was tiny and within a few uses it did the trick.

It's most likely the sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) in the shampoo and/or body wash you're using on him. SLS is a degreaser that companys put in their shampoo, body wash and hand wash and it's a very harsh chemical and that's why so many people of all ages get dandruff and itchy scalps. I would higly recommend L'Bri's Pure n' Natural's aloe vera based body wash and/or shampoo for him. There is no SLS or any harsh chemicals whatsoever and organically grown aloe vera is the first ingredient. Imagine how wonderful your baby's scalp will feel after being bathed in soothing aloe vera? Check out the website at: suenelson.lbri.com and I'll be happy to send you a free sample. It will make all the difference in the world!

HI A.,
I have just joined this site and am experiencing the exact same problem. My child is now 4 months old and simply will not stay asleep for longer than 20 minutes because of an itchy scalp. Its heartbreaking to watch her scratching so aggressively and waking herself up from beautiful sleeps. I am wondering if you have found any solutions?

when my boys had cradle cap i used plain old baby oil--rubbed it in until the "cap" came off and then washed the oil out...sometimes had to do it several days in a row, but it worked!

I struggled with this with both of my boys. For my older one, the doctor suggested using Selsen Blue once a week. This worked, but I did not like it since we had to be really careful about his eyes and I just worried about the chemicals on his scalp.

When my second child had the same issue, I tried Arbonne's baby wash (I don't sell it and I don't use any of their other products - my MIL actually got it and some other of their baby line stuff as a gift otherwise I probably wouldn't have tried it). Anyhow, this worked like a charm and it was gentle enough to use at every wash. I don't know if it would work in a severe case like yours, but it may be worth a try.

Best of luck to you - it's so hard seeing our babies have any kind of pain or discomfort!!

K.

Ok i am not sure how much help this will be, but my daughter had it really bad last year, and i got the same advice from her daycare lady. There is this shampoo that is for cradle cap that is a foam. It is in a white bottle, with blue writing, and it has a pump like the foam hand soap. I got this at Babies R Us... but I can't for the life of me remember what it is called! Which is funny, cause the daycare lady couldn't either, gave me the same description of the shampoo, and i did end up figuring it out. It was a little expensive, but it was worth it cause it worked! I hope this helps!!

My pediatrician recommended T-Gel for my daughter's cradle cap when she was an infant. She's now 2 years old and this past winter it still occasionally started returning, so every few baths I'd use it instead of her regular shampoo.

Another vote for the Gentle Naturals brand Cradle Cap treatment. I tried Burt's Bees baby oil on it for a while and didn't make much progress, but with a few treatments of this it was essentially gone. It's nice because it's more of a pasty consistency than just oil, so it stays in place better. I have left it on overnight before, but if you just massage it in and use a soft brush (I used an old toothbrush) you can get a lot of the scale off and then just shampoo out.

Like others, my son was also diagnosed with eczema when he was a bit older, but for us it's very controllable as long as we stay on top of things. I'd definitely recommend switching to fragrance free or other gentle cleansers and not bathing every day, being vigilant with lotion, especially in the winter.

Olive oil is great, no added chemicals if you get the purest kind. A little expensive, but it does work. I would try that before using a steroid cream too much, as overuse of steroid cream can thin the skin (very prolonged use, but still!). Leave it on overnight, and use a soft comb or brush to remove the dead skin. Really any oil-based product will help loosen the crust, but try to use something with all natural ingredients.
Also try using during the day, massage it on his head and then comb his head to loosen then. It will probably take a while, but the oil should hopefully help the itch pretty quickly. Good luck!

I have a product that would probably work, but have you tried baby lotion? I'm in a wellness company that has some awesome products, if you are interested let me know.
Good luck and I understand you not wanting to put steroid creme on such a young one.

A.-
My sons and myself all have sensitive skin. My 6 yo especially. He also had a mild cradle cap when he was a baby. What I use is Aveeno products. He is mildly allergic to Johnson & Johnson. I put an Aveeno bath oil in the tub water - which also gets in his hair / scalp. This winter I even used the special oatmeal packets for the tub that Aveeno has due to his itchy skin. To top off, we then use Aveeno lotion for sensitive itchy skin before getting dressed. When he had the mild cap what my doc had me do also was have a soft baby brush and at least once a day brush his scalp good to get the blood flow going and brush off the dead skin. They said massaging the scalp will increase the blood flow also and help get the cap healed up. All I can say is that it worked! And I love the Aveeno products - they have been a god-send for my skin as well as my boys. Hope this helps out!
J.

I used olive oil on my son when he was little. I have to tell you, if the cradle cap is bad, it is really really gross when you're massaging the oil on the head because the patches of dead skin start coming off and it will seem like you are rubbing them all over the head and there's no way to get them all off. Combing after rubbing the oil in will remove more, but usually I would just rub the oil in, wash my hands, and put him to sleep. I used a couple of receiving blankets under his head to prevent the oil from getting all over his bassinet. Even though I didn't work really hard to get the dead skin off and he didn't look the greatest, I know it was a big help for him with the itching. Something to try anyway.

I used Vitamin A&D Ointment on my kids for cradle cap years ago and it worked like a charm. Everybody thought I was nuts, but it worked :)

I would double check with your dr. before using anything, even OTC, on your baby's scalp, but give it a shot if he OKs it. Of course you still have to do the brushing all the time in addition to the A&D :)

Good luck!

Both my sons have had terrible cradle cap that creeped down into eczema on face and then body. I haven't found any real cures, but here's a list of things I do to minimize.
Use all fragrance-free products (lotions, baby wash, detergent, even dryer sheets.)
Dress in cotton clothing.
Don't bathe him every day. I only bathe about 2 x per week. I wash face and diaper area daily.
Use grapeseed or almond oil or even olive oil on his head to loosen the cradle cap and a soft brush. I tried baby oil once, but the fragrance was too much and caused lots of rashy itching.
Keep head and face moisturized. Cetaphil, Cera Ve and Complex 15 are all great lotions that are fragrance and allergen free. Lanolin is sometimes a culprit to cause itching and allergic reaction...and most lotions contain it. Those three do not.
I use a cortisone cream when it is a terrible outbreak....but I try not to if I can keep it under control.

My 3-year-old has outgrown it...finally. My 4-month old has it worse than my older son, but I've been able to keep it under control.

GOOD LUCK! From one mom of a scaly baby to another!

Try first washing his hair and gently brushing as much of the cradle cap off as possible. Then thoroughly dry his head. Have your pharmacist order, if he does not have on hand, Acid Mantle Creme. It is a ph balanced creme that has worked miracles on my kids' various skin conditions from exzema to chapped and cracked skin. A wise old medical doctor referred it to me and it has never disappointed me!