Cradle cap care for African American baby - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

zeesmom · 01-14-2008, 07:32 PM

My three month old baby was born with a beautiful head of hair. However, this month she developed a moderate case of cradle cap. Her pediatrician suggested that I use head and shoulders a few times a week, and wash her hair daily for a few weeks. She suggested this regimen because it has migrated to her face and diaper region. She has wavy/ curly hair, and my problem is that her hair is drying out so bad! Has anyone experienced this or can offer me tips or product suggestions to maintain the moisture of her hair while treating her scalp. Help!

felix61379 · 01-15-2008, 06:57 AM

I found that the head and shoulders thing didn't help my son either. There is a brand at Target or Walmart you can get that is baby wash and lotion for exzema. It has Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on the package. I cannot remember the name, but the box is light blue and in the isle with the baby wash and diaper creams. It did help a bit. We had to move on to medication. My son gets Derma Smooth on his head daily to help. It's an oil that keeps his scalp from drying out. He'll be three and is still battling this. You can also try a leave in conditioner on his scalp. That also helped us.

Elliesmom · 01-15-2008, 12:26 PM

I am not AA, but here is what worked for me:

The Gentle Naturals cradle cap treatment (mentioned above has Pooh and tigger on the container). I rubbed it into their scalp and put a hat over it (it is VERY greasy) for an hour or so. Then I gave them (I have twins) a bath and used a soft scrub brush and shampoo all over their head. You'll want to take a pass at their heads a couple times because that stuff is really greasy. I know AA hair has a different texture so the greasiness may not be as much of an issue. That got completely rid of it on the first try.

My babies also had it on the tops of their feet. I just rubbed in a little lotion and as I was rubbing the scales started coming off. So I just kept massaging until it was gone.

mcr285 · 01-15-2008, 01:36 PM

i used straight baby oil on my baby when she got cradle cap. i just put a little on her head and used her soft baby brush to kind of gently scrub it all over to loosen the flakes. it does get very greasy, but after shampooing her hair, it just left her hair so soft and pretty! i think we did this once a day for a few days and it cleared up.

DMHmommie · 01-15-2008, 09:56 PM

My 5 month old daughter had the same thing! I would soak her hair in baby oil 30 minutes before I gave her a bath. After washing her hair really well, I would apply a little more baby oil to her hair and use a baby comb to lightly rake her scalp. It cleared up in about week!!