Best Home Remedies For Cradle Cap - Natural Treatments & Cures

Table of Contents

No one likes to see yellow, rough and scaly patches on their newborn. And obviously, being new to parenthood one may get tense seeing that on their baby. Cradle Cap is medically known as Infantile Seborrheic Dermatitis. Basically this is the infant form of dandruff. In this the head or scalp of the baby gets rough, crusty and scaly patches. Despite the name it can not only involve scalp but also face and other parts of the body.

It can affect toddlers and infants as well. This condition is completely harmless and nothing to worry about. The causes are not exactly clear for this but experts have to say that oily skin may be one of the reasons. Mother’s hormones or dead skin that get stuck to oily skin could also be the reason. This condition usually gets resolved in a few weeks on its own but if the problem persists there are solutions for it. Here are some of the best home remedies to cure cradle cap.

Home Remedies For Cradle Cap

Use Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is preferred than other oils for cradle cap. Coconut oil is fairly dry and won’t leave a greasy residue on the baby’s head. It has also got anti-fungal properties. Apply some of this oil on your baby’s head.

Then you may wash it with lukewarm water and a mild baby shampoo. Olive oil can also be used here. Make sure not to leave any traces of oil once it has been washed, it can get the situation worse.

Wash The Baby’s Head

This has to be done on a daily basis. Wash your baby’s head with warm water. Use a mild shampoo for this. While washing, gently massage his or her scalp with your fingers, this will help loosen the scales. After washing use a soft-bristled brush to help loosen the scales while the baby’s head is still wet.

Moisturizer

This is to be used after the hair wash. When the baby’s head is slightly damp apply some moisturizer gently on his or her head.This can help trap moisture in the skin preventing it from getting dry and scaly. For this, use lotions or moisturizers made for baby’s sensitive skin.

Petroleum Jelly

Take some petroleum jelly and apply it on the baby’s head. Let it soak for some time. And then take a fine toothed comb to remove the scales. And then you may wash the baby’s head normally as mentioned above.

Use Your Fingers

For this you don’t need anything accept your clean fingers. And if you don’t wish to use your fingers try using thin latex gloves. You could also use a plastic wrap to cover your hands. This is the simplest and the most effective ways to get scales off your baby’s head. Gently rub your fingers over the scaly patches, then gently peel and scrape away the dead skin.

Cradle crap is not contagious. Don’t use any sharp tool to remove the scales as you may accidently poke your baby’s head leading to injury. Besides all of these you should keep a check on the baby’s daily diet. If your baby has cradle cap along with some other illness like diarrhea there could be some problem in the diet. Also it could be because of some allergic reaction. So try finding out the reason first and then try these simple natural home remedies.