Learn 3 natural and effective natural cradle cap remedies that really work!
I remember staring at the scales while I was feeding my little guy. It’s like they were calling my name. Pick me, pick me! Hours spent looking at those scales.
Confession: Sometimes I couldn’t help myself but pick at the scales.
Once you start picking, it’s so hard to stop. Usually, my baby would fuss, telling me that was enough.
My doctor said cradle cap is only a cosmetic issue. Leave it alone. It will clear up on its own.
But I struggled with my precious babies cradle cap. It looked gross. I wanted his head to look perfect.
If you’re struggling like I did, there is a solution. Keep reading to find out 3 effective and natural cradle cap remedies for a clear baby scalp.
5 Reasons to use Natural Cradle Cap Remedies:
- You want your babies head to look picture perfect, not like scaly reptile skin. Yes, for me I felt a little shallow admitting this. The last thing you envision while rocking my baby to sleep was staring at all the gross scales on your babies head. I like to think of it as a Mom wanting the best for her child.
- Cradle Cap treatments are painless. It’s gentle on babies delicate skin.
- As a parent, it’s hard not to pick at cradle cap. Even if you’re not a picker – it’s like a scratch you can’t itch.I’m a picker. I’m one of those people who loves to peel flaking sunburn. I love it! Yes, I know it is weird, but I know there are others out there with the same obsessive condition – yes I’m looking at you!
- It looked like it was itchy. Your baby can’t tell you that yet. Dandruff is itchy – I’d wager that cradle cap is itchy too. I’m not a doctor, just my instinct as a Mom.
- Natural is always better in my book. I avoid questionable ingredients on my children’s skin.
So what’s a Mom to do?
Choose from one of these 3 natural cradle cap remedies to clear it up!
3 Natural Cradle Cap Remedies
Learn 3 great ways to naturally get rid of cradle cap at home. Your babies head will be beautiful again and you stop compulsively picking!
Coconut Oil Cradle Cap Remedy
This method is easy but can get messy. If you’ve already got a messy tub then check out this all natural soft scrub recipe.
Coconut oil is my favorite of the 3 natural cradle cap remedies.
Get your baby all ready for bath time, water drawn and baby stripped down to a diaper.
Take a dollop of coconut oil and rub it into your babies scalp. Paying most attention to the areas with cradle cap.
Coconut oil has antibacterial properties, so it’s my top choice. You can use olive oil, grapeseed oil, or pretty much any other cooking oil you have on hand. Just make sure it will not irritate your babies sensitive skin.
Gently rub in the coconut oil to the scalp focusing on the scaly areas.
The goal is to saturate the scalp with the oil.
Now put your baby in the bath and let them play. After 10 or 15 minutes use a small toothed comb and gently brush it across the scalp. This is the comb I used.
Yes – it’s actually a lice comb. My daughter brought them home shortly after starting kindergarten. Sigh… Here’s the best lice treatment for kids – it’s safe and effective!
There are combs specifically for cradles cap! And they look pretty awesome.
Here’s one brush and comb combo from safety first. If your baby has hair I’d recommend the safety first one.
If your baby is bald, a soft brush from Baby B Clean will do the trick.
Or if you have a fine tooth comb at home – use that.
All those scales will start to lift off and brush out. For those of you who are pickers like me, this will be unexpectedly fun. It’s so satisfying to see all the scales coming off.
Look at all that crud coming out!
It will take a few applications to clear up your babies scalp, so be patient. Don’t do too much at once. My little ones would start to fuss when they had enough.
It doesn’t hurt them, but my guess is it gets annoying.
After you’re done, wash babies air a few times with a gentle baby shampoo.
Be prepared for some lingering greasy hair. Usually, it took a week or so until my babies hair was normal again.
Here you can see his hair looks kind of greasy and you can still see some flakes remaining in his hair.
The lingering greasy hair was well worth the benefit of a clear scalp.
If your child has a severe case of cradles cap, take it slow. Make sure you’re not making baby bleed by scraping off any good skin on your babies head.
Cradle Cap Shampoo
Bella B Bee Gone cradle cap shampoo works wonders to clear up cradle cap. Just wash hair with the shampoo to see results.
A winning combination is cradle cap shampoo with a small toothed comb. A cradle cap comb works great to sweep away the scales.
It is paraben free and gentle on the scalp. Bella B Bee Gone cradle cap shampoo has both natural and organic ingredients.
It is pricey for a small bottle, but a little goes a long way. One bottle should clear up the issue. It’s a small price to pay for a beautiful scalp!
Bonus: If you have dandruff, you can use the rest of the shampoo to clear up your scalp!
Most people experience great success with Baby B Bee’s. There were a few reviews that report itching, redness, and irritation. You know your baby best, if something is not right, stop using it. This is the only one of the 3 natural cradle cap remedies I have not personally tried so I’d love to hear feedback from those who have tried it.
Baking Soda Cradle Cap Remedy
Baking soda is a gentle exfoliant. It will help loosen and remove the scales covering your precious babies head.
Baking soda helps to remove your babies cradle cap a few ways.
- Mix 1 to 1 ratio of water to baking soda and gently massage into your babies scalp. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then comb the scalp to remove the scales.
- Mix a few teaspoons of baking soda with your babies shampoo. Wash the scalp, giving extra attention to rubbing it into the areas with cradle cap. Then let the shampoo sit on the scalp for several minutes. Before rinsing, gently massage the baking soda into the scalp again. It will help exfoliate and remove the scales.
- Mix equal parts of baking soda and coconut oil. Message into babies scalp and let it sit. Then comb the scalp to remove the scales.
Remember to be gentle and take your time.
Tips for Success in Curing Cradle Cap
- Use a fine tooth comb or cradle cap brush to remove the scales. When the scales will loosen with shampoo, oil, or the baking soda solution – then the scales should brush off. Don’t brush off the scales without softening them first.
- Slow and steady win the race. Take your time. Treat the scalp once a day or every other day.
- It may irritate you baby – but it should not hurt. I had to treat all 4 of my babies for cradle cap. I never felt like I hurt my baby. They just got annoyed with me messing with their head. If you feel your baby is in pain, stop immediately!
- Some cradle cap is severe enough to bleed. Avoid bleeding by allowing the area to full soften before brushing. If it does bleed, wait until it heals before another application.
- Be consistent. The more severe the case of cradle cap, the more treatments you will need to do. Mild cases may need only a few treatments. Severe cases need more applications.
- I recommend only 5 -10 minutes of brushing per day.
- Expect that the cradle cap may come back. It will be very mild, but the cradle cap always came back a little. I repeated the treatment and it went away.
Start Curing Your Babies Cradle Cap
Pick one of the natural cradle cap remedies that works best for you and get started. Take things slow, in a few days your babies head can be scale free. And beautiful, like you envisioned it!
Make sure to pin this article for later! Or pass it on to someone you know who has a baby with cradle cap.
Thank you Shannon for a great article! Ordered the brush and I am full of hope to get rid of my baby’s cradle cap. The post was very helpful!
Hi Olga!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I’m so happy to hear it was helpful to you. All the best!
Shannon
Your ideas look helpfful…thanks for sharing! I will try the baking soda with shampoo on my baby’s scalp tomorrow.
Hope it helped! Thanks for taking the time to comment Joycey 🙂