Natural Cures For Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is an unsightly, greasy, patchy, yellowish type of dermatitis that occurs on the babies scalp and makes an infant’s scalp look scaly and crusty.  Not only scalp, babies can have cradle cap on their neck and face also. The medical name of this discolored patches are seborrheic dermatitis. It usually affects infants and the babies between ages of 6 to 12 month.

But it is neither a skin infection, nor a serious condition and disappears on its own. But still, its appearance on baby’s soft skin is disturbing for many mothers. The probable cause could be overactive sebaceous glands during pregnancy from mother’s hormone which continue to exist in baby’s circulation after birth or vitamin B6 deficiency in nursing mother. Some natural treatment techniques can be used to eliminate them faster.

Various Natural Cures For Cradle Cap

Use Oil

For loosening and removing the cradle cap, you can use mineral oil and vegetable oil. The most effective options include olive oil or almond oil. Rub oil thoroughly on your baby’s scalp and let it sit for 5-10 minute. Now with the help of a soft baby brush or clean tooth brush, gently rub the scalp to loosen the flakes away.

Wash babies hair with gentle baby shampoo later.  Coconut oil also works very well on the baby’s scalp. Putting little oil on the baby’s scalp and hair at night will soften the flakes and removing them in the morning with a baby brush will be very easy.

Loosen The Scales

Loosening the scales with the help of a soft baby brush is the best way to remove cradle cap. You can also use a wash cloth or your fingers to loosen them before giving your baby a nice bath. Loosening of the patches will not harm or affect any one else as cradle cap is neither contagious nor harmful.

Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly or Vaseline is another effective remedy for making your babies scalp flake-free. If scales are not loosening properly with oil, try using petroleum jelly or few drops of mineral oil on your baby’s scalp and hair. Let the scales absorb it for 5-10 minutes.

Then remove the soaked scales using a fined tooth comb, which is often used to remove nits, gently without hurting the baby’s scalp. Shampoo your baby’s hair as usual. Leaving baby’s oil greasy for longer period can worsen cradle cap by encouraging accumulation of the flakes. Use of fine toothed comb is the best way to remove the flakes.

Vitamin E Oil

Overproduction of oil in baby’s hair follicles is the main cause of cradle cap. For loosening the flakes and drying up the excess oil, massaging vitamin E oil is an effective remedy. You can try this remedy every day and remove the flakes thereafter using a soft brush.

Washing the hair after this process will also help to remove the excess oil. Gradually the baby’s hair will be flake free. There is no need to use medicated shampoo or dandruff shampoo. Baby shampoo is enough to clear up cradle cap. Even the most stubborn cradle cap goes away with time.

Vitamin B6 Treatment

Vitamin B6 deficiency in the nursing mother is often understood to be the probable reason for babies having cradle cap. You can try this remedy to get your baby rid of these unsightly flakes. Take 2-3 vitamins B6 tablets and crush them into fine powder. Add these crushed tablets in ¼ cup of any vegetable oil and mix thoroughly.

Apply this oil in baby’s hair and scalp with the help of a soft brush. Let the oil sit for 15-20 minutes and then rinse out. You can also apply the mixture at night on baby’s scalp and wipe off later with a soft cloth. Applying this treatment at bed time and leaving overnight can clear up cradle cap within a week.