Baby Dandruff

Hi,

I've got two little ones, they're 5 and 8 now. I suspect you may be overwashing. I recognize that I may be going out on a limb by saying that to a mom. Sometimes though, less is more.

Thnaks for posting,
M.

Hello, try the Mustela foaming shampoo. It's very gentle for babies and really helped with the dry, flaky spots and also the oily flakes too. I also brushed my boy's head with a baby brush. On days that it was really bad, I massaged in a little olive oil and brushed the flakes away. I found the J&J shampoo a bit harsh and I've stopped using it altogether. I also rubbed some Aquaphor on his scalp to protect the delicate skin after the bathing. Good luck.

You may have already heard this, but what worked best for me is to rub some baby oil on, let it soak in a few minutes before the baby's bath, and it works wonders! You can rub the area clean in the bath!

C. Heinz
Southern Living at Home
Independent Consultant
____@____.com

Since when did washing one's baby every day or every other day become a crime? I ALWAYS bathed my infants every other day, if not every day, and washed every part of their little bodies INCLUDING the hair - so did my mother, and grandmother before me. We have notoriously sensitive, rashy skin in my family (its totally genetic, even my 80 year old grandfather still regularly suffers from eczema) but that is not going to keep me from bathing my baby! Im sorry, infants get"dirty" just as quickly as adults - even more quickly with the milk in the neck creases and behind the ears, all the diapering, the flaking skin, the fuzz between toes and in creases, the spit up - YUCK! Who would not wash that stuff off their infant? I like my babies to be clean and good smelling just like I like to be every day - so, don't stop washing your kid. Its like suggesting a problem as a solution to a problem - plus, if you let the dnadruff "build up" on the scalp, its just going to be more icky!
My two year old has a patch of dandruff on the crown of her head (it is not cradle cap) - before her bath, I rub a little bit of baby oil into the spot and let it sit. THen I shampoo it out in the bath using her soap (we use Burts Bee's baby bee - it is 97% natural, but smells great) and then rub a little bit of my own hair conditioner into the spot of hair where the dandruff is. Seems to do the trick just fine - and I have found that if I DONT bathe my child for a few days, the dandruff patch gets bigger and more flaky as it wants the extra moisture from the bath.
So bathe your baby all you want - just replace the lost "oils" on the skin by covering her with lotion after every washing, and use baby oil on the dandruff before the bath, and a little bit of hair conditioner on her dandruff patches if need be (and THIS was recommended to me by my ped too!).

When my kids were babies, baby oil on the scalp w/a soft baby brush took care of it. I do agree with the other Mom's as well, less washing. Depending on where you live may have alot to do with the water that comes out of your faucet. Once the cradle cap is gone, I do agree w/also putting a little baby oil in the bath water. This should assist in preventing further cradle cap.

Mom of 6, ages 18 - 27

Hi C.~

Same advice as the others...much less shampooing. Maybe 2 times a week. I also put a little baby oil in the bath...this will make what little hair she has look a bit greasy, but it's better than the flakes. Also, when you do shampoo, use Cetaphil. It's super gentle on their sensitive baby skin.

Somebody else suggested Burt's Bees. I haven't tried the shampoo, but I love all their products and would give that a whirl if you don't want to use the Cetaphil.

Good luck!

My mom used to rinse my hair with vinegar. I was about 9 or so but I wouldn't think it would hurt. Check with ped. It would get my hair squeaky clean and help the dryness. Smell won't last long and is not that bad.

When washing babies hair use a small peanut sized amount of dandruff shampoo. I did and it worked great.

You're overwashing her hair and stripping all the oils from it. Also, switch from J&J ...it's got too many bad chemicals in it. I use Burt's Bees, Weleda and/or California Baby. Keep it natural on her delicate skin. Wash her hair only once or twice a week.

Try washing her hair once or twice a week at the most. Babies that young don't need that much scrubbing, and their skin is very fragile still. Continue to give her daily baths if she likes them, just don't use soap (even baby soap) every time.

My doctor told me to just ignore it. It is going to go away. You can also use baby oil and a soft brush.

First off, you are bathing her too often. An 8-week-old does not need to take a bath every day! Our society bathes our children too often. These baths are washing away their natural oils! Regardless of whether you wash her hair every other day, I'm sure the baths are part of the problem. If anything, use Cetaphil (lotion or cream) on her head for the dandruff.

Hi C.,

Babies only need a bath/hair wash once a week until they get to be 1.5-2 years old. You're over-washing and J&J is way too harsh. Try Aveeno Baby Wash Body & Shampoo Natural Oat formula. I still use this on my 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter. They still only bathe about 3-4 times a week (with an occasional extra body wash if they get dirty, real sweaty, or the 3 year old has a potty accident).

Good luck!

N.

hi C.

i am a mother of 5 and i alwyas used olive oil extra virgin in the green bottle by bertolli. for the entire body, it helps for peeling and dry scalp and you can use it on yourself.

I used regular head and shoulders at about 7-8 months for the dandruff and it worked after about a week or so. The pediatrician said it was O.K. to use (not sure the minimum age), but you have to make sure it doesn't get in their eyes.

If her scalp is drying out, I'd back off and wash it once a week for a while. Just rinsing it with water is enough - they don't sweat much or have very oily skin at this age, so there is no reason to wash her hair that often. Also you might try just a little baby oil or olive oil massaged into those dry spots, just like you probably did when she had cradle cap. She's young and her skin is still adjusting. It took my youngest until she was about 4 months old to get past all the skin "issues!"

Hi,
I have had several customers use the Camomile make-up remover. It is very gentle. Here is my website: www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/cflesher. These are body shop products brought to you. If you would like to sample it, just let me know.
Thanks,
Cynthia

The J&J is to harsh for my 9 month old also so I use California Baby shampoo (target carries it) I have also used Muestela for exema works great but more expensive.

My son is a teen-ager now but he had cradle cap for quite awhile as a baby - even into his toddler years. Our pediatrician recommended putting a little baby oil on the cradle cap and that seemed to clear it up for awhile. When it would come back, we'd just repeat the baby oil treatment.

J. F.

Hello C.-

I have a 12 month old son and he also had a dry scalp at about your daughter's age. I washed his hair every 2 - 3 days also with J&J. Although he never had cradle cap, he did have a dry scalp. I used good 'ol olive oil right out of our panty. There's no need to buy anything 'special.' Just use a small amout on her head when you first put her in the bath. Then wash her and wash her hair. Also, make sure you spend twice as long rinsing her hair as you do washing her hair. I think this is a common baby 'issue' with an easy fix. Hope this helps! :)

Put California Baby's Calendura cream on her face and scalp after the bath. it is miracle cream! my son is 7.5 mos. and i still use it regularly. I found it was excellent for cradle cap.

Pretty much agreeing with all the others here.
First, a baby just doesn't need all this cleaning.
Secondly, if shampooing wasgoing to fix it, it already would have.
Thirdly, the olive oil thing really works. Super gently rubbing at the scalp, and letting it sit a while.
Finally, if you must shampoo, JJ seems a bit harsh for a newborn (if you look at its label, it's pretty much the same as adult shampoo).
You might want to read the labels on the various suggestions here and find the simplest list of ingredients of the lot.
In any case, it will pass soon.

J&J has chemicals in it that I wont use on my baby. You can try Burts Bees or something else like that. When you wash your baby use a soft brush to scrub her head. It helps a ton. What you are describing to me sounds like a continuation of cradle cap. Scrub that head!

I would try rubbing baby oil on her head every other day and letting it sit for 30 min before you wash her hair. This helped my little one a lot!!

Hi C.,

You probably don't need to wash your baby's hair that often; it may be contributing to the flakiness (because of dryness, not shampoo residual). Anyway, to treat the flakiness massage your baby's scalp with mineral oil (with fingers and baby brush if necessary), then wash with shampoo after half an hour to an hour. My 7-mo has had a flaky scalp on occasion since she was 2 mos, and this always cleared it up.

J.

Neutrogena dandruff shampoo works really well even with cradle cap. I was turned on to it by a good friend of mine who used it and target even has a generic brand that works just as well for less money.
J.

Yep, too much washing all together. All the advice you've gotten about that is good. I wanted to offer an alternative to scrubbing your little one's head with a brush, which sounds to me like it would hurt and irritate. The advice I got was to use the oil or lotion (whatever kind you like), let it sit, then gently comb with a baby comb (fine teeth, I got mine for a couple of dollars in a little kit at the drug store). We did this in the rocker, not in the bath, so I could take my time. She LOVED it. And its amazingly effective.

I used this great shampoo when both my boys were babies. I can't remember the exact name but it's made by Mustela. Yeah, they're products are a bit pricey but this shampoo lasts so long. It's a mousse-style & all you need is one pump to get their whole head sudsy. My bottles lasted me close to a year. The bottle says something about cradle cap, I think, it's made for babies, is gentle & can still be used once the cradle cap has cleared up. You can get it at Nordtrom, smaller baby stores & Babies R Us caries their products, too. I've seen it on their website as well. You say you bath her every night....did your ped. recommend this? I ask cuz at 8 weeks old, she's not getting dirty enough to warrant that much bathing & it could dry out her skin. You could wipe her down at night w/a baby wipe or wet washcloth. As babies, I washed our boys probably every 3 days or so & their hair even less. 'Course our first one was bald as a cue ball til he was almost 1 & now has a full head of thick hair! Our younger son was born w/the hair of a 5 year old & had his first true haircut at a shop at 7 months! But his hair had that baby-greasy feel to it for about 3 months so I didn't wash his hair much. Hope this helps & good luck!

you know the best shampoo i have gotten is by brecks and it is a shampoo mousse. I found my sons scalp dryed out and was flaky even when i really rinsed out all of the shampoo this seems a lot lighter and smells awesome and gee no more flakes :)

C.,

We used the Baby Arbonne shampoo for our twnis and it was wonderful! All of thier skin irritations disapered. You can copy the link below and paste it into your browser and see the baby products. I love them the most because they are pure, safe and beneficial.

https://secure.myarbonne.com/arbonne/catherinebell.nsf/p1...

God Bless,
C.

I carry a line of safe NON TOXIC baby care products. Has NO sodium Laurel sulphates which can cause some skin issues and is unsafe for us all. Call me for more info,and a free consult. I would like to help. K. ###-###-#### I am a wellness consultant and the ingredients are so pure and safe,( I find its always a good idea to check ingredients and warning labels on all packages or you can look at my website if you would like.
HTTP/oilgal.younglivingworld.com

Paul Mitchell makes a great baby shampoo ( Baby dont Cry) It's very mild.

Hello C. yes I know of great products that are non toxic and very safe for your little one. I have been using these products since 2005. They specifically help the craddle cap
you can go to this website I will provide and see all of there products. Another great website I will give you shows
housing products for laundry and cleaning that are safe and non toic as well. If you have questions or want more information you can respond and I will tell you how to get these products. www.melaleuca.com and wwww.saferforyourhome.com I Hope this helps

Medela Foam Infant Shampoo- it's a little pricey, but lasts a long time. My son is 12 months and we are only halfway through the second bottle...started using it when he was 4 weeks old. Just google it:)

I agree with everyone else - less shampooing. Also, Arbonne's baby wash can be used for hair as well. It's all natural, botanical, with not all the chemicals of J&J. You can email me for more information or visit www.everydaycounts.myarbonne.com. Congrats on your new daughter!! Isn't she so special?

-K.

At 8 wks old there is hopefully nothing she gets into that warrants schampoo of her hair, at all. Scalp conditions come from inside the body, no matter what shampoo marketing claims. The less chemicals or soap on her body is better.
They grow so quickly, and the glands aren't fully developed. it might not look so great with white flakes, but that's the extent of it & I bet she's the cutest thing anyway, right?
Flakes will pass.

Hi C.-
My 5 mos old had the same thiong. It was still cradle cap, it just goes to light flakiness while it's clearing up. I put mineral oil or olive oil 2 times/wk before washing (massaged in before washing) and it's gone now. It cleared up completely about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I've heard that as the hair comes in (the real stuff, not the born-with baby hair) it will stay away permanently.
peace-J

I used Head and Shoulders on my son when he was about that old and it seemed to help. You just have to make sure you don't get it in your baby's eyes because it's not tear free! Good luck.