Dandruff/dry Scalp on 2 Yr Old

There is a special shampoo for cradle cap and you can find it at any grocery or pharmacy. It works too!

My granddaughter had the same problem. We tried everything but then we tried Phisoderm for Babies (no tears) We order it online from drugstore.com. Hope this helps.

Put baby oil his head and let it sit for a while and soak into the scalp. Then take a fine comb and gently scrape the scales off and then wash his hair. That should help a lot, but the t-gel works the best. Good luck.

Hi K., it is true ... J & J products have Q15 - it is very harsh and the leading cause of contact dermititus. My daughter had the same thing. We used a combination of olive oil and a few drops of Melaleuca oil in it. I rubbed it on her head and the let it sit for a few minutes. Then washed it. We did this a couple of baths and it worked very well. We buy our kids shampoo at an on-line green store that has safer products for our homes and the environment.

By the way, I am 41 and I have a 2 year old too! Also, a five year old.

Good luck! D..

K., ask your doctor for a RX shampoo. Be aware it may be costly... so you may want to call your insurance company to see what your co-pay if any will be. ;)

I used Selsun Blue on my daughters hair when she was a baby. Cleared it right up. Maybe you may need only to use a little so it doesn't get in his eyes or purchase one of those little sun visor type things so that you can wash the child's hair but the soap doesn't ever get into their eyes. I personally don't have any experience with it but I have seen it before at BRU (Baby's R Us)

K.,
Same thing happened with my 2d child...I went to a health store and bought shampoo and conditioner with Tea Tree Oil in it and that helped. I don't know if it burns their eyes, I was just always super cautious. But it worked well on the dry scalp.
Good Luck
T.

I know this sounds strange, but try puppy shampoo with oatmeal. Dog shampoo is chemical free and I use it and it really makes my hair shine!!!

We have always used olive oil for cradle cap and I am using it now on my 2 1/2 yo that has come up with it again. I let it soak in for a while then comb or brush it to loosen the flakes. It seems to work well and olive oil naturally conditions the scalp. My son hates having his hair washed and we are able to use his tear free shampoo when using olive oil. Plus, the oil smells great.

Is it yellowish in color and comes up when you pick at it a bit? This is what my kids had and what worked was to rub olive oil into their scalps--let sit for 5 minutes, then take a hair comb (like the kind your average 50's dude would keep in his back pocket) and comb the scalp with it. It comes up very well so keep a paper towel on your knee to wipe the gunk off on! ;)

We used Pert Plus (they make a dandruff shampoo that smells pretty good) but it still would sting if you get it in their eyes. I highly recommend this rinse cup that they now sell at walmart, target and babies r us (it was only mail order 4 years ago) that has a rubber side to it so you put that agaist the forehead of your child and rinse their scalp without any water in their eyes. I also would put the shampoo in (small amount) and then comb it through with a wide tooth comb...that really helped get rid of it. My daughter had that forever and one day, it finally was gone. Good luck to you!

There are little rubber visor hats you can purchase at Target that keep the water and soap out of a little ones eyes while washing their hair.
However, you might want to try putting a dab of tea tree oil on your son's head and rubbing it in first before you try those shampoos. It smells great, will relax him while you are doing it (kinda like lavendaer does) and it will help to remove the flakes as well as moistureize his scalp to prevent further irritation.

HI K.,

Dry skin on the scalp is systemic (it's a type of eczema) and comes primarily from diet. Start him on a good absorbable multivitamin and get him away from anything processed including fast foods. The chemicals that he is ingesting can not be handled by his little body.

Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo is toxic and may be a culprit. It has Quaternium-15 in it that is a known cancer causing agent. Head and Shoulders and T-gel are not any better. I'll be glad to give you more information if you plan to go in this direction and get him healthy.

God bless!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

I dealt with this with my son who is now 10 months old. I tried to exfoliate with a brush and use baby oil--both bad ideas I later discovered. If the scalp becomes irritated and itchy, the scalp can get infected from scratching by bacteria under the child's nails. [This happened to my son and he had to go through a round of antibiotics and steroid ointment.]

My son's pediatrician recommended Selsun Blue shampoo. To avoid getting the shampoo in my son's eyes, I use a wet washcloth to remove the shampoo; it works well. The pediatrician also recommended applying lotion to his scalp (I use excema cream on his face and scalp and it works wonders). If all else fails and you do notice some flakes, apply a topical hydrocortizone to the scalp. Be careful and use sunscreen and a hat if the child goes outside, for topical steroids (such as hydrocortizone) can leave one susceptible to sunburns.

Best of luck!

Oh man great question! My son suffers from the same thing. He is going on 14 months and for about the last 4 to 5 months I have been suffering with this. My sister in law gave me a product called grund for the beauty store that is gentle on the eyes and this did not seem to work. I asked his pediatrican at his year appt and she said we could use head and shoulders, but it always seems to make him cry. I'm not sure I am at a loss for this as well. If you find anything that works let me know too!

well this old but what i did was comb the stuff up and wash it and then put baby oil on my kids. it works, you do it everytime you wash their hair. hopw it helps.

Try avoiding sodium laureth sulfate in his bath products. We use Jasons for kids on their hair and Dr. Bronners on their bodies. The SLS is a sensitizing chemical that causes skin rashes in a lot of people. Rainbow Blossoms and some Meijers carry these products. When we switched my sons dandruff went away within the week.

Head & Shoulders does have a Dry Scalp formula. I use it everyday and it smell good. My daughter (3 and half) just had some cradle cap/dandruff on her scalp and I used a conditioner to get it up and the reg. kids shampoo.

K., your baby of 2 years is too young to be using any dandruff shampoo or t-gel. It all burns and will make him afraid of baths and you'll not be able to enjoy the time together. Vaseline is ok, but mineral oil is better. Put it in his hair whie he sleeps and wash it out with j&j shampoo and or hour before his bath time. It will soften the crusty paricles, and use a infant tooth brush to gently scrap the scalp to loosen the cradle cap. It works believe me.

I think there's a dandruff shampoo for babies. If you can't find it in the baby section you might try the shampoo section or the baby section in health & beauty. Goodluck.