Iris has cradle cap—a mild case, it’s true, but enough of the little scalies that I decided it was time to act. The scales first appeared as a minor dusting on her forehead. Dry skin, I thought, rubbing a little unscented baby lotion in. They never turned into that awful crusty stuff some babies get (knock on wood), but they were definitely THERE. And they seemed to be spreading.
I tried a tiny smidge of dandruff shampoo, which only seemed to result in the entire top of her scalp turning into one of those dry riverbeds you see in artsy photo mags, cracked tiles of flakiness.
I googled. I talked to her pediatrician. I solicited for remedies from friends.
Olive oil was the only unanimous answer.
Which sounded like crazy talk, so I kept searching but nothing popped up with the same regularity as a little squeeze of extra virgin olive oil. The acreage on her scalp was increasing by the day, so I finally gave in (although I resisted the urge to paste it on with a pastry brush). Just a few generous dabs with my fingers, let her sit in her bouncy seat for ten minutes or so while I did the dishes, and then into the bath. It was all very biblical.
And you know what? IT WORKED!
For like three whole days. I just noticed yesterday that the scaling is coming back, although in more limited areas. She’s about due for another bath, so we might give it a try again. But I’m not sure I’m up for weekly olive oil dousings. I guess it’s better than the scalies. Truly, parenthood is an exercise in least-worst-choice scenarios.
At least she doesn’t seem to mind. She’s the Esther Williams of three month olds, grinning and wiggling in the tub.
Cute, cute stuff.
See Jane Write... 
EVOO may sound weird at first but ancient cultures have used it for the body from time immemorial…just because we largely use it for cooking doesn’t mean it doesn’t still have major cosmetic strengths! 😉 It makes me just manically itchy to stare down at somebody’s baby’s head and see thick yellow cradle cap all scaling all over the place. *shudder* Can’t handle it. Am manic like that.
Love that she loves baths. Reid is my only bath lover so far. 🙂
I’m glad you had the courage to try the EVOO. It sounded so greasy and yucky to me, I probably would never have given it a go, but now I think I might try it on Elijah. He’s got a little bit of cradle cap to tackle right now, too.
Let me know how it works for you! I did have to wash her hair twice to get all the oil out, and some of the cc has returned, so it wasn’t a miracle cure… But still helpful and definitely more so than anything else I tried.
cradle cap can be treated also with topical niacinamide since it reduces inflammatory response and also increases skin healing.”
The latest posting produced by our new web site
http://www.melatoninfaq.com/a-guide-to-using-melatonin-supplements/