DD (2 years old) with lots of hair and cradle cap.... what to do?

[pocketandsweet]

Hoping that style and beauty also covers 2 year olds! My dd has ALOT of hair but also a couple of quite intense patches of cradle cap. Because she has such a full head of hair it is not particularly visible to others but when I comb it I can see and feel it. Should I leave it alone or is there something to be done.... most of what I have read applies to much littler (and balder) children. Any ideas welcome.

BTW I typically use baby shampoo on her hair.

[BigusBumus]

Both my sons, ages 5 and 9 stilll have a smallish patch of cradle cap on their scalps. They both have a lot of unruly curly hair, and are both complete babies when it comes to washing it. The cradle cap does clear up if I wash their hair a lot, but as this is impossible it gets done about twice a week. On the Sunday night wash (before school, maintenance/grooming evening!) I use the only thing that shifts if for the week and thats Anti-Dandruff shampoo meant for adults.

I am sure I will get screamed at for this, but as cradle cap is much the same thing, it works! Luckily I have children who do not have remotely sensitive skin in any other way.

The active ingreadient in Dentinox shampoo is the same as in Head & Shoulders, which is interesting. Dentinox is much milder for little ones though, but bottle for bottle much more expensive.

[CointreauVersial]

May I suggest Head & Shoulders? Sounds daft, but I struggled for ages with the same thing on DS1 and on DD2, but using H&S for a few times sorted it straight out.

Even now, it sometimes re-occurs on DD2 and she's 8, so we go back to H&S for a week or so until it clears up.

[CointreauVersial]

Ha! Cross-post Bigus. No screaming from me.

[effingwotnots]

I was also going to say head and shoulders is good.

With dd1 we used to comb it with a nit comb after a bath then hoover the flakes out of her hair afterwards . (with the hose attachment obviously)

[maxpower]

Another one here with a 5yo who still has it. I've never worried about it as it can't be seen under her mop of hair.

[thisisyesterday]

my 2 youngest had this really bad. ds2 is nearly 4 and ds3 is 2

ds2's was really bad, very thick and if i picked it big lumps of hair came out too! eep

aaanyway, i got some oilatum shampoo and over the course of a week or 2 it has ALL gone! it needs a really good rub in and i usually massage with my finger tips if they'll let me. leave on for 5 mins, rinse off. good rough rub with the towel afterwards and a comb.

[pocketandsweet]

I LOVE the idea of hoovering my dd's head! That will give her something to talk about it later life .... "Oh yeah, well my mum used to HOOVER MY HEAD"!

:) Thanks everyone will give the H&S a go and buy a nit comb.

[LieInsAreRarerThanTigers]

My daughter's cradle cap only cleared up when I did the first nit treatment on her at 4. She had lots of thick hair too. I smothered her hair in conditioner, left it for a few minutes then nit-combed it through, and all the cradle cap just came away! After 3 treatments it was all gone and so were the nits.

[fedupofnamechanging]

Dentinox shampoo is great. Also olive oil applied to the scalp, softens it and then you can pick it off. Unfortunately if your child has lots of hair, the cradle cap flakes get stuck in the strands and it takes awhile to comb it out.

[elah11]

My dd is 5 and still suffers from cradle cap. I have tried various OTC treatments and even a lotion prescribed by the GP but the best treatment I have found is to use olive oil, and it works a treat. Just pour some olive oil onto the hair/scalp at bedtime, rub it in and leave it overnight. I usually tie her hair up so its not too messy. Then in the morning massage a little shampoo into the dry hair and then rinse out as usual. Comb the hair with a fine comb (sometimes an ordinary comb will work fine too) and the cradle cap will lift off . That treatment keeps the cradle cap away here for weeks.