What is cradle cap?
Cradle cap is the infant form of seborrheic dermatitis. It is characterized by yellowish, oily crusts that usually appear where the baby has a lot of oil producing glands. This could be the scalp, face, back, chest, around the nose, around the eyes, in the diapering area and skin folds of the baby.
The exact cause of cradle cap is unknown but some research suggests that the hormones from the mother in the baby’s system could be a contributing factor. Other research points to a deficiency in essential fatty acids, particularly GLA or gamma linolenic acid.
Some babies experience cradle cap due to an overgrowth of the yeast, Malassezia. This yeast naturally lives on the scalp, but can become a problem if an overgrowth occurs.
How does cradle cap look?
Cradle cap on the scalp and body appears as:
- Yellow crusts
- Red skin with white or yellow flakes on top
- Pink patches that join with red skin
- Swollen areas on the skin
Cradle cap is not painful, contagious or bothersome for your baby and may last from 6-12 months before completely resolving. The good news is once it’s resolved, it does not reappear.
How is cradle cap treated naturally?…
Cradle cap can be treated easily with our new scalp oil from the comfort of your home.
What makes our scalp oil so special, is that it’s formulated with borage seed oil. Borage seed oil is one of the oils that are high in GLA-gamma linolenic acid. Remember, researchers have discovered that the deficiency of this essential fatty acid could be a contributing factor to your baby experiencing cradle cap.
What are the simple steps to at home cradle cap treatment?
Step 1: apply the scalp oil liberally to the patches on the scalp. Be sure to fully saturate the patches with the oil.
Step 2: allow the oil to sit and soak into the scalp for a minimum of 1hour but up to 24hours is also fine too.
Quick tip: covering the scalp with an infant cap or shower cap can help quickly soften the patches.
Step 3: after the allotted time, use a baby brush or comb to gently rub the patches or lift the patches off the scalp. Since you let the oil saturate the patches, these patches will easily come off the scalp with a brush or comb.
Step 4: proceed with using a mild, natural baby shampoo to wash the scalp, taking care to not scratch or pick on the patches that are not coming off easily.
Step 5: Lastly, after shampooing, reapply the scalp oil to the scalp and on the stubborn patches and repeat steps 1-5 the next day.
It usually takes 1-2 treatments to relieve cradle cap with our scalp oil and 3-4 treatments for stubborn cradle cap.
Other supporting treatments for cradle cap are:
- taking a probiotic and giving the baby a probiotic.
- increasing essential fatty acids in the diet.
- monitoring for associated allergies your baby may be experiencing.
When to seek help:
Cradle cap is easily manageable at home with the steps outlined above, however, if you start to notice a foul smell, puss, hot skin, or weeping, then it’s time to seek help from your healthcare provider.
Thanks for reading. Check out our scalp oil here for immediate cradle cap relief.
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