6 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Cradle Cap Naturally in Babies

Cradle cap is a yellow, greasy and scaly skin rash that commonly occurs on the scalp of recently newborn babies. It is not itchy and bothering the baby but it is bothering the appearance of the baby for sure. Though it is not serious, it still needs to be treated well. Cradle cap mostly occurs on the first three months but it might still appear in the following years.

Read Ways to Get Rid of Dry Scalp With Home Remedies to get the difference between dry scalp and cradle cap.

The following will explain the causes, the symptoms and the ways to get rid of cradle cap naturally. Check these following out.

Causes of cradle cap

Cradle cap is commonly experienced by babies but there is also a possibility that adult will experience it too. In adult, it is commonly recognized similarly to dandruff.
Cradle cap happens because of skin inflammation which is a result of sebum collection.
The skin covering our body parts are having hair follicles. These hair follicles contain glands, called sebaceous glands that secrete sebum. This sebum lubricates hair and make the skin become waterproof.
During babies stage, the production and release might be exaggerated as the levels of hormone stimulating sebum in their blood are high.
Adults have different causes of cradle cap. Stress, hereditary, hormonal abnormalities and also skin yeasts or fungus.
Most people think that cradle cap is caused by skin infection or allergy, while it is not. Its appearance of cradle cap is not also caused by poor hygiene of the baby. It is mainly because of the excessive sebum production.

It is also important to know that cradle cap is not contagious, so babies both with and without cradle cap do not need to be worried of spreading it.

Symptoms of cradle cap

Cradle cap is commonly identified by the occurrence of large, yellow or brown greasy scales or crusts on the scalp. These scales or crusts are formed due to inflammation. When the scales are peeled off, the skin may appear red.
Cradle cap is commonly not itchy,so if one keeps scratching the affected area, there might be another complication. Moreover, cradle cap is not painful either. In the same way, cradle cap is not painful.
Cradle cap mostly occurs on the scalp area but others might occur on the neck,ears,face or body in the diaper area. Babies who get cradle cap might develop cradle cap as dandruff as they are growing older.

How to get rid of cradle cap naturally

What’s the natural and effective ways to get rid of cradle cap naturally? Though it is stated that cradle cap is not painful, but it must be annoying to see crusts or something rough on the skin surface.

Here are some treatments you can do to get rid of cradle cap both for adults and babies. Check these following out!

1. Olive oil

Olive oil is famous for its moisturizing effect on the skin. You can read Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair to know more about advantages of olive oil. Olive oil is very useful to soften and loosen the flaky scales.

ways to get rid of cradle cap naturally:

Warm a small amount of olive oil.
Massage the oil into the baby’s scalp during bed time. Leave it overnight and in the morning you can use soft cloth to remove any particles left.
You may repeat this daily until the scalp healed.

2. Petroleum jelly

Petroleum jelly is very useful for treating cradle cap. It moisturizes skin very well that it will lift the the crusts and the oily scales. It is famous as the simplest remedy for cradle cap. Petroleum jelly is also useful for Overcoming Dry Foot Skin.

How to use petroleum jelly to get rid of cradle cap:

Before bathing time, you can apply some petroleum jelly to the affected area and massage it gently.
Let it be absorbed for 1 hour and wet the hair with warm water.
Use soft brush to scrub your baby’s head.
Rinse the hair and scalp using warm water and pat the head with soft towel.

3. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is like an angel for almost all skin disorders. Apple cider vinegar helps to treat cradle cap, mostly in adults.

How to treat cradle cap using apple cider vinegar:

Wash your head with hot water to open the pores.
Pour 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar on the scalp and wrap your hair so it will keep the heat.

Caution: Application of apple cider vinegar might create burning sensation, so if you feel it is too hot, you can dilute the vinegar with water (amount of vinegar and water should be the same) and add some tea tree oil.

4. Shea butter

It is known as one of the most effective ways of treating cradle cap. Shea butter is able to be absorbed easily on the skin and does not clog pores.

How to treat cradle cap using Shea butter:

Apply some Shea butter directly to the affected area. Let it be absorbed for around 20 minutes.
After that, use soft toothed comb to pick the flakes.
Wash the affected area with shampoo.
Finally, wipe the affected area.

You may be interested to read How to Heal Cracked Heels with Home Remedies to get to know more about the use of Shea butter for healing skin disorders.

5. Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is quite toxic, so if you use it for babies, you had better dilute it with water so it will not go directly to the baby skin.

How to treat cradle cap using tea tree oil:

Mix tea tree oil and almond oil in the ratio of 1:10.
Apply it to the affected area and leave it for 15 minutes.
Use fine-toothed comb to remove the flakes.

Caution: Avoid eyes, mouth and nose area as it is very volatile oil.

6. Baking soda

You can use baking soda to relieve the symptoms of cradle cap.

ways to get rid of cradle cap naturally:

Make a mixture in a form of paste from 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda with water.
Apply it to the affected area and let it dry for several minutes.
Use soft comb to remove the flakes.

Prevention of cradle cap

Those treatments can be used once your baby or you get cradle cap. But there are surely some ways to prevent yourself or your babies from getting cradle cap.

Here are the ways to prevent yourself or your baby from getting cradle cap:

Use your fingers or brush to rub your or your baby’s scalp. It will stimulate the circulation and scaly skin fall easily.
Wash your baby’s head using gentle soap. Use it twice a week.
Always moisturize your baby’s head several times a week, especially if the scalp is too dry.
Apply some oil, like olive oil on the head and let it soak as it will provide moisture and protection while brushing.
Exfoliate the head regularly. You can use wet cotton towel to rub the baby’s head to remove the flakes.

Those treatments are known effective to treat cradle cap. Wish you luck on trying those methods. Good luck!