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Olive Oil for Cradle Cap


5 star (4) 
  80%
1 star (1) 
  20%

Showing 5 Star Reviews

Toya (London, Uk) on 10/04/2011
5 out of 5 stars

I mixed some herbs with water and olive oil and or a few drops of almond oil - add some rosemary, thyme, to a small desert bowl of cooled boiled water, add some olive oil and almond oil, leave for a few minutes for the mixture to infuse. Pour into an old bottle if you want and then use again later by heating up the oil and water mix over a bowl of hot water. Anyway, I use this with cotton wool like a small shampoo or refreshing wash - it works the best for the itching and for cradle cap. Ive tried lots of other things but they pull the hair out or leave my baby's scalp white.
REPLY   2      

Mommy V (Washington, D. C. ) on 05/05/2011
5 out of 5 stars

My 16-month old developed cradle cap after nearly a year of clear scalp. I was unwilling to try dandruff shampoos as they can burn the eyes. I used about a Tbs of olive oil. I massaged it into his scalp with my fingers, let it sit for approx 1 minute, and then brushed the flakes out gently with an old baby toothbrush. I then washed his hair with regular shampoo (mostly working the shampoo into the hair and leaving the scalp alone). The first treatment improved the condition by about 75%. I did it once more a few days later, and he's back to 100%! It also seemed to soothe his itching head, which he had been scratching for weeks. (I did not have any problem washing the oil out of his hair, but his hair is very short. Might be more of a problem with girls.)
REPLY   3      

Rachel (Hartford, Ct, Usa) on 08/26/2010
5 out of 5 stars

My daughter had what was probably an average case of cradle cap. Thinking I'd save myself the time and aggravation, I went straight to a big box baby store and bought an expensive cradle cap shampoo that all of my friends with babies swore by. Not only didn't the stuff work, it was super greasy and smelled HORRIBLE. My husband had to wash our daughter's head something like four times in a row to get the grossness out, and even then, her hair still felt oily and I had to suppress the gag reflex when I nursed her because she continued to smell like this shampoo. When I brought up my daughter's cradle cap problem at my local mommy group, the lactation consultant who runs the group recommended olive oil. She said to leave it on for twenty minutes to allow the cradle cap to soften, then gently comb out the flakes with a fine-tooth comb. That night before her bath, I did just that. I filled a little dish with some extra virgin olive oil, then put my daughter in her Bjorn facing outward so she could be distracted by a show on TV and not touch her head with her hands. I placed a rolled-up burp cloth behind her head to prevent oil from getting all over my shirt. I dipped a finger in the oil and applied it to her head, rubbing it in gently. We watched TV, walked around the house for a bit, and straightened up the kitchen to kill those twenty minutes, and then I grabbed her comb. The flakes came off with almost no effort at all, and I got most of the cradle cap with one application. The rest of it came off with the next treatment two days later. My husband and I were thrilled. This solution is simple, cheap, and according to my husband, makes your baby smell delicious!
REPLY   10      


Anna (London, Greater London) on 01/02/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Ailment-Cradle Cap -- Remedy: Olive Oil YAY

My sister is a hair dresser. She says some adults still have cradle cap! If you don't deal with it, it doesn't always go!

Both my babies had cradle cap. With my daughter I did nothing, believing it would just go in time. Not all of it did. Eventually her hair grew and it just became hidden. When she was 2 I decided to do something about it!

Pour olive oil liberally over your (baby's) head about about 20 minutes before a shower/bath. The oil softens and loosens the cradle cap. Gently scrape it off with a comb when washing the hair. If it is sticking, do not force it or it can get sore, just do it again another day. It can take a few goes.

When my son was born I did it when he was a few weeks old. You don't need to use shampoo if you don't want to.

This is also a nice, soothing thing to do if you have an itchy dry scalp. Just omit the combing part!

REPLY   1