TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Exactly Is Cradle Cap?
Most often, cradle cap presents as crusty and oily scaly patches on your baby’s head. Sometimes, it can lead to scalp irritation. Cradle cap is not unusual in children from three months up to two years old. However, cradle cap can appear on older children. In these cases, it looks like dandruff because cradle cap is another form of dandruff [1].
Doctors aren’t sure what causes cradle cap in babies. It is not contagious and not due to poor hygiene. Doctors think that a baby’s oil glands are working too hard due to the influence of leftover hormones from mom. The hormones may cause excessive skin oil (sebum) production in hair follicles and glands, principally on the scalp. Another possibility is that fungus or yeast grows in the sebum.
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Symptoms Of Cradle Cap
Cradle cap is very common. For young babies, you may see patches of scaly or thick crusts on the scalp. Or, the skin may appear as oily or dry skin that is covered with flaky white or yellow scales. Sometimes, the skin exhibits mild redness, as the patches may get irritated. In severe cases, cradle cap may cause a secondary infection or create a wound. One common misconception about cradle cap is that it only occurs on the scalp. Other body parts can develop this rash as well, such as on the baby’s face, behind the ears, armpits, and the diaper area. Eventually, babies outgrow cradle cap. Up to 70% of 6-month-old babies have this condition, but that number decreases to 7% for babies aged one year or older [2].
Severe Cradle Cap
In rare instances, cradle cap can become serious. If the following symptoms appear, the condition should be referred to a pediatrician:
- Affected areas become red
- Irritated patches of cradle cap
- Cradle cap spreads to other areas like the face or some other part of the body
- If the cradle cap is located on the diaper area, and diaper rash occurs
- If the cradle cap behind the ear causes a fungal ear infection
- Symptoms of thrush appear
If the cradle cap is due to fungal or yeast growth, it can lead to bacterial growth. Contact your pediatrician should any of the above symptoms develop, as a medicated regimen may be required.
The Best Shampoo For Cradle Cap
A Mild Natural Product To Treat This Condition
Cradle cap is a natural condition, so it makes sense to use a natural method to treat it. Apply a cradle cap shampoo, of course. What is cradle cap shampoo? A gentle natural cradle cap shampoo that is made with only organic ingredients. This type of shampoo is gentle on a baby’s sensitive skin. By allowing the shampoo to stay place for several minutes, the oily plaques may loosen up. Sometimes, when a patch is removed, some hair may fall off. Cradle cap may take time before it disappears. Do not scratch off the patches, a daily routine of gentle natural cradle cap shampoo on the scalp will help to remove it.
Because the oil plaques can stick to the scalp and sometimes cause irritation, it’s essential to wash your baby’s hair with organic cradle cap shampoo, as you don’t want to apply harsh chemicals to the scalp. One of the best baby shampoos recommended is MADE OF natural shampoo. This is a mild baby shampoo with ingredients made from plants. It’s an effective way of not only treating cradle cap but also keeping your baby’s skin healthy. The shampoo is organic and does not contain any harsh chemicals that can hurt your baby’s scalp or be absorbed through your baby’s skin.
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Why Choose MADE OF Baby Shampoo For Cradle Cap?
MADE OF shampoo is the perfect cradle cap shampoo. First, it contains caprylhydroxamic acid. This is a plant-based amino acid that’s derived from raw virgin coconut oil. The MADE OF uses only natural and organic ingredients instead of toxic parabens. Organic glycerin is added to the mix to boost hydration levels. Glyceryl Caprylate, made from palm or coconut oil, serves both an emulsifier and skin conditioner. Emulsifiers help substances that don’t normally mix to combine. Some soaps use harsh chemicals to perform this duty. But, MADE OF does not. Another plant-based emulsifier and surfactant that MADE OF Baby Shampoo & Body Wash contains is sodium lauroyl lactylate. This comes from milk and coconut oil. It maintains hydration and has a lightly sweet natural scent.
Sunflower oil, jojoba oil, and comfrey oil provide skin conditioning while cleansing. These oils also promote healing and curb flaking from cradle cap. As for further healing properties, MADE OF Foaming Organic Baby Shampoo also contains aloe vera. This plant has been valued for centuries for its soothing and healing properties.
What else is in MADE OF Foaming Organic Baby Shampoo & Body Wash? Decyl Glucoside provides a gentle cleaning component that won’t strip the skin of its natural oils. It’s formed from sugar or glucose polymers. It blends perfectly with glyceryl caprylate. To complete the mix, calendula extract is included to aid as an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.
What You Won’t Find in MADE OF Organic Shampoo
MADE OF organic shampoo is special not only for what it does contain but for what it does not. You will not find heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, nickel, or manganese. Also, there is no soy, nuts, soy, fungi, bacteria, or bleach.
To treat cradle cap with MADE OF body wash, massage it gently onto your baby’s scalp and hair. Rinse and gently use a soft-bristled brush to remove the oily plaques.
Treating Cradle Cap On Other Areas Besides The Scalp
Although cradle cap got its name because it most often develops on the scalp, as mentioned earlier, it can also appear on other parts of the body. If cradle cap appears on your little one’s face, it is recommended to put a bit of this product on a washcloth and gently wipe the affected area. MADE OF Baby Shampoo & Body Wash is gentle, making it the perfect organic cradle cap shampoo and body wash.
For cradle cap on the underarms, behind the ears and the diaper area, use the same cleaning method. Without rubbing off the scales, use a soft washcloth and MADE OF baby soap to loosen the oil plaques gently. Intense scrubbing can cause a rash or damage the skin. After bathing your baby, use lotion on the affected area. This will help soothe your baby provide relief from the irritation.
A Word About Removing Tough Plaques
As mentioned earlier, never pick or force off hard to remove scales or plaques. Instead, rubbing a moisturizing skin care product like MADE OF Organic Baby Lotion may relieve the baby of itchiness, irritation, as well as loosen the plaques. Follow up by washing the scalp with high-quality organic baby shampoo to help remove any loose scales. Once the plaques are removed, wash your baby’s scalp every couple days to prevent recurrences.
Fungal Infections
Sometimes, cradle cap is caused by a fungal infection. If your baby’s cradle cap does not appear to be alleviated with conventional treatment or it appears severely irritated, call your pediatrician. They may suggest antibiotic ointment, a medicated shampoo, or both. You should never try medicated remedies without your pediatrician’s approval.
New parents may have a hard time understanding why baby rashes occur. Many times it is just part of the natural process of your baby adapting to a new environment. Cradle cap is one such condition. Be patient and treat it appropriately. Call your doctor if you have any questions. One day a long time from now, you’ll forget it ever happened. Until then, MADE OF Foaming Baby Shampoo & Body Wash is the perfect gentle natural cradle cap shampoo to get you through these times.
Cradle Cap Shampoo Resources:
[1] Mayo Clinic; Cradle Cap, Dec 04, 2018.[2] Kids Health; Cradle Cap (Seborrheic Dermatitis) In Infants, Mary L. Gavin, MD, February, 2019.