Cradle cap treatment is a remedy to be used mostly for babies and infants to treat cradle cap. The condition can be quite an ugly skin infection that can plague a newborn’s scalp. It usually doesn’t hurt them nor is it contagious. However, it can be quite unsightly and alarming to anybody who has never seen it before. The good news is that it is usually a temporary condition and most times will go away on its own.
An effective cradle cap treatment doesn’t have to be complicated. Nor should it be. I completely and totally believe in natural remedies. Especially when it is a baby that is being treated for a scalp disorder, natural is the best choice even more so. If you want to get rid of your baby’s scalp problem, I highly recommend only natural ingredients.
Because of the relatively harmless nature of this condition, cradle cap treatment should be kept at minimum. It should also consist of proper shampooing and gentle removal of the scales present on your baby’s scalp. A very safe pre-cursor leading up to a treatment is to switch over to an all natural and organic shampoo. Doing this will eliminate any harmful chemicals found in some products from irritating or harming your infant’s delicate skin.
While this condition mainly affects younger children, some older children struggle with it as well, while their mothers search frantically for the best treatment available. In the US, up to one fifth of all children of school age have cradle cap, along with about one in twelve of the young teenager population.
Here is a relatively safe cradle cap treatment you may want to employ. First, apply baby oil to the affected scalp areas ten to fifteen minutes before shampooing. This will help to loosen the scales and flakes, making them easier to remove.
You should only apply this cradle cap treatment ten to fifteen minutes before shampooing. Leaving the oil on for too long might result in a thick layer of build up that could clog pores and further irritate your baby’s skin. We definitely do not want them to feel any un-necessary pain or dis-comfort. When shampooing, you may want to use a soft bristled tooth brush to assist in removing any loose patches. Remember to be gentle and use your own parental insight. It can sometimes be better to under do it instead of over doing it.
If your baby isn’t responding well to the above cradle cap treatment, it may be time to visit the family doctor. In most cases this is not necessary. Though I am a parent myself and I understand what it is like to worry about your child. Especially when they are at that age when they can’t talk yet. It would be so much more assuring if they could just tell you how they are feeling. So if you think it would be better to error on the side of caution and take them to a medical professional, then do so. Better to be safe than sorry and mis-diagnose the condition.
If you are going to utilize a cradle cap treatment, it is very important to first identify that it is in fact cradle cap that you will be treating. Cradle cap usually appears as an oily, yellow scaling of the upper layer of skin and a hard crusting on the baby’s scalp. Commonly caused by a buildup of normal naturally secreted oils from the skin itself.
The condition generally affects the scalp, head, eyebrows, and areas behind the ears. Although it can be un-nerving and unsightly to observe, remember that it is a fairly normal, harmless and noncontagious condition. It can be treated with natural and gentle methods.
If it doesn’t appear to be bothering your baby, cradle cap usually doesn’t need to be treated. In most cases, it will go away on its own by age one. It can be itchy for the baby though. So it is really up to you what you want to do about it.
