Cradle Cap

[ZGT Mummy]

How do I sort out cradle cap without resorting to the ketoconazole my dr kindy gave me :eyeroll:

I've been rubbing olive oil into her scalp then just rubbing it out in the shower, but hasn't helped much so far, though only been doing it a couple of nights.

Any other tried and trues?

[Tici]

I use a cream called Vegesorb. Definetely did the trick. You can get it at helath food shops.
It's made from pure vegetable oils and plant extracts, unlike ordinary sorbolenes that are made from byproducts of petroleum.

I'd put a bit on at night and comb it out the next morning and it came out really well. Only needed to use it 5 or so times.
I've heard somewhere before not to use olive oil because it 'feeds' the cradle cap ? But I'm not sure if that's right.
I stopped using it anyway and was recommended this.

[jul511riv]

I, too, am very interested in this as both of my children had it for VERY long times!!!

[Sarah]

My daughter is 6, and still suffers from it. I use the different oils, get it all out, then next time I look it is back again, not always in the same place. It does not seem to bother her, but I too would be keen for any suggestions. I only wash her hair once a week, and only use natural shampoo and conditioners with no nasties.

[Sandra17]

My kids have got it. Doesn't seem to bother them. We had a crazy locum doctor here for a while who was obsessed with yeast overgrowths (interesting but he thought nystatin was the answer which was less convincing to me) and he reckoned cradle cap (or in older children anyway) was a sign of yeast overgrowth.

I ignore it. Hair grows over it eventually.

[magical1]

My babies had it... sort of just went with no treatment.

These days probably what I would do is mix about two drops of Lavender oil with about 2 Tablespoons of Coconut oil.... That clears up most skin ailments even in dogs. anti fungal, anti viral, soothing, anelgesic. Can't be nice to have that thick layer of scurf must be really itchy.

[TanyaL]

I think in my daughter it was a sign that her gut was out of whack. She's older now, and although I need to keep paying attention to her gut to keep it moderately happy, the cradle cap went away on its own. Does seem like coconut oil should help. I've used tea tree oil on skin fungal infections, so if it doesn't sting or anything, maybe that would help too.

[magical1]

I used to get terrible scurf (cradle cap) when I was a kid. I remember picking at it for hours... My Mum used to rub in this yellow liquid called Dr... ? anyway It would make total sense that it is a yeasty fungal thing. I was always over ridden.

[ZGT Mummy]

These days probably what I would do is mix about two drops of Lavender oil with about 2 Tablespoons of Coconut oil.... That clears up most skin ailments even in dogs. anti fungal, anti viral, soothing, anelgesic. Can't be nice to have that thick layer of scurf must be really itchy.

I'm a bit worried about using nut oils with our allergy history though.....

And I think it is really itchy for her. As well as attacking her neck which has spreading eczema she is pulling out her hair, which is very fine and easy to pull out, which indicates to me that it's itchy, poor thing.

I've just read something when looking up natural remedies for cradle cap that said:

"If your baby's skin gets red and itchy, it may be that a yeast infection has found a foothold on the irritated skin. This most often happens in places with creases—behind ears, around the face, under arms or in the folds of the neck. If you notice the rash has spread and your baby is acting uncomfortable, the pediatrician may prescribe an anti-fungal cream product to kill the yeast infection."

The skin on her neck is covered in spreading eczema that is red and itchy. I wonder if it is a yeast infection? How would I tell? She also has spreading eczema starting to pop up all over her body, thighs, behind knees, now a bit on her back and upper arms....

How do I know if it's eczema or yeast infection?

[Sandra17]

Swabs should tell you. I suspect it could feasibly be both. Broken skin due to eczema lets other infections in very easily.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Wherever yeast is a problem, that's also a sign of b vitamin deficiencies and folic acid deficiencies. Same with boils.

[ZGT Mummy]

Swabs should tell you. I suspect it could feasibly be both. Broken skin due to eczema lets other infections in very easily.

Hmm, so that means a trip to the dr then I guess, unless he'd co-operate and just do a form and give me the thingy to do the swab? Do they even let you do that?



Wherever yeast is a problem, that's also a sign of b vitamin deficiencies and folic acid deficiencies. Same with boils.

So if it was a fungal/yeast infection, would I have to give DD supplements or would I be best to take them myself - would the extra I take give her extra through my milk?

Would this be the only thing I'd have to do or would there be something topically I could do as well?

[ZGT Mummy]

Oh I've just remembered that my DS2 was sent for swabs by the immunologist to check for fungal infection so I do remember what it entails, just a bit of scraping of the skin at the lab? I think my GP would be happy just to have a lab form ready for me to pick up if I just ask for that rather than having to go see him.

One question though - would it look any different if there was a fungal issue? I've got a pretty good eye for eczema as I've looked at it on myself all my life so just wondering if fungal would change the look of it in any way?

[Sandra17]

One question though - would it look any different if there was a fungal issue? I've got a pretty good eye for eczema as I've looked at it on myself all my life so just wondering if fungal would change the look of it in any way?

Not necessarily.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

My explanation was a bit simplistic. In order to get the b-deficiencies, and folic acid deficiencies, that could be either straight nutrition, or in some people, the final tipping incident is a course of antibiotics, which napalms the already fragile gut.

My approach to anything thrush (or worms or cradle cap or eczema) is:

1) cut out the sugars, dairy and grains which you know deep down are overused. Cut out sugar period.
2) increase proteins, vegetables and fruit, which should help substitute some of the sugar cravings.

I don't get "hung up" on things like cradle cap, or anything else, because I believe that if you have the basics right, and the fundamentals all in a row... then a few nudges with things like homeopathy, or herbals is usually all your need.

These things don't usually have a magic bullet cure, becuase they are often a result of over time, gradually allowing things to slip to the point where the body gets "fractures" in it's defences. To use a bad analogy.

If we sort out the basics, a lot of these things sort themselves out as well.

The body has an inbuilt, self-servicing fix-it manual. However it won't work, if the manufacturer's specifications are ignored.

If you don't eat what you are designed to eat, the engine will malfunction, just the same way as using the wrong fuel in cars, messes up the engines.

Honestly. It is often that simple.

sometimes, it takes a while to fix it, because it took a while to create it in the first place.

[ZGT Mummy]

Well oddly enough her cradle cap has all but disappeared over night?!?!? I did the olive oil thing on Tuesday night then on Wednesday I got a baby brush and brushed loads of flakes out (looked like a white Christmas!!), forgot to do the olive oil thing on Wednesday night before her shower and then yesterday afternoon when I had a moment to check I couldn't see much in the way of flakes at all.

Hopefully now she'll stop pulling out her hair as it's thinning very rapidly!

[ZGT Mummy]

My approach to anything thrush (or worms or cradle cap or eczema) is:

1) cut out the sugars, dairy and grains which you know deep down are overused. Cut out sugar period.
2) increase proteins, vegetables and fruit, which should help substitute some of the sugar cravings.

Well I don't have any dairy at all in my diet, as for grains - do oats count as I have porridge every morning? That's it for me in the way of grains. As for sugar, well I don't really have any of that either. Had chicken marinated in molasses last night but that's about as close as I get.

I eat loads of protein (meat, legumes etc) and a reasonable amount of fruit and veges.

However, and I'm probably wrong, I've always been told that your breastmilk provides baby with all the nutrients it needs in the right quantities, and it's the mother that will go without. So that if your vit B intake is low, baby will get it all and leave mum with none. So if that's the case then B deficiency shouldn't be a problem in a breastfed baby? Unless the mum is so deficient that there is none to leach from the mother's body, but I doubt that's the case with me. Whilst my diet isn't fantastic, I wouldn't have thought it was that bad either?

This nutrition thing is really hard and I'm not even a fussy eater!

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

No, I don't think that is true. I think mother gets first, and baby last. After all, it has to be processed in your system first, and the last place it gets is the breast.

Yes, I count oats as grains. Oats are actually the worst grains for me.

Nutrition isn't really that hard, I don't think. I just eat what I want of foods that aren't processed (no grains) , and make sure that every day contains foods most colours of the rainbow.

and I don't worry about it, otherwise that just bombs your head in. :D

[TanyaL]

However, and I'm probably wrong, I've always been told that your breastmilk provides baby with all the nutrients it needs in the right quantities, and it's the mother that will go without. So that if your vit B intake is low, baby will get it all and leave mum with none. So if that's the case then B deficiency shouldn't be a problem in a breastfed baby? Unless the mum is so deficient that there is none to leach from the mother's body, but I doubt that's the case with me. Whilst my diet isn't fantastic, I wouldn't have thought it was that bad either?

This nutrition thing is really hard and I'm not even a fussy eater!

You mentioned somewhere your little one (one of them? more?) has food allergies. So things are already out of balance (says someone with kids with food allergies).

For some of us, the nutritional deficiencies are inherited. I mean, my pathetic eating certainly added to the situation, but looking back, I see similar health problems in my family for several generations, just getting worse over time. Making up the imbalances can take more work than just eating enough nutrients for today.

Also, from above, although people can be allergic to coconut (the meat or the oil or both), it's not a nut in the allergy sense. People with tree nut or peanut allergies aren't usually allergic to coconut at higher rates than people with other allergies are.