Poor Noemi, under all those beautiful, shaggy locks of hair, she had cradle cap. Each of my babies had it, actually. But they've also all had a lot of hair, so it's always covered up. It bothers them, though. Noemi's head was itchy.
Cradle cap isn't anything really to worry about, it'll go away on its own. But if you're tired of it, and have some extra time on your hands, you can pretty easily get rid of it.
I slather coconut oil on the baby's head. When they have a lot of hair, it's kind of hard to get the oil down to the scalp so I just keep applying more and more and rubbing it in. It melts pretty easily in your hands, although you could warm it on the stove if you needed to.
She looks like a mobster baby.
Then I just start brushing the hair with a soft bristle brush
. I'll take breaks so that the oil can work its magic a little deeper. That way the baby doesn't get too irritated too. We brush for a bit and wait for a bit. Sometimes I'll add a bit more oil too.
It is incredibly hard to get a picture of a baby's head. Just so you know! But you can see the cradle cap has moved out to the hair now. It takes brushing and a bit of rubbing with the brush. It's a bit like brushing teeth, to give you an idea of the motion. But it doesn't have to be rough, or hurt the baby. Their scalp will start turning pink, but that's when I give it a break.
After you've finished, just wash the baby's head in warm water. I held Noemi on her back so her hair could stay under the water for a bit. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees, so if the water is that warm it'll run right out. And a little shampoo will get the rest out.
I really need to do another application to get the very top of her head, but all the cradle cap around her hairline is gone, and it doesn't come back. Now we have a less itchy headed, happy girl!
One more of the miraculous uses of coconut oil! (We get ours HERE!) I have several other posts featuring coconut oil (from biscuits to thrush to hash browns), but if you'd like to check out some more natural parenting posts, check out my take on cloth diapering, understanding fertility, and simplifying kids' clothes.
Cradle cap isn't anything really to worry about, it'll go away on its own. But if you're tired of it, and have some extra time on your hands, you can pretty easily get rid of it.
I slather coconut oil on the baby's head. When they have a lot of hair, it's kind of hard to get the oil down to the scalp so I just keep applying more and more and rubbing it in. It melts pretty easily in your hands, although you could warm it on the stove if you needed to.
Then I just start brushing the hair with a soft bristle brush
. I'll take breaks so that the oil can work its magic a little deeper. That way the baby doesn't get too irritated too. We brush for a bit and wait for a bit. Sometimes I'll add a bit more oil too.
It is incredibly hard to get a picture of a baby's head. Just so you know! But you can see the cradle cap has moved out to the hair now. It takes brushing and a bit of rubbing with the brush. It's a bit like brushing teeth, to give you an idea of the motion. But it doesn't have to be rough, or hurt the baby. Their scalp will start turning pink, but that's when I give it a break.
After you've finished, just wash the baby's head in warm water. I held Noemi on her back so her hair could stay under the water for a bit. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees, so if the water is that warm it'll run right out. And a little shampoo will get the rest out.
I really need to do another application to get the very top of her head, but all the cradle cap around her hairline is gone, and it doesn't come back. Now we have a less itchy headed, happy girl!
One more of the miraculous uses of coconut oil! (We get ours HERE!) I have several other posts featuring coconut oil (from biscuits to thrush to hash browns), but if you'd like to check out some more natural parenting posts, check out my take on cloth diapering, understanding fertility, and simplifying kids' clothes.
I used to do this with baby oil, but I'd worry less about coconut oil. Thanks for posting. Hello from Homemaking Linkup.
ReplyDeleteI have used this on my grandchildren before and it works like a charm. Thanks for adding it to this week's Our Simple Homestead Hop!
ReplyDeletehttp://oursimplelife-sc.com/our-simple-homestead-blog-hop-2/
Love that smile in the last pic :)
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop
Great idea, thanks for sharing. I'm saving this for when I finally get to have my children.
ReplyDeleteThis is so good to know! We have a baby due in 3-4 weeks so I am taking note!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is one more wonderful thing about coconut oil! Thank you for sharing on the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week! Enjoy your summer :)
ReplyDeleteGood idea... we love coconut oil, but hadn't started using it yet when the kids were babies... we could have used it then. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet little subject for your post! Coconut oil is great for many things besides making soap and popcorn. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been doing this exact method for a few weeks now and my daughter's cradle cap is still no better. Not sure why.
ReplyDeleteHmm...is it coming back after you get the flakes out? Maybe you could try some olive oil, which is more moisturizing. But some babies do have a reaction to olive oil on their skin, so you'll have to watch that.
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