Home Remedy to Treat Cradle Cap

As a new parent, you may be alarmed to find large, yellow, scale-like flakes on your baby's head. You are seeing cradle cap, and you are not alone. Cradle cap in a common condition in newborns. You can control this benign condition with a variety of home remedies.

Apply Shampoo

• One approach to treating cradle cap is to use warm water and a gentle shampoo to frequently wash your baby's scalp and face. This will help relieve the build up of oil that causes cradle cap. Massage her scalp as well and use a soft brush to brush away the flakes. Do this for several days until you notice less of a build-up.

Massage in Oil

• Though it seems odd that adding oil to an oily condition would help, massaging olive oil or tea tree oil into your baby's scalp will also help remedy his cradle cap. Leaving the oil on for several minutes will help soften the scales caused by cradle cap, and then you can use a soft brush to remove the scales. Do not force the scales off with vigorous brushing or a comb--this can cause bleeding and injury to your baby's scalp. Use a gentle shampoo to wash the oil out of your baby's hair.

Do Nothing

• You can choose to do nothing about your baby's cradle cap. Your baby's overactive oil glands in the skin of his scalp will eventually regulate themselves, and his cradle cap will probably clear up by the time he is one year old. It is unusual for cradle cap to last into your baby's toddler years. Though cradle cap is unattractive, it is completely harmless.