Get rid of your baby’s cradle cap with this all natural, non-toxic cradle cap remedy

May 16, 2013 by
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All Natural, Non-Toxic Cradle Cap Remedy

If you’ve ever had to deal with cradle cap then you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say. “Ugh!”. And, if you’ve ever tried to find an non-toxic cradle cap remedy that really works you might give a double “Ugh!”

All three of our boys had cradle cap.  Our first two had it so bad that became a thick crust on top of their heads.  We used all sorts of remedies that I felt really nervous about putting on my baby’s skin: anti-dandruff shampoo, athlete’s foot cream, and several other OTC anti-fungal creams.  My wonderful mother-in-law had a cradle cap remedy she used on my younger boys.  Eventually it worked, but I never felt good about putting those things on my baby’s skin.

What is cradle cap?

Though no one really knows for sure what causes cradle cap, one of the two leading hypothesis is that cradle cap, the infant form of seborrhoeic dermatitis, is a fungal infection. Thankfully, before the birth of our newest little one I found out about a completely natural, very effective, and non-toxic cradle cap remedy.

Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Why does it work?

 Grapefruit Seed extract is a natural anti-fungal (and an anti-bacterial).  I originally bought a bottle of Grapefruit Seed Extract* (GSE or GFSE as you’ll see it occasionally) to help get rid of my son’s yeast diaper rash.  *This is an affiliate link. If you decide to give the GSE a go feel free to purchase through this link or wherever you can find the best deal.

Effective, Non-toxic Cradle Cap Remedy

How I use it:

  • Never use this full strength–it has the potential to irritate skin.
  • When possible begin using at the first sign of cradle cap.
  • During Baby’s bath time (that’s every other day for us) squirt a small amount of baby shampoo in your hand and then add 10-12 drops of GSE to the shampoo and mix together.  Apply to baby’s head and rub it in, giving Baby a nice head massage.  Let sit for 2 minutes.
  • Take care not to get this in the baby’s eyes.  My Little Guy has cradle cap in his eyebrows and on his eyelids as well.  I very carefully rub just a little bit of the shampoo GSE mix into his eyebrows with a wash cloth.  I do not treat his eyelids.  As I’ve been treating his head and eyebrows his eyelids haven’t gotten any worse. and I’m hopeful that the stuff on his eyelids will just go away eventually.
  • If your baby’s cradle cap is more severe you’ll want to treat the head every day.
  • Baby Brother has now been totally cradle cap free for several weeks!

All natural, effective, and non-toxic Cradle Cap remedy

(Alternately, you can use 12 drops of grapefruit seed extract mixed with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Massage into baby’s scalp and then wash out.)

And did you know that this same method with grapefruit seed extract also works well on adult dandruff.  I keep a bottle in my shower for that very purpose. 😉

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Filed Under: babies, Featured, Healthy Living
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom

Amy is mom to three, wife to one, and a sister and aunt to many. Her family is a former military family now settled in Lehi, Utah. Oh So Savvy Mom began as a way for Amy to share parenting and product advice with others. Just as she has evolved, Oh So Savvy Mom has evolved into a resource for Healthy Living for Families, Food, Parenting, and Family Travel.

Comments

  1. Michelle says
    May 16, 2013 at 1:18 pm
    I agree about being super cautious with baby's skin, it's super absorbent and delicate! We used coconut oil and it worked wonders. I use gfs extract for cleaning but haven't use it medicinally yet...
    • Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom says
      May 16, 2013 at 1:40 pm
      I'll bet the coconut oil is wonderful. Probably leaves baby's hair and scalp nice and soft too. When my middle son was a baby we used coconut oil for his diaper rashes. Unfortunately, Baby brother is actually allergic to coconut--crazy, I know--so the GSE was a good option for us.
  2. Annie says
    May 16, 2013 at 4:29 pm
    That is wonderful!! All three of my kids had cradle cap and I never found anything that didn't irritate their skin. I'm passing this along to my friends, thanks!!
  3. Leslie Russell says
    May 16, 2013 at 5:33 pm
    I'm willing to give this a shot, both for my daughter's cradle cap and my dandruff! Thanks!
  4. Chris says
    May 16, 2013 at 6:27 pm
    We use that same brand grapefruit seed extract. I have some in my cabinet right now.
  5. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
    May 16, 2013 at 8:24 pm
    I had forgotten all about that newborn nuisance. Great advice for new moms!
  6. Cecile says
    May 24, 2013 at 10:44 am
    What a great idea! Passing it on to all the mother's of babies that I know
  7. Tabitha Teeter says
    February 7, 2014 at 12:46 pm
    I'm going to try this. I had two posterior births and they had cradle cap in the same spot. My son was vacuum extracted and only got it behind the ears. Last baby was anterior and her patch has been toward the front. I have been struggling with candida since baby 4 and actually found your article with a "cradle cap grapefruit seed extract" search bc of a hunch that yeast/fungi are involved. I've been taking GSE in gel caps to keep things under control.
  8. Stephanie says
    June 23, 2014 at 7:45 am
    cute pictures! i never heard of this brand! sounds good
  9. alicia k says
    June 24, 2014 at 8:21 am
    i like how this is safe on the baby's skin. so delicate at that age
  10. shelly peterson says
    June 26, 2014 at 2:32 pm
    I dealt with cradle cap with my kids. This is good information to know and will be passing it on to others.
  11. Nicole Dz says
    August 23, 2014 at 12:46 am
    I did not know that Grapefruit Seed extract is a natural anti-fungal. This stuff looks pretty amazing. Going to have to try it out.
  12. Aimee says
    January 4, 2015 at 7:02 pm
    We used coconut oil and it worked so well! I am amazed by how much you can do with coconut oil!
  13. Melissa says
    February 26, 2016 at 8:08 pm
    I can't wait to try this tomorrow on my daughter, Calista. My husband and I religiously use grapefruit seed extract when we are sick. We mix it with water for gargling when we feel sore throats coming on I never thought to use it for cradle cap. It is extremely potent stuff, so I may start with just a few drops.
  14. Bree says
    July 8, 2016 at 8:05 pm
    As a first time mom, I had no idea on how to address cradle cap. I agree that using traditional anti-fungal creams on my 4 month-olds hair didn't sound very appealing. Amy recommended this post and off to Sprouts I headed. I've been using grapefruit seed extract as instructed mixed in with his normal shampoo during every other day baths for the last week and a half. The results are fantastic! It's gone from a fairly severe case of cradle cap to barely visible. Thank you so much for a safe alternative that I can feel good about!