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.
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!
(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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