My baby’s head is full of yellowish oily scales

Mother of a 5month old baby was worried that her baby suffered from yellowish oily scales with redness and heat in the affected area. She had great trust in homoeopathy since her own childhood days. The baby was examined by her family homoeopathic doctor and it was diagnosed to be cradle cap. The baby was given homoeopathic medicines with home care tips. In a month’s time the dandruff disappeared and the baby was now more cheerful.

Dandruff on your baby’s scalp is not just simple dandruff but is known as cradle cap or infantile Seborrhoeic dermatitis in medical language. Cradle cap appears as large, greasy, yellow or brown scales on your baby’s scalp. The scales cause flaking and the base of the skin may look red. Hair also tends to break easily when the flakes are shedding. It is generally a harmless condition that does not usually itch or cause discomfort to the baby. It usually occurs on the scalp, but can also occur on the face, ears, neck, and nappy area or in skin folds such as the back of the knees and armpits. It occurs in babies in first 2 months and clears by the time your baby is 1 year old.

Cradle cap is not contagious and it is neither caused by poor hygiene nor due to some allergy. It does not mean that the baby is not being looked after properly nor has an infection. Overactive oil glands in the skin of newborn babies due to the mother’s hormones still being active in the baby’s circulation is the only reason for cradle cap to occur. These oil glands release a greasy substance that makes old skin cells attach to the scalp instead of falling off as they dry. Generally cradle cap clears up by itself. If your baby’s scalp is inflamed or if there is spread of the lesions to the other part of the body it is time to consult your homeopathic doctor.

Homeopathy for Babies

Many parents consider homoeopathy as a blessing to their child as well as themselves.

Using safer, natural remedies such as homeopathic medicines is very important when treating infants and young children.

Their young bodies are developing and their immune system is just beginning to integrate with other systems of the body. Hence homoeopathic medicine helps to strengthen child’s own natural defenses so that he can fight off an infection that every other child may be easily susceptible to. 

Homoeopathic medicines are natural and contain only minute amounts of active ingredients so they are very suitable for pregnant women, babies and children.

Homoeopathic remedies for cradle cap are symptom specific. So seeking help of a homoeopathic professional is always the best choice.

Homoeopathic medicines being sweet are very easy to feed it to children and they too happily consume them.

General Home Care tips:

Do not pick the flakes or remove the scales as it can cause an infection.

Apply olive oil or coconut oil or homoeopathic calendula lotion onto your baby’s scalp. It will help loosen the scales and then comb gently to remove the flakes.

Use a herbal baby shampoo to wash your baby‘s scalp to clear away any excess oil that might otherwise accumulate.

Gently brush or comb your baby’s hair daily so that it prevents accumulation of dead skin cells and recurrence of cradle cap.

Mother should consume good nutritious food when the baby is breast feeding which would help the baby’s skin to heal faster.