If you've read my previous posts on Cradle Cap, by now you should know what it is as well as what's causing it. Now it's time to talk about how to get rid of it. 

First let me be very clear: Getting rid of cradle cap can take a while!

Notice I didn't say it was difficult. At this time I'd like to establish the difference between difficult and time-consuming. YES, eliminating cradle cap, properly, efficiently and entirely can be time-consuming. It requires patience and sometimes, yes, this can be difficult. Especially when we're talking about getting rid of cradle cap.

Trust me, I understand, you want it gone now. So do I.

While the process of eliminating cradle cap is not complicated or difficult to understand, and in fact quite simple, cradle cap is serious business. I'd venture to say it's not really even hard to kill the yeast that causes it, but the sticky glue like crusts that they leave behind are a whole different story. 

Think of the aftermath of cradle cap as a scab. In the same way a scab would dry up and fall off, the crusty plaques that have formed and attached to your baby's head need to either dry up entirely and flake off on their own, or you can help them along by following these four super easy steps:

Step One

• Prepare your baby's head for treatment.
• This can be done one of two ways.
• The first way is with warm water and a washcloth.
• The object is to get the cradle cap areas softened up. 
• So you're going to let a warm wet washcloth sit on your baby's head for several minutes (5-20)
• The second way involves using warmed organic castor or jojoba oil.
• When using oil, warm bottle of oil in a tall cup of hot water and then apply to baby's head.
• Warm water or oil should remain on your baby's head for about 5-20 minutes, depending on severity of cradle cap.

Step Two

• Using water and a gentle non-drying organic soap, lather up and cover baby's head. Always keep soap out of baby's eyes!
• Let sit for about 5 more minutes.

 Step Three

• Using a soft-bristle baby brush, gently but firmly scrub away the loosened plaques, rinsing as you go. Never force off the plaques that aren't ready to fall off.
• Add more soap, rinse and scrub and repeat as needed.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• If oil was used, soap up one more time to make sure all oil is washed away, and rinse thoroughly.

Step Four

• Pat dry
• Repeat daily until cradle cap is GONE.

Notes On The Use Of Oils

• Using oils can help, but they can also make cradle cap worse if you're not careful.
• The yeast that causes cradle cap thrives on saturated fats in oils.
• What this means is if you use oil it is extremely important that it gets thoroughly washed off.
• Coconut oil is over 90% saturated fat. 
• NEVER USE COCONUT OIL in the cradle cap elimination process.
• I recommend only using castor or jojoba oil in the elimination process due to their low saturated and polyunsaturated fat contents.

Until next time-

If this article was helpful, check out the others in the series and please use the buttons down below to share with other moms! 

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What Is Cradle Cap?
What Causes Cradle Cap?
Best Cradle Cap Brush On The Market