Right now I am looking at my little Pearlee's head full of curly locks...and ya'll she has a lot of hair! Just think, when she was 4 weeks old, she caught cradle cap something fierce! For those that don't know, cradle cap is basically baby dandruff, but it takes out the hair drastically and leaves bald patches where ever it claims havoc. My mother along with every other older black woman in my life told me to rub her head when it was damp after a wash, and then massage a handful of baby oil on her head.
Big mistake. This made her scalp and hair worse! I could visibly see the thick grayish white scales and flakes forming on her scalp. I felt so helpless ! I then searched online for different remedies. I learned that putting mineral oil (which is baby oil) and even vaseline on it can dry hair out, which it clearly did to my baby. Being a naturalista myself, I decided to try coconut oil on her hair, and it worked miracles.
My routine: I massage her scalp with a comb and rub the oil over the parts that were combed out, and this will lift any flakes that are still on her scalp. Then I give her an oatmeal bath, and finish by washing her hair with Aquaphor (Johnson & Johnson products dry her skin out too). She gets bathed 3 to 4 times a week, but I only wash her hair once a week. I put Aquaphor healing ointment on her after her bath and while her hair is still wet, I apply more coconut oil on it and then brush it out. I put coconut oil on her hair every morning and after every sponge bath.
Now, she does occasionally get the little flakes every now and then, but she still has the head full of hair she was born with.
What I learned from this experience: Go with your gut--I know my child better than anyone else right now. While veteran mommies that were giving me advice had good intentions, I still need to learn to trust my instincts. I saw the baby oil slowly thinning out Pearl's hair but I was trying to be obedient to what others were telling me. Once I stopped listening to others, it allowed me to listen to my own knowledge. I had dry skin, when I was pregnant I was constantly dehydrated; why wouldn't I expect my baby to be same way? --Message!!!
This was also a good reference for me on cradle cap as well:)
haircare for newborns
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