What Ingredients Should You Want in a Cradle Cap Shampoo?

Congratulations! You have a beautiful baby in your home or perhaps your sister just had a baby or your second grandson was just born.

Many concerns are swirling around, are all these hiccups normal? Why does my child sleep during the day but not at night? By 3 to 4 weeks of age, some of these concerns have tapered, but new ones have probably emerged. The newest addition to the family may now have red dots on her face (neonatal acne) and perhaps has developed thick scales on the scalp (cradle cap)

What is Cradle Cap?

Simply put–cradle cap is flakes and scales on the head. A more detailed explanation is that around 3 to 5 weeks of age you may notice flakes beginning to accumulate on the eyebrows and scalp and you may see pink moist skin in the folds of the groin or in the armpits. Many kids by 2-3 months-old have full-on thick, yellow, greasy scales on their scalp—many times on their soft spot (fontanelle). 

These flakes and scales are commonly called “cradle cap.” When there is also redness in the armpits, neck folds, groin, and behind the ear you will hear doctors refer to this as seborrheic dermatitis.

Cradle cap is caused when the sebaceous glands on the baby’s skin start producing excess sebum. One reason for this is because of the recent hormonal changes in the baby’s body after birth. This excess sebum becomes a feast for a fungus that is naturally present on our skin known as Malassezia yeast. 

The yeast feeds on the sebum and starts growing faster. The overgrowth then disrupts the scalp’s microbiome and leads to inflammation, flaking, and scaling. 

Cradle Cap Treatment

The scales may not bother you but you may wonder if there is a way to get rid of them. Yes, there is. The best way to get rid of cradle cap is to use a medicated cradle cap shampoo daily, or 2 to 3 times a week to wash the baby’s scalp and skin. 

While searching for a cradle cap shampoo for your baby many questions may arise in your head, like which shampoo will be safe for the baby? Can you use adult seborrheic dermatitis shampoo for babies? What ingredients do you want in a cradle cap shampoo? Is there a shampoo that also doubles as a body wash for cradle cap relief? 

You may have also heard about home remedies for cradle cap. Many people use oils, such as mineral oil, olive oil, coconut oil, or petroleum jelly to loosen these scales. Using these products can occasionally help soften the scales but they can be messy, and they do not get to the root of the problem. Also leaving any type of oil on the baby’s scalp can worsen the condition as Malassezia yeast thrives on oils. 

You can also use a cradle cap brush while shampooing your baby’s scalp to gently remove the loose scales. 

What Ingredients to Look for in a Cradle Cap Shampoo?

Now we know that cradle cap is caused by Malassezia yeast, and controlling its growth with the help of medicated shampoo can help soothe the symptoms of cradle cap. This leads us now to what ingredients should you want in a cradle cap shampoo.

A few active ingredients that you must look for in a shampoo that can help manage cradle cap are:

• Zinc pyrithione
• Selenium sulfide
• Ketoconazole

Your pediatrician can share their preference of active ingredient with you.  A few other things that you must look for in the shampoo are:

Sulfate-Free 

First, it should be sulfate-free. Sulfates are harsh chemicals that can cause excessive skin dryness. One of the most common ingredients in a shampoo, these are the part of a shampoo that makes a shampoo bubble.

They are technically called surfactants. Two extremely common ones are called SLS and SLES. The way these ingredients cause dryness is by stripping away natural oils from the skin and make it excessively dry..

Paraben-Free

Second, it should be paraben-free. The preservative parabens can sometimes cause problems, especially for a baby’s delicate skin. Some people have sensitivity to this ingredient and it can cause skin irritation.

Also, some research has shown that it can affect the baby’s development hormones. 

Dye and Fragrance-Free

Third, artificial fragrances and color are other common irritants. Sometimes even natural fragrances can cause allergic reactions and irritation on the baby’s scalp. Synthetic dyes are always a big no for any baby products. Get a shampoo that is fragrance-free and dye-free. 

Clinically Tested

Fourth, make sure your cradle cap shampoo and body wash have been clinically tested and dermatologist-tested on humans. This ensures that it is safe to be used on the baby’s sensitive skin. 

Soothing Ingredients

Fourth, you should look for ingredients that are natural and skin-soothing such as glycerin, apple fruit extract, and Provitamin B5, or a natural redness-soothing ingredient licorice root extract.

Happy Cappy Medicated Shampoo for Cradle Cap

Previously adult dandruff shampoos were often prescribed to manage cradle cap in babies. But the chemicals in these were strong and harsh on the baby’s delicate skin. However, now there are various options available.

But the truth is some of these shampoos still contain skin-irritating chemicals like fragrances, dyes, or sulfate in lower quantities. This is why Dr. Eddie an expert pediatrician formulated a medicated shampoo for babies that is free from skin-irritating chemicals.

Happy Cappy Medicated Shampoo and Body Wash contains pyrithione zinc as an active ingredient, which is known as one of the most effective ingredients in reducing the symptoms of flaking and scaling on the scalp and skin associated with seborrheic dermatitis (a.k.a. cradle cap). 

It is recommended by pediatricians nationwide and is known as the best seborrheic dermatitis shampoo for babies by VeryWell Health magazine in 2024. So if you are searching for an effective, skin-friendly cradle cap shampoo then try the Happy Cappy Cradle Cap Bundle, which contains a medicated shampoo and a cradle cap brush. 

Key Takeaways

• Cradle cap is a skin condition in babies that can cause flaking, scaling, inflammation, irritation on the scalp, and redness on other parts of the body.
• It is caused by to overgrowth of Malassezia yeast on scalp that is triggered by the overproduction of sebum and hormonal changes in the baby’s body.
• Cradle cap can be easily managed with the help of a medicated cradle cap shampoo.
• A few necessary things to look for in a cradle cap shampoo are that it is fragrance-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free, dye-free, contains natural skin soothing ingredients, and pyrithione zinc. 

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Dr. Eddie Valenzuela

Dr. Eddie Valenzuela is an award winning pediatrician and the founder and CEO of Pediatric Solutions, LLC.

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