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“It looks like your daughter has a bit of cradle cap or even seborrheic dermatitis. Just pick up some Selsun Blue and wash her hair with it a few times a week.” This is what I heard my doctor tell me after I had her look at my daughter’s scalp.
My daughter has always had a bit of cradle cap but that’s never bothered us much. However, she recently started developing some stronger, dryer patches and I knew we needed to finally do something.
Sadly my daughter was just the tipping point as my two sons have what is apparently seborrheic dermatitis as well.
Now my doctor recommended Selsun Blue. In the past, I’ve also been recommended Head and Shoulders and other various scalp/dandruff shampoos. However, I’m not a fan of using these products.
These scalp remedies rank anywhere form medium to high toxicity ratings on Skin Deep the EWG’s Cosmetic Database. I don’t like using even conventional hair products on my children let alone one that is so powerful like these remedies.
Therefore, I went off to search for a natural alternative.
It all came back to a few of my most used and loved products: coconut oil, tea tree essential oil, and rosemary essential oil.
I had heard these products recommended individually for scalp issues but I wanted to get this done and over with so I did what any crunchy person would do; I combined them all.
All three of these ingredients are safe for children so there’s no concern there. This method can get messy and is a bit more time consuming then just doing a shampoo in the bath.
However, when you think about how many toxins you avoid with this home remedy, it’s well worth it. Not to mention, it actually works!
When I first tried this out, I used it on my daughter and my second son. As I mentioned, my daughter had mostly cradle cap with one seborrheic dermatitis patch.
My son however had pretty much a head full of seborrheic dermatitis and it was bad. I had tried just plain coconut oil on him before and while it helped it didn’t do the full job.
After the first application, my daughter’s scalp was almost perfect and my son’s was drastically better. I went on to do a few more applications and now their scalps are perfect.
My daughter took a total of two applications whereas my son took three. My other son took two as his wasn’t too bad either.
This remedy isn’t just for children by the way. It can most definitely be used on adults as well.
I would imagine it can help get rid off cradle cap, seborrheic dermatitis, and dandruff. There are probably other scalp issues it could help with as well, I’ve just not tried this on anything else.
Dry Scalp Remedy
1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil (leave out for kids)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients into a bowl. Slowly apply to scalp.
I use a spoon to slowly pour onto the scalp and then massage it in. A peri bottle works great for applying as well!
Work section by section so that you cover the scalp completely. This is messy work so make sure to do it in the bathroom. When you’ve finished applying the oil to the scalp, wrap up hair if needed and cover head with a hat, beanie, cap, etc. Covering the head will not only help keep the oil warm and working but it will also keep the oil from getting on everything else in the house.
Keep the oil on for 2-3 hours. When the time is up, rinse the oil out with shampoo.
You may need to do a second shampoo to help remove all the oil.
You may need to repeat this process depending on your scalp issues.
You may save any excess oil to use for later applications.
Notes: Keep the oil out of eyes. Process takes a few hours so plan accordingly.
Even with a few shampoos, you may still have greasy looking hair.
Usually a shampoo on the following day will return hair to normal.
Love this recipe. My son suffers from dry scalp. I have all these ingredients and can’t wait to try it.
I love coconut oil! It does everything!
I’ve had Seborrheic Dermatitis for almost 3 years (on my scalp) and nothing has helped. How often should I use this remedy?
It’s hard to say. For my kids, it seems like we have to do it every 6 months or so. I’d probably just try it out and use when you find it necessary again. You can’t really over do it although it can make hair greasy so you probably don’t want to have to deal with that on a weekly basis.
You might want to note not to rinse coconut oil down the drain since it solidifies when cool and can clog your pipes. I rinse in portable washtub and throw it outside. The lawn doesn’t care.
That’s a good point. You could also let it solidify and toss in the trash.