Parents are usually worried when a peculiar crust appears on their child’s head. Mom can notice such a small growth even in the hospital. In some babies, these crusts remain for up to a year, and although they do not cause any inconvenience to the babies themselves, parents still strive to get rid of dubious growths. That is why all mothers should arm themselves with information about what the crusts on the heads of babies are, whether they are harmful and how to remove them.
Causes of crusts
In infants, the appearance of crusts is a very common phenomenon. Perhaps every second baby has seborrheic crusts, regardless of whether there are hairs on the head or not. The name “seborrheic crusts” in this case is conditional, since outwardly these crusts resemble the symptoms of seborrhea. True, unlike real seborrheic crusts, infant crusts have nothing to do with the disease. In babies, the formation of crusts on the skin is a natural process, the root of which is the smooth functioning of the sebaceous and sweat glands. Some babies have dense yellow crusts, others are thin whitesimilar to sticky dandruff. This is an individual feature, but in its origin it is one and the same phenomenon.
Despite the fact that crusting is a natural process, some actions of parents can enhance their growth:
- Overheating. Kids who are wrapped even in warmth and put on a hat, sweat more. From this, crusts are formed more actively.
- Frequent shampooing. The skin of the baby does not yet have reliable protection, so frequent shampooing with shampoo or soap only exacerbates the situation.
- Use of inappropriate household chemicals. Shampoos and washing gels containing dyes, perfumes and other “chemicals” are not suitable for babies. In children, such allergies often cause an allergy, which enhances the formation of seborrheic crusts.
Scale of disaster
The crusts on the baby’s head are completely harmless. Its only negative is aesthetic. Sometimes you can find the opinion that these crusts interfere with hair growth. This is just another misconception. Nevertheless, most mothers prefer to remove growths, because if you do not do this, they themselves do not pass long enough. (See the article on why does a child have poor hair growth)
How to remove
The most effective way to remove crusts is by mechanical removal. This must be done according to a certain technique. Do not scrape them with your fingernail or sharp object. - it can injure delicate skin. It is also impossible to remove the crusts without soaking them first.
To eliminate the crusts from the baby’s head, you will need cosmetic or sterile vegetable oil (you can use Vaseline oil), a thin cap, shampoo and comb with natural bristles.
- The areas of the scalp on which the crusts appeared should be generously greased with oil and held for 20-30 minutes. For better softening, you can put a thin knitted cap on the head.
- When the set time for “oiling” is over, you need to carefully remove the crusts with a comb, making movements in different directions.
- Oil from the head and hairs is washed off with baby shampoo. During shampooing, areas with crusts can be further massaged with your fingers.
- After bathing, when there is no oil or shampoo left on the head, you can once again “walk” with a comb to remove the separated residues.
Repeat this procedure, as well as washing the baby in general, no more than 2 times a week.
Video: How and with what to remove seborrheic crust
(Memo. Clickable)
About shampoo from crusts
Instead of the “oil treatment”, you can use a special shampoo from crusts. Not all manufacturers have such funds. In the matter of choosing shampoo, you can trust the recommendations of mothers in online communities and reviews of friends. Shampoo, of course, will not save you from combing. In the fight against crusts, shampoo replaces oil, because it contains softening components. Unlike oil, it needs to be foamed on the head and rinsed off after 2-3 minutes, and after rinsing, proceed to comb out exfoliated crusts. The effectiveness of this method is difficult to evaluate objectively. Apparently, personal characteristics play a large role, because one shampoo helps for several applications, and the other does not help for months.
Video No. 2:
Prevention of appearance
Preventive actions if they do not completely relieve parents of the problem of crusts on the baby’s head, then at least reduce their spread.
- Do not overheat the baby. Always take off your hat in a warm room. At home, too, it is not always advisable for a newborn to be in a hat.
- Keep your air humidity at the right level.
- Without fanaticism, take a baby wash your hair. You can wash with a detergent 1-2 times a week.
- Carefully select household chemicals for crumbs, so as not to provoke allergies and dermatitis.
- Use a comb daily, even if there is nothing special to comb. Massage with a natural bristle comb is a good prevention of crusting.
The seborrheic crusts on the crumb's head are not as serious a problem as mothers may think. If the crusts cannot be removed in any way, you can consult a specialist, but in most cases this trouble does not require medical intervention and serious measures.
Read on the topic of care:
- How and how to wash your baby’s head: 8 simple but important tips for parents
- Why does the child have flaky skin on the head and body
- Skin care
- Newborn hygiene
In childhood, too, there were such crusts, only not as huge as in the first picture, or I just didn’t bring it to that. Usually after bathing they soften and are easily combed out with a brush with natural bristles.
My baby had this, but I did not panic, because according to the stories of my parents, I had a similar problem and I already knew how to deal with it. I didn’t soften the oil, but simply after each bath I combed it out with a natural pile brush. In any case, with your child, the most important thing in the life of any mother is to never panic, and the problem can always be solved.
The crusts on the head of the baby are associated with hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands. Sooner or later they pass by themselves. These small growths worry parents more, and kids do not interfere at all.
Yellow crusts on the baby’s head prevent hair from growing? The best way to get rid of them is your attentive and gentle care for baby skin.
In the first months, the baby may have a “lullaby hat” - yellowish or white crusts on the head. By the second year, they gradually pass. The main reason for their occurrence is increased secretion of the sebaceous glands.
Everything is simple with us: while bathing, I massage for a minute and a half with a children's mitten for bathing, once or twice a week with baby bath gel, everything is perfectly cleansed. True Japanese mittens, and I add something to the water, herbs, malavit. And oil and combs is just a kid to torture in my opinion. Although probably everyone has different ways.