My poor unphotogenic baby! (Dentinox Cradlecap Shampoo)

Member Name: sersha

Product:	Dentinox Cradlecap Shampoo
Date:	23/12/05 (631 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: works effectively, smells nice, doesn't sting if gets in eyes

Disadvantages: takes a few weeks to clear up, contains Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Leah has had mild cradle cap for quite a while, but recently I noticed it was getting worse.

What is Cradle Cap?
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Cradle cap, or seborrhoeic dermatitis, is fairly common in babies and even in young children. It is a bit like dandruff, but more visible with unsightly scaly patches on the scalp which are dry and flaky. The patches are usually yellowish in colour. It doesn't hurt the baby, but can be slightly itchy. It is thought to be caused by a build up of dead skin cells which build up rather than falling off.

Although it doesn't hurt, it does look horrible, and with a photo shoot coming up, I wanted to try and eradicate it before the big day!

Treating it
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It's very tempting when your baby is small enough just to sit and pick at their head to try and get rid of the flakes, but apart from being a bit gross, it's not very effective. I tried a baby toothbrush but to no effect.

My health visitor had suggested rubbing olive oil onto Leah's scalp, leaving it overnight and then using a comb to gently scrape it away. I tried that and it was quite effective, but I wouldn't like to do it again for two reasons - one because she just looked so oily and horrible when the oil was on her head, and I just thought it can't have been very pleasant to sleep like that, and secondly because it was quite difficult to get her to keep still while I tried to comb it out the next day, and I didn't want to distress her bu continually trying to comb her hair.

So I decided to look for an alternative method, and saw Dentinox Cradle Cap shampoo in my local tescos. It's widely available and easy to find in both chemists and supermarkets. I hadn't tried it previously as I had actually heard several people say not to bother, as it didn't work. So I was a bit dubious that it would actually have any effect at all.

I got a 125 ml bottle for £2.25 in tescos. Given that you only need to use a teaspoons worth (2-3 ml) at a time, it's a small but very long-lasting bottle! It has a flip top cap, which means spillages are less likely. (Leah likes to knock all the bottles off the edge of the bath while it is running, resulting in a few leaks when the caps haven't been screwed on properly!)

The bottle itself looks very medicated and plain, so I was half expecting it to smell rather nasty, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it smelled lovely and fresh, and when her hair was dried she smelled as gorgeous and babylike as ever! It contains rosewater, which would account for the nice smell. It is of a very thin consistency and looks like water, so it is quite easy to squirt too much into the palm of your hand.

You wet your baby's head (champagne optional for parents at bathtime!) and then massage the shampoo quite firmly into the scalp. Leah isn't bothered by this at all, but she's not very co-operative at tipping her head back to have it rinsed off. Luckily she doesn't mind being drenched, and the water does tend to run down her face. The shampoo must be very gentle when it gets into her eyes (which it always does) as she never complains. You then repeat and shampoo again.

The directions advise you to use the shampoo every night until the cradle cap clears, and then to continue to use it to prevent the condition recurring. I'd be quite happy to use this as Leah's main shampoo for the foreseeable future rather than the products I had previously been using.

The shampoo is suitable for babies right from birth (unusual for baby products, most of which aren't suitable for the newborn stage.)

Does it work?
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The shampoo was easy to use and lathered well. The very first time I used it, I noticed that Leah's scalp was vastly improved by morning. I actually felt terrible that I hadn't tried it sooner! I have continued to use the shampoo every night and after a few days the worst of the surface cradle cap had gone. About three weeks later it was completely gone and her scalp totally clear. No oiling, combing or fussing required!

Anything else I should know?
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Dentinox contains a derivative of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is found in a lot of shampoos and foaming beauty products. There has been a lot of publicity and bad press about this chemical, and if you prefer to use natural products on your baby, this understandably may not be right for you. The worst of the bad press accuses this chemical of damaging eye development, causing cataracts, building up in the heart, liver and brain and causing problems in these areas, and I've read that it is such a harsh cleanser (it is actually a detergent) that it corrodes hair follicles and hampers the ability to grow hair. Hence the popularity of "natural" baby products and shampoos which don't contain this chemical. Whether this bothers you enough to stop you using Dentinox is down to personal choice. Like any mother I'm not exactly thrilled about that, but I'm still prepared to use it as I can't see a better alternative right now.

Would I recommend it?
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Yes, definately. It obviously doesn't work quite this well for all babies, as I've heard such mixed reports about it, but it could be a case of failing to follow the instructions to the letter (shampooing twice, and using every night.) It smells nice, it's gentle on the eyes, it's good value for money - and most importantly - it really works!

Summary: An effective cradle cap treatment that is pleasant to use