Hair Care For Children

Children’s Hair Problems:
Cradle Cap: Many babies suffer from a sort of dandruff which is known as cradle cap. It is also known as honeycomb disease. It is quite common among babies and it appears as patches or flakes of yellowish crusty skin. It is like a rash. Sometimes it spreads to the parts of the body. It is a skin disorder that appears when the child is three months old. The most common way to remove cradle cap from a child’s scalp is by using a mild shampoo. This is done by gently rubbing or brushing the baby’s scalp so that the flakes fall off. At the most, it should be treated twice a week. As shampoo has chemical content, excess use of it will dry out the baby’s skin. If the flakes are firmly attached to the scalp of the baby’s head, then it can be loosened by rubbing olive oil or almond oil for about fifteen minutes. This results in the flakes to be loosened, then it can be brushed off using a soft brush or cloth. Then the hair needs to be washed with shampoo. It is also treatable with cortisone cream. Other natural remedies are tree tea oil.

Hair lice: Hair lice is very common amongst children and it can appear in a child’s hair from the age of three. It is not dangerous but highly contagious and they multiply very fast and easily. Children mostly get lice in school and then from the child it goes to the mother and can travel to the hair of the rest of the family members. They itch a lot and irritate the scalp. It is very frustrating to have head lice. It is best to use an anti-lice shampoo to wash your child’s hair at night everyday and it is available at any drug store. Then use a fine tooth comb to remove all the lice and nits, which are the eggs of the lice, from the hair. For home remedies, tea tree oil can be used. First you dip the fine tooth comb in the oil and run it through the hair to remove all the eggs. You can also put few drops to the scalp and leave it. Add a few drops to the shampoo and wash the hair daily till the lice disappear. To avoid hair lice, if hair is kept short, it is best. To treat long hair with lice, the effort you have to put in is tremendous.

Ingredients That You Should Avoid:
There are some chemical ingredients that you might want to be aware of and avoid:
1. Fragrance: This is an added perk but it is irritating for the eyes and skin and is not a genuine source of ingredient. Natural essential oils are added to the product but if fragrance is stated, then it is better to avoid using that product.
2. Quaternium-15: This is highly toxic, causing cancer, causing allergy and have effects on the immune system. On the whole it has many disadvantages and it is present in the popular Johnson Baby products.
3. Peg-80: It is toxic to the organs and it is highly contaminated ingredient.
4. D&C Red 33: Artificial colour also increases cancer risk.

You have to find out what works for your child, but the true test is how they feel when you use those products and remedies on them. You have to collect hints and ideas to see what works best on your child’s hair.