I hope that someone can help me with a dry scalp problem that my 5 month old son has. No it's not cradle cap, he has EHK. There are large scales and dry patches. The scales are located right on his "soft spot" so I'm concerned about harsh chemicals. I've tried simple baby oil as well as plain Glycerin but they only moisturize the scalp. I want the scales to come off. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Lisa

Hello Lisa,
My name is melissa i have a 15 month old daughter with EHK and have the same problem.
She still has a very large soft spot. Her scales are so thick on the top of her head that her hair is'nt coming in very good on top I sure hope it does come in I'm afraid to use anything to strong but T-cell is a shampoo her doctors gave me it does'nt seem to be working though. I know i was'nt much help but i understand where your coming from.

Hey Lisa! I have a 23 month old that I am having the same problem with. He has a head full of hair and I think that it makes it harder. It worries me that they are there. I am also wanting to find out what to do to remove them. What kinds of problems can be caused by it? Maybe we can get some good responses that will be helpful! Kristi

When I had my daughter, the hospital provided me with a flexible plastic scrub-type brush, specifically for baby's head.
It's mostly for preventing cradle cap, but it really seemed to do the job on my scales.
Has anyone tried these brushes? I know you can get them in the baby department at most stores.

I and my son both have EHK. I am 29 and my son is 20 months. On my son Daniel, we use Dermal Capasal Therpapeutic Shampoo. This is a tar based substance. We find it helpful. You have to use it everyday to remove the scales. Any one want to e mail us, please feel free. mark@dicker72.freeserve.co.uk

We recently discovered Nizoral AD. It is a dandruff type shampoo and it has helped with my CIE daughter. I have also heard that you can use it as a cleanser but I have not tried this personally.
Good luck.

This worked for my son when he was a year old and I have kept using it since. It is Sebulex Dandruff Shampoo Regular, made by Westwood Squibb. It is over the counter, but you will probably have to as the pharmasist to order it for you. This medicated shampoo made the hair washing much easier.

Hi Lisa My name is Paula and I have a son with Nethertonsydrome Ichthyosis he also had a very dry scalp. what I used was citaphil and it is a shampoo and a lotion and it works great I hoped that that helped..
Paula

This is totally natural ingredients, won't hurt baby's eyes and will soften scales so they come off. Well, at least it does for me and I have lamellar icthyosis.

Get his scalp wet, then rub peanut oil all over it. I've done it to myself several times, and either just leave it on all day if I'm going to be home, or else wear a showercap to bed. After about 8 hours of this, I just wash my hair twice to get all the oil off, and the scales come off as I wash my hair or can be very gently and easily pulled off.

If that doesn't help, repeat the process within the next two days.
Two cautions:

Some people are really allergic to peanut oil. I suspect any other nut or vegetable oil will do.

Be careful not to pull out the hair when you take off the scales.

As always, check with the dermatologist/pediatrician to make sure it won't hurt the baby.

If I did this twice a week instead of once every few months, I doubt I'd even need to use any special shampoos. I just don't sleep well with a showercap on, and don't want to feel like I can't go out in public since my hair looks like I washed it grease!

T-Gel has never really worked for me. I do use DHS shampoos and like them, I like P&S shampoo. However, except for the P&S shampoo, the scent on those heavy tar based ones burns my nostrils and eyes slightly so I'd avoid using it on a baby.

You're right about working the scales off a person can develop bald patches/thin hair as it blocks the hair from growing out. When I was a kid, my hair was really thin for that reason. I was lucky and it all grew back in when I was able to take better care of myself.

I have a two year old boy with Ichthyosis Vulgaris and he also has a very dry scalp. I tried Nizarol, T-Gel, Selsen Blue, Head and Shoulders, Mineral Oil, and Lotion. None of which worked at all. I recently found something that works and it's called Derma-Smoothe/FS scalp oil. It's a prescription Corticosteroid in a peanut oil base. I apply the oil at night and in the morning use a small comb to gently remove the scales. I use a regular baby shampoo to remove the oil. After about three treatments his scalp began to look completely normal. I use this about once a week and have had great success. The literature that comes with the box says that it is a mild formulation and that the peanut oil does most of the work, but I never had luck with oil alone. Anyway, I hope that this helps.

-Brandy