The crusty, scaly, greasy marks that occur on skin of your baby after two to three months of her birth are known as cradle cap. Otherwise known as seborrheic dermatitis, it does not cause any harm to the baby. It is not itchy nor does it irritate the baby. The main problem with the skin condition is that the affected area looks ugly and in some cases, it spreads to other parts of the body.

Whatever may be the problems with cradle cap, it can be kept well within control if it is managed properly. There is a number of ways to manage the disease. Along with the commercial ointments, there are natural means of managing it. A few drops of mild shampoo can be mixed with some water and used to wash the affected area. There is no strict rule as to the proportion of the water and the shampoo.

However, there is broad disagreement concerning the use of shampoos. While some sources warn against frequent shampooing, others recommend it happily. The problem is that mild baby shampoo is often recommended for managing cradle cap, while it is never specified what is actually meant by "mild". Baby shampoos can be the best option; but then again, these shampoos often contain detergent surfactants, perfumes, quaternium-15 and other eczemagenic irritants.

There is some or the other disagreements regarding all the natural or homely remedies of treating cradle cap. Oils, petroleum jelly, paste of natural herbs are all recommended. But there remains a lacking in the research method. Either no research is made on this or whatever is made is inadequate. Hence, it is better to use the commercial lotions that are made especially for the purpose. They are made by companies that have experts associated with them. So, the lotions work well in managing cradle cap.