Simple care tips for babies’ and children’s hair

In the first few months of your child’s life keep care simple and to a minimum: gently wipe the downy hair with warm water and a soft sponge and only do this once or twice a week. This is sufficient to remove dried sweat. When the hair is a little thicker you can start to use a mild baby shampoo.

This doesn’t sting the eyes and doesn’t foam too much. It is important that you don’t rub the hair too hard because the fontanel is still open and sensitive – gentle wiping is quite sufficient. Basically in the first year hardly any care is necessary.

After the birth – usually at about three weeks – many babies develop so-called “infantile seborrheic dermatitis”, “cradle cap” or “milk crust”. This term is somewhat confusing as there is also a similar form of neuro-dermatitis which occurs later in childhood. The harmless rash that newborns often have has the appearance of a yellowish or reddish crust or flakes. With time these will become detached on their own or they can be gently removed: gently rub a little olive oil or baby oil into the baby’s head and brush the head gently with a soft baby brush. If the crusting is thicker, rub the baby’s head with oil and leave it in overnight. Next morning you can try to wash it gently with the mild Mallow VOLUME SHAMPOO. Generally you have to repeat this process several times. 

The cause of the flakes, which look like burnt milk, is probably hormonal fluctuations following the birth, which lead to overactive sebaceous glands. Usually cradle cap is restricted to the scalp, it doesn’t itch and disappears on its own after a few weeks (at the latest during the first year). If the affected areas become inflamed, or spread to other parts of the body, or fever, diarrhea and vomiting start, then you should go to your pediatrician. He will be able to prescribe various products or ointments. It is important that you never try to scrape off the flakes with your fingernails. It can lead to inflammation or scarring.

Atopic dermatitis can look like cradle cap, but it is a form of eczema which can occur in children from infancy to school age. 10 to 15 percent of pre-school children in Europe suffer from this skin disorder. There are different types of dermatitis and the progression of the illness is seldom the same. Unlike infantile seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis is very itchy and babies or children can scratch until they are bleeding. Usually atopic dermatitis occurs on the outsides of the arms and legs and on the face or scalp. This skin disorder usually completely heals itself in about 60 percent of cases with children by the time they reach school age. The reasons could be genetic predisposition, stress or cigarette smoke. It is also important that a baby is breastfed for at least four months. If your baby suffers from atopic dermatitis you need to avoid high humidity and over-heating, as well as contact with wool or house dust. Keep your child’s nails short and place thin gloves over his or her hands to prevent scratching. Discuss the therapy with your pediatrician – it is the same as treating neuro-dermatitis. Often careful tending brings great relief, as the previously mentioned cleansing with olive oil.

For children in their second year, or when toddlers start to get thicker hair, you can regularly cleanse hair with the mild Mallow VOLUME SHAMPOO. Children’s skin doesn’t produce so much sebum and sweat, so it is usually sufficient to wash children’s hair once or twice a week. Put a small amount of shampoo onto the scalp. The rest of the shampoo will spread out along the length of the hair by itself. Because children’s hair is usually finer than adult hair, it requires a particularly mild treatment which doesn’t weigh hair down but still makes it shiny.

It is the old story that every parent knows: shampoo gets in a child’s eyes and the child screams. The most important thing in this case is to use the mildest shampoo available, for example Mallow VOLUME SHAMPOO. This does not sting if it gets into eyes. There is also a special umbrella-hat available from specialist shops. This works as a splash guard which you can simply put on your child’s head. It looks like a hat with a wide brim and a hole in the center. Of course this hat has to sit firmly if no soap is to get in the eyes. You could also give your little ones a funny pair of swimming goggles to wear. It looks comical and maybe then children will be inclined to dive into the bath – thus solving the problem of washing hair all by itself! 

Otherwise you could get into the bath with your little one and have a competition: who can create the best foam hairstyle? You’ll have fun, the kids are squeaky clean afterwards and world order has been restored! Maybe your child would like to go with you to the shop to select a shampoo? To sniff the various fragrances and carry the chosen one to the check-out, all the while looking forward to trying it out? Discover what works best for your child, and if your child is still determined not to wash his hair, then leave it for a couple of days. There are worst things in life...

The RAUSCH Mallow VOLUME LINE is just right for children’s hair or for adults with fine hair. Mallow VOLUME SHAMPOO strengthens hair from the first wash. Linden flower extract ensures an especially gentle cleansing. The pH value is equal to that of tears (7.3). It doesn’t sting the eyes and is therefore very well tolerated – especially by young children.

The respective gives fine hair lasting volume and silky shine. High grade extract of mallow flowers is combined with linden buds, millet and golden root. Additionally there is a light-as-a-feather Mallow VOLUME SPRAY CONDITIONER with the combined active ingredients of mallow flowers and millet. Both protect and strengthen the hair’s structure after washing. Panthenol supplies the hair with moisture and protects against hair-dryer heat. Try it and see!

is an all-rounder for almost every situation. For generations it has been THE insider’s tip per se among children for lice prevention. In particular following the holidays these undesirable visitors like to creep onto children’s scalps. However, lice don’t like the smell of willow bark extract at all, so using this shampoo regularly is a mild and effective way of keeping them at bay. But this antiseptic, natural active complex of ingredients can do so much more! We know from experience that you can pretty well get rid of cradle cap – in particular in older children – with the Willow Bark TREATMENT SHAMPOO in combination with olive oil.