Parents want to do what’s best for their baby. We want to make sure they’re comfortable, fed, warm and loved…and would do anything to keep them that way! That’s why we’re meticulous at selecting the best products to use on our little ones, including the best baby shampoo.

With so many types of shampoos, it can be hard to know where to begin – do they need a built-in conditioner? What’s the best cradle cap shampoo? What ingredients go into a baby shampoo? What do I choose if my baby has dry skin?

We’ve collected the most pressing questions from our own customers and from around the web to put together the simplest guide to help you decide what’s best for your baby and their little locks (or lack-of!).

Do babies need shampoo?

Using a shampoo, even if your little one doesn’t have much hair, is a good way to keep their scalp clean and healthy. Depending on the ingredients, it can also help keep cradle cap and flakiness at bay. We don’t recommend using any skincare products for infants under 3 months old. It takes a few weeks after birth for the skin to develop its naturally protective barrier and skincare could cause a reaction.

Do babies need conditioner?

The purpose of conditioner is to help improve the appearance and manageability of the hair and because babies tend not to have very much, it’s really not necessary. A healthy shampoowith nutrient-dense ingredients will work just as well. 

Baby shampoo ingredients

One of the most important questions to ask (in our opinion!) is around the ingredients in a baby shampoo. Although almost every shampoo targeted at babies is marketed as gentle and harmless, many products out there still contain harsh, synthetic ingredients that aren’t guaranteed to be safe.

We would avoid ingredients such as:

- PEGs– PEGs can come under different names (eg. PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, PEG-150 Distearate). There are concerns that, because of the manufacturing process, PEGs can be contaminated with known carcinogens, such as ethylene oxide.

- Parfum – We never like it when we see the phrase ‘Parfum’ or ‘Fragrance’ on an ingredients list. It’s rather deceptive, as these simple terms are usually the umbrella term for up to 200 different ingredients not listed. The EWGreports fragrance as an allergen and can cause skin allergies in children.

- Sulphates - Sulphates are commonly found in conventional shampoos and thankfully, less so in baby shampoos because they can be so harsh! However, if you do come across a baby shampoo that includes sulphates of any kind, we would avoid it. Sulphates are often used in scientific experiments to induce irritation and are linked to skin allergies. Find out more about sulphate free shampoo here.

We would recommend to look for a truly gentle shampoo, which we think can be achieved by choosing organic, natural ingredients – this eliminates any harsh, synthetic chemicals or pesticide residues lurking in the bottle. To ensure the shampoo is really organic, make sure it has been independently certified organic (there are lot’s of companies out there who try to create the impression they’re officially ‘natural’/’organic’ when they’ve certified themselves!). Bodies such as The Soil Association or Ecocert can give independent certification and are easy to look out for.

What about essential oils?

Essential oils must be used with caution if you’re using them straight out the bottle on your baby. They should be used under specific guidelines – for example, they must not be used on babies younger than 3 months old and when they are used within the right guidelines and quantities - and should always be diluted with carrier oil. We recommend consulting an aromatherapist for the best advice on this.

Thankfully, our baby products have been formulated under the watchful eye of a very experienced aromatherapist and co-founder of the company!

Our baby shampoo contains chamomile & lavandin essential oil. Chamomile essential oil is excellent for the skin, aiding in wound healing, easing skin conditions such as eczema and rashes and calming inflammation.
Lavandin also has skin-soothing properties along with calming and relaxing benefits, perfect to smell before bedtime!

Which baby shampoo is the safest?

We believe the safest baby shampoo is one that doesn’t contain any harsh, synthetic chemicals or toxins, is certified organic and doesn’t contain any common allergens.

Most conventional baby shampoo contains synthetic ingredients, which really aren’t necessary for the performance of the shampoo. Nature provides gentler ingredients that work in harmony with skin to cleanse and nourish at the same time – something you won’t find with traditional shampoo.

Aloe vera & baby shampoo

One of our favourite ingredients for babies is aloe vera juice. It is utterly gentle and has lots of qualities to benefit from – wound healing, inflammation, rich in antioxidants, antifungal to name a few!

What is the best cradle cap shampoo?

Cradle cap is an unpleasant condition where your little one’s scalp may appear greasy and flaky. It’s actually a similar condition to seborrhoea in adults.

Our baby’s skin can produce excessive sebum, so dead surface skin is not shed normally, but sticks together and accumulates on the skin's surface, forming thick scaly patches. It is not contagious, relatively easy to deal with and thankfully, not irritating or harmful to your baby.

The NHS recommend using a baby shampoo and to gently loosen flakes with a soft brush. No one is really sure what causes it, but if it’s anything like the adult version, it could be the sign of a slight fungal infection, so it’s useful if your baby shampoo has an antifungal aspect to it. This is why we love aloe vera, it has so many beneficial properties to it that it could hit on the cause of the issue.

What baby shampoo do I use if my baby has dry skin?

If your baby has dry skin, it could be because the skin is being stripped of the naturally occurring oils that keep it supple and moisturised through drying ingredients in shampoo or soap.

Again, we would recommend switching to an organic shampoo with moisturising ingredients, such as aloe vera and natural glycerin.

Can adults use baby shampoo?

Yes! Baby shampoo tends to be gentler than adult shampoo, so if you’ve got a sensitive scalp or a skin condition, like psoriasis or eczema, using a baby shampoo would be a gentle option, especially if you’re used to conventional shampoos.
However, some ‘adult’ shampoos are formulated with sensitive skin in mind, such as our Gentle Herb Shampoo, for example. Our Gentle Herb Shampoo was originally created for those suffering with psoriasis, so is extremely gentle on the scalp without any synthetic chemicals or common allergens that could cause a flare-up.

Can a shampoo help my baby’s hair from falling out?

Not really. It’s very common for babies to lose hair a few months after being born and it can stem from a range of factors, from hormones, to the position they sleep in (babies who spend a lot of time on their backs can see the hair on the back of their heads get a little thin!).

Although shampoo may not be able to help in this instance, a gentle formulation won’t aggravate the problem either or inhibit new hair from growing back.

More Advice?

If you’d like any more advice on anything from baby shampoo to cradle cap shampoo, please do email us – customercare@odylique.co.uk, add your question as a comment below, or call 01638 491022 – we’re here to help!