Do you brush or comb her hair at all? If not, that may be why she still has the cradle cap. Part of the reason I like to keep Finn's hair on the short side (when he lets me cut it) is because I don't like dealing with the hassle of long hair. A quick google search had some results that looked promising, though:

http://www.magicalchildhood.com/articles/toddlerhair.htm
http://baby.families.com/blog/tips-for-toddler-hair-care

I hope you find something that works for you. Good luck with it!

I brush it 1-3 times a day; it just looks really messy anyway.

Yeah I don't know how people get their little ones to sit still for pigtails. You know when you see the ones with the perfect parts where the pigtails are totally even and symmetrical? Honestly! They must be wigs, is all I can think.

Mine hates getting her hair brushed. She lets me do a ponytail once in awhile for the sake of being "fancy." Generally I just put clips in the side to keep it out of her eyes. I love how wild it is, but it's starting to get to the point where I might have to get someone to cut it. (Yeah, for those of you who manage to do it yourself, hats off to you dudes. I would butcher her hair, I'm positive.)

DD also has cradle cap, pretty mild though. I just leave it alone. Is that bad? I figure what's the harm, is it worth the drama, if it's just a small patch of little flakes on her scalp and it doesn't bother her, ya know? This coming from the person with a mild case of dandruff who totally ignores it too though, so don't take my word for it. LOL. In the past I've rubbed olive oil on her scalp while she napped and then a few minutes later combed it out with a fine-toothed comb, then washed it when she woke up, and it worked really well.

Sorry, not so helpful.

coconut oil will clear up the cradle cap, and you can comb it through her hair to make it look less messy. It also helps with any kind of styling.

MamaButterfly, how much coconut oil do you use? Does it make the hair look greasy?

just a tiny bit. I'd rub a few drops gently into the cradle cap, and put a few drops on the comb before brushing it through. It doesn't look greasy if you don't use too much. Fly aways and messy looking hair is often a result of hair being too dry, and coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer. I always use it in my hair.

I looked at coconut oil - it was hard to find - and it was extremely expensive. It also is solid at room temperature - I'm not sure how you could only use a couple of drops.

We gave T a haircut (I'm not sure I like it or that it makes her hair look less messy, but it does make it easier to comb) and have started using a leave in conditioner. When I got her hair cut, the hair stylist lectured me about cradle cap. Ugh.

It is expensive. I warm a little in my hands.

I am really lucky that we have Haircuts for Peanuts right in the area. It is a salon just for kids. The waiting room has toys and tv and the stylists are great with kids. They have all these little tricks to keep kids still while they cut their hair. I always get Devin's haircut there. So if you live near Perinton, NY you should look into it!

www.haircutsforpeanuts.com

I would recommend not washing her hair for awhile. Just let water from the shower run on, but don't scrub. Let her natural oil balance recover. If her hair is always messy, it may just be very dry. I would just scratch off the cradle cap and not apply oil (I have seen one study which linked a type of yeast that lives in fatty acid rich environments to cradle cap).