Psoriasis Woes: I Need A Shower, Yet Again

I recently had to go back to old school treatment to take care of my scalp and skin. Underlying health issues caused me to stop all psoriasis treatments. After many years, I must go back to what I learned in the past.

Shower routines tips for psoriasis

If you have plaque psoriasis, you know how fast the scales can grow on our skin with no treatment. It’s only been an hour since I had a shower and the plaques on my skin are already beginning to form, feel dry, cracked, and itchy.

I used a moisturizing body wash but it’s not helping at all. Here are some of the favorites that I have used over the years that help at bath time.

Coal tar shampoo

Coal tar is an active ingredient in my shampoo and ointment that I have used since the 60’s. I stopped using it for a bit because it caused my ears to itch unbearably. The doctor told me that this is one of the common side effects of concentrated shampoos.

Coal tar is a form of keratoplasty that loosens stubborn plaques from the scalp and slows skin cell regeneration. My scalp becomes dry, itchy, and red so that’s something the shampoo takes care of too. When I first started using it, I had to get used to the smell.

I found a routine that worked for me. First, I had to let my hair grow out to its natural stage, which means no perms or straighteners. Once every 2 days, wash with a generous amount of shampoo, massage the shampoo into the scalp, and rinsing it off, repeating the process one more time.

You will get less itching which means less scratching, and less scratching means better peace of mind.

Aleppo soap

This has become of my personal favorites, only because it has successfully soothed my skin from plaques and irritation. Only 4 ingredients are used to create this bar soap, which recipe has passed down from generations from as early as the 8th century. It has olive oil, laurel berry, water, and sodium hydroxide.

I have only been able to buy this soap online. Primarily, the olive oil moisturizes while the laurel berry cleanses. I have had better nights since someone introduced this soap to me a few months ago.

It is pH balanced and naturally rich in antioxidants as well as anti-bacterial properties, I wonder why we haven’t discovered this sooner.

Soap-free cleansers

These bottled body washes are a good alternative for those who aren’t used to or who generally dislike bar soaps. Some soaps make me itch to no end. The term soap-free simply means it’s not like soap commonly found on the market.

Common soap holds pH levels that typically range between 9-10 and sometimes 11. These soap-free counterparts keep things cool at 5.5. This lower level helps protect the body’s own essential oils.

I have been looking into oil-based cleansers. These have been reported been to do a good job at giving dry, itchy, and sensitive skin a good cleanse without harming the body’s natural defense abilities.

What your psoriasis shower routine?

Here I am again just picking at the plaques on my scalp, skin, and behind my ears again. I have different shampoos and ointments that I have used for years. Some help to loosen the plaques on my body and my scalp and some don’t.

Hoping to add another bath time favorite in a few months. What are you using on your skin to help with dryness and itchiness?