Managing Scalp Psoriasis

Recently one of my friends who reads this blog requested a post about my hair care routine. I promptly told her that my hair care routine revolves completely around my scalp psoriasis and that no one wants to read that! She made me see that if I can explain to one person how I handle mine it might help someone else, and really Amanda and I wanted this blog to help people learn about makeup and beauty products, so I caved. 

Before we go any further let me explain what scalp psoriasis is for anyone who doesn't know. From WebMD:

Scalp psoriasis is a common skin disorder that produces raised, reddish and often scaly patches. It can appear as one of multiple patches on the scalp, affect the entire scalp, and spread beyond the scalp to the forehead, back of the neck, or behind the ears. It is not contagious and just like other forms of psoriasis the exact cause is unknown.

Personally, I find that my psoriasis flares up the worst when there are sudden changes in the temperature. For example, right now in Nashville the temperature has been fluctuating like crazy. One day it was 60-something and the next, we had an ice storm. Yeah, that happened. In these instances my scalp goes INSANE. It gets god awful itchy, scaly, scabby and honestly I look like I have the worst case of dandruff ever. When it gets to it's worst the left side of my head, conveniently where I part my hair, turns red and the "rash" of sorts travels into my forehead. These are the days when I spend all of my extra time trying not to look like a snow globe. Basically, my scalp can go from perfectly normal to horrible in no time, and has many varying stages.

So here is my hair care/psoriasis routine.

In the shower:

Let's start with when my scalp is clear.

When I'm not experiencing a flare up, (best way to describe it) my hair care routine is pretty simple. I use a normal shampoo - something for volume, frizz control, color care etc. Once a week I'll use Neutrogena Shampoo Anti-Residue Formula which helps me control natural oils since my hair can get VERY oily if I don't. A couple times a week I'll also use Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque. This makes my hair super smooth and soft. I love how healthy it feels afterwards.

When psoriasis starts but it's a full blown flare up:

Like I said above, there is a middle stage between normal and horrible. When my scalp is in this middle stage I start to use Dermarest Psoriasis Medicated Shampoo Plus Conditioner. This shampoo uses salicylic acid as the active ingredient. Thankfully, this product pretty much lives up to all of the claims on the front of the box/bottle:

- Removes & controls scalp build-up. This allows me to skip the Neutrogena Shampoo.

-Relieves scalp itch.

- Restores moisture.

- Comforts irritated skin.

- Fragrance free. This is the one thing I find isn't exactly true, it does have a slightly medical smell to it, it's just not anything over powering. Later in this post you'll see why I use this instead of just skipping straight to the product I use when the psoriasis is at it's worse.

While I use this product I cut back on the hair masque to once a week. I do this to try and limit the possibilities of build up on my scalp that could further irritate the rash.

When the flare up is at it's worse, i.e. it has traveled into my forehead:

Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo. This stuff is my holy grail for psoriasis and also the bane of my existence. This stuff smells so AWFUL! The "T" stands for tar, as the active ingredient is coal tar, and it's just plain nasty. The worst part is that it's not just nasty in the shower, but the smell clings. To the towel you dry your hair with, to your hair, to hair ties or scrunchies, and even the pillow. Sadly, even though it's one of the worst smells, when my scalp gets really bad it's the only thing that helps.

When I use this I don't use any other product in the shower.

Typically I do NOT blow dry my hair when I use this product because the last thing my scalp needs is a lot of heat blasted on it.

Styling Products:

Styling products pretty much stay the same no matter what is going on with my scalp, with one exception.

Keran Platinum Blow Dry Spray makes my hair dry much faster while also providing heat protection. Clearly since I don't blow dry my hair when my scalp is at it's worst I don't use this then.

Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay gives great hold while still leaving the hair matte, which I love.

Bastiste for Dark & Brown Hair is the only dry shampoo I've found that doesn't leave my hair looking worse then when it started.

These are just the products I use to manage my psoriasis. Styling my hair is another matter on it's own. Living with my psoriasis is a constant dance of where I part my hair, if I wear it down or up, pinned back or not, if I curl it, straighten it, braid it, or just say forget it and stay home. It really is a day to day process to decide how to handle it all. 

I hope that if someone reading this post happens to also suffer from scalp psoriasis at least one thing in the post can help you manage it.

In the coming posts you'll be seeing some more Top Two Tuesday, maybe a Tag Tuesday and also some posts concerning the best investments into your collection.

<3 Ashleigh