You can have beautiful hair without the scaling and flaking

By Mike Marenick

Scalp psoriasis is an auto-immune disease that occurs in small spots on the scalp, throughout the entire scalp or around the edges of your scalp and behind the ears. If you suffer with mild to moderate psoriasis there is a very good chance you will be able to control the disease and have a healthy looking head of hair again in just a short period of time.  There are many treatment options that can help control scalp psoriasis and its symptoms.  The most important thing is that you select a scalp treatment that is right for you. You should never choose a treatment that is actually worse than the psoriasis itself.  You need to consider your style of life.  How much time and money do you have to devote to a treatment option? Considering your personal lifestyle should help you to decide among the many options available.

Over-The-Counter Drug Products for Scalp Psoriasis

Lets begin by talking about Over-the-counter drug products.  These are topical creams, lotions, shampoos and oils that you can find online or in your local drug store.  There are many of them and choosing the right one may be a little confusing.  However, these can be highly effective and also may be the most reasonably priced way to go for treating your scalp psoriasis.

When considering which product to choose it is important to note that there are only a few select ingredients that are recognized by the FDA for the treatment of psoriasis. The two most effective and popular ingredients found in a scalp psoriasis shampoo are salicylic acid and coal tar.

Salicylic acid is a natural exfoliating ingredient.  It is relatively gentle but in high concentrations it can cause some irritation to your scalp.  You may already be familiar with salicylic acid. It is often called Sal Acid and has been widely used at lower concentrations in anti-wrinkle products for years.  If you look at the back of an Asprin bottle you will also notice that aspirin is made of cetyl salicylic acid.  So as you can see, even though the word acid is used in this ingredients name, it can be an effective yet a gentle and versatile ingredient for many different skin conditions.

Coal tar has been widely used in scalp treatments for years and you will find it in many over-the-counter products. Coal tar also comes in different strengths and some strengths may require a doctors prescription. There are actually two types of tar that are used to treat psoriasis, coal tar and wood tar.  Coal tar is the ingredient that is recognized by the FDA for the treatment of psoriasis.

While coal tar is an effective medication, it can stain bedding and even change the color of grey or white hair. In addition it has a very strong odor that some people find quite offensive. If you choose to use a tar based shampoo you may also want to consider using a non-medicated conditioner after shampooing. This can help to reduce the smell of the tar.

There are some other less popular active ingredients that can be found in psoriasis shampoos such as  Zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole and blue lagoon algae.

How To Choose The Product That is Right For Your Scalp

So how do you choose the right over-the-counter product for you? First you need to determine the severity of your condition. The more severe the case the stronger the active ingredient may have to be to help treat your scalp psoriasis.  Remember to read the packaging.  The FDA recommends levels of Sal Acid and Tar from 1-3% for Salicylic Acid and from .5-5% for tar.  It is always better to start lower and increase concentration if the medication is not working effectively for you.  Never go right for the highest concentration because this could irritate your scalp and cause the psoriasis to become worse.

Tar and Sal Acid are both designed to help remove the scales from your scalp. In addition to these two ingredients you need to find a product that includes excellent moisturizing and healing ingredients that will help to reduce redness and itching.  This may be the most important decision you need to make when choosing a psoriasis treatment product.  After all, any company can follow the FDA guidelines and put a certain active ingredient percentage into any type of cream.  The best over the counter shampoo for psoriasis is one that goes beyond the basic essentials and includes vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential oils and herbal extracts. The addition of nutritional ingredients such as these can actually be very effective in treating your scalp psoriasis. Lately their have been products that are formulated using food based ingredients as a natural source of nourishment. One of the best food based ingredients is the egg. An egg contains every vitamin, mineral and protein necessary for life. When eggs are incorporated correctly into a topical psoriasis shampoo or cream they can provide the essential nutrients that your scalp needs to heal and look healthy again.

A few things to remember

Everyone’s skin is different. If you don’t shampoo your hair everyday you need to figure out what daily routine works for you. The more often you can use the products in the beginning, the faster you will see results.

For some people results will be seen quickly. For others it may take some time. Many people have suffered for years with their conditions. You shouldn’t expect miracles overnight. Be patient and consistent with use.

Right now Dermasolve is having a special on it's Psoriasis Scalp Kit.  You can save 35% off this kit when you order using this link:

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