How to treat psoriasis at home
What is scalp psoriasis?
Scalp psoriasis is a condition that affects about half of those who have psoriasis. It causes raised, red, bumpy or scaly patches to appear on the scalp, sometimes appearing on the forehead, behind the ears, the neck or even affecting the whole scalp and can resemble dandruff.
Psoriasis can be itchy and painful and can cause psychological stress for those who have it. And, while psoriasis itself does not cause hair loss, scratching and picking at the scalp can damage the skin and hair follicles, causing hair loss.
What causes scalp psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a hereditary condition and as such is not contagious. It is thought to be an issue with a person’s immune system that causes skin cells to reproduce too rapidly.
4 methods for treating psoriasis at home
Aside from practicing proper hygiene and gently brushing your scalp to remove flakes or scales, there are many things you can do at home to treat your psoriasis, and we’ve rounded up three of our favourite methods. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and does not contain all the information about each product. We recommend following the advice of your doctor and reading more about each product before using it on your scalp.
Use a glycyrrhetinic acid shampoo
Shampoo that contains glycyrrhetinic acid, which comes from licorice root and is known to be effective for helping to treat a variety of ailments, can help to soothe your scalp and have anti-redness and anti-inflammatory properties.
Try an anti-dandruff shampoo that contains ginger
Ginger is an effective natural anti-inflammatory and anti-dandruff remedy. Since ginger has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, many people have used it as an effective topical treatment to relieve psoriasis, dandruff and itchy scalp.
Moisturize your scalp with a hydrating spray after showering
A hydrating spray can often offer just the right amount of moisture while still being light to apply and not weighing down your hair. Since psoriasis often comes with a dry itchy scalp, regular hydration can soothe the scalp’s itchiness.
Use specially formulated scalp products
We recommend our Dandruff Relief Shampoo and Sensitive Soothing Scalp Restorer, which are formulated with known anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agents like ginger and tea tree to help soothe and heal the scalp:
- Dandruff Relief Shampoo. With ginger to treat scalp itch, tea tree oil to treat bacterial and fungal overgrowth on the scalp and aloe to soothe the scalp, this is an effective treatment for those experiencing itching, flaking, redness or scalp inflammation.
- Sensitive Soothing Scalp Restorer. With amino acids that help to heal the scalp, this spray can help maintain scalp health when dealing with the flaking or cracks that come with psoriasis.
ECHO scalp care solution for psoriasis, there are 2 options for oily scalp and dry scalp
- Dry scalp: hair or scalp gets greasy after 3 days since washing or not greasy at all
ECHO scalp care solution for Psoriasis for dry scalp - Oily scalp: your hair gets greasy within 1 day after shampooing
ECHO scalp care solution for Psoriasis for oily scalp
If you struggle with scalp psoriasis and are searching for treatment, these at-home methods might be able to help you. If your psoriasis persists or at-home methods are not working, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medicated creams, immunosuppressants or steroids to help with psoriasis of the scalp.
Meet The Writer
