1. What are some good home remedies? I have tried Neutrogena T/gel shampoo which claims to help but it hasn't helped mine.
2. What is a good home haircut kit as every place I have called said they won't cut my hair because of my "scalp condition"
3. Any useful information or stuff that could help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all.

1. What are some good home remedies? I have tried Neutrogena T/gel shampoo which claims to help but it hasn't helped mine.
2. What is a good home haircut kit as every place I have called said they won't cut my hair because of my "scalp condition"
3. Any useful information or stuff that could help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all.
I've had the best luck with Olux Foam. It's a prescription, but it clears me up in a few days. And stays clear for about 2 weeks, then I put it on again, when it flares..
As far as the haircut is concerned. What kind of places are you going? Any reputable haircutter should be trained to recognize Psoriaisis. If they don't want your business, then someone else will. I promise. I have had it very severely on my scalp and have never had a problem getting a haircut. I go to a place in a mall for about $13 bucks. I never tell anyone in advance I have psoriasis. But when I sit down in the chair when the haircutter is asking me what I want done, I quickly explain that I have Psoriasis and not to be afraid of the inflamation, as it's genetic and not contageous. Either they've only heard of it, or they have cut others hair with it. Keep trying, and you'll find someone great!
Where do you live? If you're in Philly I can recommend someone great! I've gone to her 3 times so far, and she acts like it's nothing. Because to her, it is nothing. If not, I'm sure someone else on the board can make a recommendation.

Dismas,
Since you asked for some 'home remedies', I'll pass this one on. To remove flakes and build up, I used to put oil inmy hair at night and cover it with a shower cap. This is not an attractive treatment and at best it is a bit messy. I used to cover my pillow with a towel as well. In the morning, I'd comb through prior to shampooing a couple of times ( with a gentle shampoo!)
I found t-gel didn't do the job for me either. I prefer MG217 ( available at Walgreen's in my area). This tar shampoo has a pretty strong smell and should only be used a couple of times a week.
For a hairdresser, dlruss is right on the money. I never had a problem being refused service. The people who cut my hair had always at ' least' heard of psoriasis and my last hairdresser's mother and sister had it. She even mentioned to me that some people bring in their own shampoo( whether scrip or OTC) when they get their hair done.
Alli
P.S. The 'oil' I used was either peanut or olive oil

h dismas,
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you
have a good night all
richard

I read, I think here, about a mom who used a nit comb for lice to comb out the scales from scalp p. She soaked her daughter's hair in oil and then combed it out with a nit comb. That might be a bit of a long process, though, and if you have no one to comb your hair for you, it might be difficult.
I have heard that anything with tea tree oil in it is very good. I don't know brand names, etc. and that may just be more of a soothing treatment vs clearning the p.
I am currently using Isotonix OPC-3, and aloe juice. Both my son and I take a loading does every day, and we'll do this for the next week or so. We've been taking it for almost a month now, but my rep told me to try taking a higher does for a few days and see if it doesn't help. So we try. I'll let you know the results. It may be a means of treating your p from the inside. So far, I think it's making a difference, but how much of a difference it'll make remains to be seen.
Drea
1. What are some good home remedies? I have tried Neutrogena T/gel shampoo which claims to help but it hasn't helped mine.
2. What is a good home haircut kit as every place I have called said they won't cut my hair because of my "scalp condition"
3. Any useful information or stuff that could help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all.

Dismas, do you have someone who can cut your hair for you? I bought one of those home haircut things (I think maybe Remington?) about 6 months ago. I have NEVER cut anyone's hair before, and I was a little nervous cutting my husband's hair, but it was a lot easier than I thought! Oh.... I should have asked you - are you a guy, or a girl? Anyway, he won't even go back anywhere to have it cut, since it's much easier to have me do it for him. :)

I use Tarsum Shampoo, which is OTC. It's about $15 - $20 a bottle (8 oz. I think). I used TGel and it did NOTHING for me. Lately, it's not as bad. Maybe it will help!

I too have some very resistant patches on my scalp. The most difficult area is at the nap of my neck. I am recently using Organic Neem Oil with Manuka Tea Tree oil mixed togeather. The scales have become less prolific and the itching is gone for the most part. I hope with repeated treatment it will go away =)
I put some on my finger tips and then message the oil into to area...my hair covers this for the most part so I do about 3 times a day. A little goes a long way.
Hope this helps.
Laura in NY

I find dying my hair helps. The more chemicals I put on my head the more it clears up :)
As for hair dressers, inform them about how its not contagious and have them treat it just like dandruff...they might even use some great conditioner.

I read, I think here, about a mom who used a nit comb for lice to comb out the scales from scalp p. She soaked her daughter's hair in oil and then combed it out with a nit comb. That might be a bit of a long process, though, and if you have no one to comb your hair for you, it might be difficult.
I have heard that anything with tea tree oil in it is very good. I don't know brand names, etc. and that may just be more of a soothing treatment vs clearning the p.
I am currently using Isotonix OPC-3, and aloe juice. Both my son and I take a loading does every day, and we'll do this for the next week or so. We've been taking it for almost a month now, but my rep told me to try taking a higher does for a few days and see if it doesn't help. So we try. I'll let you know the results. It may be a means of treating your p from the inside. So far, I think it's making a difference, but how much of a difference it'll make remains to be seen.
Drea
Ouch at using a nit comb! I'd stay clear. :)

I WRAP A TOWEL IN SEA SALT, FOR ABOUT AN HOUR EVERY DAY. SOUNDS A LITTLE WEIRD BUT IT DOES HELP ALITTLE NOT ALL CLEAR BUT BETTER THAN IT WAS. IF YOU DONT LIVE NEAR AN OCEAN THERE ARE A FEW COMPANIES THAT SELL IT STRAIT FROM THE DEAD SEA MUCH BETTER THAN U.S. OCEANS MORE SALT CONTENT!! HOPE IT WORKS IF YOU TRY. GOOD LUCK.

Morning Dismas,
For my scalp psoriasis I use organic neem oil and tea tree oil therapy...it has reduced the itching and the skin has become less and less flakey =) I message it into the area twice a day. It's at the base of my scalp line so it is hidden by my hair and the oil covers easily without saturating the hair...just the scalp.
Dr. Donsbach (who Sally knows of) sent me a gel with 5% hydrogen peroxide in it. I have been using this on my scalp and knees and elbows for about a week. The flakes are gone as well as the raised ridges on my scalp. No itching...no flakes...no ridges.
Since I use both the neem/manuka and the hydrogen peroxide gel on my scalp I cannot say if it is the combination or if just one without the other would work.
I put the neem/manuka on in the afternoon and evening and the hydrogen peroxide gel on in the morning and before bed. Some days I'll just use the neem/manuka and some days I'll just use the hydrogen peroxide gel. Not very scientic but somehow the flaking itching and ridges are gone =)
My knees and elbows are not flakey as much as they are thickened skin...the skin is also becoming softer and more "normal".
All of these therapies are very inexpensive if others would like to try them.
Organic Neem oil and Manuka tea tree oil can be found on the internet and the 5% hydrogen peroxide gel can be found at http://www.letstalkhealth.com
You may have to ask for the gel because it doesn't seem to be listed with the products on the webpage.
I am also on the slippery elm tea, saffron tea, wheat free and nightshade free. But none of these therapies seemed to help my scalp p. and my knees and elbows. Maybe my scalp would have become even worse without the diet change.....
So I'm happy to be rid of the flakes and the itching...I thought it would never go away.
If anyone tries the neem and the hydrogen peroxide gel I would love to know if it helps you too =)
Hope this helps.
Take care all,
Laura

When I was younger my mom tried vinegar...umm it lit me on fire, but i found out i'm allergic to it...but it seemed to help my scalp. She also coated my hair in mayonaise and had me sleep in it... Erm, I dunno where that one came from...but it really helped when it got super bad.
Now I just use ordinary dandruff stuffs. Head and Shoulders.... occasionally T/Gel ....but not the stuff that coal tar stuff. Just the dandruff shampoo..and it works ok.

Hi there....
I have always had horrible scalp psoriasis -- the only thing I have had any relief from is a compounded prescription of Triamcinolone Cream 1% with 5% salicylic acid. It's kind of a pain but it works. I put it on my scalp at night, put a shower cap on all night and in the morning I rinse it off and take a comb to the scalp and the flakiness comes off. Used to have to do it on a daily basis but am on Enbrel now and I've got it down to needing to do it only 2x a week. Yippee!!!!
nanc
aka singduets

Dismas,
Since you asked for some 'home remedies', I'll pass this one on. To remove flakes and build up, I used to put oil inmy hair at night and cover it with a shower cap. This is not an attractive treatment and at best it is a bit messy. I used to cover my pillow with a towel as well. In the morning, I'd comb through prior to shampooing a couple of times ( with a gentle shampoo!)
I found t-gel didn't do the job for me either. I prefer MG217 ( available at Walgreen's in my area). This tar shampoo has a pretty strong smell and should only be used a couple of times a week.
For a hairdresser, dlruss is right on the money. I never had a problem being refused service. The people who cut my hair had always at ' least' heard of psoriasis and my last hairdresser's mother and sister had it. She even mentioned to me that some people bring in their own shampoo( whether scrip or OTC) when they get their hair done.
Alli
P.S. The 'oil' I used was either peanut or olive oil
Hi Dismas,
I just went to look up 'coal tar' on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia search on the net. This is what it says:
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, coal tar is a Group 1 carcinogen.
I used to use T-Gel years ago. NO MORE. Someone told me about this and I threw it out the next day!!
Check it out for yourself!! Here's the agency's website after I put in the words 'coal tar'. http://monographs.iarc.fr/cgi-bin/htsearch
Scott

Here's a link to a very informative discussion about coal tar: http://www.psorsite.com/coaltar.html.
Mike

I have not used a tar shampoo for about 4 years since I tried tea tree oil shampoo for scalp psoriasis. I wash my hair each morning and no longer have a problem as long as I use it. I have had psoriasis since I was a toddler and am 51 now. I have used Sebutone, Sebulex, Pentrax and other products over the years. This is wonderful. Its worth a try. Paul Mitchell make a tea tree shampoo, but I buy a generic version (which works the same) at a local beauty supply store.

hi klcourts73,
welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.
have good night all
richard

1. What are some good home remedies? I have tried Neutrogena T/gel shampoo which claims to help but it hasn't helped mine.
2. What is a good home haircut kit as every place I have called said they won't cut my hair because of my "scalp condition"
3. Any useful information or stuff that could help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all.
----------------
Hello
In answer to your questions:
1) I can't stand Neutrogena T/gel shampoo and coal tar shampoo and they didn’t work for me.
To be honest, when I last had P on my scalp, none of the medicated treatments really worked.
I currently use a gentle shampoo/conditioner, not designed for P sufferers in general but it is very gentle so should not irritate the scalp. However, on their website it does says that it is suitable for those with skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin irritations.
I use a brand called ALCHEMY, which is an unscented, wheat free, shampoo & conditioner - suitable for babies and people with sensitive, fragile & dry flaky scalps. More info here:
http://www.purist.com
2) I use to have problems at the hairdressers too, until I found an understanding hairdresser who suffered from P too.
I have a WAHL Pro-Quality Hair Care Kit for home use. WAHL is made in the USA. This kit also comes with an instruction DVD on how to achieve different haircuts.
3) Rubbing (organic) pure Jojoba oil into your hair & scalp should not irritate (patch test first), it makes an excellent scalp and hair conditioner.
Jojoba is pronounced, ho-ho-ba.........just to confuse the issue. I always forget how to pronounce it, which makes for some interesting shopping trips when I need assistance finding it on the shelf.

Whoa. Forgot about this thread..
I would like to ammend my response above to include that I have now discovered Fructis shampoo and conditioner (thanks to Karen and Victoria).
It leaves my scalp feeling very moisturized.. It's the absolute best thing I've found to keep the scalp P at bay...

Just in case nobody has heard this yet -
Try 777 oil! It is great!
Its funny what works for some and not others. I cleared half my head (the top half, including temples and hairline) using Suave Naturals Conditoner - worked into the scalp an hour before shampooing it back out again.
But the 777 oil seems to make my scalp feel more like normal. (I actually still remember normal.)
I also purchased the Frutis shampoo and conditioner (large size from Costco) and I sure haven't noticed any improvement from that. But I have several months worth...so I'll get a full opportunity to give it a chance.
Good luck y'all.
:)

What helped me was Selsun Blue shampoo (which I've been using for 2 years now) and champori cream and spray. I've been clean for the last 11 months, and hope it stays that way!

I've read about the coal tar controversy and I didn't scare me off occassional use of topical coal tar products. I like something called TDerm coal tar emollient. It is made by Neutrogenia. It is not a shampoo, it is oily stuff. You leave it on for while and then wash it out. (This can be a pain but something called Aveda Hair Detoxifier is a shampoo that works for me.) It is OTC but sometimes the pharmacy has to order it, since many don't stock it. Whenever my scalp is really itchy, I do this a few times a week and it really helps. I've used stuff like Olux and Clobex (that one was very effective) but I always rebound after using prescription steroids. And Mike, thanks for that link to the coal tar info!

..is what I use now. It is an rx foam. I use it 2x a day for about 3 days..poof..gone..for 2 or 3 weeks when dryness..not those patches, might form again so I will use it for a couple of days again.
What I did prior, before I even knew this was p..was use ordinary moisturizing lotion on it. Mine is mostly at the back of the head. I would rub lotion in at night..and by morning..I could get the "goopy" scales off with a fingernail or comb. I would then wash my hair with normal shampoo and conditioner. If at any time I felt irritated, I used a little over the counter cortisone cream.
As far as shampoos, I tried selsun blue and nutragena t gel..neither did anything.