Useful home remedies for psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin disease that is characterized with the growth and multiplication of skin cells which leads to red and white patches on the body, which is why sufferers need home remedies for psoriasis.

As this is a chronic condition triggered by a malfunctioning of the immune system, over the counter medicine and prescription drugs don’t offer a complete cure to the problem. It’s better to follow a healthy lifestyle and use psoriasis home treatment options.

Environmental factors, hormonal differences, hereditary factors, skin injury and stress are some other factors that lead to psoriasis.

In some cases even bacterial infections is a trigger for the condition.

The condition is not infectious but can cause lots of irritation and discomfort. Natural psoriasis remedies are better to help reduce the discomfort.

Psoriasis exists in 5 types- plaque, guttate, pustular, inverse and erythrodermic psoriasis and exists in both men and women, usually between the ages of 15-30 years.

OTC and prescription drugs only control the symptoms of psoriasis.

However these psoriasis natural remedies can treat the condition.

9 Lifestyle changes and effective psoriasis home remedies 

1. While there is no scientific proof that psoriasis improves or gets worse with your diet, people suffering from psoriasis claim that cutting down on some foods like caffeine, gluten, sugar and white flour does help.
2. Moreover, dermatologists feel that a healthy weight can help improve psoriasis so maintain a healthy weight with a diet full of fruits and vegetables and do regular exercise. So you could experiment to find out which foods worsen or improves your condition by eliminating the less nutritious foods and noting changes.
3. Other changes you can make to your diet are avoiding fried and charcoal grilled foods and to include more of foods rich in antioxidants. People suffering from scalp psoriasis should also eat more of carrots, nuts, avocados, flaxseed, sweet potatoes, peaches and wheat germ.
4. One very important, but usually overlooked psoriasis home remedies is taking care of your mental health. this is essential as those suffering from psoriasis are usually frustrated with their condition.
   This frustration leads to social isolation, isolation, anxiety and low self-esteem because the embarrassment and discomfort of psoriasis make sufferers give up doing things they enjoy.
   As psoriasis sufferers may also suffer from depression, it’s important to seek help for your mental health. talk to a therapist or perhaps join a support group for psoriasis sufferers as discussing your problems with other people who suffer from psoriasis helps.
5. Smoking only worsens psoriasis where heavy smokers are twice as likely to suffer from severe psoriasis than light smokers. The condition is even worse in women smokers. So to avoid all the trauma of psoriasis, it’s better to quit smoking. Quitting smoking also has other benefits like it reduces the risk of heart and lung disease, cancer and various other health conditions.
6. Alcohol drinkers are at a higher risk of suffering from psoriasis where men are more affected with their drinking. reducing your alcohol consumption may not improve psoriasis but definitely improves your overall health. One drink per day for women and two a day for men is permissible and nothing more.
7. Bathing is an important psoriasis home treatment. however too much of it can cause dry skin and related problems. To avoid this, avoid hot water as it irritates skin. Lukewarm water is better and instead of toweling off the water, pat yourself dry and apply a moisturizer. Instead of bathing with pure water that dries skin, add some skin-friendly bathing salts, oil or oilated oatmeal to the water.
8. Choose the right soap for bathing as some soaps only dries the skin. Use a moisturized soap and follow your shower with a moisturizer application.
9. Maintain utmost care and cleanliness to avoid unnecessary secondary infections during your psoriasis attack.

14 Kitchen home remedies for psoriasis 

1. Use cabbage leaves to compress affected parts as it is really soothing. Before applying on the affected areas, you have to remove the thick veins of the cabbage leaves and wash thoroughly.
2. Besides bathing and cold sponging, you could also have a cold sponge with water and cider vinegar. This is really shooting and a great natural treatment for psoriasis.
3. Even adding Epsom salt to bath water helps. The salt in it works as a defense mechanism against psoriasis.
4. Make an amalgam of a teaspoon of castor oil and germ with a cup of sunflower oil and apply on the silver and red psoriasis patches to treat the condition. Even amalgams with cashew nut oil instead of sunflower oil or one with olive, calendula and oregano oil helps.
5. Massage the affected areas with olive oil for relieve from psoriasis.
6. Applying tepidly warm coconut oil to affected areas half an hour before bathing prevents dryness, which is a trigger for psoriasis.
7. 7. As omega 3 fatty acids are scientifically proven to help treat psoriasis, applying fish based creams to the patches or taking fish oil supplements in capsule form helps.
8. 8. As capsaicin of black pepper effectively helps control pain and itchiness by blocking sensory nerves, applying a cream with capsaicin can offer relief from psoriasis itch.
9. 9. Even applying water with baking soda reduces the itchy sensation of psoriasis patches. Just dilute baking soda with thrice the amount of water and apply on the patches using sterilized cotton or cloth.
10. 10. One effective psoriasis home treatment is drinking fresh bitter gourd with a few drops of lemon juice in the morning. Drink for 4-5 days, preferably on an empty stomach.
11. 11. Include garlic to your regular diet as its immune boosting property helps prevent the malfunctioning of immune system that leads to psoriasis.
12. 12. Home remedies for psoriasis includes covering psoriasis lesions as it helps work medications into the skin and keeps your moisturizer in place. Use either regular kitchen plastic wrap or special OTC patches to wrap the affected area after applying your moisturizer or prescribed medication.
13. However don’t keep the wrap so long that the skin becomes soggy as this only makes the skin susceptible to secondary infections. It’s thus advisable to frequently change the wrapping.
14. 13. Even adding a concoction of 2 teaspoons olive oil with a glass of milk to your bath water helps.
15. 14. Effective home remedies for psoriasis includes making a decoction by simmering 25 grams each of chamomile flowers and dried burdock seed in 600 ml of water. use a clean cloth to strain it and then on sweetening with honey, store in a refrigerator. Drink 3 tablespoons of the decoction thrice a day every day.

10 Scalp psoriasis home remedies 

1. Warm some olive oil and gently massage to the scalp to soften the skin and thus eliminate psoriasis. Then shampoo as usual and rinse thoroughly. Use tar-containing shampoos as it helps loosen psoriasis scales. Even shampoos with salicylic acid help as the salicylic acid helps remove scales.
2. Boil 4 marigold heads in 4 cups of water for about 2 minutes and when cool, massage onto your scalp. After washing with a mild shampoo, rinse using water with lemon juice or cider vinegar.
3. Make sure your scalp does not become dry at all. Applying vitamin E oil or olive oil to the scalp does help prevent it from getting dry. If you doubt the start of scalp psoriasis, take measures to prevent a big infection by perhaps using a mild anti psoriasis shampoo.
4. A hair pack of yoghurt and bananas to apply on the head helps reduce the itchiness of the scalp.
5. Do not use brushes on your scalp; it’s okay to use on your hair, but not on the scalp as the bristles of the brush can trigger an infection.
6. Use products with dead sea salt for rinsing your hair every day or at least once in two days. In case you don’t find any such product, you can also mix your regular shampoo with dead sea salt for relief from psoriasis.
7. Make a mixture of aloe Vera and jojoba oil for conditioning your hair. Just apply the mixture on your scalp and leave overnight.
8. Other popular scalp psoriasis home remedies include chamomile oil, eucalyptus oil or lavender oil. Massage these oils to the scalp for a soothing effect and relief from the burning sensation and soreness of psoriasis.
9. Applying neem oil to the scalp also gives relief from itching.
10. Another great hair mask for treating scalp psoriasis is one of an overripe avocado and a tablespoon each of honey and olive oil. Mix to make a smooth paste and apply to the scalp and then cover your head with a shower cap. Let it sit for an hour, and then rinse off.

Additional information for psoriasis home treatment 

1. Keep your skin moist with a moisturizer really helps as dry skin only worsens the irritation and itchiness of psoriasis. This leads to a vicious cycle of dry skin, itching and scratching and new psoriasis patches on the skin.
   The best moisturizers are thick ointments like petroleum jelly (Vaseline), cooking oil and heavy skin creams help maintain the right water balance of the skin and thus prevent psoriasis outbreaks.
   Moisturizers should be applied after patting yourself after your shower. If you are not comfortable with this, you could apply ointment at bedtime and wrap it with a bandage or plastic wrap overnight. then gently wash the area in the morning and soon the scaling is reduced.
2. Natural sunlight is one of the foremost home remedies for psoriasis. However too much is bad as sunburns worsens psoriasis. unaffected skin should be covered with a sunscreen of SPF 30 or more and start with limited sun exposure like twenty minutes a day, thrice a day. it is better to start this with your doctor’s consent as some psoriasis medicines are risky with excessive sun exposure.
3. Aloe Vera is a natural home remedy for psoriasis as it has an anti-burn property. Just apply its gel on the affected parts. It is especially useful at treating plaque psoriasis. For fresh aloe split open one of its leaves and smear the gel on the plaques.
   In case of larger infected areas or if you require something potable, you could buy a bottle of pure aloe Vera gel sold in pharmacies and health-food stores. Mixing aloe Vera with equal quantities of garlic oil and then applying to the affected areas also helps.
   If you want to try aloe, you can buy the plant itself, split open one of its leaves, and smear the gel onto the plaques. For larger areas of plaque or a more portable balm, you can instead purchase a bottle of pure aloe Vera gel at many pharmacies and health-food stores.
4. Soaking affected fingernails and toenails in a bowl of apple cider vinegar or applying it to fingers using cotton balls helps. Even a compress of apple cider vinegar helps ease itching. Just mix a cup of apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water and soak a washcloth to apply to the skin.
5. Mud packs help treat psoriasis so add water to powdered Fuller’s earth to make a paste and apply to affected areas. let it dry and then rinse off to help remove all the toxins from your skin.
6. Use over-the-counter tar containing creams and bath additives as they help loosen psoriasis scales and thus treat psoriasis. gels, creams and other topical psoriasis over the counter applications containing salicylic acid helps by removing scales.
7. Always apply prescription medication for scalp psoriasis to the scalp and not hair. The medicine should be used for as long as required to get rid of lesions on the scalp, which usually takes 8 to 10 weeks. Once the condition is under control, it’s better to use scalp psoriasis home remedies to control the problem and prevent future outbreaks.
8. If you suffer from both scalp psoriasis and common body psoriasis, it’s important you consult your doctor about your medication. This is because the medication that works for your scalp may not work for your body and may even cause problems.
9. If you have relatives with a history of scalp psoriasis, consult your doctor the moment you sense trouble. This is very important for preventing scalp psoriasis.
10. Persistence and regularity is very important to treat psoriasis. Though it can seem messy and inconvenient to apply thick goo on your psoriasis patches, any topical therapy you are prescribed with should be part of your routine for improved results. Moreover, topical therapies are better treatment options as there is no risk of side effects of pills and injections.