3 Psoriasis Soothing Products
I really haven’t found many natural products for psoriasis - particularly nail psoriasis. Most of them seem like scary, chemical-filled over-the-counter products, and that’s not the route I generally like to take when it comes to my health! If you’ve seen my YouTube video about my journey with psoriasis so far, you will have heard that a dermatologist suggested steroid injections into my fingertips every few months. That just sounds so miserable and unnatural.
There are many creams on the market for flaky skin due to psoriasis, but nail psoriasis seems to need to be treated internally. I am such a huge believer in the power of food and eating to heal our bodies, so treating from within truly is my preferred method anyway; and I believe that it is so important to target the root cause instead of spot treating the symptoms. Because of this, I have been determined to understand what psoriasis really is and what contributes to flare-ups.
To keep it very short and simple: psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which skin cells die much quicker than normal (within a few days instead of a month), resulting in dead skin cells building up on the surface of the skin - hence the dry flaky patches with skin psoriasis or the dead skin build up under the nail in the case of nail psoriasis (resulting in abnormal nail growth).
When you search “how to treat psoriasis,” most websites will tell you to apply a cream to sooth the itchy, flaky skin or keep your nails trimmed short for nail psoriasis. These do nothing to actually heal the disease, they only help manage the symptoms. My goal is to correct whatever is off-balance in my body so that I can manage the inflammation at the root, since the inflammation definitely effects me in more ways than just psoriasis. If I can ‘feed two birds with one scone’ I’ll be a happy, healthy gal!
So! I have formulated a little plan consisting of 3 products to hopefully tackle psoriasis at the root, but also help manage the symptoms topically as well.
DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
Diatomaceous Earth is a powdery substance made from fossilized algae (diatoms). It is 80-90% silica which is essential for producing collagen in the body - a building block for hair, skin, and nails! This is perfect for people who suffer with psoriasis - an autoimmune disease that effects the skin and results in weak, brittle nails. It is also great for detoxing the digestive system which reduces inflammation in the body.
To make it even better, Diatomaceous Earth (often nicknamed “the dirt”) is SUPER affordable, making this a no-brainer to try. It also is essentially tasteless, but does have a slight chalky texture.
To consume Diatomaceous Earth, use a food grade brand (such as this one). Start out with a small dose, as it is very dry and absorptive (can cause constipation). Add about 1 teaspoon to a full glass of water (I think warm water helps dissolve the chalky texture a bit) once a day. Slowly work your way up to twice a day, and then increase the dose up to a tablespoon. You can also add this to a smoothie or juice if you like!
[update]: as always, i am not an expert or a doctor, so please do additional research of your own before consuming. i have only experienced positive results, but that doesn’t mean it will be the case for everybody.
VITAMIN D3
Studies have shown that people with psoriasis are often vitamin D deficient. Being deficient in vitamin D doesn’t necessarily lead to psoriasis, but boosting your level of vitamin D3 may help relieve symptoms of psoriasis in two ways:
Vitamin D3 supports healthy skin cell growth. Us people with psoriasis have accelerated skin cell growth, so vitamin D could potentially help normalize this.
Vitamin D3 can help immune response which is awesome for those of us with psoriasis since it’s an autoimmune disease!
Now, obviously, the best option is to get vitamin D directly from the sun. If you are like me and work a typical 40+ hour work week and then don’t get outside much on the weekends (I need to get better about that), it’s not always possible and supplementation might be beneficial.
BUT . . . did you know that most vitamin D3 supplements are sourced from SHEEPS WOOL?? I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds weird and disgusting.
Luckily, I found a brand called Ritual that makes a completely vegan multivitamin with D3 sourced from algae. The multivitamin contains other awesome ingredients like B12, iron, biotin, iodine, and omega-3, plus they have a minty taste and look cool! Check them out here if you, too, want a plant-derived vitamin D3. I am not affiliated with Ritual, I simply think they’ve created a noteworthy product, but I believe vegan D3 supplements are becoming more and more common.
CERA VE PSORIASIS CREAM
It is kind of difficult to treat nail psoriasis topically, so this one is geared more towards skin psoriasis; however, I am still implementing this into my routine to hopefully reduce the dead skin build up under my nails and peeling around my fingers.
[update]: this helped manage the intense peeling on my fingers when my symptoms were at their worst. again, this is not a cure, but can help temporarily manage the symptoms.
This cream has several ingredients that seem to be incredible for combating psoriasis:
Salicylic Acid - gently exfoliates the skin (I’ve found this so helpful for acne, too). This along with lactic acid helps remove scaly, peeling skin.
Niacinamide - calming to the skin (another great one for acne because it also helps control sebum).
Ceramides - help strengthen the skin and retain hydration.
Shea butter - heavy moisture.
Okay . . . here’s the weird one. I truly walked away from this product when I saw this ingredient, but when I got desperate, I reconsidered it, did some more research and realized my misunderstanding. The ingredient is urea. Naturally, I thought “urine,” but luckily, in cosmetics, urea is synthetically produced. Phewf! Essentially it does all of the above: gently exfoliates, retains moisture, and builds up the protective barrier of the skin! Sounds pretty awesome.
I hope these two dietary supplements, as well as the cream which is great for soothing and upkeep, give you some new, gentle, and natural options for managing your psoriasis. I would love to hear from you if you give these a try!
Update: it has been about 2 months since I began using these 3 products daily and I have already noticed some great progress with my nails! It feels great to be able to confidently recommend these products and I hope they help you heal as well! I will update with before and after photos soon.
Happy healing!
MADELINE