This post is all about my scalp psoriasis care routine and the must-have products you need to try for yourself.
In this post, I am sharing my scalp psoriasis care routine. I have had scalp psoriasis for almost half my life and it has taken me a long time to find the right care routine to get it under control. If you struggle with this condition, I hope you find some of these tips helpful for your own life because I know firsthand how painful and annoying psoriasis can be. If you don’t have it, I hope you learn something new about this very common condition.
Just as a disclaimer, this routine is what works for me and my unique set of circumstances. What works for me might not work for you. My only goal on Routine Ready is to share my experiences to hopefully give my readers inspiration for their own lives.
BACKSTORY: 10 YEARS OF SCALP PSORIASIS
How It Came To Be
I’ve had scalp psoriasis for about 10 years now. It all started when I went to an outdoor family party in the summer and got eaten alive by mosquitoes and “no-see-um” bugs. Even though I had covered myself in bug spray, I was doomed since we were outside all night near a very wooded area. The next day, I saw that I was covered from head to toe with bug bites. I itched and itched like crazy for a month straight, but after a lot of calamine lotion and cold compresses, I finally healed up, all except for one spot: my scalp.
Months later, my scalp was still severely itchy. I thought it was still just a particularly bad mosquito bite, but I would weirdly shed little skin flakes whenever I scratched at it. My mom decided to take me to see a dermatologist. It was at that appointment that I was diagnosed with psoriasis.
What Is Scalp Psoriasis?
Phonetically pronounced “sore-rye-uh-sis,” psoriasis is a skin condition where skin cells build up and create itchy, scaly patches. These patches shed skin flakes when scratched. Driven by inflammation, it’s a painful and miserable condition. It can occur basically anywhere on the body, one of them being the scalp.
Scalp psoriasis is notoriously difficult to treat because of hair getting in the way, not allowing topical treatments to absorb the best. Some people have the condition so badly that they shave their heads so they can have better access to treat their patches properly. Half of people who have psoriasis in some form also have it on their scalp.
Another important note is that psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. Apparently it can lay dormant in the body, but all it takes is a traumatic injury to the skin (hello one million bug bites) to activate it. Since autoimmune conditions can’t be cured, psoriasis is just something one will always have to live with.
My Experience
If you have psoriasis, then you know that it’s not a walk in the park. My favorite thing about it (heavy on the sarcasm here) is that often looks like you have raging dandruff. The flakes land on your shoulders and are especially noticeable when wearing black. I’ve gotten a lot of dirty looks from people who assume I’ve never heard of Head and Shoulders shampoo or just have poor hygiene. It definitely has made me feel self-conscious over the years.
In terms of treating this condition, I’ve always had some type of prescription-strength topical solution from my dermatologist, but I’ve also tried all the natural remedies I could find online, ranging from tea tree oil to shea butter. After so many years of trial and error, I am happy to report that I have a good routine down. My scalp doesn’t itch, my thick patches of skin flakes are in remission and I don’t have to think twice about wearing dark-colored tops. I have accepted that psoriasis is a part of me and that as long as I can keep it under control with a good routine, I’m fine with it. 🙂
Before I dive into my scalp psoriasis care routine, here’s a little more context about my scalp and hair type: I have shoulder length, straight hair. My hair is fine to normal in terms of thickness, and I’m lucky to have a decent amount of it. My scalp gets oily quickly — if I don’t do anything to prevent it, I will basically be an oil field within 24 hours. In terms of my psoriasis, it covers about 50% of my scalp. It starts at my temples and wraps down the back of my head. Some of my patches are visible beyond my hairline, especially around my ears.
DAY 1
The Wash
My scalp psoriasis care routine starts in the shower when I wash my hair. At this point in time, I only wash my hair every other day. I currently use the Pureology Hydrate shampoo and conditioner. It’s safe for my color-treated hair (I get traditional highlights only — bleach never touches my scalp) and is the best “better-for-you”/ clean brand I’ve tried. When I use the conditioner, I only put it on the mid-lengths to ends of my hair and clip it up with a claw clip (this one is my absolute fave — I have a few of them!) so it can absorb well.
When I’m all done rinsing the conditioner out, I gently wrap my hair up into a Turbie Twist. These turban-like towels are designed specifically for your head and I adore them! My mom got us some on QVC a few years ago and I literally can’t live without them. I always bring at least one with me when I travel, too.
Medication Application
When I sit down to get ready, I always start with my scalp care. I take advantage of my damp hair and scalp since they absorb my topical medication better. First, I spray my towel-dried hair with the Eva NYC Mane Magic spray. It’s a 10-in-1 primer that I use for detangling and heat protectant purposes. I use my Wet Brush (like this one) to smooth everything out and remove tangles.
Next, I take my medication and apply it all over my psoriasis patches. (For those of you who are curious, the name of the medication I’m currently prescribed is called clobetasol propionate. I’ve tried a lot of different topicals over the years and this one is my favorite because it doesn’t leave a greasy residue whatsoever!) I just lift my hair up in sections and do my best to apply it directly on my scalp. To finish, I go back in with my brush to distribute the medication better. At this point, I let my scalp and hair alone while I do my makeup and get dressed.
The Blowout
The best way to keep my oily scalp at bay is by styling my hair with heat after I’ve washed it. In the past, I’ve tried letting my hair completely air dry since some sources say that heat styling irritates scalp psoriasis, but no matter what I do, it always ends up looking super greasy. My strands are too soft to do anything with after they air dry, so my hair just sits on top of my head like a flat pancake. All that being said, heat styling suits me just fine.
To start, I take my blow dryer and give my hair a rough pass to get it partially dry. Then I use my Revlon hair dryer brush to style it. I usually section my hair off in three parts with a claw clip — the bottom, the middle, and then the top/ face-framing pieces. Working through each section, I divide my hair into smaller pieces and run the hair dryer brush through them. I repeat this entire process until my hair is fully dry and styled. This probably takes me a good 10-15 minutes to complete.
The Battle of the Oil
Remember how I said my scalp gets super oily? Before I adopted this care routine, I used to wash my hair every single day to try to combat that issue. What I didn’t realize was that I was actually drying my scalp out more by doing this. That made the healthy parts of my scalp overcompensate by producing even more oil and made my psoriasis patches even drier, itchier and flakier. So how do I get my hair to look good for longer despite this battle? Enter dry shampoo.
In order to preserve the blowout, one of the most crucial steps in this process is applying said dry shampoo. This one from Amika is my favorite — it smells so good and works wonders. I only spray it on the top part of my head, since this is the only place that gets noticeably oily for me. To be clear, I don’t put dry shampoo on my psoriasis patches — I just leave them be. Applying dry shampoo before oil starts building up is key! This helps my hair to look fresh for as long as possible.
Once I’m done, I use my paddle brush to distribute the dry shampoo throughout the top of my scalp and then go in with this flexible hold hairspray to tame my flyaways. And that’s a wrap! It’s a somewhat long process, but it’s totally worth it.
NIGHT 1
Dry Shampoo and Put Hair Up
On the night of the day I wash my hair, I have to put a tiny bit more effort into preserving my blowout. I go back in with my dry shampoo, but not with nearly as much as I use in the morning. After this, I put my hair up into a messy top knot with a scrunchie and call it good. Even though all my bottom pieces of hair fall out of updo out overnight, it keeps the top of my hair intact, preventing my scalp from producing more oil. Plus, it’s such a cute look the next morning when I wake up (not! lol). 😉
DAY 2
Shower Cap
Day 2 is fun! I still have to put some effort into how my hair looks, but it takes half the time and it can give my look a little more interest. When I shower in the morning, I put my hair up and then cover my head with a fun polka dot shower cap similar to this one. It does a good job of keeping my hair mostly dry, but of course some water will leak around the edges into my hairline. If that happens, I’ll either let it air dry or blast it with my blow dryer if I’m in a rush to get ready.
Curl Hair or Put It Up
When it’s time to style my hair, I usually opt for curling it. The sole reason for this is since my hair is so poker straight, the dents from sleeping with my hair up overnight are wild. I go in with my favorite curling iron from Hot Tools — I’ve had it for years, and even though it is specifically marketed toward people with long hair, I’m so used to it that I make it work. I’m also in a constant state of cutting my hair then wanting to grow it out and never cut it, so it is a must for all my hair length phases.
Once it’s all curled, I’ll either wear my hair as is if it turned out good or put it up in a claw clip or some other cute half-up style. If it looks like it needs another touch of dry shampoo, I’ll add it in at this point, but usually I’m good to go and don’t want to risk looking like a Founding Father with a white, powdery wig! Haha!
NIGHT 2
Let It Be
By the end of day 2, I can tell that my hair is approaching its oil limit. This is especially true if I’ve worked out over the past couple of days. My hair starts looking separated and piece-y at the top, thanks to all the grease. It is very rare that it looks 100% fresh at this point, and even if it does I’m usually not brave enough to stretch my wash out. So I just let it be what it is, and always hope that I don’t have going out plans that night 🙂 If I do, a hat it is! When bedtime comes around, I put my hair up out of sheer habit, but it’s not going to salvage anything. At this point, I find myself looking forward to washing my hair the next morning and starting the entire process all over again.
So there you have it — my extended scalp psoriasis care routine with all the products that I use and swear by. If you have any products that you use for your scalp psoriasis, let me know in the comments below!
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