Home Remedies for Psoriasis

Gentle Natural Remedies for Psoriasis

These are some simple home remedies for psoriasis that do not contain harmful chemicals, which have been helpful for many psoriasis sufferers, and which often are much safer than harsh chemical treatments. I hope you find them helpful!

One of the Most Popular Remedies for Psoriasis

One of the most popular home remedies for psoriasis is apple cider vinegar, which may smell kind of strong, but can help to normalize the Ph of your skin. Some people find it strong, and so they dilute it. Even one part cider vinegar to 9 cups of water can be useful for some people.

This can work really well for scalp psoriasis. Apply the cider vinegar and leave on for a half hour, with a towel wrapped around your head. Then wash your hair with a natural hypoallergenic shampoo or a good psoriasis shampoo that is free from irritants like sodium lauryl sulfate.

See our safe cosmetics guide for more information on ingredients that can irritate sensitive skin.

Some people also find an extra helpful benefit by applying a mixture of aloe vera gel and jojoba oil to the scalp at night, and letting it soak in overnight. I personally find that jojoba oil irritates my eyes, so be sure to do a skin test first to be sure you are not allergic to any of these ingredients.

You can also use olive oil instead of jojoba. Some people find it nicer to warm the oil before applying. This can help to remove the scales of psoriasis.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis - The Basics

Here are some of the simple, natural home treatments that have been most helpful to people with psoriasis.

• Soaking in tepid water can soften scales and help them heal
• Moisturize immediately while your skin is still damp.
• Use non-toxic hypoallergenic products that do not contain harsh chemicals or soaps that strip the natural oils from your skin
• Use a humidifier to keep skin moist
• Gentle sun exposure can help to heal psoriasis lesions, within moderation. Don't burn!
• Cover your lesions with a bandage, which can help them to heal
• Avoid products with fragrances, colorings and irritating chemicals. Be aware that even hypoallergenic products can contain ingredients that may cause irritation.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis - Whole Body Support

Many people with psoriasis find the following whole body health supports to be very helpful in controlling psoriasis outbreaks.

• A pure, high quality fish oil and also applied externally
• Zinc taken internally and also applied to the skin
• Vitamin E taken internally and applied to the skin
• Be sure to get enough vitamin D through sunlight, cod liver oil or other supplements
• Meditation can help to relieve stress and reduce outbreaks
• Acupuncture can be a very helpful natural remedy for psoriasis and other chronic skin conditions
• If you are struggling with out of control psoriasis combined wtih allergies and other inflammatory conditions, consider Dynamic Neural Retraining.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis - Salves

Some people with psoriasis make their own salves and apply them to the psoriasis lesions. Here are some of the natural ingredients that work well for those who use them! Please do a skin test first before using these ingredients, to be sure your skin will respond well.

• A mixture of avocado, olive oil and honey - yum!! You might even want to eat some too!!
• Apply a little cayenne pepper, carefully! You could add this to another, less intense ingredient like olive oil. Be sure to keep away from eyes and mucous membranes
• Mix together the juice of one orange and one lemon with a tablespoon of olive oil, joboba oil or other healing oil, and apply to the skin. May also be taken internally.
• Here is a very simple and affordable home remedy for psoriasis ... it's called a Cabbage leave compress! Place some cabbage leaves on your psoriasis lesions and leave on the area for a while. It might look funny, but it helps!
  
  Baking soda paste, applied to the psoriasis lesions can help to calm down the itching and inflammation.
  
  Castor oil is a very useful, multipurpose oil that can help so many health conditions, including psoriasis. Apply to the lesions to soften and heal them.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis - Baths

Baths can be soothing and healing, and are a wonderfully simple natural remedy for psoriasis. Be sure to keep the water tepid or warm, not hot.

• Epsom salts bath - the natural mineral salts help to sooth and calm the lesions.
• Baking soda can be added to the epsom salts bath, or used on it's own.
• Chickweed tea is an herb that has been used for centuries to help skin problems like eczema and psoriasis. It can be used as a poultice or a bath, and also can be taken internally. Chickweed is also a healthy green which can be added to salads!
• One cup milk and one or two tablespoons of olive oil, added to your bath can be soothing, and the natural alpha hydroxy acids in the milk can help the psoriasis to heal. This of course works for people who are not allergic to milk or dairy products.
  
  Mineral bath - many natural mineral salts can be soothing for psoriasis. Some of these include natural sea water, Dead Sea mineral salts, or Himilayan crystal salt.

Water Softener Pellets for Psoriasis?

Here is one of the most unusual home remedies for psoriasis I've heard, from someone who struggled with psoriasis for nearly 20 years. It involves softening your water.

You may have heard of "hard water" which has a lot of minerals? There are natural salt products that are designed to soften water, called water softener pellets.

Most people would have difficulty affording to install a whole house water softening unit, however some creative folks have discovered a way that you can experience the benefits of soft water when you have psoriasis.

Now, I don't personally have psoriasis so I don't know if it works, but some people say it is the only thing that helps!

I believe that this works because water softener pellets contain natural salts such as rock salt, or solar salt, which some people have found very helpful in reducing psoriasis symptoms.

You can soak in a tub with some of the water softening pellets (be sure you read the ingredients to make sure it is only natural salts!) for 15 to 20 minutes a day.

If this is not practical, you can use this creative and very inexpensive method for softening your shower water.

• Get a small, zippered fine mesh laundry bag and fill it with several cups of the water softening pellets.
• With the top still open, place the bag over your shower head, and then attach the bag using a thick elastic band.
• Shower as usual, and according to people who have done this, you'll notice some burning on your psoriasis lesions, and in a few days to a week they may begin to heal. For some people, this fades the psoriasis lesions completely within a few weeks.
• People who have found this useful say it is helpful to shower with the softened water once a day for prevention.
• If you can't find water softening pellets that are free from chemicals, try Himalayan salts, Dead Sea salts or sea salt.

Natural and Herbal Remedies for Psoriasis

When home remedies for psoriasisare not enough to make a noticeable difference, and psoriasis medicines are too strong for your sensitive skin, natural skin care remedies for psoriasis may be just what you need.

There are lots of different herbal remedies for psoriasis, however they are not specifically formulated for sensitive skin. In order to find one that will work for your unique skin, I recommend that you choose remedies that are:

• Formulated by doctors and natural health professionals and based on solid research.
• Contain a smaller number of ingredients, rather than dozens of ingredients ... that way there is less possibility of reacting to one of them!
• Offer a combination of herbal and homeopathic remedies, which are excellent choices for people with sensitive skin.
• Use high quality wild crafted herbs that retain their full therapeutic properties.
• Use the whole herb whenever possible, which reduces side effects and reduces the need for harsh chemicals to extract the herbs.

Skin Doctor is a popular homeopathic remedy that works well for psoriasis and does not have side effects. It works especially well  and is among our top home remedies for psoriasis.