Hair Care
 Speak up. Inform your aesthetician or salon specialist of your condition. Doing so will allow them to offer recommendations and treatments suited to your personal needs. If you are refused service or made to feel uncomfortable, talk to the salon owner about your experience. If it remains unresolved, contact the National Psoriasis Foundation.
| Assistive Skin and
Hair Care Devices
Dry with ease. A hair dryer stand offers hands-free drying, eliminating the weight of a dryer and allowing both hands for rapid drying. |
Patch test new products before use. To minimize skin irritations, ask your stylist about gentle products and test all new cosmetic products on a small area before fully applying them. To conduct a patch test, follow the simple instructions below.
– Apply a small amount of product to a small area of skin.
– Check the area in 24 hours for redness or irritation.
– In the case of hair dye, it is important to do the test each time you use it even if you have not had problems before.
| Brush it out. Long handle hair brushes make styling much easier for people with limited reach. |
Keep hair manageable. Many medicated shampoos are designed for the scalp, not the hair. After using a medicated shampoo, repeat the process again with your regular shampoo and use your conditioner to make your hair more manageable.
Be persistent: Scalp treatments must be repeated until you get adequate control of your lesions. For some, this may take up to eight weeks or longer.
Skin Care
Be gentle. Use products specifically formulated for sensitive skin.
| Use assistive tools to help with application. Applying makeup can be tricky if you have joint stiffness or limited mobility. Look for long handled makeup brushes and lighted magnifying mirrors, which make the application process easier. |
Avoid lesions. Never apply skin products or makeup to open skin lesions, unhealed cuts or raw, irritated skin.
Exfoliate first. There are multiple ways to make psoriasis less noticeable, including occlusion and hydration. Occlusion occurs when each plaque is coated with a thick layer of heavy over-the-counter cream and covered overnight with plastic wrap. In the morning, the scales are washed away in the shower. Hydration occurs when plaques are soaked for 10-15 minutes in warm water and bath oil. Scales are then removed by gently rubbing them with a towel. Removing scales too vigorously can break the skin and lead to an infection or cause the Koebner response (when psoriasis appears on traumatized skin). Great care should be taken when removing scales.
| Designate a sitting area for getting ready. Set aside space in your bedroom or bathroom that you can use for getting ready in the morning. Sitting while applying makeup and beauty products can take the stress off your joints and make your routine more manageable. |
Check for mineral ingredients. If you wear makeup, keep in mind that there are new mineral makeup formulations that come in powder form, which may be better for your skin than traditional makeup formulations.
Talk to your doctor. It is best to check with your doctor before beginning any skincare regimen or using a new product.
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