Remedies: Skin Applications

This is a list of all the skin applications I have used, ranging from daily moisturisers to sunscreen. For more info on how I use them, check out My Daily Skincare Routine.

Despite the likes of E45 and Aveeno dominating the skincare shelves, they almost always contain paraffin (because it's an inexpensive ingredient). However, it's also flammable and "locks in moisture" by clogging our skin's pores. The use of emollients containing paraffin can even lead to the thinning of skin. This isn't quite what we want in a moisturiser! Instead, look for applications that are:

Vegan

Paraffin-free

Paraben-free

SLS-free

Fragrance-free

To keep things as natural as possible after a second flare-up, I revisited this page and devised the below moisturising routine:

Post-shower: Body Butter (homemade) | Balmonds Skin Salvation (face)

Throughout the day, as and when needed: Colloidal Oat Cream

Evening, before bed: Avocado Oil and Black Seed/Turmeric essential oils

We all want to prevent the process in which water evaporates through our skin known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL). It’s found to be higher in sites affected by psoriatic lesions.

TEWL can be reduced through the use of substances that reduce the loss of moisture (a single ingredient can be more than one of the below):

Humectants draw water from the environment into the skin.

Occlusives form a protective layer on the skin to trap in moisture.

Emollients soothe, smooth, repair and strengthen the skin.

A book I read championed Vaseline as the best for TEWL prevention, but it’s packed with paraffins and parabens. Thankfully, many natural alternatives exist (my research suggests that Avocado Oil and Avocado Butter demonstrates the properties of all three):

Hum: Aloe Vera | Glycerin* | Honey | Hyaluronic Acid | Seaweed

Occ: Almond Oil; Castor Oil; Cocoa Butter; Jojoba Oil; Olive Oil; Shea Butter

Emo: Castor Oil; Cocoa Butter; Coconut Oil; Mango Butter; Shea Butter

*This encouraged me to give Pure Glycerin Soap a try.

To begin with, the body butter recipe I originally created needed an update. I had been using refined shea butter; unrefined is the skin-nourishing choice since nutrients are lost in the refining process.

The main different types of butter itself include avocado, cocoa, mango and shea. Their properties are as follows:

Avocado

Fatty acids (including Omega 3); Vitamins A; D; E

Cocoa

Fatty acids (including Oleic and Stearic); Vitamin E

Mango

Fatty acids (including Oleic and Stearic); Vitamins A; C; E

Shea

Fatty acids (including Linoleic; Oleic; Stearic); Vitamins A, E, F

 

I discounted cocoa due to a high comedogenic rating (more on that further down) and mango since it’s the most expensive on the list. 

Many of the handmade products and recipes online incorporate more than one butter, oils and extra ingredients such as aloe vera, too. I therefore decided to include both avocado and shea in my new version- as well as aloe vera gel. As for essential oils, these ones tend to be recommended in psoriasis-beating blends:

Black Seed | Broccoli | Chamomile | Eucalyptus | Frankincense | Lavender | Oregano | Rosemary | Tea Tree | Turmeric

Weighing up a variety of recipes resulted in me choosing and tweaking this one. I learned about the double boil method at the same time: this involves melting butters slowly, on a low heat. Rapid heating (i.e. in a microwave) can lead to nutrient loss.

I use Balmonds Skin Salvation for my face only; it's too expensive to apply all over, but this rich, nourishing ointment makes my skin feel moist all day long.

Skin Salvation | 120ml

Balmonds | Holland and Barrett

Hanna Sillitoe's face cream feels and smells delightful, but I struggle to stretch to the current price.

Vitamin D Face Cream | 60ml

Hanna Sillitoe

On my lips, it's handmade, natural ingredients-only lip balm, of course!

Natural Lip Balm | 10ml

Etsy

My go-to moisturiser for a top-up (or when I've temporarily run out of body butter!) is Colloidal Oat Cream. It only appears to be available online.

Colloidal Oat Cream | 500ml

Amazon | eBay

Before bed, I used to combine melted coconut oil with turmeric essential oil and rub it all over my body:

Organic Virgin Raw Coconut Oil

Aldi | Holland and Barrett | Home Bargains | Lidl

Turmeric Essential Oil | 10ml

Amazon

However, further research into aromatherapy led to me making one or two changes. Firstly, I looked into the comedogenic scale which ranges between 0 and 5: the higher the score, the more likely an oil is to clog pores (this is a more significant drawback for those who experience acne). Coconut oil is on the higher end of the scale. When fractionated, it no longer has this issue, but becomes more expensive while containing less beneficial fatty acids.

While this original mixture didn’t cause me any problems, I decided to have a go at creating a more effective blend.

A 'blend' has two components: the carrier oil and the essential oil(s). The purpose of the former is to dilute the latter so that we can safely apply them to skin. As an added bonus, carriers contain vitamins/nutrients. Cold-pressed, unrefined forms are preferable: the refining and (hot) pressing processes can involve removing/losing these nutrients.

The Soap Kitchen and The Soapery proved to be useful resources when finding out the below (other guide-providing sites include FreshSkin, Scents of Man and Holland & Barrett):

Apricot Kernel (2)

Fatty acids (including Linoleic and Oleic Acid); Vitamin A; Vitamin E

Argan (0)

Fatty acids (including Omega 3); Vitamin E

*Avocado* (3)

Fatty acids (including Omega 3 and Oleic Acid); Lecithin; Potassium; Vitamin A; Vitamin D; Vitamin E

Black Cumin Seed (2)

Fatty acids; Thymoquinone; Vitamin B

Carrot Seed (3-4)

Vitamin A; Vitamin E

Castor (1)

Fatty acids (including Omega 3 and Ricinoleic Acid); Vitamin E

Coconut (4)

Fatty acids (including Lauric Acid); Vitamin E (only traces of nutrients)

Grapeseed (1)

Fatty acids; Vitamin E

*Jojoba* (2)

Fatty acids (including Omega 3); Vitamin E; Zinc

*Rosehip* (1)

Fatty acids; Vitamin C; Vitamin E

*Sweet Almond* (2)

Fatty acids (including Omega 3 and Oleic Acid); Vitamin E

I put the best-sounding in asterisks, but Avocado Oil had particularly promising write-ups. Its Oleic Acid allows for rapid/deep skin penetration AND promotes collagen synthesis, therefore helping to heal “chapped” skin. It’s also liquid at room temperature, meaning I don’t have to melt it in the microwave late at night!

As mentioned, essential oils that tend to be recommended in psoriasis-beating blends include: 

Black Seed | Broccoli | Chamomile | Eucalyptus | Frankincense | Lavender | Oregano | Rosemary | Tea Tree | Turmeric

Based on price, availability and psoriasis-oriented benefits, I decided to go with these combinations: 

Carrier Oil: Avocado

Essential Oils: Turmeric

*

Carrier Oil: Jojoba

Essential Oils: Geranium

The Jojoba/Geranium pairing ultimately won because they sound to be kindest to the skin microbiome, and I eventually got fed up of turmeric stains.

The generally accepted dilution for topical applications is 2% (2ml of essential oil per 100ml of carrier oil). Roughly, for every tablespoon (~15ml) of carrier oil, 6-7 drops (a ‘drop’ is ~0.05ml) of essential oil should be used- though for those new to essential oils, it may be better to start with slightly less (3-4). I considered buying a diffuser to inhale them, but nowhere suggested this would directly benefit my skin.

 

When it comes to hair products, styling powder and unperfumed hairspray is a safe combination for me:

got2b Powder'ful Volumizing Styling Powder | 10g

Boots | Superdrug

Unperfumed Hairspray

Boots | Superdrug

Mineral sunscreens are my preference for sunny times. However, finding an affordable one is easier said than done. Instead, I opted for:

Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Sun Lotion | 200ml

Altruist Dermatologist Sunscreen | 100ml

Amazon | eBay

Alba Botanica 100% Mineral Sunscreen | 113g

Possibly discontinued

Pure, organic Aloe Vera gel (with Aloe Vera as the first ingredient) makes for an ideal natural aftersun. After coming back from a holiday in the sun, I also apply it post-shower for about a week.

Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Gel | 200ml

Grape Tree | Holland and Barrett | Superdrug