WEEK #16: RED REVIVAL

My E45 experience has improved from last week but I still don't have much hope of any of their products making the short list. Less than one month until my dermatologist appointment and I just can't wait! I'm spending a small fortune on skin stuff at the moment so I'm going to be cutting back. I'm also going to make a start on diet changes, I'm not eliminating anything from my diet at first but I'm going to try adding recommended stuff and I'll be starting with probiotics. If you're interested i'l be posting an article on my instagram which prompted me to give the cultured way of life a go and I'll be sure to post about my progress. I'll just be trying it out for a month at first and then I'll probably move on to something else! This weeks review won't include the TGel and Eumovate, I'll be saving them for next week but you can read about the E45 stuff below. Sending you all lots of good vibes and best wishes.

-E45 Emollient bath oil 500ml: 4/10
I remember using this ages ago and thinking it was brilliant, this time around though my skin didn't seem to like it so much. I tried it both as a bath additive and as an in shower product (it advises on the packaging you can use in shower too). It didn't make my hair as greasy as I expected like some bath oils do but it also didn't provide as much moisture as I expected either. Using it as a shower product I found that I had to put quite a lot on the sponge to see any of the product transferring to my skin. It's quite expensive for what it is and although it would probably last quite a while I'd rather spend my money on something more effective. My overall impression of E45 has been that they provide good surface moisture but it doesn't really deeply penetrate the skin if that makes any sense haha.
(http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/e45-bath-500ml-4071938-p-44) £6.50

-E45 Cream 350g: 6/10
So this is probably my favourite E45 product so far but it's still not good enough for the price. It's quite a bit thicker than their normal moisturisers and it is labelled as for psoriasis suffered. It can be a tad messy to apply but it is misty odourless (there is only a slight medicinal smell). This tiny tub got used up so quick so it's not value for money and I didn't feel particularly comfortable after applying it, sometimes my skin felt a bit tingly (not the nice type of tingly) but would calm down relatively quickly. Although I didn't wake up in the night itching (this may purely be because I've had an exhausting week anyway) I woke up itchy and felt I immediately needed to apply more cream. I've tried better, I've tried worse, but I won't be using again unfortunately apart from in case of emergency. 
(http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/body-care/e45-cream-350g) £6.65

WEEK #15: ITCHY & SCRATCHY

I'm sure everyone in the UK has heard of E45, it must be the most popular 'dry skin' product. Not specifically tailored to psoriasis sufferers but thought I would give it a go nonetheless. Can't say this weeks experiences have been particularly successful but there are quite a lot of E45 products left to try. I've had a bit of a crappy week, I've been so so tired so I've skipped washing my hair twice which means flakemania in the morning to deal with. I've also got into the habit of not applying my creams regularly enough out of laziness but ah well onwards and hopefully upwards... read on for my reviews!

E45 INTENSE RECOVERY LOTION FOR VERY DRY SKIN 250ML: 4/10
Firstly, I like my daily moisturiser to be thick, from personal experience the thicker the moisturiser the more moisture and comfort it provides, this is definitely not thick and generally speaking I'm not a fan of 'lotions'. The name enticed me more than anything, however I didn't experience any recovering unfortunately. Although it absorbed quite quickly (still not as quickly as I'd expect for a lotion though) and it did leave my skin feeling soft before the itching started, it didn't provide me with the moisture my scales were left craving for. I managed to get through the whole bottle within the week, probably because I was lathering it on though to make up for its texture. I had a few bad nights where I woke up itchy and re-applying this moisturiser didn't help.
(http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=272489212, £4.50)


E45 EMOLIENT WASH 100ML: 5/10
Like the moisturiser, the body wash was of thin consistency so I would have preferred it to be a bit thicker but apart from that I don't really have strong feelings about it. I didn't mind having it on display in my bathroom as the packaging isn't too offensive like many of the products I've tried in the past. Also reasonably priced. Could take it or leave it really, I'd use it if there was nothing else on the supermarket shelves. 
(http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/body-care/e45-facewash-250ml, £4)

E45 DRY SCALP SHAMPOO 200ML: 2/10
I HATE THIS PRODUCT SO MUCH!!!!! Makes me angry just thinking about how much of a flake I've been this week thanks to this shampoo. I was so excited to try it but no, it's messed up my scalp quite badly. I've been enduring the worst scalp itching I've had for a long time. Safe to say I will most definitely not be using this again.
(http://www.boots.com/en/E45-Shampoo-for-Dry-Scalp-200ml_867585/, £5.99)

DERMOVATE OINTMENT 50G: 4/10
After two weeks of use I'd be expecting to see more of an improvement from a steroid that I thought was supposed to be quite strong. I've been applying it usually about twice a day. I like the consistency and it's thickness. One of my faithful psoriasis buddies told me it can take a while to kick in but it's had it's chance with me. It worked quite well in calming down my inner ear psoriasis which had been a nightmare and although you can see that my psoriasis is less pronounced in the areas I've been using it compared to where I haven't used it but not a strong enough improvement to warrant using it daily. 
(PRESCRIPTION)

WEEK #14: HYDRATION HEAVEN

What a difference a good moisturiser makes! From rough and reddy to smooth and mostly itchless. My scalp's not on point at the moment but I have plenty more shampoos to try so never fear. Still feeling so inspired after world psoriasis day, so many beautiful, brave people raising awareness. This week has been hell for me, I've been working really long hours trying to get some extra dollar for christmas so I've been very quite on social media lately which makes me sad. I also hate that I can't apply my skin stuff as regularly as I normally do. So I won't be reviewing Dermovate this week but read below for my opinion on everything else in tha pic.

HYDROMOL OINTMENT 500G: 9/10
Eeeee this has to be my favourite so far. First of all, TUB!!! Being the stingy person that I am I like to scrape out every last bit so tubs are the best for that. As far as ointments go, this has to be the least greasy one that I've tried. I'm not saying that you won't completely eliminate the shininess and stickiness problem that accompanies most ointments (which is why its not a ten out of ten) but this one absorbs relatively quickly. It also made my skin feel comfortable after applying it if that makes any sense. I didn't like it to use a washing product though. It was a bit of a faf having to melt it before pouring into the bath and although it was nice to have a bubble bath (most psoriasis bathing products still leave the water clear and plain) it wasn't as moisturising as I was expecting considering the effects of it as a moisturiser. Also rather expensive to use considering one pot only lasted a week on the basis of applying three times a day. But that was also using it in the bath and I won't be doing that again if this makes it to my shortlist. 
(TESCO PHARMACY, £8)

DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK MINERAL SHAMPOO 330ML: 4/10 
Didn't help with my flaking at all= nightmare at work where I love wearing black cardigans and blazers. It didn't inflame the itching but it didn't completely soothe it either. The price seems excessive for this product and apart from the fact that it is odourless and doesn't make my scalp any worse than it already is 
(http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dead-sea-spa-magik-mineral-shampoo-60031076, £8.99)


DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK CONDITIONING SCALP MUD 150ML: 2/10
I love getting down and dirty with mud it's such fun, even the word itself is a fun word to say and this product looks like nourishing mineral mud that would be great for the scalp. Unfortunately it proved to be of absolutely no benefit to me. For the price I was hoping it might at the very least make my hair look extra special but nahh. It was also quite difficult to apply. Defo won't be using this again. 
(http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dead-sea-spa-magik-conditioning-scalp-mud-60024069, £10.29)