NEUTROGENA

So I was going to wait until I had tried out all of Netrogena's  body moisturising products before I did my review but I haven't been able to get hold of their intense repair body lotion or the dermatological cream (which is annoying as it states it specifically helps psoriasis!)so if I manage to get my hands on it i'll review it separately. I decided to try out Neutrogena products as part of my experimentations with high street products. I can't say that any of these were particularly good for helping with psoriasis but ah well, at least now I know! 

Netutrogena Visibly Renew Elast-Boost Body Balm: 5/10

You've got to love the complex wordiness some beauty companies use for their products! Anyway this was the product I had low expectations for as it's primary purpose is to help skins elasticity. If I didn't have psoriasis I'd use this on a daily basis as I loved how my skin felt and although it was my favourite neutrogena product, unfortunately the moisture just wasn't penetrating enough for my flaky spots. I loved the smell, texture and of course the pot! It also works well to use on the face. 

(http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Visibly-Renew-Elasti-Boost-Body-Balm-200ml_1651114/, £4.99)

Neutorgena Nourishing Body Balm with Nordic Berry: 4/10

I initially thought my skin would love this, probably because of the word 'nourishing' but unfortunately my clothes seemed to soak up all the moisturiser rather than my skin when it was applied. I found that my itchiness would return not long after applying and i definitely couldn't make it through the night with this alone as my moisturiser. It's a shame because the smell was divine and I think it would work a treat on normal skin, even though it states for very dry skin I wouldn't rely on it to provide relief. 

(http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Nourishing-Body-Balm-with-Nordic-Berry-200ml_1440744/, £4.29)

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Comfort Balm : 5/10

This product was ok, again I was seduced by the marketing of the product but unfortunately it didn't provide as much comfort for dry skin as you would think from seeing the product on the shelves. Again I like the texture and pot but it absorbs quickly so skin quickly becomes rough, dry and itchy again. 

(http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Deep-Moisture-Comfort-Balm-300ml_1040074/, £4.49) 

Neutrogena Body Oil: 3/10

This product looked divine when I was in the shops, I thought this could be the one but one thing I've learnt is that oils aren't as moisturising and relieving as they look. Like most oils it was messy to apply and not worth the effort. Almost immediately after applying my skin would become itchy again. In fact I think it provided more irritation than relief. Whilst using this product my sleep was horrendous. It does state that you can also use this in the bath, I didn't actually try it for that purpose dues to it's ineffectiveness for it's main purpose.

(http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Body-Oil-250ml_2129/, £7.99)

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Creamy Oil Body Lotion: 5/10

This reminded me of the comfort balm, I didn't notice any difference between the two at all apart from it was in a pump bottle and had a slightly lighter texture. I was able to wear this for quite a while without recurring itching but my skin still felt rough. Not for me I'm afraid.

(http://www.boots.com/en/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Deep-Moisture-Creamy-Oil-For-Dry-Skin-250ml_1277228/, £4.99)

THE CLASSICS

I'm sure the majority of psoriasis sufferers are familiar with the two creams pictures above and will require no review of them but I did say I would review everything I try so here goes.  As always I must remind you that these are my personal experiences of these products, just because something doesn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you! I apologise -yet again- for not posting much recently, I blame life and stuff for getting in the way. I plan to be back on form very soon. 

Cetraben Cream 479ml: 6/10

Thing thing I like most about Cetraben is that you feel like your skin being properly moisturised as opposed to many high street products which often make you feel as though it's only moisturising the very surface of your skin. The main problem for me is that this moisturiser doesn't last for long enough and it doesn't always soothe the irritation and itchiness which accompanies the dryness. If I applied this just before I went to bed I found that I would wake up feeling like I immediately needed to moisturise again, my skin felt tight and itchy again. Cetraben is also very expensive considering that it wasn't that effective so I won't be purchasing this cream again. Maybe the lotion version will work better for my skin. 

(http://www.boots.com/en/Cetraben-Cream-475ml_1658598/, £12.99)

Epaderm Cream  500g: 5/10

Although I found the two creams to be very similar, this one was slightly more displeasing, especially  during the evening. I found that I would wake up in itchy fits in the middle of the night and my skin would still be screaming with itchiness after I had reapplied it. It was similar to Cetraben in the sense that you feel it was penetrating the skin with moisture but unfortunately it didn't soothe my irritation at all. I don't understand at all why it is so expensive, some people really recommend these two products so it may be worth trying them out but for me they won't be making the cut. 

(http://www.boots.com/en/Epaderm-Cream-2-in-1-Emollient-and-Skin-Cleanser-500g_1220331/, £12.20) 

WEEK #12: NO MAGIC HERE

Dead sea spa magic my arse! Not happy my spots are coming back all red and angry after I was on a roll. They were starting to fade on my lower arms and hands but this weeks products haven't helped. I'm currently looking for a new job so I'm in interview hell at the moment which equals stress which equals bad skin so it is possible that the stress is causing this red resurgence. AND MY POOR EARS! My ear psoriasis is so bad at the moment, I'm constantly picking and trying to itch the inside but I  just end up bleeding and in more pain. I also apologise for the late post, this can also be blamed on job hunting.  I won't be reviewing the hair stuff as it's not ran out yet and I'm going to be nice and give it a little longer to kick in. I also won't be reviewing the Psoriaderm until next week.

DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK SILKY SMOOTH BODY LOTION 350ML: 3/10
I think this is the culprit for my sudden flare up. This moisturiser would be an absolute dream if you didn't have psoriasis. My normal skin was, as advertised, silky smooth, however the majority of my body is covered in psoriasis. Therefore the majority of my body was left feeling itchy and uncomfortable. Definite no no on the price & effectiveness. Will possibly try some of their other moisturisers in the future but they are all quite pricey... fingers crossed I get a job offer soon!
(http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dead-sea-spa-magik-body-lotion-60031043, £7.99)

DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK BATH SALTS 1000G: 5/10
It may be that the moisturiser ruined the effectiveness of the bath salts but I was very disappointed that it didn't make much of a difference (sorry all you dead sea salt loving people). I was itchy during the bath as it's not a product designed to provide moisture. On the other hand I loved the texture of the salts...always look on the bright side and all that! Maybe I should give them more of a chance to work i.e. longer than a week but I'm an impatient bugger. I'm most likely going to try out another brand of dead sea salt stuff in the future so I haven't given up hope yet, I just wouldn't particularly recommend them as a skin fixer.
(http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dead-sea-spa-magik-body-lotion-60031043, £5.99)

WEEK #3: MANUKA ME BETTER

I must say that I've had a good week with my skin, some lesions are starting to get lighter in the middle, less raised & I noticed that around some of the spots the skin was white which I believe is a good sign. I'm still very very itchy but hopefully it'll continue to improve as even after a whole five months I've not head anything about an appointment with a dermatologist, very frustrating! Anyways last week I went manuka honey mental on the advice of a lady at Holland & Barrett's...again I've not included a review of the shampoo as that was done in week #1 but read on for my reviews of the other products. 

-DR ORGANIC MANUKA HONEY SOAP: 100G : 5/10
I found this to be neither good nor bad. It didn't sting or overly dry out my skin, it had a nice smell & it's good value for money especially given that it is likely to last a long time. On the other hand I would like it to provide a bit more moisture. I personally think that Johnsons baby soap is better & cheaper as I didn't really benefit from the manuka side of things with the soap.
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dr-organic-manuka-honey-soap-60083594?c=dr%20organic%20manuka%20honey £2.99


-DR ORGANIC MANUKA HONEY SKIN LOTION: 200ML 6/10
Very strong smell, not particularly unpleasant but lingers on all your clothes. I really liked this but would've liked the moisture to last a little longer. I ended up incredibly itchy at night which was a bit annoying. Also it's on the pricey side. I bought two tubes of this (luckily it's buy one get one half price @ Holland & Barrett's but still not cheap) and it didn't see me through a whole week meaning I had to get some more which is annoying. I reckon I can get better for my money to be honest. 
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/dr-organic-manuka-honey-skin-lotion-60083591?c=dr%20organic%20manuka%20honey £7.49

-TIPTREE MINI MANUKA 10+ HONEY: 28G: 8/10
Manuka honey is not cheap so I decided to go for the smaller pot since I'm only trialling it at the moment. Manuka honey was recommended to me because of it's healing properties so I thought I may as well as try and apply it on directly in it's raw form. It was a little sticky but you can lick your fingers with this one so it's all good. I still had some left in the pretty little pot after a week of applying topically which made me happy given it's size. The only problem with this is it sticks to your clothes. The white outline of my lesions began to show after I started using this so I would like to try it again for a longer period next time. I also think eating it in addition to applying it would be beneficial.
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Tiptree-Mini-Manuka-10-Honey/289467011?from=search&tags&param=MANUKA+HONEY+&parentContainer=SEARCHMANUKA+HONEY_SHELFVIEW £1.35

WEEK #1: BABY SOFT SKIN

Hello there again!
So I have deleted all my previous posts so I could start again properly, it was annoying me that I wasn't sticking to the regimes in the way I had planned. So this week I have been smothering myself in bum cream after being inspired by seeing a spare tub of sudocrem in the house & seeing that it said eczema on the front I thought maybe it's worth trying out on my psoriasis... along with other baby products since logically they should be kind & gentle to the skin...so here's this weeks review.

-CAPASAL THERAPEUTIC SHAMPOO 250ml: 7/10
This smell of this shampoo isn't particularly alluring but it doesn't stick to hair for too long (or maybe I've just grown used to the smell, who knows?) & it's also easy to apply to the scalp. It dramatically reduced the itching however I'm still very flaky and lumpy from scale build ups. I've also found from previous use that you have to use it every. single. day. which can be a bit of pain- otherwise I became very very itchy again. My scalp felt quite dry after use.  I think this shampoo is probably designed to be used in accompaniment to some sort of scalp ointment and is probably more effective combined with one. I got this on prescription however I also don't think it's that much more expensive than branded shampoos theses days!
(http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk) £7.69

-JOHNSONS BABY OIL 250ml: 5/10
I found this quite messy to apply, oil spills everywhere! And not ideal if you get it in your hair. On the other hand it's really quick to apply, odourless and absorbs relatively quickly on psoriasis ridden skin. Not one I would recommend taking to work with you. It's cheap, depending where you buy, and readily available- although saying that for some reason some supermarkets seem to have stopped stocking it. This didn't work well at all on my face and although better than most 'normal' moisturisers it still isn't intensive enough for skin conditions. Cue crazy night time itching. All in all therefore I would't recommend. I am interested in trialling other versions of the product though like the one with added aloe vera or the baby oil gel.
(http://www.bmstores.co.uk/search?q=baby+oil) 99p

-SUDOCREM ANTISEPTIC HEALING CREAM 400g: 7/10
I'm in love with sudocrem!!!! The smell is very medical and it isn't much fun to apply. This actually gets everywhere and transfers to everything you touch. It's on my sofa, floor, cooker, wardrobe, anything I handled. This thick white stuff is amazing on the face, my spots haven't disappeared but are greatly improved and as a side note it also helps with pores, blackheads & other spots on the face but it takes longer to absorb on the face so always double check the mirror before you go out if you use this! It also covers up the redness for about 2 hours. As it is antiseptic I have found it brilliant on spots that have been bleeding and are sore but I have to admit that it hasn't changed my psoriasis in any way. It's just very soothing. I for one will always be keeping a jar of this handy anyhow. Not that cheap though :/
(http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=255221561) £5.80

-JOHNSONS BABY SOAP WITH HONEY 100G: 8/10
This is lovely to use on the skin when in the shower. It's very gentle and I usually get very stingy in the shower. It doesn't dry out the skiing, very easy, cheap, soothing & smells nice. It isn't particularly moisturising but easy to get hold of and I always apply moisturiser after a shower anyway. Love it!
(http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=257387136) £1.00

-EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 1000mg:
Don't have a rating for this yet as it as a long term one. A lady @ Holland & Barrett told me she knew someone whose redness dramatically reduced using this so will keep monitoring it & update if I see any change.
********UPDATE 
Giving evening primrose oil a solid 8/10
my redness has really been noticeably reduced, even in areas where I've not been applying any topical treatments. I've got so much love for this at the moment and would definitely recommend giving it a try. I've been using 1000mg tablets & taking one every day. It's something that's readily available and cheap too :)

THE SEARCH FOR SKIN SERENITY

Hello. My name is Laura, I'm 22 years old and have suffered from psoriasis for five years.
My psoriasis covers the whole of my body. Wherever there is skin there are flaky red spots of itchiness: my scalp, my face, my ears, my arms, my hands, my tummy, my back, my private parts, my legs and my feet... you get the picture... and in case you don't I thought I'd post a picture. As you can see one of the photos is of my back/bum (a little bit cheeky, I know- see what i did there), I apologise if this offends anyone, this is probably my my most extensively affected area where you can see the millions of spots most clearly but if you would like me to take it down you can let me know on here or email me at thecurechronicles@gmail.com.

I'm not too certain of what type of psoriasis I have actually got. I think it is plaque psoriasis due to the fact that it's not disappeared yet and the amount of coverage although the spots themselves look like guttate psoriasis. Despite all the different gp's and dermatologists I have seen I have never actually found out...although I haven't asked to be fair.  Anyhow I've got some sort of psoriasis and I'm currently going through the incredibly frustrating and long process of trying to get a referral to a dermatologist to start treatment, I'm sure any sufferer can empathise with how stressful this process is (I've been trying to get this referral sorted since february and it is now june and my condition continues to worsen). In the mean time I thought I'd be more proactive instead of simply being a moaning myrtle and do a bit of further research into the various different lotions, potions and apparent remedies. I've trialled many in the past but never really properly monitored the effect of different so called solutions and I've only ever really stuck to what the doctor's prescribed. I therefore arrived at the logical modern day conclusion to start a blog where I will try a combination of psoriasis aids for a set period of time (depending on the recommended improvement time for what I am trialling) and review my progress and my assessment of the product/ method used. I'm hoping this will help people filter out all the ineffective products as well as all the rubbish that is available and the producers of money- making gimmicks preying on people desperate for something to alleviate their symptoms. On the other hand i'm also hoping to stumble across some really great products and ideas which I can highlight.

I am fully aware that psoriasis is a complex skin disease, I know it effects everyone differently according to severity and type and that the impact of treatments affect everyone differently. All I know is that mine is incredibly stubborn and somewhat severe. I have tried suff that people have claimed to be that often mentioned miracle cure only to left angry and upset that it hasn't worked for me...and sometimes also left out of pocket. All I can do is try and if it does helps someone else then that will make me very happy. I'm also going to be documenting my daily thoughts and delve more into the psychological and emotional issues and just general stuff related to psoriasis in the section entitled 'dear diary'. I'll be keeping it separate from this main page which will focus on the treatments and their results, as you can probably tell by now I'm a bit of a rambler and I'm sure you have better things to do than try and sift through the thoughts of a crazed young woman. I've included it simply because I really have enjoyed reading how psoriasis has impacted people on other blogs, not in a sadistic way, I just find it inspiring, reassuring, interesting and helpful to know that other people are going through the same thing. Some of the hardest things I've found about the skin disease is how little people know about it, how no one I know has it, and how difficult it is to convey how difficult psoriasis is to live with.

There is a high chance that not a single soul is even reading this however should there be then I would love for you to say hi! Another reason for creating this blog is to meet fellow sufferers- because we really do suffer sometimes- and it would be just brilliant to acquire some new friends.
I also realise that there probably is no cure for this lifelong condition, but writing about new things to try makes me hopeful.
I'm excited to share my search with you!

xxx