Bio-Oil

So, I know that Bio-oil is most commonly used as a product to help with stretch marks and uneven skin tone, but I thought that if it would/could help with that, then maybe it will help with the roughness of my skin that is caused by psoriasis. I also have un-even skin tone where the areas of psoriasis are redder than my very pale skin. When an area of psoriasis starts to get better, I also end up with a silver tinted skin patch which looks the same as a scar; therefore, I decided to see what bio-oil does to my skin condition and whether or not it helped.

Info:

You can buy Bio-Oil in most places. I found this specific one from Costco but I am sure that they are everywhere (Boots/Tesco/Superdrug) or somewhere online.

A description of their product that they have online:

“Bio‑Oil is a specialist skincare oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. It is also effective for ageing and dehydrated skin. Bio‑Oil has won 167 skincare awards and has become the No.1 selling scar and stretch mark product in 17 countries since its global launch in 2002.”

I honestly can’t remember how much this one cost me, but from Boots.com;

·         200ml = £19.99

·         125ml = £14.99

·         60ml = £8.99

The Review:

I bought a rather large bottle of the oil because I wanted to use it all over my skin. I decided to do my body first because it is very greasy and I didn’t know if it was going to cause my skin to break out in spots (not sure if that is a huge problem for others, but I have psoriasis on my face and the thought of having psoriasis and spots is just too much for my confidence to deal with).

I also decided to only do it at night before I went to bed, again, due to the greasy-ness of the oil, I didn't want to go to work and have my clothes sticking to my skin. Or worse; have it stain my work clothes and look a bit like an unwashed tramp.

I found it easy to spread around and it helped with the fact that the bottle itself has a controlled top so it doesn't spill out everywhere in huge quantities! I did stand up and walk around for a bit so that it had time to sink in and I wasn't going to get into bed and have it all come off on the sheets.

After some time, I did notice a difference in the redness of the patches and the texture of the patches was less rough – the white ‘scales’ were also reduced and smoother. Due to this positivity I decided to use it on my face (jut avoiding areas that I knew would make my skin break out)! It too made a difference; the larger patches of psoriasis were less defined and it was smoother.

Again, with many of the products I am testing, it is not meant to ‘cure’ psoriasis and therefore, it didn’t. It did however help with the appearance of it and didn’t do any harm to the rest of my skin. I will probably always keep a bottle of Bio-Oil around because it makes the skin smoother and less red. I would probably team it up with another product to get its benefits.

The results:

Price: 6/10 – It is kind of expensive (depending on what size bottle you buy – I bought the biggest one) for a product that doesn’t cure psoriasis. But it is a good product for keeping your skin smooth and reducing the red patches.

Smell: 10/10 – I personally love the smell of this product. It has a sweet smell and in turn makes your skin smell lovely.

Texture: 6/10 – It is extremely oily (not surprisingly) and therefore is rather greasy. It does take a long time for the oil to skin into the skin and can if you don’t wash your hands properly afterwards does get onto other surfaces.

Packaging: 6/10 – Nothing special. It is just a simple clear tub (helpful for seeing the quantity you have left) and a white lid. Depending on the size you can carry it around with you for re-applying in the day if you so choose.  

Time consumption: 6/10 – Doesn’t take long to apply to the skin and the bottle design is good! However, it does take a long time to skin into the skin and can get stuff greasy.  

Overall result: 7/10 – I like this product; it makes your skin feel good and smooth and can help reduce the redness of the patches psoriasis leaves. However, it isn’t a secret cure for psoriasis and doesn’t end up getting rid of it completely (not for me personally anyway).

I hope that you try this product as I was most happy with the way that it smoothed the areas of psoriasis. I find that when it is calmer and less white/scaly/red, it is less noticeable.

Try it yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised!