Tar Shampoo; what I use and their reviews!
I tend to get really bad psoriasis in my scalp. I think I
make it worse as I am really bad when it comes to scratching it. However, the
worst part is that I don’t realize I am scratching it until it’s too late and I
have already made it worse. I guess it is one of those bad habits you develop
over the years and just become oblivious to.
At home I have always used some kind of tar shampoo and I think
I always will. Over the years I have enjoyed using them. They stop the scalp
from irritating you and it does drastically (for myself anyway) reduce my need
to subconsciously scratch my scalp. Also, when you use them the suds go over
your body when you wash it out – I don’t see how that can hinder reducing the
symptoms of psoriasis. Well, it makes me feel as though it helps my skin…and if
you think that; you are more likely to have a positive attitude!
I have used;
1.
T-Gel; this was one of the first ones that I
ever used.
2.
Capasal; this is a product I know I have used,
but can’t remember a lot about it.
3.
Alphosyl; this is the one that I used most
recently for about 2 years on and off
4.
Polytar; this is the one that I am currently
using.
I am just going to write a bit about the products that I
have used below and my experiences with them (if you aren’t interesting in
reading about it or already know about them, then just skip to the end :D)
T-Gel
This is the first ever tar shampoo that I used. I still remember
to this day how weird I thought it was. It was some odd brown colour and the
smell swamped that bathroom within seconds. It was kind of thick, gloopy and
sticky. As I didn’t really know how to use them, I put a fair amount on and
quickly realized that was a mistake as they tend to lather up a lot! I didn’t want
to use conditioner with it as I wasn’t sure if it would reverse the effect of
the shampoo. Tar shampoos tend to make your hair feel a bit like straw so I
started using a conditioner with the shampoo. I only used it at the ends of my
hair because I didn’t want it to be on my scalp; this did help with brushing my
hair afterwards.
I can’t remember what specific T-Gel I used as they have a
few varieties now, but I am pretty sure it was the “original formula” one. After
googling them, I would quite like to give the “extra strength” one a go AND I see
they do conditioners…fabulous!!
Finding this product: reading about the product and where
to buy it.
The website gives you places where you can buy the products
and also great descriptions of them!
Capasal
I honestly don’t remember a lot about this product; however,
I am pretty sure it is a brown colour and does have the same sticky quality as
T-Gel (maybe a bit thicker)! I think the reason why I stopped using this
product was because it was a prescription on the NHS. I used T-Gel before I had
something prescribed and the prescribed shampoo was Capasal. When I turned 18
my free prescriptions stopped and I started to realize I shouldn’t rely on
products I was given without researching and find my own to use. That’s when I
moved onto Alphosyl (that my mother found – she knows best after all) and quickly
forgot about this one. I don’t know where to buy it or even if you can buy it
anywhere, but I found it on Amazon that says you have to fill on a form and are
only given one bottle (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dermal-Laboratories-Capasal-Therapeutic-Shampoo/dp/B00433ZYO2/ref=pd_cp_d_1).
It might be worth asking a pharmacy for more details on this shampoo if you
wanted to use it.
Alphosyl
Alphosyl was the tar shampoo that I used for the longest
amount of time. I actually don’t know where I got it from because my mother
used to buy it! It was a 2-in-1 product which meant that I didn’t need to worry
about conditioning my hair as it had that in there for me. The first time I ever
used this product it shocked me because it was green!! I suddenly thought ‘that
doesn’t seem right, is it off?’, but no, it was completely fine and was meant
to be green.
I only have good things to say about this product, it made
me feel happy when I used it because I knew it was making my psoriasis better
and sometimes would use it as a body scrub…just because I didn’t see how it
could harm!!
Finding this product: reading about the product and where
to buy it.
It gives you a description of the product and also other
peoples’ reviews. Good to have a read if you want to know if it worked for
others.
Polytar
This is the shampoo that I am currently using. I am currently
living in Thailand and was given this shampoo when I went to the doctors. It
was only when I googled it that I read about the disappearance of the products –
and what inspired me to write about my tar shampoos. I have been using this
product for about 3-4weeks and I already like it. It is a runny brown liquid
that does tend to go literally everywhere if you aren’t careful with pouring it
into your hand – I have adopted a ‘pour it directly onto my scalp’ system that
tends to work best and avoids wastage. I like smell of it as well! I was told
to use the product 3-4 times a week and therefore have done so. I don’t use a conditioner
with it and it does make my hair feel like very very dry straw!! It feels okay
when it is dry, it’s just impossible to brush my (extremely matted hair) whilst
it is still wet. That might just be my hair type though.
I also was looking about and saw that it cost about £20.00
in the UK just for one bottle!!!! That is extremely expensive for a shampoo
when you consider the size and lasting time. On my photo in this article, the price is about 500baht which is around £10.00 - still kinda expensive for a shampoo. I hope that they don’t go off the
shelves and become really expensive products.
Finding this product: reading about the product and where
to buy it.
So, those are my experiences with tar shampoos. I know that I
will always use a tar shampoo; they just make me feel better and more positive about
my psoriasis on my scalp. I have been looking at the internet to find out more
about tar shampoos as I never really bothered to look before today. I wanted to
include a few links to websites that give you more precise information about
them; what they do, what they include, their side-effects, etc…
Please read the information if you haven’t already. It gave
me information that I didn’t know before. Also, if you don’t use a tar shampoo
then I highly recommend giving one ago – but of course, if you don’t have scalp
psoriasis then it probably isn’t worth it or if you just aren’t interested in a
tar shampoo then don’t bother.
IF you haven’t used one before then read about them online! I urge this because there, like
everything in psoriasis world, are possible side-effects. They may not give me
or others side-effects but they might for you. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease read and
make sure that you know what they are and what to look for in case you get
them.
Information Websites:
If you are interested in the Daily Mail article you will
find it at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2572425/Coal-tar-shampoo-standby-psoriasis-eczema-So-HAS-trusted-skin-treatment-disappeared.html
Thank you for reading!
Have a fantastic day and hold your head high – psoriasis or
no psoriasis.
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