Understanding Psoriasis

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition where the skin cells build up faster than normal, causing inflammation and scaling of the skin. Symptoms range in severity for each person, but common symptoms include:

    • Patches of skin that are dry, flaky, peeling, and scaly.
    • Pain and stiffness of joints.
    • Rashes and redness.
    • Itching.
    • Inflamed tendons.
    • Painful lesions on the skin.
    • Dandruff on the scalp.
    • Discoloration of the skin.
    • May also affect mental and emotional wellbeing due to feeling hopeless about finding a solution.
Image of hands showing moderate psoriasis | Okoboji Soap Company

Causes & Treatments

While the exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, it’s most commonly assumed to be related to issues with the immune system, specifically with a type of white blood cell called a T cell. Normally designed to protect the body from infection and disease, when you have psoriasis, these T cells become overactive, triggering inflammation and causing skin cells to be produce at a much faster rate than what’s considered to be normal. Because our bodies aren’t able to naturally shed dead skin cells that fast, the skin cells begin to pile up on each other, resulting in some or all of the psoriasis symptoms listed above. Other causes include genetics, diet, and environmental triggers such as stress, injury, medication, and infection.

A cure for psoriasis is currently unknown, but treatments and natural remedies may help offer relief to some folks who have the condition.

Common medical treatments include:

    • Medications prescribed by your doctor (often taken orally or by injection).
    • Phototherapy or light therapy where the skin is exposed to ultraviolet lights under medical supervision.
    • A change in diet.
    • Topical treatments applied to the skin that are purchased over the counter or by prescription.

The Problem With Commercial Skincare Products & Psoriasis

When we found out that the average bar of soap contained 15-20 chemicals, we knew it was time for a change. Would you want to wash your sensitive skin with soap made using GMO oils, harsh chemicals, synthetic detergents, dyes, fragrances and other ingredients? Sadly, this is what most skincare products are made of.

Keeping your skin healthy and clean with products made using all-natural ingredients can be a huge help in easing symptoms associated with psoriasis. And while this condition is not able to be “cured” from the outside, our collection of goat milk soaps and other natural skincare products are more soothing and hydrating than compared to commercial products you’ll find in most stores.

As your body’s largest organ, the skin is capable of soaking chemicals and toxins right into your bloodstream. That scares the daylights out of us!

That’s why it’s important to think twice what you put on your skin, including what you use to wash it. Many ingredients used in other soaps and skincare products have been linked to horrible conditions such as Alzheimer's, cancers, and other diseases. Avoiding these ingredients is crucial! here’s a rundown of ingredients we avoid:

    • GMO Oils: Corn, soybean, and those labeled “vegetable” oils (which are most likely corn or soy).

    • Parabens: Used in lotions and creams, preservatives that have been linked to cancers.

    • Phthalates: Used in fragrances and lotions, these preservatives have been linked to various cancers.

    • Aluminum: Used in deodorants, has been linked to Alzheimer's.

    • Dyes: Synthetic components made from who-knows-what, linked to all sorts of issues.

    • Alcohols: A common ingredient linked to dry skin.

Here are 3 label reading guidelines to consider when choosing the best skincare products for psoriasis:

    1. Can you read and understand the ingredients?

    2. Are fragrances listed (i.e. chemicals and toxins)?

    3. Are GMO ingredients listed? You can’t always recognize GMO ingredients (and they are most definitely not labeled GMO.)

It may be time to look for all-natural options that replenish your skin instead of causing further damage. After all, these “good” ingredients will also potentially be absorbed into your skin. But first, let’s dive deeper into the mystery of psoriasis and current treatments.

What Are the Best Skincare Products for Psoriasis?

There are a variety of benefits that goat milk soap products can offer the skin. Before you use just any “sensitive formula” skincare product, it’s important to remember that not all skincare products are created equal.

Choose only those made with fresh goat’s milk and quality oils, with no additives!

Tips for easing symptoms associated with psoriasis:

    1. Remove all toxic skincare products that may be linked to your dry, irritated skin. This includes shampoos, body washes, shaving creams, soaps, bubble baths, or other products from your shower and bath. Check the ingredients on the labels of all of your “sensitive formula” skincare products.

    2. Manage stress by pursuing enjoyable activities and improving mental health.

    3. Take a long bath using a few handfuls of our milk bath. While washing and frequent exposure to water is typically said to dry the skin out, it would seem that soaking with our milk bath, as often as you can, actually proves to be quite helpful for the skin.
    4. Wash regularly with a bar of high-quality all-natural goat milk soap. Okoboji Soap Company’s goat milk soap meets both of those requirements and can also be used as a multi-purpose product, safely and effectively replacing shampoo, face wash, body wash, and even shaving cream. When placed in a loofah pouch, it lathers and replaces body wash or shaving cream. 
    5. Use an exfoliating accessory or all-natural sugar scrub to help remove dead skin cells from your body. After soaking in a warm bath for about 5-10 minutes, dead skin cells can even be sloughed off with the hand.
    6. After bathing or showering, apply our natural goat milk lotion to your face and body to seal in the moisture. Being hypoallergenic and also gluten free, this product is safe to apply as needed throughout the day and contains ZERO alcohols or other harmful ingredients. This means that you can avoid any typical “burning sensation” that often happens with other lotions. 

Looking for a recommendation? Give our Keep it Simple line a try! While all of our goat milk soap products are made with just a few main all-natural ingredients, these bars also contain zero essential oils or scents and only plant-based colorants. We've found that for some people with very sensitive skin, these two ingredients can be over stimulating and drying for the skin.

When you choose Okoboji Soap Company all-natural skincare products, you’re keeping harsh chemicals from entering your bloodstream through your skin while naturally exfoliating and maintaining healthy oils that keep your skin naturally moisturized and protected. While natural skincare products aren't a cure for psoriasis, your skin will notice a difference. Take care of your skin the natural way with products that encourage healthy, vibrant skin!

Disclaimer: While we stand by all of our products here at Okoboji Soap Company, we do not intend to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any skin condition or disease. Individuals who have skin conditions such as dry skin, itchy skin, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, etc. have shared that they have benefited greatly from our goat milk soap and other natural skincare products, but individual results may vary. To our knowledge, our soaps have only been known to help ease the symptoms and irritations caused by such skin conditions and, in many cases, make these symptoms decrease and/or disappear. From our own experience as well as the experiences of our customers, we recommend giving our products a try and seeing the results for yourself.