You’d think looking like you perpetually live in a winter wonderland with little white flecks all over your head and shoulders would be chic, but sadly, it’s not. It’s an itchy AF existence.

Psoriasis (scalp psoriasis in this case) is one of those cool things where doctors basically give you a shrug and some pointless ointment or shampoo, because they “think” it “might” be some kind of “immune disorder”. But no one really knows and they defs don’t have a cure.

It’s a big ask to expect any over the counter product to diminish the symptoms of a medical mystery, but I constantly live in hope that something might put an end to the 12-year blizzard that’s been brewing on my head. So I gave three products a go...

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Happi Scalp Scrub, $64, from Mecca

If someone compliments my skin, I immediately give credit to Drunk Elephant - a brand that turned me from a poxy skinned mess to a total glow bug. When I saw they were launching a haircare line, I briefly stopped noodle scratching to see if my itchy prayers had been answered - and there it was, in its fluorescent pink glory.

The application of this was a little tricky – you apply to a dry head about 20 minutes before jumping in the shower to shampoo, and I did struggle a bit to get to the skin buried beneath my hair. She’s a tingly little treatment, but as a Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum user, I was prepared for that. Plus I like feeling that ~something~ is happening to blitz away my problem. 

Sadly the flakes remained after using this a few times, but my hair did feel outrageously clean. Because the team at Drunk Elephant are geniuses, this can also be used all over your body as an exfoliator - and even though it doesn’t cure psoriasis, it is an A++++++ foot exfoliant. Love you forever DE.

Kérastase Chronologiste Pré-Cleanse Régénerant Pre-Shampoo, $52

My girlfriend/landlady has recently renovated our bathroom, so when this pitch black inky pre-shampoo came oozing out of the bottle, dripping all over her freshly installed white tiles and baby blue bath, I freaked. Psoriasis can be triggered by stress so maybe this inksplosion contributed to the fact I was even more of a flaky mess after using this (the black splashes did wash away easily). Even though it did make my hair feel extra clean, the lack of flake-busting factor and quite intense smell means this isn’t the product for me.

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt, $38 for travel size, from Ines Store

This product smells like an extremely attractive person with good, expensive taste and I’m here for it. It was the most gritty of the three tested products, with chunky sea salt crystals nestled inside a soothing ‘moisturising paste’. It’s thick and a little goes a long way (thankfully, as she’s a hefty price tag for a pretty small jar). 

It feels super luxe on application and as soon as you start rising it out, your scalp and hair feel SQUEAKY clean. Although my flakes do remain, the constant sting of my scalp cracking apart was massively reduced by this - which means less of me touching my head and less of the flakes falling everywhere. 

I keep coming back to this product and I’d buy it again. It didn’t cure my medical mystery but it certainly is a good remedy after a crummy day when you feel like you need a ‘fancy rich bitch’ moment of indulgence.

The majority of product in our beauty reviews is gifted to our reviewers with the requirement it be trialled over a period of time. Editorial opinions are the writer's own. Is there a product you’d like to see reviewed? Let us know!