Pine tar skin ointment

[gra_farmer]

I have been suffering from dry flakey skin on my face for over 2 years now, which I believe was a reaction from using a Liz Earl product, after researching and using a process of elimination.

Nothing has works to help stop this, until now, my lovely wife bought me two products for Christmas one for my face which designed for dry skin, and does not seem to work for me, and one for my hands, a pine tar ointment known as 'Wilmas Tjärsalva Skin Ointment', trying this on the dry skin on my face, I was amazed this worked.

This Wilmas Tjärsalva Skin Ointment is brilliant, but difficult to get as a larger jar, it is not cheap also, so was wondering if anyone else has found or know of a more available product in the UK?

Or has anyone made there own, as I have been looking at making my own.

Cheers Gra

 

[crosslandkelly]

I used to suffer from occasional splotches of psoriosis on my face, especially after shaving, but it seemed to clear up after my wife got me to try this.

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap 92 g : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap 92 g : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

www.amazon.co.uk

There was a thread about it here.

grandpa's pine tar soap

grandpa's pine tar soap is it good ? i like it ,but my better half dos not ,what do you think ?and is it good for the nits..andy.

bushcraftuk.com

 

[Toddy]

Priestland's Birch Dry Skin Rescue.....as recommended by Toddy and Woodygirl

Birch Oil Dry Skin Rescue

Description: Birch & other rich oils including avocado & argan combined with a little beeswax create a hand & body cream ideal for weather & water protection. It also has remarkably good results for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis & rosacea & is free of damaging chemicals. Customer...

www.priestlandsbirch.co.uk

It's a lovely, almost unscented, soft ointment. It goes on easily, it is absorbed easily and doesn't leave me greasy or sticky. It comes in little jars that last an awful long time, and it works.
I have skin that flares up into weals under any pressure, and in winter working cold and wet it breaks into hacks around my finger tips.
Not this year
Made in the UK, in Somerset, and it's good stuff.

Birch Oil Dry Skin Rescue

 

[gra_farmer]

I used to suffer from occasional splotches of psoriosis on my face, especially after shaving, but it seemed to clear up after my wife got me to try this.

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap 92 g : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap 92 g : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

www.amazon.co.uk

There was a thread about it here.

grandpa's pine tar soap

grandpa's pine tar soap is it good ? i like it ,but my better half dos not ,what do you think ?and is it good for the nits..andy.

bushcraftuk.com

Thank you, yes I am aware of this, and have been using this brand of pine tar soap for over a year now, I even tried the Russian birch tar soap. But none worked for me, even though I still use it.

 

[gra_farmer]

Priestland's Birch Dry Skin Rescue.....as recommended by Toddy and Woodygirl

Birch Oil Dry Skin Rescue

Description: Birch & other rich oils including avocado & argan combined with a little beeswax create a hand & body cream ideal for weather & water protection. It also has remarkably good results for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis & rosacea & is free of damaging chemicals. Customer...

www.priestlandsbirch.co.uk

It's a lovely, almost unscented, soft ointment. It goes on easily, it is absorbed easily and doesn't leave me greasy or sticky. It comes in little jars that last an awful long time, and it works.
I have skin that flares up into weals under any pressure, and in winter working cold and wet it breaks into hacks around my finger tips.
Not this year
Made in the UK, in Somerset, and it's good stuff.

Birch Oil Dry Skin Rescue

Thank you @Toddy, I knew you would be able to help with a product.

Now I have been on a soap forum, and looking at making my own the horse pine tar you can freely purchase, some look to be pure pine tar.....now it has got me thinking I can easily make my own???

Wonderful pine tar soaps!

Hi, this is my first post here even though I have been browsing tne forum for some time. After reading this thread I bought some Auson Kiln burned pine tar from timbersave (lovely company in Warrington Uk). I have made a batch of pine tar soap which turned out great - if a little darker than I...

www.soapmakingforum.com

 

[Toddy]

You can, but it needs care. Pretty sure Xylaria did something on the topic a while ago.
The trick is to get the ingredients of good quality, mixing them in the right quantities (and it's a tiny amount of the tar) and don't make your jars/tubs whatever too big. Mind every time you dip in you can introduce stuff into the mix that you don't want, so small is sound, iimmc ?

TeeDee's got a thread running on making something every month, pretty sure he has ointments on the list

 

[gra_farmer]

@TeeDee thinking about making a pine tar ointment....what were you thinking, if this was on your radar?

 

[lostplanet]

I might try some preistlands as I have a couple of dry spots on my arms that only shift with Extra virgin Olive oil. tried liz arden 8 hour cream and some script creams.
A medication side effect for me is dry skin, I don't know why I came to this conclusion but I Only use the hottest water I can stand and a bamboo flannel on my face and don't have any problems now.
I don't shave but did use somersets shave oil which was ok less drying than foam. Usual shower gels seem ok. I went through a phase of grandpas pine soap, it must be the the most squeaky clean soap you can get and I have a bar of soap in my travel wash kit I will use for everything.

 

[henchy3rd]

This is interesting.
I’ve suffered dry skin for over 30 years, so I know how you feel.
Mine started when I had a perm on the top off my head(it was a thing back then)I remember the stuff they use burning, I was literally like a beetroot when I came out.
After many moons of trying natural soaps/creams/ointments, cleaning products, I’ve come to this conclusion.
Nearly every bathing/cleaning product contains chemicals of some sort, some are quite nasty..so keep it simple.
Even the clothes wash powder can have an effect, the branded ones seem to come off worse for me.

Soap..
we’ll I’m allergic to coconut & palm oil & I don’t like the idea of man made parabens & such like. so it’s impossible to find one or the other without it in.I’ve even fired off a couple emails to natural soap companies, they did reply.. said they are looking into it as all soaps contain coconut or palm oil.
So I use baby/ pure soap which isn’t scented.

Creams..
To long to mention on here, but found derma v10 24/7 dry skin cream drastically reduces it.
O’Keeeff,s working hands cream, is good.. they do a face one but I’ve never tried it.

Tried shower gels, ointments,shampoos & all to no prevail,so I don’t bother.
I even went to the extent off having my hair cut short & only washing it with water( I only shower).it’s been around five years since I used shampoo & it’s clean & shiny.
Just because a product says natural doesn’t mean it is?

Another one is.. I’ve found if you heat your house with radiator’s, it seems to take the moisture out off the air, so crack a window open.

Household cleaning products..
I’m proud to say that I’m virtually chemical free.
I only use natural cleaning products(plant based).
No air fresheners, I just open a window.
This may sound all to much to bother with, but it’s second nature to me know.
Stick with it & the best.

 

[gra_farmer]

This is interesting.
I’ve suffered dry skin for over 30 years, so I know how you feel.
Mine started when I had a perm on the top off my head(it was a thing back then)I remember the stuff they use burning, I was literally like a beetroot when I came out.
After many moons of trying natural soaps/creams/ointments, cleaning products, I’ve come to this conclusion.
Nearly every bathing/cleaning product contains chemicals of some sort, some are quite nasty..so keep it simple.
Even the clothes wash powder can have an effect, the branded ones seem to come off worse for me.

Soap..
we’ll I’m allergic to coconut & palm oil & I don’t like the idea of man made parabens & such like. so it’s impossible to find one or the other without it in.I’ve even fired off a couple emails to natural soap companies, they did reply.. said they are looking into it as all soaps contain coconut or palm oil.
So I use baby/ pure soap which isn’t scented.

Creams..
To long to mention on here, but found derma v10 24/7 dry skin cream drastically reduces it.
O’Keeeff,s working hands cream, is good.. they do a face one but I’ve never tried it.

Tried shower gels, ointments,shampoos & all to no prevail,so I don’t bother.
I even went to the extent off having my hair cut short & only washing it with water( I only shower).it’s been around five years since I used shampoo & it’s clean & shiny.
Just because a product says natural doesn’t mean it is?

Another one is.. I’ve found if you heat your house with radiator’s, it seems to take the moisture out off the air, so crack a window open.

Household cleaning products..
I’m proud to say that I’m virtually chemical free.
I only use natural cleaning products(plant based).
No air fresheners, I just open a window.
This may sound all to much to bother with, but it’s second nature to me know.
Stick with it & the best.

We are the same, open windows and make our own clothes washing detergent. We use white vinegar everywhere for cleaning, etc. All natural and organic products only.

We have very young children, whom are far too bright....i blame the wife, she is a genius , so they can figure out pretty much anything and how to get it.

The skin condition was from using a so called natural product, so a bit put out. I did undertake a number of trials of everything I was in contact with 6 months prior (I am a scientist so know my stuff), so with confidence can say it was a Liz Earl product.

I will search some more and do a few trials, and will add to the post accordingly.

 

[Toddy]

Shea butter, or any of the 'butters' that melt at skin temperature, are very good.
If you look up recipes for massage bars then you'll find a lot of options.
Biggest issues are preservation so that the cream stays clean and uncontaminated, and that can make it awkward to portion out, to handle, etc.,
It's all very well saying 'keep it in the fridge' but the blooming stuff goes rock solid there, and if you've ever tried to cut beeswax in cold weather you'll know just exactly how miserable a job that can be. Imagine that's your daily face and hand cream.
That's why the older recipes used benzoins...now contraindicated apparently... and thousand year old recipes for Cold Cream are banned.
Yet, those recipes worked, worked well, worked safely, but it's a bit like saying butter kills rats, well it does, it it's all they're allowed to eat.....

The big issue with our modern lives is that we don't like greasy hands, hair, etc., and many natural emollients stay greasy, they don't really rub in well.

To some, this isn't an issue, but the not so long out of the news story about the old folks setting their bedding alight because they were soaked in emollients is a clear call to take care and be aware.

Good home made Castille soap is excellent, if you can buy a pure olive oil one with no adulterants, it's worth the money. It can also be diluted down in hot water to make a really good shampoo and hand wash.

If you save any squeezed out lemons or oranges and put them into a jar with plain white vinegar for a few weeks, then strain, that makes an excellent cleaning liquid that works a bit better than plain vinegar and smells better too.

M

 

[lostplanet]

A little off topic (Apologies), has anyone got natural suggestions for seborrheic dermatitis. I get stress related and random flare ups occasionally and the only thing that will touch it is Selsun 2.5%. the others do nothing. much prefer to not put selenium and all the chems on my head.

Selenium sulphide 2.5% w/v. Other ingredients: bentonite, titanium dioxide, citric acid, sodium acid phosphate, glyceryl monoricinoleate S, monoethanolamine lauryl sulphate, Empigen BB, perfume, sodium chloride and purified water.

 

[Toddy]

@lostplanet

If you 'deconstruct' the list of ingredients, it often seems to be more relevant somehow.

So,
Selenium sulfide 2.5% This is an anti itch, but helps remove the flakey skin of dandruff and the like. So instead of shedding through the day, it comes off easily with the hair washing. It's also used to treat or prevent fungal infections.
Bentonite is clay....fine absorbant clay powder.
Titanium dioxide is a whitener to make that clay/ointment/cosmetic look better. Pretty neutral stuff though, it's odourless and absorbent.
Citric acid is both a mild acid and a mild preservative and it helps stablise the ingredients in an ointment. (think making a decent mayonnaise that doesn't separate)
Sodium acid phosphate..... I've never heard of this one, not in those words, but looking it up it appears to be most used as a bowel laxative or for urinary tract infections....reading along with that though it's mildly anti-bacterial.
glyceryl monoricinoleate S, is an emulsifier for cosmetics.
monoethanolamine lauryl sulphate is a fatty foaming agent.....makes good soap.
Empigen BB, is a detergent
perfume, just makes the concoction smell pleasant, but can itself be an allergen.
sodium chloride and purified water. Salt and water, necessary to make soap really.

So, what's in that lot that helps your dermatitis ??

It looks like it's a fatty soap mix that will wash your skin/hair, stop any bacterial or fungal infection, ease any itching and create a normal skin pH, and not cause any more grief.

Is that pretty much what it does for you ?

 

[Toddy]

I joined this site's mailing list a long while ago. They're helpful and informative folks.
Natural is often their preference.

Home - Chemists Corner

Chemists Corner is for chemists and others interested in learning how to formulate cosmetic products and become a cosmetic scientist

chemistscorner.com

 

[TeeDee]

@TeeDee thinking about making a pine tar ointment....what were you thinking, if this was on your radar?

It wasn't but I guess I will get around to giving it a shot.

 

[TeeDee]

I have been suffering from dry flakey skin on my face for over 2 years now, which I believe was a reaction from using a Liz Earl product, after researching and using a process of elimination.



Cheers Gra

Is it JUST your face thats suffering? What are the pads of your feet like? Do you get cracked heels or finger nails beds look a bit pushed back and angry / dry?

 

[Toddy]

Who/what is Liz Earl ? .....off to google

Edit;
Okay, so Avon and Boots basically now.
To be honest I think most cosmetics are like most modern clothing. One size fits virtually no-one perfectly, but for the majority, it'll do.
M

 

[gra_farmer]

Is it JUST your face thats suffering? What are the pads of your feet like? Do you get cracked heels or finger nails beds look a bit pushed back and angry / dry?

Just the face, everything else is okay....i hope?

 

[lostplanet]

@lostplanet

If you 'deconstruct' the list of ingredients, it often seems to be more relevant somehow.

So,
Selenium sulfide 2.5% This is an anti itch, but helps remove the flakey skin of dandruff and the like. So instead of shedding through the day, it comes off easily with the hair washing. It's also used to treat or prevent fungal infections.
Bentonite is clay....fine absorbant clay powder.
Titanium dioxide is a whitener to make that clay/ointment/cosmetic look better. Pretty neutral stuff though, it's odourless and absorbent.
Citric acid is both a mild acid and a mild preservative and it helps stablise the ingredients in an ointment. (think making a decent mayonnaise that doesn't separate)
Sodium acid phosphate..... I've never heard of this one, not in those words, but looking it up it appears to be most used as a bowel laxative or for urinary tract infections....reading along with that though it's mildly anti-bacterial.
glyceryl monoricinoleate S, is an emulsifier for cosmetics.
monoethanolamine lauryl sulphate is a fatty foaming agent.....makes good soap.
Empigen BB, is a detergent
perfume, just makes the concoction smell pleasant, but can itself be an allergen.
sodium chloride and purified water. Salt and water, necessary to make soap really.

So, what's in that lot that helps your dermatitis ??

It looks like it's a fatty soap mix that will wash your skin/hair, stop any bacterial or fungal infection, ease any itching and create a normal skin pH, and not cause any more grief.

Is that pretty much what it does for you ?

Thanks Toddy

 

[Fadcode]

Don't forget one of the best cures for skin disorders is natural sunlight, increases vitamin D in the body, which in turn helps with eczema and psoriasis by boosting the body's immune system. Probably why these skin ailments seem worse in the winter months, and not helped at all by central heating, etc.