Coal tar is a by-product of regular old coal (what Santa leaves in your stocking if you’ve been bad).  For a person with psoriasis, if they could get Santa to bring coal in the form of coal tar, this would actually be the best Christmas present ever!

To give you an idea of how potent this thick, dark substance is, it can also be used in construction, for sealing roofs, fixing leaks or to make paint more durable.   In a similar way, coal tar can be used to increase a fabrics ability to hold up against sunlight.  It can also be added to dyes to reduce their tendency to fade in the sun.

There are a variety of theories about how and why coal tar works on psoriasis irritations, but it seems to work on a cellular level to reduce itching and cut back on excessive skin cell production.

One of the detriments of using shampoos that contain coal tar is that they tend to have a pungent smell.  I have grown used to the smell over the years but, when I first started using T-Gel, for example, the smell was suffocating.  It has much the same effect as ammonia (contained in many window washing formulas), which seems to fill the air with a lung-irritating chemical vapor.

All things considered, a person who is familiar with exacerbating itch of psoriasis will confirm that the smell and extra expense of using coal tar shampoo (or any any other derivative of coal tar) is well worth it to make everyday living far more bearable.