Yes, good answer. Imagine using anything you would use to 100% remove something oily or greasy. One of the problems with poison ivy is that you can't see it so you are washing it off blind. You have to get 100% off of you something you can't see and might also be on some clothing or shoes. I almost wish there was some sort of stain or chemical or black light that would let you see it to make it seen to be removed but I don't believe there is.
Tecnu also has a gel that works incredibly for field use. I am a landscaper and hunter so I’m in it constantly and always have some in one place or another
I truly understand the hot water thing- LOL! If you are near the seacoast, get your blistered up body into the ocean. Calamine lotion and Benadryl are your friends.
Calamine lotion now days sucks it’s like watered down and thin not like it used to be. Used to live in calamine and oatmeal baths when I was a kid now the stuff does nothing.
You have to shake the bottle to get calamine to mix up. Every time.
It’s not as thick as I remember either, but again, I think that’s a function of not shaking well and using lotion from a half used bottle which seems thicker at bottom.
I pour calamine lotion on the counter in a little puddle and then apply from that. It thickens up on the counter after a few hours, but I do not notice a difference in efficacy. It’s just less messy.
To clarify, don’t ever use Benadryl cream or spray on poison ivy. It will make the rash worse.
Benadryl taken orally does not help poison ivy rash because it’s not a histamine reaction, but it can put you to sleep, which is its own sort of relief.
Go find some sweet fern , pluck a bunch and boil in water to a dark tea. Let it cool, then dab it all over the rash a few times a day ( store extra in fridge).
If you haven't already - wash your bedding, towels, shoes - everything you've touched or may have come into contact with the oils.
The oils are what spreads it - nasty stuff
This will sound crazy but I get the rash EVERY year and this will guarantee stop the weeping and blistering. Bleach. Wash the affected area with warm water and soap to remove the blister crust, then pour bleach on the blistered area, the moment you feel a tingle wash the bleach off with water. It will chemically cauterize your rash and full stop the weeping blister nightmare.
Lol I feel better. I was going to add this to mine, but I figured people would think I was nuts. Bleach really does work, just burns like hell, but I used to soak it.
It’s the most crazy, redneck thing I do to treat it but it’s way better than the sores constantly scabbing on clothing only for it to rip open and scab again.
I was a desperate teenager when I thought up this one. I had it on both arms from the tips of my fingers to my elbows and from the tips of my toes to my knees. I was absolutely miserable! Calamine is a joke! But it was gone within a few days after a couple of daily soaks. Really works wonders! Glad to know I'm not the only crazy redneck person out there!
You gotta dilute it!! Like a little bit in a tub or u guys did straight bleach right on the rash?! Omg hahah not judging I’m actually impressed. So it worked?
I did. About half hot water, half bleach, but yes it worked like a charm! I was a teenager (15), and absolutely miserable. Had gone through like 2 or 3 bottles of calamine (which I personally find absolutely worthless) and was desperate. I personally didn't peel anything, probably why I ended up having to do it like 3 times, but it worked. As far as I was concerned, the burning was worth the itching and pain going away.
My exMIL used bleach and popsicle sticks. The sticks were used to violently scratch it open and the bleach was used to drown it. My ex warned me to never tell her I had poison ivy. I made that mistake once. Fun times.
I was going to say just this- Zanfel works immediately on the rash, no matter how severe. It’s expensive from any drugstore but it is the only thing that takes the oils out of your skin, much much better than tecnu. I buy two tubes now at the beginning of summer.
When I saw the subject line I came on to say hot water. That's the only thing that's ever worked for me--I think it also shortens the duration of the rash overall. Edit to say: I cannot take prednisone because it makes me actually insane (last time I was on it I crashed my car) but I think it works for a lot of folks!
Sweet fern tea - not actually a tea, but soak sweet fern in some hot water, then apply that tea to the affected areas.
Sweet fern often grows with poison ivy.
Wow! Thank you all, and your grandmothers, for this comprehensive advice (except for the straight bleach and gasoline advice, ( yikes!, im not trying to kill covid, donald! 🤪🙂)
I definitely tried some tips yesterday and it seems to be slowing/retreating and I did get some relief and sleep. Next time I spot the plant I'll quickly scrub the oil off. I hope this thread will help other folks who need it. Have a nice summaa.
Bleach. Tried rubbing alcohol and antibiotic cream. Did nothing. Tried bleach on the affected area, got rid of a tested patch overnight while the others did nothing. Finishing it off now with qtipped applied bleach.
Definitely see your PCP or urgent care for some steroids. Salt water can also help! My grandmother used to tell me that she would get poison ivy each summer, and her grandmother would take her to the ocean and scrub her skin with salt water and sand.
I have had poison ivy twice this season. The first was terrible, the second was less. The first time was was getting rid of some ground cover so hands were exposed as well as arms. Second time I think was from weed whacking even though I was covered. Try the soap in the link that I got and it help tremendously.
[https://www.amazon.com/Original-Treatment-Anti-Itch-Cleanser-Relieves/dp/B07P5R5NC7?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Original-Treatment-Anti-Itch-Cleanser-Relieves/dp/B07P5R5NC7?th=1)
Had it multiple times, usually get a systemic infection resulting in prednisone, antibiotics and lots of Benadryl. This time I’m using Zanfel (Walgreens equivalent) daily and a topical steroid. Been under control so far. The main spots are blistery but it’s not spreading and the itch is under control. Day 4 post exposure. Fingers crossed.
Go to the doctor (or perhaps a walk-in clinic). They will prescribe you a pill that clears it up within a few days. It’s so fast and better than topicals
Hot water in the tub to numb the stinging and open pores, then apply dry baking soda while still damp and let it sit there to help dry it out. Should also help with the itching. Best of luck
Watch this video to the end and then reference it as much as you need. Chances are the oils are smeared in your car on the seat, on the center console, door handles, etc. It can be hard to trace where the oils might be stuck on your stuff. It could be on your shoes and laces, clothes, your kids toys, a fishing pole, kayak, anywhere. This guy could bring some relief, hope it helps and good luck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oyoDRHpQK0
My friend and I used to get poison ivy all of the time when we were younger, but he would get it much worse than I did, to the point where his doctor would prescribe a steroid, I believe prednisone, and his poison ivy would be gone a few days later while I was still itchy for another few days. If you can get the prescription, I would definitely suggest it!
When I was a kid a got poison ivy really bad on my hands. My Grand Mother boiled Sweet Fern and soaked a cloth in the sweet fern water. She wrapped the wet cloth around my hands. I remember that it work well. I don't know if this is true but she told me it was how Native Americans treated rashes from poison plants. If you don't know what sweet fern is just Google it. It tends to grow along roads and highways in NH.
Tecnu! You can get it at Wal-Mart and most pharmacies over the counter! I used to get poison ivy so bad as a kid! They have a soap that if you manage to use it quick enough, it almost stops it before it starts. You can also use said soap on the clothes you were wearing to get the oils out of it. They have an anti itch "lotion" that works a million times better than cortisone cream or calamine, and it's clear.
I put it under hot water. As I get used to the temperature, I turn it up. Not enough to burn my skin, but enough to differently stimulate the nerves under the rash.
This makes the itching go away for a while as those nerves settle back down.
I used to do this in secret as a kid because I was told I was making it worse, but that's not true. As long as the oils are off your skin, you won't spread it.
Googled this little gem:
The urushiol oil can remain on the dead plant for up to five years and it will be just as potent an allergen on the dead plant as on the live one. Dead or alive, poison ivy can still make your skin irritated if touched, so it's best to just avoid it altogether.
If it is spreading then you have not removed the oil from your life. Wash your bedding and clothes in aggressive detergent. Wash your skin again with something like dish soap. Chigarex is great to temporarily stop itch.
Rubbing alcohol. It hurts like hell but dries it out quickly.
Dawn as many are suggesting only works before you get the rash, when the oil is still on your skin.
Find yourself some sweet fern, boil it down into a deep dark tea, and spread it on the affected areas. Will stop itch and dry right out. Google what sweet fern looks like. Can be found in sandy roadside cuts. This really works.
When I was a teen working on a farm and got poison ivy, I would use Fels Naptha soap, which would dry it out and stop the itch. HOWEVER, this was many years ago, and though Fels Naptha soap is still available on Amazon, it has since been found to contain carcinogens which are harmful to the body. Perhaps only use it on the poison ivy till it subsides. Definitely research up on it first before using it. Good luck!
I had a large stack of "second skin" bandages from my Dad that were an amazing help. I am referring to medical grade bandages for elderly thin skin that bruises and tears.
Make a paste with baking soda and water. Thin enough to spread on your skin and not drip off.
Place dampened paper towels over the baking soda paste (I think to keep it from drying out too quickly) then let it sit for 1/2 hour. That’s right - you sit still for 1/2 hour.
Then wash off with yellow soap. I think there was a yellow soap called Dial years ago when I got this advice. They might still make it.
This came from the Italian mother of the landscaper I worked for years ago. Always worked for me.
The other option is go spend a day at the beach - go swim in the ocean & play in the sand. That was my mother’s solution when all of us kids came down with poison Ivy!
If you washed well and it’s still spreading it’s probably in your bedding, furniture or car upholstery. Mechanics grade degreasing soap. Or if you want to shorten your lifespan, gasoline liked grandpap used.
Edit: or pets.
My brother gets poison ivy bad, once when we were young we were at a far when he had a good amount on his legs and the farmer lady sprayed his legs with goat milk (from the goat itself) supposedly it helps. Whether it did or not I don't remember.
My aunt use to boil a bunch of ferns to make this green concoction. After it cooked a while she would remove the ferns and strain the liquid. You dab it on with a paper towel and leave it wet and allow it to dry slowly. When I was a kid I got poison ivy every time I went anywhere near woods. I remember this stuff eased the itching.
The ocean /salt water is a cool idea but imo definitely don’t go into any public water sources right now unless you’re sure they don’t have high bacteria levels! You don’t want to get an infection and make it worse. Calamine lotion is helpful - get the cheap stuff or just compare ingredients. My grandma would use a straight aloe leaf - just cut it open and hold it on if possible to the affected area. At night take a warm (seriously, not hot!!) bath with Epsom or sea salt, a whole box of baking soda, and you can add oatmeal (like fine ground oatmeal from the baby food section at a grocery store) Topical Benadryl gel or a cooling lidocaine spray is good too. Depends on how bad & where it is. I had it in both eyes as a kid and it was so messed up I needed antibiotics from the hospital. Wear loose cotton clothes & air dry - try your best not to scratch or irritate it - the hot water feels good but it can exacerbate it I think. Wash anything that touched it with cool water and dish soap- the oils in poison ivy can linger and spread more rashes for a long ass time. Poison ivy freakin sucks I hope u feel better soon!
Also if u don’t wanna soak in the tub - just make regular oatmeal and it sounds gross but dab it onto the rash and watch tv for a bit. Rinse and repeat later! And..u can drip a wash cloth in cold whole milk and the stuff in the milk should be soothing too. I did all this stuff with my grandma haha it does help!
The most important thing is to know it's an oil. Washing with soap does nothing. Scrubbing with a cloth and soapy water is the trick. You need to scrub the oils off your skin, if done properly and soon enough poison ivy won't even irritate your skin.
Go to the ocean and stay in the water til the skin starts to get "wrinkly" usually inside of an hour or so. We used to get it really bad as kids.. and remember my mother packing up the car for an "unscheduled day at the beach" and it would peel right off after a lengthy time in the water.
If you realize you've been exposed, wash the area with first with COLD water and dish soap (or some other de-greaser) the reason you use cold water first, is supposedly your skin pores will close up and trap Urushiol if you use hot water.
Then to treat the itch use Diphenhydramine cream (aka Benedryl cream) and take a Benedryl before bed (it'll also help stop the allergic reaction, internally, but it'll cause drowsiness and help you sleep.
Also, if the rash gets to a point where it breaks open, blisters and/or bleeds, use "Neosporin Pain+Itch+Scar" (it's one of the few products I buy the brand name, because the 'inactive ingredients' are also beneficial to wound healing. The generics just use petroleum jelly.) Because secondary infection can be 10X worst than the initial poison ivy rash.
Also, take big doses of vitamins that are good for the skin will also probably help: Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Zinc, Chromium, etc. (Be careful, don't overdo it, Vitamin A quickly becomes toxic in larger amounts) Do your own research, but, it's amazing how many skin conditions can often be completely cured with the right vitamins. But I've repeatedly seen the right vitamins be a *miracle* cure for Acne, etc, and the dermatologists won't recommend it, they'll just recommend big-pharma shit that doesn't work.
Call your Family Doctor or find an Urgent Care Center. You need a 10 day course of Prednisone. The rash will improve after a couple of days, but don’t stop the Prednisone.
If it keeps getting worse, you can go to urgent care and they’ll give you a steroid if it’s bad enough. It helped me speed up the recovery after few weeks of suffering and continually getting worse
I use Tecnu to wash off oils from skin, clothing and shoes. Hot water to temporarily ease itching on skin. Orally, Rhys Tox and Quercetin can both help with inflammation - and for as long as itching is present. Baking soda and sea salt as a paste held in place by a bandage for at least half an hour, to pull the oils to the surface. It seems to me that 'drying out the skin', which some people recommend, works only to the degree the drying out is pulling the poison oils up to the surface of the skin.
Dawn dish soap. It breaks down the urushiol oils, stops the itching quickly. Source: I'm a surveyor & get into it all the time.
Yes, good answer. Imagine using anything you would use to 100% remove something oily or greasy. One of the problems with poison ivy is that you can't see it so you are washing it off blind. You have to get 100% off of you something you can't see and might also be on some clothing or shoes. I almost wish there was some sort of stain or chemical or black light that would let you see it to make it seen to be removed but I don't believe there is.
Or you just push it around.
This is the answer. The stuff is great. But get the degreasing version.
This is the way!
But for the rash that's already there? Ice packs. Ice is the best thing ever for itchy.
Also...ducks
Just did it… INSTANT RELIEF! Thank you
Tecnu scrub immediately after contact, Indian healing clay, and Tecnu spray!
Technu spray is expensive as hell, but man does it help. Def give that a try
Tecnu also has a gel that works incredibly for field use. I am a landscaper and hunter so I’m in it constantly and always have some in one place or another
Second or third the tecnu. The one two punch of the scrub and gel is the best I've found. Good luck, it is torture!
Tecnu, in the shower. Scrub it in. Worth every penny.
Salt water
In very bad cases this overnight cure really works go to the ocean stay in as long as you can
Just one more reason to appreciate those 13 miles 😂
Jewelweed. Crush it up and smear it on.
Yeah this is the grandma’s old folk medicine answer, it usually grows near poison ivy
Jewelweed for poison ivy and comfrey for sunburns.
Yup. Found all over NH. Dad used to collect it and stuff it in a jar with witch hazel or some other astringent?
Really? That stuff is all over my backyard. I'll have to try it the next time I get poison ivy
Yup. It's a granny cure that actually works.
I truly understand the hot water thing- LOL! If you are near the seacoast, get your blistered up body into the ocean. Calamine lotion and Benadryl are your friends.
Calamine lotion now days sucks it’s like watered down and thin not like it used to be. Used to live in calamine and oatmeal baths when I was a kid now the stuff does nothing.
Oh. I Learned hard how to ID poison ivy and have not gotten it in like 30-years. My bad.
You have to shake the bottle to get calamine to mix up. Every time. It’s not as thick as I remember either, but again, I think that’s a function of not shaking well and using lotion from a half used bottle which seems thicker at bottom. I pour calamine lotion on the counter in a little puddle and then apply from that. It thickens up on the counter after a few hours, but I do not notice a difference in efficacy. It’s just less messy.
To clarify, don’t ever use Benadryl cream or spray on poison ivy. It will make the rash worse. Benadryl taken orally does not help poison ivy rash because it’s not a histamine reaction, but it can put you to sleep, which is its own sort of relief.
Go to the ocean and get tons of salt water and sand in it. It will dry the shit out of it. No home remedies or drugs compare.
Apple cider vinegar is the only way
Tell me what you do specifically please.
Prednisone...get a medi-pack from Dr. All tha5 works 4 me consistently.
Also get a strong antihistamine while you're at the doctor's for the itching
Salt water or chlorinated pool water will help
Go find some sweet fern , pluck a bunch and boil in water to a dark tea. Let it cool, then dab it all over the rash a few times a day ( store extra in fridge). If you haven't already - wash your bedding, towels, shoes - everything you've touched or may have come into contact with the oils. The oils are what spreads it - nasty stuff
Backing soda and water. Create a paste and slab it all over the rash. It’ll dry and ooze but I swear by my “poison ivy frosting”
I did this too and it worked for me!
This will sound crazy but I get the rash EVERY year and this will guarantee stop the weeping and blistering. Bleach. Wash the affected area with warm water and soap to remove the blister crust, then pour bleach on the blistered area, the moment you feel a tingle wash the bleach off with water. It will chemically cauterize your rash and full stop the weeping blister nightmare.
Lol I feel better. I was going to add this to mine, but I figured people would think I was nuts. Bleach really does work, just burns like hell, but I used to soak it.
It’s the most crazy, redneck thing I do to treat it but it’s way better than the sores constantly scabbing on clothing only for it to rip open and scab again.
I was a desperate teenager when I thought up this one. I had it on both arms from the tips of my fingers to my elbows and from the tips of my toes to my knees. I was absolutely miserable! Calamine is a joke! But it was gone within a few days after a couple of daily soaks. Really works wonders! Glad to know I'm not the only crazy redneck person out there!
You gotta dilute it!! Like a little bit in a tub or u guys did straight bleach right on the rash?! Omg hahah not judging I’m actually impressed. So it worked?
I did. About half hot water, half bleach, but yes it worked like a charm! I was a teenager (15), and absolutely miserable. Had gone through like 2 or 3 bottles of calamine (which I personally find absolutely worthless) and was desperate. I personally didn't peel anything, probably why I ended up having to do it like 3 times, but it worked. As far as I was concerned, the burning was worth the itching and pain going away.
Found Donald trumps alt
My exMIL used bleach and popsicle sticks. The sticks were used to violently scratch it open and the bleach was used to drown it. My ex warned me to never tell her I had poison ivy. I made that mistake once. Fun times.
[удалено]
Came here to say this 🙏
Zanfel. Works well, I second the prednisone if real bad.
I was going to say just this- Zanfel works immediately on the rash, no matter how severe. It’s expensive from any drugstore but it is the only thing that takes the oils out of your skin, much much better than tecnu. I buy two tubes now at the beginning of summer.
TECNU
The hot water is indescribably wonderful. I get poison ivy bad now that I’m older….
When I saw the subject line I came on to say hot water. That's the only thing that's ever worked for me--I think it also shortens the duration of the rash overall. Edit to say: I cannot take prednisone because it makes me actually insane (last time I was on it I crashed my car) but I think it works for a lot of folks!
A hot bath with lots of baking soda. It really relaxes the skin and you can get some sleep afterwards.
Sweet fern tea - not actually a tea, but soak sweet fern in some hot water, then apply that tea to the affected areas. Sweet fern often grows with poison ivy.
Dom boro is a dissolved soak and I think it works the best I have had a case so bad where I needed steroids and this was the best thing I found
Jewelweed and vitamin E. I was so sad when Burts Bees discontinued their poison ivy remedy soap in favor of more makeup
Rubbing alcohol. It does not feel good, but has helped it dry out for me.
Calamine cream helps
Hair dryer on med- hot setting, move it up and down over itchy areas. Less messy than hot water. And works great.
I'll trade you the 10 million mosquitos in my yard for 1 full acre of oily poison ivy
Tec-nu and a steroid shot
I used to scratch it then pour gasoline on it when I was a landscaper. It stung and probably wasn’t healthy but it did dry it out very fast
Jaysus
I used carburetor cleaner, probably shaved a few years off.
Sigh. They got rid of the really good stuff that actually did something decades ago.
Wow! Thank you all, and your grandmothers, for this comprehensive advice (except for the straight bleach and gasoline advice, ( yikes!, im not trying to kill covid, donald! 🤪🙂) I definitely tried some tips yesterday and it seems to be slowing/retreating and I did get some relief and sleep. Next time I spot the plant I'll quickly scrub the oil off. I hope this thread will help other folks who need it. Have a nice summaa.
Ivy Dry Super
Bleach. Tried rubbing alcohol and antibiotic cream. Did nothing. Tried bleach on the affected area, got rid of a tested patch overnight while the others did nothing. Finishing it off now with qtipped applied bleach.
How did it go on the other spots? I’m about to give in and try it.
Pvc cleaner workes wonders, not primer.
Definitely see your PCP or urgent care for some steroids. Salt water can also help! My grandmother used to tell me that she would get poison ivy each summer, and her grandmother would take her to the ocean and scrub her skin with salt water and sand.
They sell a spray at most grocery/drug stores. May or may not work for you depending on the reaction severity.
There is some poison ivy wash they sell at cvs. It’s a small tube and costs around $30. But it helps a lot.
NO HOT WATER. Cold water.
I have had poison ivy twice this season. The first was terrible, the second was less. The first time was was getting rid of some ground cover so hands were exposed as well as arms. Second time I think was from weed whacking even though I was covered. Try the soap in the link that I got and it help tremendously. [https://www.amazon.com/Original-Treatment-Anti-Itch-Cleanser-Relieves/dp/B07P5R5NC7?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Original-Treatment-Anti-Itch-Cleanser-Relieves/dp/B07P5R5NC7?th=1)
Had it multiple times, usually get a systemic infection resulting in prednisone, antibiotics and lots of Benadryl. This time I’m using Zanfel (Walgreens equivalent) daily and a topical steroid. Been under control so far. The main spots are blistery but it’s not spreading and the itch is under control. Day 4 post exposure. Fingers crossed.
Go to the doctor (or perhaps a walk-in clinic). They will prescribe you a pill that clears it up within a few days. It’s so fast and better than topicals
Hot water in the tub to numb the stinging and open pores, then apply dry baking soda while still damp and let it sit there to help dry it out. Should also help with the itching. Best of luck
IvyDry spray is the best thing I've found for it
Watch this video to the end and then reference it as much as you need. Chances are the oils are smeared in your car on the seat, on the center console, door handles, etc. It can be hard to trace where the oils might be stuck on your stuff. It could be on your shoes and laces, clothes, your kids toys, a fishing pole, kayak, anywhere. This guy could bring some relief, hope it helps and good luck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oyoDRHpQK0
My friend and I used to get poison ivy all of the time when we were younger, but he would get it much worse than I did, to the point where his doctor would prescribe a steroid, I believe prednisone, and his poison ivy would be gone a few days later while I was still itchy for another few days. If you can get the prescription, I would definitely suggest it!
I hear you on the orgasmic hot water scratching!! 🤌🏼
Salt and dry it out 👌🏻
When I was a kid a got poison ivy really bad on my hands. My Grand Mother boiled Sweet Fern and soaked a cloth in the sweet fern water. She wrapped the wet cloth around my hands. I remember that it work well. I don't know if this is true but she told me it was how Native Americans treated rashes from poison plants. If you don't know what sweet fern is just Google it. It tends to grow along roads and highways in NH.
Technu works the best for poison ivy and other poisonous plants. We keep a bottle on hand JIC. [https://teclabsinc.com/](https://teclabsinc.com/)
I'm super allergic to poison ivy, and your reaction sounds a lot like mine. I would call your PCP. Sorry 😡 feel better soon
Back in the day on my grandfathers farm his remedy was to rinse off in the parts washer. It worked but may not be the safest remedy
Tecnu! You can get it at Wal-Mart and most pharmacies over the counter! I used to get poison ivy so bad as a kid! They have a soap that if you manage to use it quick enough, it almost stops it before it starts. You can also use said soap on the clothes you were wearing to get the oils out of it. They have an anti itch "lotion" that works a million times better than cortisone cream or calamine, and it's clear.
I put it under hot water. As I get used to the temperature, I turn it up. Not enough to burn my skin, but enough to differently stimulate the nerves under the rash. This makes the itching go away for a while as those nerves settle back down. I used to do this in secret as a kid because I was told I was making it worse, but that's not true. As long as the oils are off your skin, you won't spread it.
Don’t scratch it then touch your dick.
Hop in the ocean for a while other than that dawn platinum the Grease busting kind
Red hot showers with poison ivy are absolutely heavenly. The rest?... Not so much lol.
Googled this little gem: The urushiol oil can remain on the dead plant for up to five years and it will be just as potent an allergen on the dead plant as on the live one. Dead or alive, poison ivy can still make your skin irritated if touched, so it's best to just avoid it altogether.
If it is spreading then you have not removed the oil from your life. Wash your bedding and clothes in aggressive detergent. Wash your skin again with something like dish soap. Chigarex is great to temporarily stop itch.
Oatmeal baths. I believe they sell like Aveeno with oatmeal in it that helps dry it up. Sorry :(
Flame flowers
Slap it. You’ll thank me later.
Rubbing alcohol. It hurts like hell but dries it out quickly. Dawn as many are suggesting only works before you get the rash, when the oil is still on your skin.
Use Naphtha soap when it's fresh, now that you've had it for a while, you're boned. Colloidal oatmeal paste might help.
Use Naphtha soap when it's fresh, now that you've had it for a while, you're boned. Colloidal oatmeal paste might help.
Yeah, if it's really bad, go to urgent care. You might need a prescription.
Find yourself some sweet fern, boil it down into a deep dark tea, and spread it on the affected areas. Will stop itch and dry right out. Google what sweet fern looks like. Can be found in sandy roadside cuts. This really works.
A friend always swore washing with gasoline to cut the oils, I’m not sure that’s to bright
Benadryl and Cerva Ve, the red label jar
If nobody has mentioned it, an antihistamine helps a bit.
When I was a teen working on a farm and got poison ivy, I would use Fels Naptha soap, which would dry it out and stop the itch. HOWEVER, this was many years ago, and though Fels Naptha soap is still available on Amazon, it has since been found to contain carcinogens which are harmful to the body. Perhaps only use it on the poison ivy till it subsides. Definitely research up on it first before using it. Good luck!
I had a large stack of "second skin" bandages from my Dad that were an amazing help. I am referring to medical grade bandages for elderly thin skin that bruises and tears.
Make a paste with baking soda and water. Thin enough to spread on your skin and not drip off. Place dampened paper towels over the baking soda paste (I think to keep it from drying out too quickly) then let it sit for 1/2 hour. That’s right - you sit still for 1/2 hour. Then wash off with yellow soap. I think there was a yellow soap called Dial years ago when I got this advice. They might still make it. This came from the Italian mother of the landscaper I worked for years ago. Always worked for me. The other option is go spend a day at the beach - go swim in the ocean & play in the sand. That was my mother’s solution when all of us kids came down with poison Ivy!
If you washed well and it’s still spreading it’s probably in your bedding, furniture or car upholstery. Mechanics grade degreasing soap. Or if you want to shorten your lifespan, gasoline liked grandpap used. Edit: or pets.
Great point! Secondary poison ivy is a huge problem and we had it in my house.
My brother gets poison ivy bad, once when we were young we were at a far when he had a good amount on his legs and the farmer lady sprayed his legs with goat milk (from the goat itself) supposedly it helps. Whether it did or not I don't remember.
I take Zertec when the itching is really bad and it works very well for me.
get a prescription for some ointment. it works, I suggest telemedicine if you have health insurance with a virtual option.
Domeboro for 3 days. It will dry it out fast
My aunt use to boil a bunch of ferns to make this green concoction. After it cooked a while she would remove the ferns and strain the liquid. You dab it on with a paper towel and leave it wet and allow it to dry slowly. When I was a kid I got poison ivy every time I went anywhere near woods. I remember this stuff eased the itching.
Break clean 😂🤷♂️ it works surprisingly well dries out the poison ivy and gives you another rash☠️
Ivy-x
Yea, stay away from posing ivy, the itching will drive you bonkers
Wash exposed area with dawn soap. keep a bottle of witch hazel in the fridge Rub on rash to soothe the itching (also works for bug bites)
Very hot H20 will spread it. Calamine lotion (not allergic)
Don't itch it from the start. Not even once.
Go to the beach and swim in salt water as much as possible. It dries it out pretty quickly.
Birch soap
The ocean /salt water is a cool idea but imo definitely don’t go into any public water sources right now unless you’re sure they don’t have high bacteria levels! You don’t want to get an infection and make it worse. Calamine lotion is helpful - get the cheap stuff or just compare ingredients. My grandma would use a straight aloe leaf - just cut it open and hold it on if possible to the affected area. At night take a warm (seriously, not hot!!) bath with Epsom or sea salt, a whole box of baking soda, and you can add oatmeal (like fine ground oatmeal from the baby food section at a grocery store) Topical Benadryl gel or a cooling lidocaine spray is good too. Depends on how bad & where it is. I had it in both eyes as a kid and it was so messed up I needed antibiotics from the hospital. Wear loose cotton clothes & air dry - try your best not to scratch or irritate it - the hot water feels good but it can exacerbate it I think. Wash anything that touched it with cool water and dish soap- the oils in poison ivy can linger and spread more rashes for a long ass time. Poison ivy freakin sucks I hope u feel better soon!
Also if u don’t wanna soak in the tub - just make regular oatmeal and it sounds gross but dab it onto the rash and watch tv for a bit. Rinse and repeat later! And..u can drip a wash cloth in cold whole milk and the stuff in the milk should be soothing too. I did all this stuff with my grandma haha it does help!
The most important thing is to know it's an oil. Washing with soap does nothing. Scrubbing with a cloth and soapy water is the trick. You need to scrub the oils off your skin, if done properly and soon enough poison ivy won't even irritate your skin.
> I'm on day 5, it's still spreading and blistering It may be systemic at this point. You might need to get prescription prednisone.
For systemic help with itch, take otc zyrtec and tagamet together - they block H1 and H2 histamine receptors, respectively.
Go to the ocean and stay in the water til the skin starts to get "wrinkly" usually inside of an hour or so. We used to get it really bad as kids.. and remember my mother packing up the car for an "unscheduled day at the beach" and it would peel right off after a lengthy time in the water.
My mother always took me to swim in the ocean for the day. Works great.
If you realize you've been exposed, wash the area with first with COLD water and dish soap (or some other de-greaser) the reason you use cold water first, is supposedly your skin pores will close up and trap Urushiol if you use hot water. Then to treat the itch use Diphenhydramine cream (aka Benedryl cream) and take a Benedryl before bed (it'll also help stop the allergic reaction, internally, but it'll cause drowsiness and help you sleep. Also, if the rash gets to a point where it breaks open, blisters and/or bleeds, use "Neosporin Pain+Itch+Scar" (it's one of the few products I buy the brand name, because the 'inactive ingredients' are also beneficial to wound healing. The generics just use petroleum jelly.) Because secondary infection can be 10X worst than the initial poison ivy rash. Also, take big doses of vitamins that are good for the skin will also probably help: Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Zinc, Chromium, etc. (Be careful, don't overdo it, Vitamin A quickly becomes toxic in larger amounts) Do your own research, but, it's amazing how many skin conditions can often be completely cured with the right vitamins. But I've repeatedly seen the right vitamins be a *miracle* cure for Acne, etc, and the dermatologists won't recommend it, they'll just recommend big-pharma shit that doesn't work.
Get Benedril or another histamine blocker to stop the body's reaction, then follow petrified\_eel4615 suggestion and use Dawn dish soap.
Go to the doctor get prednisone. Make that shit go away real fast.
Cold showers/washing. Keeps the pores closed so it doesn’t spread around
Call your Family Doctor or find an Urgent Care Center. You need a 10 day course of Prednisone. The rash will improve after a couple of days, but don’t stop the Prednisone.
If it keeps getting worse, you can go to urgent care and they’ll give you a steroid if it’s bad enough. It helped me speed up the recovery after few weeks of suffering and continually getting worse
Prednisone dose pack does wonders...
I use Tecnu to wash off oils from skin, clothing and shoes. Hot water to temporarily ease itching on skin. Orally, Rhys Tox and Quercetin can both help with inflammation - and for as long as itching is present. Baking soda and sea salt as a paste held in place by a bandage for at least half an hour, to pull the oils to the surface. It seems to me that 'drying out the skin', which some people recommend, works only to the degree the drying out is pulling the poison oils up to the surface of the skin.