I’m extremely allergic to poison ivy. I got it pretty bad a few years back and when I did the places on my arms were so bad it looked like a 3rd degree burn. I can literally look at it and get it on me. I try to stay away from it but it is hard when you’re working outside. I was clearing out some brush behind our barn a few months ago and got a couple small patches of it, nothing major. Instead of going to the doctor I decided to treat it with natural remedies.
I got some different ideas for treating poison ivy from an article on ThriftyFun.com. Before treating your poison ivy you need to ensure that all the oils from the plant have been removed. The plant oil is what spreads the rash. Once the oil is off your skin the rash will not spread any more. It’s a common myth that poison ivy spreads by the “puss” that oozes from the rash but that is just not true.
If you suspect you might have gotten into some poison ivy take a shower immediately when you get inside from working. Make sure to scrub yourself down real good to remove all the oils from your skin. Wash anything you came in contact with including your clothes, bedsheets, blankets or anything else. Once the poison ivy pops up after a day or so you will be able to start treating it.
I started with calamine lotion in the mornings to stop some of the itching and help dry it out. Calamine works great, and the article also recommends dishwashing liquid (Dawn) also on the rash to help dry it and calm the itching. I tried the dishwashing soap and it worked good. At night I would make myself a paste consisting of baking soda and coffee and apply liberally to the rash. Wrap it up to keep it on the skin and let this stay on overnight.
The mixture will literally pull the fluid right out of your skin and will clear your rash up within a few days. The cool coffee and baking soda mixture was a success at treating my poison ivy and removed the need to go to the doctor and take expensive medicines. I’m sure most of you know baking soda has about a million uses so it’s good to keep plenty on hand.
11 comments
erniesjourney
July 8, 2009 at 11:41 pm (UTC 0)
Thanks Matt! I will try this for Lexi – she has it AGAIN!
matthiasj
July 8, 2009 at 11:48 pm (UTC 0)
It really does work Ernie. It worked better than when I would take pills and get a shot.
matthiasj
AKA Angrywhiteman
July 9, 2009 at 12:27 am (UTC 0)
The DAWN dish soap is really effective at getting the oil off your skin. Used it in place of hand soap for your initial washing, its grease cutting capabilities get the oils off quite well.
Here in Oregon we have poison oak, the symptoms are quite similar. Those of us who know about using dawn always keep it on hand.
One more tidbit, Prednisone dries the blisters up fast. If you're on good terms with your local veterinarian, they are also able to prescribe certain useful medicines for your "pet"
matthiasj
July 9, 2009 at 12:46 am (UTC 0)
Thanks for the tip AWM. I don't visit our local vet but will look into that.
matthiasj
rridgeoutlaw
July 10, 2009 at 3:44 pm (UTC 0)
I use Preparation H on the rash. It dries it up and stops the itch (laugh but its true)pop the blisters and wash your arm with dawn dish soap to remove the oil first.
matthiasj
July 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm (UTC 0)
Never heard of that one rridgeoutlaw. I'll have to give that a try next time I get it. Thanks for the tip!
matthiasj
PreparingMama
July 11, 2009 at 2:46 am (UTC 0)
My husband got poison oak a couple of years ago and ended up with a very bad infection in his leg. After a cortisone shot and a round of strong antibiotics, it cleared up. Now we know how to treat it.
Last week he got into some again. He washed with Dawn to remove the oil, did not scratch it, and treated the rash with a skin salve my friend makes. I use it on almost everything! Here's the link to it:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26574411&ref=sc_2
The rash has not spread at all and is slowly fading! I keep a tub of the salve in our first aid kit, one in my purse and one in my bathroom for everyday use.
matthiasj
July 11, 2009 at 3:44 am (UTC 0)
Thanks for the link PreparingMama. Sounds like some good stuff.
matthiasj
GunGeek
July 13, 2009 at 6:49 pm (UTC 0)
An even better oil remover than Dawn is good old alcohol. Just use a rag and gently slather rubbing alcohol all over any place that might have come into contact with the plant (obviously avoiding any body parts that might hurt if you got alcohol on them) and let it air dry.
The other thing to use for those have a real problem with it is the stuff that prevents it from bothering you in the first place. Can't remember the name off the top of my head, but the manufacturer let the US Forest Service test it out before they sold it to the public and they liked it so much that they bought out the whole next year's production of it.
matthiasj
July 13, 2009 at 8:58 pm (UTC 0)
@GunGeek that's interesting…I would like to find out what it is. I found a site that said eating small leaves of the plant and working your way up to a whole leave will give your body immunity for up to a year.
sandhya
April 17, 2010 at 3:49 pm (UTC 0)
I want more information about burned skin on face at side of the mouth