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Relief for poison ivy is something you are going to need to know how to do at some point.
Whether you are gardening, clearing land, or doing basic yard work, you can easily be exposed to poison ivy. Sometimes you don’t even know it until its too late.
When you are outside allot, you are bound to end up with some kind of itchies. The best thing to do is to avoid those leaves of three. But sometimes you just can’t. or you don’t see them.
But don’t panic. These are things that can almost always be treated at home.
Disclaimer: The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Prevention
This is going to be some pretty common sense stuff, but its stuff you should all know!
When going into overgrown weeds, or into the woods, try to wear long sleeves and long pants, if possible.
Know what you are looking for, and avoid it if at all possible. Leaves of three, let it be. Google pictures of poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Or you can download this kindle book.
If you have to work around it, wear gloves.
Make sure you wash up well when you are done.
Wash all clothes that might have come in contact with it on warm, and use bleach if possible.
If you have been exposed
Oops! accidently frolicked through some ivy? Stop, but don’t drop and roll…that would be counter productive.
- Wash your clothes on warm, with bleach if possible.
- Wash yourself with Technu or Jewelweed soap to get rid of any oils on your skin.
- Be sure to wash anything that may have came into contact with the ivy, shoes included.
This SHOULD save you from getting covered in poison ivy bumps, but if for some reason you end up with some anyway, read on!
Cleaning The Rash
So, reguardless of all the precautions you take, you can STILL get poison ivy. There are a few steps you can take to get rid of it and stop it in its tracks now.
Clean the effected area and surrounding areas. You can clean with many different things, but you are looking to dry it out. Try using
- Witch Hazel
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Technu
- Jewelweed Soap
- Poison Ivy Soap
These all help to dry the oozy rash and keep it from spreading
*If you are out, and need a quick fix to the itch or oozing, try rubbing some hand sanitizer on it, its mainly rubbing alcohol anyway!
Stopping the itch
Cleaning the rash it a pretty solid way to stop the itch, but sometimes it seems like the itch just wont go away.
There are sooo many different products to help the itch. Here are a few of my tried and true.
Remember, creams seem to work better than sprays, and creams don’t need rubbed in all the way. You want a healthy coating, because you are trying to smother it out.
Another note, if you need to stop the itch before bed, a benadryl pill also helps stop the itch. If you are allergic to poison ivy, or are literally covered head to toe in it, it is probably best to make a quick trip to the doctor. They have pills and shots that can actually help get it under control pretty quickly.
I hope this helps someone, somewhere find relief for their poison ivy! I know it has taken me most of my life to get it figured out, so I am glad to offer you all any help I can!
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