Poison ivy

[teabird]

A distinction needs to be made between soap and detergent. Soap will not remove oils, you need a detergent for that. So washing clothes in a washing machine will work, it uses a detergent. But washing with soap and water will not work.

For washing after handling PI, I found 2 things that work well. Fels Naptha bar detergent can be found in the laundry section of hardware or grocery stores. I guess it used to contain napthalene, which will dissolve oils well. Now it doesn't so it's safe for household use. The fact that it says it's used to pre-treat clothes, and that it has surfactants in it highly suggest that it would be a detergent. The other solution I have had success with is Tec-Nu. It's a thick liquid that I rub on my arms and legs after handling PI, then wash off in the shower. Tec-Nu is expensive, $12 for a bottle but it will last for many applications and works well.

[DerbyDad03]

As an aside, I just found an excellent way to relieve the itching from Poison Ivy, having recently come in contact with some.

Use a blow dryer. Blow dry the area for a minute or so at the highest heat you can stand - just don't burn your skin. The itching will get really intense and then suddenly disappear.

Go on, Google it and see. People rave about it and now I do too.

It has something to do with both drying out the oozing from the rash as well as fooling the nerves with the heat. I "blew dry" the rash and the itching would go away for 6 - 8 hours at a time.

[ransley]

Soap is alot easier on you than gasolene, all you need to do is break down the oil residue of poison ive oak or sumac and wash it off, hand soap, dish soap work fine but dont forget the shoes and pants, if gas is close by and the only thing I guess I would use it probably alot of chemicals in my garage would break down the oil.

[ransley]

Ive been exposed 20+ times since my big time in 86, bar hand soap is all ive used and I have had no outbreak. Any hand soap breaks down poison ivys oils so water can wash it away, even just hosing your hands after touching it has keep me from having any problems. But I wash within 15 minutes of pulling it.

[jamesgangnc]

I agree. The trick is to wash well right away. I fight it in our yard. As long as I know I've been in it I can avoid the rash.

I use gloves and wash them well with the other cloths I was wearing in the laundry with a heavy shot of detergent and extra time on the dial. But I use those cheap contruction gloves from lowes, few bucks a pair. They hold up for 3 or 4 washings and then they're trash.

[norminn]

I've used hot baths for mosquito bites when the itching got really bad or the bites were numerous....I think the heat just increases the circulation, and thus the antibody/immune reaction and gets it over with more quickly. Itching would increase for a little bit, in the warm bath, but then be essentially gone by the time I finished. Careful with that hair dryer...if the itching is bad enough, may not feel skin burning.

Hot shower, along with careful stretching exercise, got rid of really nasty tendonitis of shoulder...after trying Rx anti-inflammatory that made my stomach hurt. Didn't want bleeding ulcer, so quit those.

[DerbyDad03]

quoted text -

re: "I've used hot baths for mosquito bites when the itching got really bad or the bites were numerous"

Oh, come on...be honest.

You just needed an excuse to luxuriate in a long hot bubble bath to relieve the stress of the day.

"Sorry darling, but my mosquito bites are really itchy. I need to take a long, hot bath. By the way, could you bring me a glass of wine?"

;-)

[norminn]

I'm fair skinned and rather sensitive, so when I have a bunch of skeeter bites, I don't need any further irritation....would go for the wine, though :o)

[Malcolm Hoar]

Tip for anyone that needs to take those anti-inflammatory meds:

Take them with a glass of milk.

It reduces stomach problems very effectively.

[DerbyDad03]

...unless you have issues with dairy products...

[mm]

What makes you think it's finished. Some of that stuff will grow back, I think. Save the gloves for the next time. Each in a separate ziploc bag, so the fingers of one don't get in the other.

I think I saw on the tv new that because of warmth or something, this will be a big year for poison ivy, or was that manta rays?

[mm]

It might not be alive to begin with.

[Tony]

Yes, soap does dissolve and remove oils. Maybe not all oils as well as a detergent but for poison ivy, Ivory soap has worked for me for 30 years. I shower within 1 hour of contact, (I lather and rinse twice). Immediately wash outside with soap/detergent if I have some scratches that may have been exposed. Get the cheap $1 gloves and throw them away. Actually I seldom use any gloves unless it's a big job. Depending on how much my clothing was exposed, I'll undress in the laundry room, or many times on the front porch (I'm not so sure everyone here can do that without risk of arrest). The clothing goes straight to the washing machine and me straight to the shower. I also wash the shower knobs after I've touched them.

Some people still think you can spread it by contacting the oozing blisters, thats an old wives tale. Once you wash well, you can't spread it. It's not a disease, it's an allergic reaction to the oil. Once the oil is gone, no chance of spreading it.

[Tony]

Don't forget the candles!

[Tony]

Grow back? Hope you mean the plants and not the oils that most of us are allergic to.

[Tony]

Exactly. I never heard of living oil, poison ivy oil or any other. If oil was living, we could just keep harvesting new crude oil instead of drilling for more!

[Percival P. Cassidy]

My wife is suffering from a poison ivory attack at present. At 9am when she bought some stuff at the drugstore to alleviate the itching, the checkout person said, "What's going on here? You're the third person who's bought this stuff already today!"

Perce

[ransley]

The active ingrediant of poison ivy is termed an oil, Eurushiol. Thats why it can stay active 12 months on tools, clothing etc. Soapy water is the quickest way to wash it off, but getting it off quickly is most important. You can walk throught it or your pet does and that night take off your shoes or pet yout dog, rub your eyes, take a piss, and the next morning be itching.

[DerbyDad03]

3 weeks ago my buddy went out for a bike ride. His front tire slipped off the pavement and he crashed face first into a pile of Poison Ivy. The bruises got better in a week or so and he fixed the bike. He was thinking he got lucky with the Poison Ivy.

I got an email last night. His arms and face are showing the tell-tale rash and he's beginning to itch.

[mm]

Yes, it was both poison ivy and manta rays, and jelly fish, that are flourishing in the hot weather.

I found that rHuli-spray is very good for poison ivy, but that was 10 years ago. When I went looking for more 5 years ago, no one sold it and it wasn't on the net.

They still have rHuli-cream and/or rHuli-gel. I didn't want that because I didn't want to touch the area with poison ivy. I thought that would start it itching again. But they are both topical anesthetics and the sprray worked for 4 hours iirc, maybe more, which was pretty darn good.

I've never gotten anywhere with calaimine lotion. I hear it soaks up the seepage but I don't care about the seepage. I care about the itching. So what is the point of calamine lotion?

Hmmm. ONe guy on the web says rHuli-spray is sold at Walmart (and I'm sure lots of other places) by Band-Aid under the name of Calamine Spray. Well maybe. The original had no calamine anything, but maybe they think they have to say that, or include that. What it did have was an skin anesthetic and if it has that, it might be the same thing, or at least good.

These pages have eveyrone's solutions, good or bad. :)

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