I Hate Poison Ivy

[John Paul Sanborn]

Anything that will cut, emulsify or disolve the oil, is good. Good old soap and copius amounts of cold water will work. Rinsing down the drain, not using a bucket that will spread the irritant around.

I'll second Sean's statement on cold water, it is what they teach with any chemical exposuer, not only does it open the pores but dielates the vascular system. Some compounds can be carried into the bodey this way.

Another one I heard of is baking soad and peroxide. Sprinkle the soda on and then wash with peroxide, the reaction will crack the oil compounds. It is said to help with skunk musk and feacal contanmination on pets too. jsut dont let the peroxide sit on the fur too long, or you may have orange pets.

 

[TheMDTreeman]

check out this site

http://www.zanfel.com/

this stuff works, but it is expensive
Also try jewel weed, a plant that is found sometimes growing near it.

 

[TheMDTreeman]

a site about jewelweed:

http://altnature.com/jewelweed.htm

 

[TheMDTreeman]

think before you use gas, another site about this nasty plant:

http://mama.essortment.com/poisonivypoiso_rist.htm

 

[treeclimber165]

I got it a couple times this year and didn't have much on hand to help with the itching. I dug out some aloe sunburn lotion and rubbed it on. It helped reduce the itching (and scratching) and the sores healed up quicker with no scarring.

 

[DDM]

Brian, i'm not sure what kind of vine was on that dead tree yesterday but Kaitlyn is all broke out and i have a splotch or 2 on my arm.

 

[treeclimber165]

Well, I'll know by tomorrow. It usually takes me about 2-3 days to break out.

 

[mikecross23]

By the time the day comes near end, I've got noticable red splotches usually only on the inside of my wrists and forearms. When I get home, I notice a few other spots, before bed I'm itchin', and the next day I'm pondering suicide (JK!).

MDTreeman,
Those web sites were of great help. My local pharmacist said feedback on the Zanfel cream was super. At $32.00 for 1 ounce it dang well better be! I'll try anything

 

[Toddppm]

MD Treeman, neat sites. I've never seen Jewelweed before? Can't find it in my weed books either. I'll be looking for it next summer to check it out though.
Mike the oils could be all over your ropes too, so even if your changing and washing everyday you're getting it from them. They can be washed but I've never done it.
My daughter got it bad from my clothes a couple months ago, her face was so swelled up she couldn't go to school for a few days! I seem to get it less and less each year, doesn't bother me too much anymore , I can resist scratching it most of the time.

 

[Froggy]

Roustox

This is the official cure for poision Ivy. I tell you I can get it pretty good in the summer time. You put this disoviable pill under your toung twice a day. Bam in no time it's gone. Better than paying for the pill or shot. Roustox is a nonperscription product. Good stuf.

 

[TheMDTreeman]

Froggy and anyone else getting the shot...

I used to get the shot. I quit though after I heard the shot was actually fatal. Seems it does something to the kidneys. I thought it was pulled anyway, after the FDA found it dangerous. Not trying to scare anyone, just saying be careful.

 

[budroe69moni]

i love poison ivy!!!

call me a freak of nature but i'm totally immune
to the stuff. i can work in the junk all day w/
no ill effects! i used to freak out my prof's in
college on field trips for our botany classes
when i'd walk up to the group w/ a huge
bouquet of poison ivy and ask..... "what's
this stuff???" haahahahahaha, should have
seen the look on everyone's faces!!!!!
good luck brother.
budroe

 

[Dan Flinn]

I get the stuff terribly. I have come across a solution that works for me. I keep a spray bottle with a 10 to 1 soulution of Clorox and water.

The spray bottle is nice because when I get ready to leave the jobsite, I'm covered with dust, chips, etc. and I can just spray the mix on my arms, wait a bit and wash off with the garden hose. This only works within the first 20 minutes or so of contact, but I've had luck with it.

The shot is fatal? I guess I'll stick with the dose pack from now on.

I can't wait to try some of the pills/medicines listed in previous posts!

Dan

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Thats funny Dan.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You guys know what works much better than bleach and water, or soap and water???

Water. Water will neutralize the poison. The sooner the better, after about 45 min, it's too late.
Soap actually can encapsulate the poison, stop the water from neutralizing it, and then spread it to other body parts.
Bleach is an old wives tale. It's supposed to stop the itching, which it doesn't, and if you get it into an open sore you can get horrible infections.

 

[DDM]

Plus Bleach eats your skin off No skin no itch

 

[timberwolf]

Don't become complacent

call me a freak of nature but i'm totally immune

I use to say the same thing, then one day while crossing a fence out deer hunting, I fell off the fence into some poison ivy and skuffed my arm a bit (just broke the skin). I got just a bit of rash from that exposure, but the next year after that I became much more sensative to it.

As with many irritants, limited exposures can tend to sensatize rather than build an immunity.

Interesting how poison ivy works, a double edged sword. The oils from the plant dry on the leaves and form razor sharp crystals, these crystals are just enough to break the skin to allow the passage of the fresh oil into your skin.

Timberwolf

 

[geofore]

ivy

My age is showing on this one, years ago there was a song, When The Bears Go Out inThe Woods Today, about poison ivy, and they used yellow soap ( Fels Naptha) to remove the ivy oil.

Touch- Me -Not weeds are good for relieving the itch, the fluid in the stems rubbed on the itch works if you can't wash off right away.

 

[Wolf Blitzer]

I havent read every reply, but your ropes may be saturated, give them a wash and see if that helps.


SMT

 

[DDM]

http://www.poison-ivy-protection.com/