I had it all over my arms and ankles. I tried alcohol, aloe, witch hazel, dish soap, lemon, etc.! No relief, the itch was killing me. It would wake me up in the middle of the night!
Finally, what finally dried it up after a week is a spray called Tecnu. It's at Walgreens or CVS. It is awesome. It cures the itch, cools the area and dried it up. It cost me $14.00 at CVS. Just thought I would share!
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An elderly neighbor told me how to get rid of poison ivy. She said to me, the old timers would pick a leaf of the plant each spring and eat it.
After washing the area with soap and water, wipe down that area of the skin with a mix of 1/2 chlorine bleach and 1/2 water and rinse with water. Helps to remove the plant oil that creates all that itching.
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Does anyone know of some homemade cures for poison ivy?
Thanks
Sandy from Bluff City, TN
How do you make a paste out of the soap? Do you put on your poison ivy to dry it out and how long do you put it on there before? I would love to know the steps into making it into a paste.
This is a wonderful overview of the topic. www.diynatural.com/
I believe the idea is to rub the wet bar on the affected skin area to make a lather -- not a "paste" exactly. Repeat several times per day.
I had a really bad case of poison ivy on my feet when I was young. My mom made a paste out of fels naptha by taking a paring knife and cutting small slivers and putting it in a dish, covering it with a tiny amount of hot water to help soften the soap, and stirring it into a paste. When cooled well enough, she spread the paste all over the blisters.
Fels Naphtha soap is great for a number of uses and drying poison ivy is a great one.
When you have children and grandchildren you tend to learn all about how to stop pain, itch and many other issues.
Time is of the essence when you find you have gotten into poison ivy or poison oak because the faster you can wash off the oils the quicker the poison will go away.
Pat dry - do not rub; take all clothes and towels straight to the laundry and wash with hottest water possible. Rinse twice - hot water.
You can lather Fels between your palms and gently place the 'foam' on all suspected areas and do not wipe off. Be still and let it dry.
Do this several times a day.
You can also make a paste of Fels by scraping off a small amount (use a knife, vegetable peeler, grater, etc) into a small bowl and add a few drops of water at a time until you can mash it into a paste. It needs to be slightly 'creamy' so you can layer it on the affected areas. It cannot be too thick or it will not dry and dryness is what drys up the oil of the poison.
What can I do, short of going to my doctor, to treat poison ivy, especially the itch? I've had it before, but it's never have been this itchy!
Thankz a million in advance.
By AL from Pittsburgh, PA
Any new ideas on treating poison ivy? My arms started with the rash, itch three days ago and I am about to go crazy. Not to mention that it looks so gross!
Jewelweed is best known for its skin healing properties. The leaves and the juice from the stem of Jewelweed are used to cure poison ivy and other plant induced rashes.
I have been able to get rid of poison ivy by scrubbing the rash with a brush and strong soap. The scrubbing causes the blisters to open up. The soap removes the fluid quickly so that it will not cause the rash to spread.
The rash will dry up and heal. I am convinced that high doses of Vitamin C will help the body to heal.
Band-Aid makes a calamine that comes in an aerosol spray- that way you don't have to touch it. My husband found that to be very helpful. Also the traditional soaking in epsom salt-water helps dry things up. When washing, you might want to try a poison ivy wash by Tech-nu. I don't remember the exact name, but it cuts the oils so it doesn't continue to spread. You can find it at Wal-Mart or wherever. Hope you get to feeling better!
CalaGel made by Oak-n-ivy is a wonderful product that we use here. Poison ivy grows throughout the bush in the valley next to us. Someone gets poison ivy each summer on themselves, usually my son.
CalaGel is a clear gel. You thinly spread it on the poison ivy rash and it instantly takes the itch away. When is dries it forms a "crust" over the rash keeping the poison ivy rash from weeping. No one else knows you have it on because it is clear...not like calmine lotion doea by leaving a white area. You reapply is about 2 - 3 times a day as needed.
I also use CalaGel to put on a bee sting, mosquito bites, mild sunburn, etc. It is wonderful.
Here is Canada we can not buy it but in the US you can get it at the local pharmacy, I believe. Or...call 1-800-ITCHING. It is made by Tec Laboratories, Inc. Albany. OR 97321. Look in google to see the reviews of it, you will be quite impressed. I highly recommend it!!
I used to get poison oak constantly as a kid. We would mix salt and vinegar together and pack it on our body. I also would swim in the pool alot. It seemed to cool everything down. Good luck!!!!!!!! It is so miserable.
If the poison ivy is just a small patch, I recommend
using a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
Use a cotton ball to wipe the area with the solution several times a day. Worked for me.
Also I had a larger patch, and my husband bought some Ivy-Dry and would put it on the spot (it was on my back) for me 3 times daily. After about 4 days it really started to dry up.
I found that athlete's foot powder helped me the best, it will stop the itch and dry up the spots, It worked for me when aveeno etc. would not.
Have you tried taking benedryl , it'l stop the itching and dry it at the same time. good luck
If you can find fels naptha bar soap in your area - slightly dampen the area and rub the bar all over until you are completely covered with lather. Let it air dry and it will be gone in no time
Is there a good cream for the itch from poison ivy? I've had the bad experience of getting poison ivy again, this is the second year. I've never had it before until last year and this year. I've gone to the doctor and was prescribed some pills and cream for the itch and rash.
It's been over a month and I still have the rash. It's slowly going away. My question is: There is an over the counter cream called Zanfel that is sold at Walgreens in a little tube for over $35.00 that is suppose to stop the itch within 30 seconds and start clearing up the rash by the second day! Has anyone ever tried this cream and does it really work? Is it worth the money for such a small amount? I have relatives that swear that it works great, but I reviewed it and found others that would not buy the stuff and said it didn't work at all. Should I buy this or not? Is there a generic brand that would work better and cheaper? Any help would be great. Thanks.
By Linda Delcamp from Brighton, MI
Is there a treatment for poison ivy in a pill form? I have tried all the over the counter medicines to stop the itch, etc., but nothing seems to help. Outside of going to a doctor does anyone know if there anything else I can take?
My husband has poison oak on his leg. Any ideas on how to cure it?
By Elizabeth D.
I've heard that poison ivy hates boron-rich soil, and that an easy way to kill it off and prevent it from re-growing is to add borax to the soil. Has anyone else heard of this? And do you know if it would hurt other plants as well? I have three 100+ year old maples that I really don't want to kill. I have tons of poison ivy, and this seemed like a relatively cheap and safe way to get rid of it. Any ideas?
I work in the heat all day, (construction). Should I cover my poison ivy rash?
Does anyone know how to treat poison ivy and how to prevent it?
By Paula M
I have poison oak on my body and it is very easy for me to catch this. Are there any people out there who have home remedies for this? Help! Please.
By Jimmie
How do we use Fels Naptha to effectively treat poison ivy rash? And anything special to do with it to make laundry soap for poison ivy clothes?
