# Poison Ivy



## StihlKicking (Jul 1, 2016)

I've got it. Does anyone have any good remedies to get rid of it. I would like to avoid steroids as they screw with my blood sugar to much? Thanks


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## ATH (Jul 1, 2016)

Once the rash is there, not much you can do. If it is just the first sign of it, I have used Zanfel https://www.treecaresupplies.com/SE-F-2080-ZANFEL-POISON-IVY-WASH.html twice. The first time was 2 days after the rash started and I don't think it helped...I used it several times. The 2nd time was less than 15 minutes after I noticed the bumps and it was gone the next day. So inconclusive results so far...

Keep it dry...don't put moisturizers on as you want your skin to dry out...anything that causes that is good. I put Gold Bond powder on it. That relieves the itching temporarily and dries out your skin.


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## ropensaddle (Jul 1, 2016)

My wife gets it from my clothes lol I rarely get it but have got a bump or so if i get it in a scratch. While this is definitely not a cure take the hottest shower you can stand. I mean just short of scalding and it will give you temporary relief I promise. My legs itch from may to August from unbelievable chiggars we have here and the best relief I have found from itching is; hot hot water.


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## TonyK (Jul 1, 2016)

+1 on ZANFEL. Best stuff ever made for it IMHO. Next up is Tecnu Extreme poison ivy. Either can be purchased at most pharmacies.


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## Marshy (Jul 1, 2016)

You have to understand that your body is reacting to the oils from the PI that got on your skin. If you already have the scratch its too late. There might still be oil on the skin even after washing it so there are a few things you can try to limit the spread. Get some fels naptha soap and wash with it or wet the bar and rub it on the areas. I also try to wash really well with a combination of Permatex 01013 Blue Labell Cream Hand Cleaner (grit free) and dawn dish soap or dial soap.



Then there is this guys method.


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## lone wolf (Jul 1, 2016)

Marshy said:


> You have to understand that your body is reacting to the oils from the PI that got on your skin. If you already have the scratch its too late. There might still be oil on the skin even after washing it so there are a few things you can try to limit the spread. Get some fels naptha soap and wash with it or wet the bar and rub it on the areas. I also try to wash really well with a combination of Permatex 01013 Blue Labell Cream Hand Cleaner (grit free) and dawn dish soap or dial soap.
> 
> 
> 
> Then there is this guys method.



I dare you to rub it on and leave it for 8 hours before washing. We always go with one hour or less . Wash 3 times with Gojo or Dawn and scrub good and I only get like a few tiny dots of it at the most.


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## mu2bdriver (Jul 1, 2016)

I've used Techu Extreme with great success. It will really dry out your skin and get the oils to the surface. You can get it at any Walgreens/CVS. 


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## lone wolf (Jul 1, 2016)

mu2bdriver said:


> I've used Techu Extreme with great success. It will really dry out your skin and get the oils to the surface. You can get it at any Walgreens/CVS.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Soap works Technu is expensive.


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## ATH (Jul 1, 2016)

If you are buying Zanfel, you'd say Technu is priced "moderately"


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## ATH (Jul 1, 2016)

ropensaddle said:


> My wife gets it from my clothes lol I rarely get it but have got a bump or so if i get it in a scratch. While this is definitely not a cure take the hottest shower you can stand. I mean just short of scalding and it will give you temporary relief I promise. My legs itch from may to August from unbelievable chiggars we have here and the best relief I have found from itching is; hot hot water.


I think that also dries out your skin...which is good.


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## treebilly (Jul 1, 2016)

Zanfel is costly but it works. I am one of the chosen few that don't get it but my wife sure does. We do keep a felsnapth (?) bar in the trucks at work and ivy dry. For the guys on my crew that get it, this has helped greatly.


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## Thornton (Jul 1, 2016)

I've done the super hot shower thing and use dial bar soap. Good luck hope we don't have to change your username to Stihlitching.


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## jrider (Jul 1, 2016)

Bleach dries it out and helps reduce the itch especially if you break the blisters open.


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## Marshy (Jul 1, 2016)

jrider said:


> Bleach dries it out and helps reduce the itch especially if you break the blisters open.


My father use to do that, I won't.


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## StihlKicking (Jul 1, 2016)

Thanks for all the replies! I've popped the blisters with a needle and bleached it. Now I'm keeping calamine lotion on it. The swelling and itching have eased, now it's just sore to the touch which is a welcome relief.


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## unclemoustache (Jul 2, 2016)

Step 1 - Prevention: Avoid it if at all possible. Learn to recognize it.

Step 2 - First care: Get it off ASAP. Given time, the usishiol oil will bond with your skin, so wash it off as soon as possible.
Use some kind of oil-removing product - Dawn dishsoap, detergent, Tecnu, mineral spirits, etc.
Wipe it off carefully so you don't rub it in. (Watch the second video in Post #5 by Marshy). Do this a few times, even using different products.

Step 3 - Second care: Deal with the rash/itch. A number of products can help relieve the itch and/or dry out the rash if it's bad enough.
IvyDry, Tecnu Extreme, etc. If it's really bad, the hospital shot does wonders.

Step 4 - Third care: wash your clothing/tools/other infected items carefully. Clothes should be run in the washer by themselves, maybe even multiple times.
(Some suggest running the washer empty after that before going back to regular laundry). 

Step 5 - Final care: Suck it up and deal with it, but maybe post a pic or two on Arboristsite

Step 6 - Follow up: Smack yourself in the head to help you remember to do Step 1 next time.


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## jtc16 (Aug 27, 2016)

Check out Jewel Weed online. I'd never heard of it until the other day. You can make a paste that supposedly cures poison ivy. You can buy jewel weed soap. After someone showed me what it looked like I saw that a big patch was growing 20ft from the tree that gave me poison ivy. I guess poison ivy and jewel weed grow together sometimes. I haven't tried it yet but just throwing it out there.


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## treebilly (Aug 27, 2016)

They are always close to each other.


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## jtc16 (Aug 27, 2016)

That's interesting how the poison and the cure grow together.


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## Hoowasat (Aug 28, 2016)

StihlKicking said:


> I've got it. Does anyone have any good remedies to get rid of it. I would like to avoid steroids as they screw with my blood sugar to much?


I got some on a Saturday 3 weeks ago, but didn't experience any itching until Monday. Dummy me had some vines in my way of a back cut near an old out-building, the saw was already running, so I waved the bar among the vines and apparently shot the poison across my bare arms. Poison ivy can be left to run its course, but an anti-itch lotion makes it bearable. Calamine lotions seems to work best, but a coworker turned me onto Sarna anti-itch lotion. He had some and let me try it ... worked great but smells bad. I went to the pharmacy and found a scent-free version of Sarna and applied it to my arms about 3 times a day until the itching went away.


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## ATH (Aug 28, 2016)

Jewel weed and Poison ivy don't "always" grow together. The do both tend to be more common in moist sites...but that doesn't mean they are together. I see a lot more poison ivy than jewel weed...

Jewel weed certainly relieves the itch temporarily, but I haven't found it shorten the duration of the rash. Would be interested to hear if others have actually found that to be the case.


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## hardpan (Aug 30, 2016)

Washing with a rag/cloth enhances any soap as shown. I use gojo with pumice and have good results. If I miss the contact area and end up with a rash or blisters I have used bleach for many years with great results. Dampen a rag, scrub it on, wait 10 minutes and wash it off with soap and water. I even open up the blisters before applying the bleach. Unsure if there are health risks here. If the bleach is not washed off it will set up it's own irritation. 
It is very important to remember that poison ivy "oil", if on your clothes, will stay there until it is washed off and will be a contact source for a long time, like a jacket that is hung on a hook in the garage and then worn again a year later.


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## Jimbo209 (Oct 2, 2016)

Bicarbonate soda has a amazing get list of uses including still going irritant calmer. Kettles a wet paste, not ivy but it works wonders on bees wasps and sunburn. Blisters and peeling for a week cut I half or better with a cream like paste that dries on

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## crammit442 (Oct 6, 2016)

Howdy! First post! When I started paddling kayaks, I discovered that my lifelong immunity to poison ivy was gone. I read everything I could find on it and found a product called "Oral Ivy". Sounded pretty sketchy, but I decided to give it a try. About two weeks after starting it I was no longer allergic. I still use it and it still works. It also shortens the length of time you have it. Here are a couple of links. It was a lifesaver for me.
Charles


http://www.oralivy.com

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...ahUKEwjPz7LXuMfPAhUM4yYKHZd2D8EQ0QwIJg&adurl=


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## justaguy511 (Oct 7, 2016)

ATH said:


> Jewel weed and Poison ivy don't "always" grow together. The do both tend to be more common in moist sites...but that doesn't mean they are together. I see a lot more poison ivy than jewel weed...
> 
> Jewel weed certainly relieves the itch temporarily, but I haven't found it shorten the duration of the rash. Would be interested to hear if others have actually found that to be the case.



Jewel weed is the very best remedy there is. But to get the best results it's worth it to concentrate it stored in a nearby location.

I concentrate it by simmering some in 151 proof vodka. I have seen poison ivy rashes disappear in less than 24 hours when applied within 12 hours of exposure. And I have seen very severve (on the verge of hospitalization with severely swollen everything ) cases cured within 36 hours after applying this solution, even though the treatment wasn't started until several days after exposure to the ivy.


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## StihlKicking (Oct 9, 2016)

Just an update. Friday I cut an old growth pine that was covered from top to bottom with poison oak. As stated in my earlier posts I am
Highly allergic. It took a couple of hours to cut and buck the tree. Immediately after finishing I got in the shower and scrubbed of with blue dawn soap and a wash cloth. So far so good. No rash. If anything develops I will post but this seems to be a great way to prevent an outbreak if you know you have been exposed.


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## jakethesnake (May 18, 2018)

StihlKicking said:


> Just an update. Friday I cut an old growth pine that was covered from top to bottom with poison oak. As stated in my earlier posts I am
> Highly allergic. It took a couple of hours to cut and buck the tree. Immediately after finishing I got in the shower and scrubbed of with blue dawn soap and a wash cloth. So far so good. No rash. If anything develops I will post but this seems to be a great way to prevent an outbreak if you know you have been exposed.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


So any update. I’m rashed to hell with sumac. Looking for advice


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## moondoggie (May 18, 2018)

Soap and water after exposure helps a lot. I've been told, Applying the jewel weed before you get into the poison has the best results. I have no way of knowing for sure. I have applied JW after exposure and it sure seems to relieve the itching and burning.

This stuff relieves the symptoms of poision pretty well. 



Works good on itchy bug bites too. It burns for a few seconds then relieves the iching quite nicely. I used to not get blisters until I was brush cutting once and my forearms had the skin broken from some hawthorn busting them open Then bear hugging and dragging 30 or so pines with poision going 20' up and sticking out 10' .I got it a bit that day. When I work with poision I just try to take my clothes off outside and go straight to the shower, when I get home from work. I can feel the poision on me before the shower but, if I don't scratch, it usually washes right off.


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## ATH (May 19, 2018)

Having uses Zanfel a couple more times since this thread was last updated, I am more confident in that now and have bought more. Yes, it is expensive....but when you are itching like mad it seems pretty cheap!

Scrub with it a couple of times per day as soon as you notice any sign of rash. I had a decent sized patch last summer that I started scrubbing...it was getting worse for a couple of days and seemed to be about to go full on nasty nuclear blisters. It never hit that point and 3 days later it was completely gone...just some red skin, no itching, no bumps.


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