I'll be doing zero gardening for a few days. This poison ivy rash is make me feel MISERABLE!!!

[Siwsan]

It is mostly on my left arm, scattered from wrist to the bend of my elbow. AND some on my right wrist.

I'm going to soak in an Epsom Salts bath, today, and see if that brings some relief.

[KarenS]

1. ,,,

if you take it easy, I'll bet you have some company

[steventh]

2. Ever try Domeboro powder in water as a wet dressing?

It's my go-to for poison ivy. So soothing. CVS and Amazon carry it. Probably most pharmacies do.

[cachukis]

16. The best. Had to bathe in in once.

[Walleye]

3. I was in my friends yard with her the other day and she pointed out a plant to me

I was pretty sure it was poison ivy but I took a picture and put it into my LeafSnap app. I never got closer than 12 inches from the plant and still got poison ivy rash on my arm. Seems like it’s pretty potent this year. Good luck I just use Cortizone cream

[Goonch]

4. Paste of baking soda &

water helped me out

[bucolic_frolic]

8. yes, and let it dry

anything that pulls the oil out of the skin will shorten the allergic reaction

[2naSalit]

5. Eeew!

I am not alllergic to it but my brother is and when we were young, he'd get bad rashes from it. I would be playing in exactly the same places and it never bothered me. I think the bath is a good idea I wonder if cbd oil or tea could help.

Anyway, I hope you can find relief, I don't know what really works other than calamine lotion, epsom salt bath and baking soda compress. Maybe a cool compress of some soothing herbs might help too.

[Siwsan]

7. Maybe a glass or two of Chardonnay??

Couldn't hurt!

[2naSalit]

9. Oh definitely.

Soothe your mind and nerves too! Try to avoid sweating, that seems to aggravate the rash.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. The shiny leaves are laden with oil, the allergic part

I reach underneath and pull it out by the stem.

I use Caladryl lotion.

[Siwsan]

10. I think it was transfer contact

I was pulling up some really tall weeds from a fence line. Just as I reached for a lower one I saw the poison ivy growing amongst the other weeds.

Normally I keep a spray bottle of vinegar on hand and periodically spritz my arms. Of course, I didn't have it, that day.

[GPV]

11. Calamine?

[Siwsan]

12. I'm pretty sure I have some. Somewhere

I also might try soaking gauze in an Epsom Salts solution and wrap it around the blisters. And ice. Yes. Ice.

[GPV]

13. Oatmeal and baking soda might also help

[Siwsan]

14. I have both, in abundance

[CommonHumanity]

15. Read this! PLEASE!

I have a goat-driven brush clearing business. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and get it constantly. Over the years, I've gotten better at avoiding and controlling it. When I do get it, here is what saves my life and sanity. It's magic, it works. I PROMISE.

Put the afflicted area under the hottest water you can endure. Hold it there. After 1-2 minutes, the itch will accelerate like crazy, but just for a few seconds. After that, the itch will be gone for 10-12 hours. As it was explained to me, which may or may not be accurate: The hot water causes your skin to flood the area with the histamines that cause the itching. After the "flooding" it takes your body a period a time to generate new histamines and you are itch free for that time. You can also use a blow dryer on the hot setting to get the same effect, but I find the water more effective.

I researched poison ivy to the ends of the earth and nothing works like the hot water treatment (except steroids from the MD). Taking an anti-histamine is somewhat helpful in conjunction with the hot water, but the hot water is the key. BTW, I'm talking hot tap water, not boiling water. No need to burn yourself in the process. The hottest tap water you can barely tolerate is hot enough to take away the itch.

[Siwsan]

17. I'm definitely going to remember this!!

I found the calamine lotion and slathered it across the blisters. The discomfort has calmed down considerably.

When I rinse it off I'll use the hot water technique!

Thanks!

[usonian]

18. Tecnu

It's deodorized mineral spirits.
I get poison oak all the time.

The mineral spirits dissolve the oil that causes the itch.
You rub on for a couple of minutes, and rinse off.

Do it immediately or as soon as possible to get the oil off your skin.

I am told that firefighters carry Dawn liquid to dissolve the oil on the job.

FWIW, I got some mineral spirits to clean paintbrushes and they are deodorized. Maybe people were getting high. It's welcome, though.

Take it from someone who visited the E.R. and got hydrocortisone and prednisone. It was serious.

https://teclabsinc.com/product/tecnu-original-outdoor-skin-cleanser/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecnu

No financial interest. Just saying what works for me in the land of poison oak.

Horrible stuff both poison ivy and poison oak.
Good luck.

[zeusdogmom]

19. I use Dawn after every time I work in the garden

Poison Ivy has snuck into spots where I might not always see it plus other plants cause my skin distress. So as soon as I come back into the house I rinse with cold water and Dawn up and down my arms. It has made a huge difference in the amount of rashes and other irritations. Sometimes my legs need a good Dawn rinse, too.

Dawn is great stuff - no I don’t work for P&G 😁

[Siwsan]

20. I usually have a spray bottle of vinegar in my garden tool basket

The vinegar counteracts the oil. I hadn't intended to do that kind of weeding, that day, but I just couldn't stand seeing those tall weeds, any longer.

I have a new spray bottle and will be filling it up.

And, yes, Dawn is great. I use it to give kittens a flea bath and when I comb the kidcats for fleas.

[CommonHumanity]

21. Read this! PLEASE!

I have a goat-driven brush clearing business. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and get it constantly. Over the years, I've gotten better at avoiding and controlling it. When I do get it, here is what saves my life and sanity. It's magic, it works. I PROMISE.

Put the afflicted area under the hottest water you can endure. Hold it there. After 1-2 minutes, the itch will accelerate like crazy, but just for a few seconds. After that, the itch will be gone for 10-12 hours. As it was explained to me, which may or may not be accurate: The hot water causes your skin to flood the area with the histamines that cause the itching. After the "flooding" it takes your body a period a time to generate new histamines and you are itch free for that time. You can also use a blow dryer on the hot setting to get the same effect, but I find the water more effective.

I researched poison ivy to the ends of the earth and nothing works like the hot water treatment (except steroids from the MD). Taking an anti-histamine is somewhat helpful in conjunction with the hot water, but the hot water is the key. BTW, I'm talking hot tap water, not boiling water. No need to burn yourself in the process. The hottest tap water you can barely tolerate is hot enough to take away the itch.