Home Remedy for Poison Ivy

Don't ask. But I've learned that directing a hot as you can stand shower spray at the affected areas for as long as you can stand relieves the itching better and longer than creams and ointments do.

It took me about 8 weeks to completely get over my poison ivy last spring. The doctor thought a home remedy for preventing the spread was to was with Dawn dish washing detergent. Apparently this cuts the oil that is the cause of the problem.

JohnDar said:

Don't ask. But I've learned that directing a hot as you can stand shower spray at the affected areas for as long as you can stand relieves the itching better and longer than creams and ointments do.

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I would think the hot water would open the pores and help to wash off the oils out of the skin that cause it to spread and itch. Just a wag (wag=wild a.. guess)

Be sure to wash your clothing also the oil can reinfect you from the clothing.

"Don't ask"... John, are you going to make us pry it out of you ? Comon, let us poke fun at ya. What did you do dude to get PI ? Also, be explicit, exactly WHERE did ya get PI... comon dude fess up so we can poke fun at ya At your age do you have to be told to stay out of the weeds ? So be honest and let us have our fun. Do we have to ask Darlene ? What DA thing did ya do ?

RollingHome said:

"Don't ask"... John, are you going to make us pry it out of you ? Comon, let us poke fun at ya. What did you do dude to get PI ? Also, be explicit, exactly WHERE did ya get PI... comon dude fess up so we can poke fun at ya At your age do you have to be told to stay out of the weeds ? So be honest and let us have our fun. Do we have to ask Darlene ? What DA thing did ya do ?

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Humph, well I never...well maybe once or twice.

OK here's the naked truth (if squeamish, avert eyes). I borrowed a weedwacker from the CG owner to trim the tall grass/weeds close to my rig at the campsite. He does not want his mower operators to get closer than 3 feet to any rig. It wasn't a jungle, but I wanted to clean it up. No big deal, that. Anyways, I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I don't recall seeing anything that looked like a leafy plant, but as I trimmed, bits and pieces smacked my exposed (avert eyes, again) flesh. I was wearing safety glasses and hearing protection, though. I brushed off the bits when I was done with a dusting brush and didn't think anymore about it. I had some other outdoor chores to do, I wasn't hot and sweaty, so I didn't shower right away.
Next morning, my shins have a couple of spots that look like fly bites. After a couple of days, I'm seeing more and thinking I must have fed an entire nation of flying jaws (I'm not thinking nasty plants yet). By the time we came back home yesterday, I've got welts, rashes, and blisters on my legs and arms. Lanacaine and Sting-Eaze helped for a short period, but the burn and itch come back with a vengence.

Last night, while surfing the Web at home (hard to do sometimes on CG's WiFi), I look up Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac and see my picture there (or at least what my leg looked like). That's where I read about the hot water. It works.

This is the first time in almost 62 years (and I've been in the woods more than once) that I've gotten this. I just didn't associate it at first. Still not entirely sure what I came in contact with.

OK, I'm humbled, sounds like ya inocently got poluted with PI, ouch ! We use Melaluca products (Tea Tree Oil) and they help us. IF the hot water showers work for you, great, keep doing what works... PI is a female dog and I won't tease ya. You have enough grief without me having fun at your expense, good luck my frined

JohnDar said:

Don't ask. But I've learned that directing a hot as you can stand shower spray at the affected areas for as long as you can stand relieves the itching better and longer than creams and ointments do.

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I thought it was just me.

I have been doing this for over 20 years. For me it works and I get relief for at least 12 hours, sometimes more. I have yet to fine any poison ivy or steroid cream that works as well or as long as hot water.

I have found, if you have the smallest possibility of getting poison ivy, take a shower with bleach on the possible areas of contact. This has worked for me knowing that I have gotten into poison ivy and very alergic to it.

over the counter bynedryl - may make you sleepy so don't drive......

I went and got a steroid shot and some prescription antihistamines. That and calamine seem to be dealing with it. Laying off the pills today since we're heading back up to the BH later today. The hot water spray does seem to knock out the itch for a good 8 - 10 hours.

I'm a firm beliver in lye soap. When my son was in Boy Scouts, & I was Asst. Scoutmaster, we started using lye soap at Scout Camp, and got to using it all summer. I would even wash my hair with it. I found out that when I used it, I seldom got poison ivy, or was bothered by skeeters, chiggers or ticks! It's not 100%, but it sure slowed things down. If I did get PI, or bites, I'd wash down with it, dry off, then lather up the area & let it dry-didn't rinse it off. The PI & bites would go away within a few days. Best place (cheapest) I found to get it was at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. Cost about the same as a regular bar of soap.

olcoon said:

I'm a firm beliver in lye soap. When my son was in Boy Scouts, & I was Asst. Scoutmaster, we started using lye soap at Scout Camp, and got to using it all summer. I would even wash my hair with it. I found out that when I used it, I seldom got poison ivy, or was bothered by skeeters, chiggers or ticks! It's not 100%, but it sure slowed things down. If I did get PI, or bites, I'd wash down with it, dry off, then lather up the area & let it dry-didn't rinse it off. The PI & bites would go away within a few days. Best place (cheapest) I found to get it was at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. Cost about the same as a regular bar of soap.

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Lye?? Ain't that what some serial killers used to dispose of the bodies??

At any rate, the shot, calamine, and antihistamines are doing their job. It's drying up, skin color is coming back and the itching is minimal (usually).

But thanks for the suggestion.

You can't really cure poison ivy. You can only mask the symtpoms until your body is free of all the oil, which takes many weeks.

Steroid shots and dosage (prednisone) work well but there's the chance that the treatment course is not quite long enough (wasn't for me). Plus it made me a raging menace to my family towards the end of the cycle (ask my wife).

Besides the obvious, washing everything well and making sure not to get re-exposed via clothes, etc, it's a waiting game. All the treatments out there simply attempt to block the histamine reaction (ie benadryl, sterioids, etc) which is the cause of the rash. You can't "cure" a poison ivy outbreak per my doctor.