Hi ladies - I need some help - been working in the garden and have come down with some real nasty poison ivy and was wondering what to do - should I go to the dermatologist or do you think there are some over the counter remedies that might work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much, M.
Hi M.,
High grade tea tree oil will get rid of it. I just gave a friend a bar of tea tree oil cleanser and his was gone the next day. I use one with a very high grade (T36-C5) of oil.
Hope this helps!
M.
Ivy Dry spray worked for my husband. We got it at Walgreens.
The over the counter stuff didn't work my son, went to the GP and got some cream, was cleared in about 3 days.
I get it from my yard as well. I can't get rid of it with otc remedies. You can go to your regular doctor (you don't need a dermatologist) and get steroids. It will clear up right away.
The others have told you what to do to cure the rash.
IF you know when you have touched poison ivy, immediately go in the house and wash your point of contact with cold cold water and dish soap or any soap that will wash away oil. The poison ivy oil is what causes the itch by seeping in the pores in the skin. The cold water closes the pores. The soap disolves the oil and washes it away. Your poison ivy will be much less than if you didn't wash your hands or what ever got the poison ivy oil on it.
When I get blisters, I pop them under running cold water and wash the open blisters with soap. It cured my rashes and blisters much quicker than not doing so. The water in the blister seems to have some of the poison ivy oil in it so if you wipe it on a towel and then use the towel, it will spread the oil.
Good luck to you and yours.
Alot of great advice. One more... dry oatmeal in a blender til powder, make a paste w/water. Paste it on affected areas or the dry powdered oats can go in a bath tub to soak in. Good luck and God Bless!! No fun, I know.
your local family physician can prescribe steroids and it clears it right up.
If you want an old help - go get some Fels Napatha laundry soap! Wash you AND anything you've come in contact with in this soap (yes, it is safe to use like any bath soap - believe me, I have a kid that major allergic to poison ivy and came back from summer camp covered - we went thru a couple of bars on him and all his camp stuff - washing a sleeping bag is a PITA)
I ended up on prednisone... nothing worked.
I was a mess.
LBC
i usually have to go to my gp and get a shot, but if i am unlucky enough to get it again i will try some of these ideas.
IvyRest works best for me.
Go to the doctor (your regular GP or an urgent care center) and get a steroid shot. It will knock it right out. Let the doc know if you're breastfeeding. There is a topical benadryl that can help the itching if you want to try and wait it out. It can take up to six weeks to go away so be ready to itch for quite a while. (I just had a case last fall so it's fresh on my mind-- I lasted about a week and finally gave up and went to the doctor for a shot. I had scratched so much that I caused an infection and ended up on antibiotics. The whole thing was a real pain because I was breastfeeding which complicated everything.)
you could just call your doctor. he or she can probably prescribe over the phone.
Whether you chose to go a natural route or call your doctor..... if you haven't already, take a heavy duty shower and wash the area with soap and water. Any clothes or shoes that could have touched it should be washed thoroughly too. You want to avoid infecting yourself again or someone else. You can get poison ivy just by touching a dog that touched it if you are sensitive to it.
you can always google "home remedies for poison ivy."
Zanfel. It's a topical scrub that you use while you're in the shower. It's about $40. I think CVS has a generic version for around $25-$30. My son gets poison ivy several times a year and it's a life saver.
You can try liquid Dawn soap. This apparently helps dry up the poison ivy. You can also try Ivy Dry; we've used it and it seems to work pretty good. It smells like vinegar. I've always wondered if I could put my son in the bathtub with vinegar-water to see if that helps. It would be cheaper than buying the Ivy Dry; but I've never tried it. The bottle of Ivy Dry has lasted for quite some time.
good luck!
There is a long-time remedy called Domeboro - it's an astringent powder you mix in water. You can soak in it if it's convenient (e.g. your feet); otherwise, dip a washcloth in it and gently set the cloth on the rash. It dries up the blisters. Don't rub - it makes the itching worse. The pharmacist recommended it to us years ago and we've used it as needed.
There's also a product called Tecnu you can use to wash the oils off your skin after you work in the garden. Use it before your shower, then shower normally. Some people use dish soap but that can be hard on your skin - but it will get the oils off.
I wouldn't think you would need a dermatologist unless the blistering is severe or if it's near your eyes. Usually doctors prescribe steroid creams but you don't want to use those excessively.
