Comments on: Poison Ivy and Oak Treatment

By: Summer

Summer — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:12:26 +0000

I got poison oak on my arm, my face, and my neck. I don’t know when I got it but I’ve been using cortisone so help. It temporarily releaves the itching. But it comes back. It also restricts my breathing because it’s on my nose. Can someone tell me an easy home ideas to help? Thanks

By: Gary Canavan

Gary Canavan — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:41:08 +0000

The best treatment I have found that really works is the Jewel weed plant which grows in close proximity to poison ivy most of the time. just slice the stem open and scrape out and apply the sap to the rash . It works and it’s free

By: Robert Heck

Robert Heck — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 15:49:31 +0000

Thanks for the great suggestions!!!

By: Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:34:52 +0000

So my boyfriend is covered in poison ivy or zumac, we don’t know which. We don’t have white vinegar, I only have balsamic vinegar… lol does this make a difference? will it still work? he’s sitting at the table as we speak, smothered in smelly balsamic vinegar.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:48:52 +0000

Do have 3 grandsons broke out with it! Any home remedies will help me!!! Thank you!!

By: C Ann

C Ann — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:21:17 +0000

My son has an annual bout with poison ivy. I have not tried anything other than washing and calamine to help ease the rash, but as anyone who tends to get this knows, calamine only works for limited amount of time before needing reapplying.

Three years back we tried Zanfel, it’s an expensive wash that comes in a very small tube, but it works.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:24:11 +0000

Hyland’s Poison Ivy tablets work very well in combination with some of the other treatments above.
I’ve used yellow soap too. I can’t tell if it works better than other soaps or not.

By: Brittany Teracotta

Brittany Teracotta — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:51:43 +0000

I seem to get poison ivy or poison oak every summer whether it be from gardening or getting it from my dog who loves to run through the brush in our backyard. A product called Domeboro that my mother has always used with us growing up really helps my desire to itch like crazy. It is a great way to soak the irritated skin or can be used as a compress/wet dressing to calm the skin irritation or rash. As someone with extremely sensitive skin it has come in handy throughout the years.

By: Nathaniel Palmer

Nathaniel Palmer — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:57:45 +0000

I got Poison Ivy so badly a few years ago that I was practically suicidal. I tried everything, and nothing worked, then I read online about Zanfel and tried it once, didn’t seem to work. Then read someone else who said you had to read the directions, which I did and tried it a second time, eliminated the entire rash (with many blisters) from everywhere infected (many concentrated on my arms). I now keep a tube in the house at all time, anytime I get any touch of it, it immediately resolves it. Doesn’t just relieve it, literally cures it. The rash and redness goes away and the blisters dry up into tiny scabs. You can get it in most stores or online (I buy it on Amazon). Google Zanfel and I promise it it will be the best decision you make if you have an active infection. Although if you’re exposed and don’t have a rash yet, don’t use the Zanfel, but instead use Dawn dishwashing soap (the original formula) which apparently encapsulates the urushiol and allows you to wash it away without it infecting you (it has to be Dawn or equivalent with degreasing capability, not just soap). Apparently the Zanfel works in a similar way, but actually extracts urushiol and allows you to wash it away, which is why you must follow the instructions for it to work. But it really does work! The only thing I have found which does with an active infection.

By: Paula K

Paula K — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:38:33 +0000

Tecnu! Yes ! Love it as preventative, washup and dry up lotion. after the ice storm we got poison ivy off the downed tree limbs—did not notice the hairy vines at the time. The local pharmacist got a good laugh when we asked if they stocked Tecnu in the winter…they DID!

By: Linda Bender

Linda Bender — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 17:39:13 +0000

Technu is the way to go. It is a wash but doesn’t need to be watered down. It dissolves the oil on contact. Even if you have a breakout. if you put it on the rash it dissolves the oil. Only thing I use and I have had some terrible outbreaks before I found this stuff. Any it has been proven that poison ivy oils can stay volatile for over 100 years… keep that in mind with your garden tools.

By: Walter Palmer

Walter Palmer — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:53:06 +0000

When I was younger in CT, I got poison ivy every year without fail. It seemed I could get it anytime, even in the middle of winter.
After coming to Japan, I was surprised to learn that the cause of my rash (urushiol) is used as a lacquer here, and in fact the name urushiol comes from the Japanese word “urushi” for that lacquer (and the plant it comes from). I can even buy it in bottles from some craft stores here.
Properly dried, urushi lacquer usually doesn’t cause rashes except to people very sensitive to it. The lacquer is used on all kinds of traditional eating utensils, so if it often caused rashes, there would be a lot of people with swollen lips and tongues.
Someday when I’m back in CT and find some nice thick poison ivy vines, maybe I’ll try to drain the sap and make my own urushi lacquer. It would be an interesting experiment, even if my fingers swell up like sausages again.