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What's your poison-ivy cure, ATOT?

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kage69 said:
Forget all that stuff - go buy yourself 2 tubes of Zanfel, comes in a shiny box with green lettering. Expensive for one ounce, but putting it on a ravaged area is like having a seriously burned bit of skin suddenly dipped in Arctic slush. The effect it had on my wife one time years ago was just amazing (this was after trying 8 or 9 other products and tricks) and I've had to break it out once since then.

Just get it, you'll thank me later.
Click to expand...

This stuff is magic in a bottle. Expensive yes, but worth every bit.

Also, pour a big bottle or 2 of rubbing alcohol in the washer and wash ALL clothing/sheets/whatever that may even REMOTELY come into contact with the 'poison ivy oil'.

And I think the effects of Poison Ivy are 'cumulative', meaning it tends to get worse with each exposure. Don't know for sure, and I really dont want to test that theory out lol.
 
I'm lucky, I got poison ivy rashes really bad once as a child. Once I got over that, I've been in contact with it numerous times without any rashing, even when others were affected.

I don't want to say I'm immune, but the stuff doesn't seem to irritate my skin anymore.
 
I just put in 1200 feet of fencing a couple weeks ago; I recognized it as poison ivy that I was working through in a couple of areas, but didn't care, since I could just wash it off when I got back down to the house. 10pm and I returned to the house. We had 3 big bottles of rubbing alcohol, but apparently had used them all up while tattooing goats. Rubbing alcohol does an excellent job of dissolving the urushiol and wiping it away from your skin. Soap and water - not so good. Though, I was "lucky" that I only got it on the hairline on my forehead (I scrubbed my face; I'm positive it would have covered my face from wiping perspiration off constantly), a little bit on the tip of one nostril, on my right calf, my right forearm, and just tiny bits here and there.

I was lucky in that it didn't itch that much, but it... sucked. I just put up with it though.
 
On the cheap - rubbing alcohol as the Doc has stated with an oatmeal paste on top.

One can just wash clothes in hot water; adding alcohol never seemed to matter.

Wash your body/hair with a strong lye soap & hot water first if possible before apply the alcohol and paste. None of the wimpy scented soft soaps you see advertise. A MANLY backwoods type soap. Then apply the alcohol and paste when the itch starts

Do not scratch/itch - that will just spread the oil.
Poison Oak, Sumac, Ivy and Mango sap are have the same issues and cure.
 
mrblotto said:
This stuff is magic in a bottle. Expensive yes, but worth every bit.

Also, pour a big bottle or 2 of rubbing alcohol in the washer and wash ALL clothing/sheets/whatever that may even REMOTELY come into contact with the 'poison ivy oil'.

And I think the effects of Poison Ivy are 'cumulative', meaning it tends to get worse with each exposure. Don't know for sure, and I really dont want to test that theory out lol.
Click to expand...


I know, that stuff should glow blue if you whisper it's name. After it saved my wife from a trip to the ER, later she jokingly referred to it as her Potion of Healing Awesomeness +5

She had, shit you not, inch tall blisters the size of cookies on her arms, stomach and one thigh. Was the only time I've seen her panic to the point she wasn't speaking coherently and crying like a little kid. Looked like someone threw hot oil on her! And her pain threshold is no joke, she gave birth to our 8lb son au natural. Bolded for complete agreement. I'd buy it if it was triple that price, no question about it.

Don't know about the cumulative effect, but my step-dad is apparently immune to urushiol. His high school/college mentor was a botanist, and convinced him back when he was a teenager to eat portions of the ivy's root mass (think iocaine powder for pirates) over time to build up some kind of resistance. It must have worked, because I've never known him to get screwed by poison ivy or oak. He used to work in NJ as a tree trimmer, than did logging out in Oregon. All of his buddies confirmed this. Kinda makes me want to try it, but the fear of the fallout from being wrong (or allergic) is well, considerable!
 
EagleKeeper said:
On the cheap - rubbing alcohol as the Doc has stated with an oatmeal paste on top.

One can just wash clothes in hot water; adding alcohol never seemed to matter.

Wash your body/hair with a strong lye soap & hot water first if possible before apply the alcohol and paste. None of the wimpy scented soft soaps you see advertise. A MANLY backwoods type soap. Then apply the alcohol and paste when the itch starts

Do not scratch/itch - that will just spread the oil.
Poison Oak, Sumac, Ivy and Mango sap are have the same issues and cure.
Click to expand...



Do they make a Lava Soap on a Rope? They should.
 
The biggest mistake folks who work outside and can't avoid contact make is not washing work clothes and gloves. If you wear the same clothes you did the day before and had contact, you'll almost guarantee getting a rash. A good topical prevention aid is petroleum jelly rubbed on exposed areas. However, once you get it, calamine, hydrocortisone and, other topical pain relievers can help.
 
I have to say I'm surprised by all the calamine recommendations. I've never found that stuff to work on anything, let alone poison ivy/oak.
 
kage69 said:
I have to say I'm surprised by all the calamine recommendations. I've never found that stuff to work on anything, let alone poison ivy/oak.
Click to expand...

Calamine lotion is cat litter writ small. It clay and it soaks up oil on your skin or the garage floor.
 
kage69 said:
Forget all that stuff - go buy yourself 2 tubes of Zanfel, comes in a shiny box with green lettering. Expensive for one ounce, but putting it on a ravaged area is like having a seriously burned bit of skin suddenly dipped in Arctic slush. The effect it had on my wife one time years ago was just amazing (this was after trying 8 or 9 other products and tricks) and I've had to break it out once since then.

Just get it, you'll thank me later.
Click to expand...

you better be right. that shit is $45 for 1x ONE OZ TUBE!

it better clear my arms/legs/midsection. a week-long dose of prednizone is only $30 (only costs me $10 w/ health insurance)
 
Generally it does not "spread". If it appears elsewhere it means you got poison ivy on those afflicted areas, it just took longer to appear.

I got it on the inside of my arm last year. Lasted about 6 months. Took 3 months for the rash to go away. Then another 3 months for the itch to go away. Not fun.
 
Last edited:
SaDiZTiKStyLeZ said:
Generally it does not "spread". If it appears elsewhere it means you got poison ivy on those afflicted areas, it just took longer to appear.

I got it on the inside of my arm last year. Lasted about 6 months. Took 3 months for the rash to go away. Then another 3 months for the itch to go away. Not fun.
Click to expand...

super awesome paint image showing how i'm affected: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/fenixgoon/poisonivy.png

arms from wrist to shoulder, including armpit
legs from knee to waist
across waist
some on my back (right shoulder)

GagHalfrunt said:
Tecnu Extreme is half the price and twice as effective.
Click to expand...

all cvs had was regular tecnu, and it was only recommended for use before or just after the rash had started
 
Fenixgoon said:
you better be right. that shit is $45 for 1x ONE OZ TUBE!

it better clear my arms/legs/midsection. a week-long dose of prednizone is only $30 (only costs me $10 w/ health insurance)
Click to expand...

It gets rid of the oil, hence no itching!.
Its the only thing that works for me.
 
SaDiZTiKStyLeZ said:
What the fuck were you thinking running through those bushes naked?
Click to expand...

Some people if extremely allergic, can have it spread without scratching or even touching it, myself included.

I've had it in my eyes, mouth and all over within ~24 hours of exposure to people burning it in brush fires. Typically when I catch it, I need to get to an ER within 12 hours of noticing symptoms or my throat swells shut and i'm placed in ICU. I used to carry an Epi-Pen but as i've gotten older, I don't react nearly as bad as I used to. Now a trip to the doctor or a call in for the corticosteroid pack usually does the trick if I catch it within 24 hours.
 
shortylickens said:
Girl juice.
Even if it doenst work I still have fun.
Click to expand...


Losing a testicle is fun? Because I think that would be the reaction of most females if you were to introduce urushiol to their... juicers.


Headaches though, are another matter. Just apply to temples, a little dab"ll do ya. 😉
 
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