Archive for May, 2011

Home Remedies For Poison Ivy?

Home Remedies for poison ivy?

 

I was outside in the woods all last weekend and now have poison ivy in between my fingers, on my ankles and feet, on my right hip, and on my left earlobe and jawline. . Anyone have any good home remedies for helping it go away faster? I’m doing oatmeal baths for the itching and I used a baking soda paste on it to help dry it out.

You can also try using  apple cider vinegar undiluted on the skin.  It will change the ph balance of the skin and make you itch less.

Calamine works well and is cheap if you can make it to the store but until then Im not sure what you can do, maybe use lotion on it to keep it cool and moist.

Any Home Remedy you choose MUST do threee things.  It must first scrub away the urishol oil from your pores and skin, must stop the itch quickly and it must be able to dry up the rash and blisters so it can heal without infection.

There are several over the counter poison ivy remedies in the drug store or online.  The one remedy we’ve found that works the best and handles all three requirements is the Allstop Poison Ivy Healing Gel and the Allstop Citrus Skin Exfoliator Scrub.

A poison ivy rash can be a kind of skin aggravation referred to as sensitized contact dermatitis. Poison ivy rash is caused by a tenderness with an toxic irritant found in poison ivy combined with comparable poisonous chemicals plants, such as poison oak combined with poison sumac. Each of these plants has an oily polyester resin referred to as urushiol (u-ROO-she-ol) that can upset the skin area not to mention trigger a rash.

Though the irritation using a poison ivy rash could be really aggravating, the excellent news is usually that a poison ivy rash or 1 the result of poison oak or poison sumac usually is not significant. Poison ivy rash treatment plan includes lots of self-care strategies to help remedy irritation before the impulse disappears.

Like most parents you probably worry, about what your kids are doing when they are playing outside. Something that you might worry is them coming in contact with poison ivy plant. It is important that your kids recognize an ivy plant and stay away from it, so they won’t develop a rash or blisters. Most people are immune to this plant, but it is better to avoid the plant, then to try and find out if you are immune to it.

You have probably heard the phrase ‘Leaves of three, let it be.’ Yes the poison ivy plant comes in leaves of three, but not all plants with three leaves together are poison ivy. Things to look for, in order to identify the plant are: in a poison ivy, the 3 leaves are divided, with the middle leave being longer and on its own longer stalk. You will also notice an erect shrub or climbing vine. If you see plants like this and suspect it could be a poison, ivy then stay away from it and do not come in contact with it.

Your instinct will probably be to try and weed it out. Using the weed eater, can have the oils of the plant sprayed all over you, thus doing what you were trying to avoid. If you try to burn it, you the oils can also be carried through the smoke, leaving you to also come in contact with the oils that cause the rashes. You should spray it with a herbicide. Do not spray too much causing the liquid to drip out of the leafs, or spreading the herbicide to other plants.

If you come in contact with it, you should remove any clothing worn when you came in contact with it, including shoes. Rub alcohol on your skin that has been affected. After the alcohol, rinse with cold water. Do not use hot water, as it will only open up your pores, thus allowing the oil to get into your skin. Oil can get on the soap you are using to wash off the area, so do not use any until you have rubbed alcohol and rinsed with cold water. Also make sure you have carefully washed under your fingernails, as you may have gotten oil under them. It would be wise to stay away from plants that day or avoid going outside, as your skin will be extra vulnerable. If washed properly within the first 5-10 minutes of coming in contact you can avoid getting a rash.

The oils of the poison ivy plant can remain on your clothing for even a year. Make sure you wash all your clothes you were wearing that day thoroughly. Also wash everything that came in contact with the plant including your pets.

If you came in contact with it, even after you have washed the area properly, make sure you keep an eye out for symptoms, which can happen within the next 48 hours. Your skin can become red and itchy. They will form into patches. The red areas can become bumps or even blisters.

You can treat your rash by taking cold showers and applying cold compresses. Rubbing ice cubes can also give temporarily relief. You can also use topical lotions or liquids on the rash to give relief. The rash will typically last anywhere from a week to three weeks. By treating it accurately, you can have it go away faster.

Do not assume that if you came in contact with a poison ivy plant, and you were immune, that you will always be immune. Your body changes throughout years and you can lose immunity each time you come in contact. Learn to recognize the plant and eliminate it. Always avoid it!

Facts About This Topic

  • Poison ivy rashes tend to develop within a few hours to two days.
  • One super cheap, super easy poison ivy rash treatment is done with one simple ingredient: a banana peel.
  • Controlling Poison Ivy can be challenging since the oil in its leaves and vines remains potent long after the plant has died.
  • Complementary medicine is greatly used for a poison ivy cure and is effective in treating allergies, since the symptoms are not suppressed and the root cause is treated.
  • Prevention and awareness are the best actions to prevent poison ivy rashes.
  • The oil, which causes the poison ivy symptoms, causes an angry red rash, which typically swells and then develops into blisters.
  • Poison ivy rashes can take up to three weeks to heal.

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