12 Most Effective Home Remedies For Poison Ivy

The itchy and painful rash that follows poison ivy exposure is the result of an allergic reaction to urushiol oil. It is a common allergen found in many plants belonging to the Anacardiaceae family. Very few people are immune to urushiol. Repeated exposure is known to induce sensitivity in people who have been previously immune.

Poison ivy is so common that exposure can happen at any time. Mere contact with any part of the plant can trigger the allergy because it takes only one billionth of a gram of urushiol to bring on the reaction. The delayed onset of the symptoms is typical of poison ivy, so you may not even realize that you have been exposed until the rash breaks out in 2 hours to 10 days.

If you have even the slightest suspicion that you could have come in contact with poison ivy try some of these home remedies. They can reduce the severity of the reaction, if not prevent it completely.

What is poison ivy?

Poison ivy rash is a type of allergic contact dermatitis caused by an oily resin called urushiol. Urushiol is found in the leaves, stems, berries, and roots of poison ivy (as well as poison oak and poison sumac) plants. This resin is very sticky, so it can easily attach to your skin, clothing, objects, and pet fur.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of a poison ivy rash include:

• Redness
• Itching
• Swelling
• Blisters
• Difficulty breathing (if you’ve inhaled the smoke from burning poison ivy)

Often the rash forms in a straight line because of the way the plant brushes against your skin. But if you come into contact with a piece of clothing, an object or pet fur that has urushiol on it, the rash may be more dispersed.

The severity of the rash depends on the amount of urushiol that gets on your skin. A section of skin with more urushiol on it may develop a rash more quickly or intensely.

How is poison ivy spread?

Your skin must come in direct contact with the plant’s oil, urushiol, to be affected. Direct contact includes:

• Touching the leaves, stems, roots, or berries of the poison ivy plant itself.

• Walking through poison ivy and then later touching your clothing or shoes. The urushiol may then transfer to your hands, which you may then transfer to your face or body by touching or rubbing.

• If a contaminated object (such as gardening equipment) isn’t cleaned, the urushiol on it can cause a skin reaction if you come into contact with it.

• Even the smoke from burning poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac contains urushiol and can irritate or harm your nasal passages or lungs.

 

How long does it take for a poison ivy rash to develop? How long does it last?

The poison ivy rash usually develops 12 to 72 hours after exposure. However, during this time, if the oils remain on your body, clothing, pet, or other objects, it is possible to transfer the urushiol around your body (or to other people who come in contact with the oil by touching any of those things) before you are aware.

Once you see the poison ivy rash, it typically will last 2-4 weeks.

It is common for the rash to appear over time instead of all at once. This is either because the plant oil is absorbed at different rates by different parts of the body or because of repeated exposure (to objects, clothing, or oils under your fingernails from scratching) that enables it to spread.

12 Most Effective Home Remedies For Poison Ivy

1. Dish soap and cold water

The first step in treating poison ivy exposure is minimizing the spread of the irritant substance. The severity of the rash is directly proportional to the amount of urushiol that gets absorbed into the skin. The sooner you remove it, the lesser the chance of it spreading to other areas.

Since urushiol is an oily substance, a grease-cutting agent is ideal to remove as much of it from the skin surface before it gets absorbed. Dish soap is the first choice here. Wash the exposed parts of the body with dish soap and cold running water. Ideally, remove all the clothing and dip them in soapy water and get into the shower with the dish soap.

The first line of defense, i.e., washing with soap and water, is only effective before the oil gets absorbed into the skin.

2. Jewelweed

This small annual called Impatiens capensis is considered an antidote for poison ivy. Fortunately, it commonly grows in shady areas, often sharing its habitat with poison ivy. The moment you spot the offender in the woods, look around for this defender.

The leaves and tender stems of jewelweed should be crushed to release the juice. Apply it to the skin that could have come in contact with poison ivy. Jewelweed obviously contains some compounds that either counteract the urushiol in the poison ivy or the body’s response to this allergen.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

You probably have a good stock of this pantry staple. Use it liberally to soothe the rash. Mix half a cup of vinegar with one and a half cup of cold water and bathe the affected area with this solution. It is ideal to use organic apple cider vinegar, although ordinary white vinegar could be just as effective. Keep the diluted vinegar mixture in the refrigerator and repeat the application whenever you feel intense itching. Alternatively, you can dip a wide swath of cotton or a washcloth in the cold mixture and lay it on the rash.

Vinegar only helps relieve the itching temporarily, but it can keep you from scratching the rash and opening up the blisters.

4. Lemon juice and honey

The juice of lemons could work the same way as vinegar, but this remedy has the added benefit of honey. Mix the juice of a lemon with two teaspoons of honey and apply it on the rash with a cotton swab.

The hygroscopic nature of honey helps draw out the fluid from the blisters, reducing their size and making their skin tough. This prevents accidental popping of the blisters. Although there is no risk of the fluid inside the blisters spreading the rash to new areas, any break in the skin is a potential risk. It can introduce pathogenic microbes and dirt into the body, making way for infections.

Lemon juice has an astringent property that helps reduce any kind of boils on the skin on spot application. This works in tandem with honey to accelerate the healing of the rash.

5. Baking soda

If you have used baking soda to soak up oil spills, you can imagine how it could be helpful with poison ivy. Dusting the skin liberally with baking soda and then shaking it off may help get rid of the urushiol oil particles, but whether it is as effective as, or better than, washing off with soap and water is debatable. But once the rash develops, baking soda comes in handy in relieving itching and reducing inflammation.

Stir a tablespoon of baking soda in cold water and use it immediately to wash the affected skin. It soothes the skin and relieves intense itching. Repeat as often as you like until the inflammation disappears. Alternatively, you can dip a washcloth in the solution and place it on the affected area. Adding a handful of baking soda to the bath water may help if the rash is widespread.

Another way to use baking soda is to make a paste of it with an equal amount of water and apply it thickly on the rash. Allow it to dry on the skin. This may help reduce blistering as the drying mixture dehydrates the rash.

You can continue to use baking soda solution even after the blisters burst but use a more dilute version. Mix 2 teaspoons in a quart of water and use it to wash the area. Dip sterile gauze in the solution and place it on the broken blisters as a disinfecting bandage. Change frequently.

6. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a tried and tested home remedy for allergic dermatitis of all types, including rash caused by poison ivy. This has been commercialized by companies that offer ready-to-use oatmeal products like Aveeno. But you can make your own version at home from plain, uncooked oatmeal in your pantry.

Tie up a cupful of oatmeal in a piece of muslin cloth and keep it in a bowl of water. The oatmeal will absorb the water and swell up. Squeeze the bundle in the water to extract the milk. Wash the inflamed area with this liquid. When it dries, it leaves a thin powdery coat of fine starch which draws out water from the blisters, allowing them to dry faster. Keep the oat bundle in the water, and whenever you feel itchy, use it to squeeze some more milk on the rash.

You may find that adding oatmeal to the bathwater brings relief. To make it non-messy, you just add the cloth bundles to the bath and squeeze out the milk. Do not rub off the residue from the body with towels. Let it air dry to form a protective film that reduces the tendency to scratch.

Is a poison ivy rash contagious?

A poison ivy rash itself isn’t contagious—and blister fluid from the rash doesn’t contain urushiol and won’t spread the rash.

You can only catch poison ivy from another person if you’ve touched urushiol that’s still on that person or his/her clothing. Similarly, your pet can pass poison ivy onto you only if the urushiol remains on his/her fur.

Is everyone allergic to poison ivy?

It is estimated that up to 85% of Americans are allergic to poison ivy, but 15% will not develop a rash upon contact. It is believed that a person’s sensitivity to urushiol may change over time.

What should you do if you know you’ve been in contact with poison ivy?

Wash your skin immediately with warm water and soap if you come into contact with poison ivy. Washing off the oil may reduce your chances of getting a poison ivy rash.

If you are in nature and do not have access to soap and water, using rubbing alcohol (think: hand sanitizer ) or some products specifically designed to remove urushiol may be helpful.

How do you wash poison ivy off clothing and other objects?

Wash affected clothing items separately with laundry detergent. Set your machine to the hottest recommended water temperature and to the longest and largest load setting. Washing the items separately will prevent the urushiol from spreading to other garments.

For items that cannot be laundered (such as flip flips, rain boots, hiking poles or gardening equipment) you can apply rubbing alcohol to them. Be sure to protect your hands by wearing disposable gloves.

Please note that the urushiol can remain active for months (possibly even years!) on an item and then transfer to your skin.

What if natural treatments aren’t enough?

• Try a product with Calamine (skin protectant & drying) such as this, Pramoxine HCI 1% (Topical Analgesic) such as this; or a combo product such as this.
• Try an over-the-counter corticosteroid cream such as 1% hydrocortisone itch cream such as this.
• Take oral OTC antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine, (such as Benadryl) which will help with the itching and may also help you sleep.
• In severe cases, oral steroids (such as prednisone) may be necessary to deal with the inflammation.

How do you prevent poison ivy?

• Learn how to identify poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. See the info below and this link . Poison ivy is most known for its bunches of three leaves. As a kid, we learned, “leaves of three, let them be.”
• When hiking, try to stay on cleared trails. When picnicking or camping, make sure you put your blanket or tent in an area free of plants.
• Keep pets from running through vine-covered areas so that urushiol doesn’t accidentally stick to their fur, which you then may touch. Bathe your pet immediately if there is any question of exposure.
• Wear protective clothing such as socks, boots, pants, long sleeves, and gardening gloves. Clean contaminated clothing and objects immediately (see my info above) in a washing machine or with alcohol.
• Wash your skin or your pet’s fur after potential exposure. Ideally, within 30 minutes of exposure, use soap and water to gently wash off the harmful resin from your skin. Scrub under your fingernails too. Even washing after an hour or so can help reduce the severity of the rash.