wow, never heard that before. bu6t that is exactly what i was looking for. some home remedy. the next time i get poison ivy i am definitly going to try this.

does oatmeal really help poison oak?
Poison Ivy!

Ok, I got scratched by a big poison oak branch, so I have a scratch with poison oak on it, I've been on like 50 different websites and on all of them it says that if you use oatmeal or, manzinita leaf tips it says that that works but I haven't tried it does it work

-reply by rubyroo210

A doctor once recommended to try mixing Dawn dishsoap with rubbing alcohol to clean it quickly, and then using Calamine lotion to stop the spread and weeping. I tried it, and my case being far gone already (I get poision ivy very badly every summer), it did not really improve the situation any more than simply using Calamine lotion. However, it is another suggestion that may work for some people.

How to get rid of poison oak
Poison Ivy!

Replying to arza1 My son looks like something out of Shaun of the Death when he gets this stuff. It lasts on him as long as a month!

Cortisone shot. That's the ticket. Period. By the time you buy all the oatmeal and stuff a good cortisone shot will wipe it out.

-reply by Mary

Poison Ivy, first and foremost, isn't contagious. People seem to believe it is. It isn't. The only time that it is, is if multiple people touched the same plant, or touched an object which doesn't absorb oil, but touched the plant (ex: some shoes).

If you know you've been in contact with poison ivy, it's advised for you to cleanse the exposed areas with rubbing alcohol within 10-15 minutes. Then wash yourself with JUST water. Soap will cause the oil to spread further across your skin, and actually make it worse.

After that, you can THEN wash yourself with soap and warm water. After doing that, it's advised that you put some gloves on, and wash anything else that might have been exposed to the oil of the plant.

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If you can't make it back in time to wash, or you just didn't even notice you had been exposed (like I did, when I was shooting a short film for school, and I laid bareback, in shorts, in a huge patch of poison oak), grab some calamine lotion from your drugstore. Go home, take a warm shower, and give yourself a good scrubbing with soap. Remember, it's okay to do this now, as the oil has already been absorbed into your skin and can't spread. Afterwards, apply the calamine lotion to help cool the exposed areas, and reduce itching. It's also a good idea to thoroughly rinse the item you watched yourself with, just in case some trace amounts of oil got on it, but this generally won't happen.

The idea of a cold compress will also help, as the cooling action reduces the itchy feeling. There are also some over-the-counter lotions that have hydrocortisones in them, which will help reverse the poison ivy. This can be used for small rashes.

If the rash is large, or is on the face, genitals, covers more than 30% of the body, or persists after 1-2 weeks of home-based treatment (using lotions, etc) go see a physician. They will almost always give you a prescription for oral cortisones, or sometimes an injection if the case is truly severe, which will eliminate the poison ivy anywhere within a 1-3 week period.

This post has been edited by Moogler: Mar 26 2008, 03:31 PM

Really? I always thought it was contagious by contact... hmmm maybe not. In any case some people are really sensitive so it doesn't go away for a long time. I'm not very sensitive so I don't usually get poison ivy bad, but my uncle is so sensitive he can get irritated even from normal ivy.

Moogler is right. It isn't contagious. The only time it can be spread is right after contact with the plant. Once the contact has bound to the skin, it won't spread. Cortisone, either by injection or pill will stop the reaction promptly. If you have had the rash for a while and it suddenly starts getting worse with oozing, more redness, pain or streaks, you may have a secondary infection. That is more likely if you have really been scratching at it.