You can use witch hazel..It looks just like rubbing alcohol,and does the same thing ,but it doesn't burn.
Poison Ivy in the winter
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You can use witch hazel..It looks just like rubbing alcohol,and does the same thing ,but it doesn't burn.
WeldrDave
Feeling the Heat
My utmost sympathy!! I swear I get it by looking at it
.... I have to go get the shot at the Dr. for it. got it twice this year. It makes me sick knowing some people can roll in the stuff and never get it. I hope you feel better..., take up drinking, seems to help me.........
.... I have to go get the shot at the Dr. for it. got it twice this year. It makes me sick knowing some people can roll in the stuff and never get it. I hope you feel better..., take up drinking, seems to help me.........
Because it is an oil, I use a hand degreaser and then a strong soap (eg. a bar of Sunlight soap) on any exposed skin, immediately after I have worked in or around poison ivy. It, along with being careful, has worked every time.
The only time I had a really bad rash was when I didn't know I was working in poison ivy (ie. planting trees amongst poison ivy patches in late spring, prior to the leaves coming out).
The only time I had a really bad rash was when I didn't know I was working in poison ivy (ie. planting trees amongst poison ivy patches in late spring, prior to the leaves coming out).
I see it growing everywhere. It comes up like understory trees and it might live as a small simple three leaved plant for several years and without enough light not make it. But one downed tree opening up the canopy or a cleared lot or field edge and it can take off like wildfire.
I've been spraying some here that did well in a christmas tree plot and sent vines up nearby trees.
I prune the vines at the base of the tree in Winter being very careful not to get any oil on me and then leave those pruners to dry out for months before using them for anything else. Darn stuff is persistent and can survive several years of brush killer. Physically digging it out doesn't seem to always get all of it either.
I've been spraying some here that did well in a christmas tree plot and sent vines up nearby trees.
I prune the vines at the base of the tree in Winter being very careful not to get any oil on me and then leave those pruners to dry out for months before using them for anything else. Darn stuff is persistent and can survive several years of brush killer. Physically digging it out doesn't seem to always get all of it either.
Senatormofo
Member
I got a bad case of it last February while cutting a huge vine off a Sycamore tree with a hatchet. I'm thinking the wood chips that hit my face and hands caused it. I didn't realize it was PI but I know now!
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
Doesn't always grown on vines here either. What I thought was some rogue bush/shurb/borderline small tree is what got me. Acutally, picking it up and putting in the shredder is what did the trick Damn you mild winter that allowed me to go sleeveless while clearing land.
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
Don't pay for Technu. Palmolive does the same thing for a fraction of the price. You're washing at this point, you simply need something that pushes oil away into the water stream. Exposure has already happened, you're just trying to keep it from spreading by remaining on your skin. Cold water...cold water....cold water. Don't open your pores until you've scrubbed and rinsed several times.
Don't believe that rubbing alcohol or witch hazel help much either. They're simply solvents that give it more mobility to move away from the original spot of contact....most likely to a different spot on your body. Chemical composition does not change and both solvents evaporate quickly. Dousing yourself might help I guess. Using it on your tools is waste of money since water and detergent will accomplish the same thing. Even just higher pressured water for that matter.
What anyone does after exposure greater than 15 minutes is simply palliative. Doesn't impact anything other than your comfort. If you've got it, do whatever you need to do in that regard. If you've washed well enough, genetics is the only reason a rash or blister will spread.
Chemistry is both my wife and my careers. What I say above is true. Prevent, prevent, prevent. Ivy block helps there....same idea as historical civilizations using clay to prevent it...later of skin protectant keeps it from penetrating.
Don't believe that rubbing alcohol or witch hazel help much either. They're simply solvents that give it more mobility to move away from the original spot of contact....most likely to a different spot on your body. Chemical composition does not change and both solvents evaporate quickly. Dousing yourself might help I guess. Using it on your tools is waste of money since water and detergent will accomplish the same thing. Even just higher pressured water for that matter.
What anyone does after exposure greater than 15 minutes is simply palliative. Doesn't impact anything other than your comfort. If you've got it, do whatever you need to do in that regard. If you've washed well enough, genetics is the only reason a rash or blister will spread.
Chemistry is both my wife and my careers. What I say above is true. Prevent, prevent, prevent. Ivy block helps there....same idea as historical civilizations using clay to prevent it...later of skin protectant keeps it from penetrating.
Have it now. Had it in the fall. And will get it again in the spring. It sucks! BUt hey, you could have worse problems in life.
We have poison ivy's cousin here in the wild west: poison oak. Similar plant, grows as a vine or shrub, birds love the seeds and spread it all over. Another tree to watch out for if you are allergic to PO/PI is Ginko; the bark has the same oils in it as PO/PI. I learned from a park ranger in Big Sur many years ago that the best thing to prevent a PO outbreak is wash within 12 hours of being exposed, and use a cheap shampoo like Suave that has lots of sodium laureth sulfate (or any similar compounds). SLS is a detergent and it removes the oils from your skin. Plain water is not nearly as effective. It does the same thing as the other stuff like Technu that is far more expensive. I have been doing that after being exposed to PO many many times over the years, and I have never had a reaction to it since. It can also get on your clothes, and your dogs, and you can be exposed if you touch them later. So you have to wash your clothes and the dog if they come in contact with the plants.
The thing with the oils in PO/PI are that they bind with your skin and you get a reaction from that binding action more like a transplant rejection than a true allergic reaction. The PO/PI oil itself does not spread, but the skin reaction does. The more sensitive your skin is to it, the greater the skin rash that results. My next older brother gets it really bad, and one little patch of the oil binding to his skin one day will result in his eyes swelling shut the next day and his entire body having hives (or wheels) and his having to get cortisone shots. My ex also gets it really bad, and she has over 100 acres with the stuff growing on her property. She takes Benadryl which is pretty effective. Another option with Benadryl is to get the gel caps and poke a hole in them and rub the gel on the exposed site to reduce the reaction.
PO spreads through underground rhizomes and I believe that PI does the same. Roundup is not very effective against woody plants like these. We sprayed it for several years with many different herbicides, including Roundup, Crossbow and Garlon. We found that Garlon (triclopyr) was the most effective at killing it. It has the same ingredient found in Ortho Weed-B-Gon, Ortho MAX Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer. Be careful when burning areas with PO or PI, as the oils can be released into the smoke and if you breath it in, you can get it in your lungs.
Leaves of three, leave it be...
The thing with the oils in PO/PI are that they bind with your skin and you get a reaction from that binding action more like a transplant rejection than a true allergic reaction. The PO/PI oil itself does not spread, but the skin reaction does. The more sensitive your skin is to it, the greater the skin rash that results. My next older brother gets it really bad, and one little patch of the oil binding to his skin one day will result in his eyes swelling shut the next day and his entire body having hives (or wheels) and his having to get cortisone shots. My ex also gets it really bad, and she has over 100 acres with the stuff growing on her property. She takes Benadryl which is pretty effective. Another option with Benadryl is to get the gel caps and poke a hole in them and rub the gel on the exposed site to reduce the reaction.
PO spreads through underground rhizomes and I believe that PI does the same. Roundup is not very effective against woody plants like these. We sprayed it for several years with many different herbicides, including Roundup, Crossbow and Garlon. We found that Garlon (triclopyr) was the most effective at killing it. It has the same ingredient found in Ortho Weed-B-Gon, Ortho MAX Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer. Be careful when burning areas with PO or PI, as the oils can be released into the smoke and if you breath it in, you can get it in your lungs.
Leaves of three, leave it be...
Zanfel: Very expensive, does what it says it will do but if you already have a bad rash, you're not going to cure the stuff overnight. I never have any luck once the rash actually breaks out.
Technu: Great stuff that's realtively affordable, will wash off the oil that is the root cause of the rash in the first place.
Ivy Block: Expensive, and worth it. I use it before working anywhere near the stuff and follow up with a shower using Technu, or some other oil dissolving detergent.
PI, PO, and PS do not "spread" systemically but it is very easy to spread the oil in the shower. When showering after an exposure, wash head to toe, in that order,
, making sure you wash/rinse all the way down to your toenails. I've showered and wound up with a mild rash on my feet the day after. Use cold/cool water for the initial wash down. As hot as you can stand it if the rash breaks out.
Most of the products that are labeled to use specifically on poison ivy rash are labeled with very specific instructions. Follow them to the letter and make sure you shake 'em up good 'cause most are suspensions that separate easily. Most have a specific time limit as to how long they are effective for. Know that when the time runs out for a product like Ivy Block, if you haven't washed the oils away by then, you are still in for an itchy 2-3 weeks. The single most important factor is time. Minimize time between exposure and thorough cleansing for best results.
Another good way to remove the oil from your skin is mechanic's hand cleaner. (Fast Orange, GoJo, etc.) If it can cut through the grime I accumulate in a day, it can surely handle a little Urishiol. Also, I wash down my equipment with citrus-based degreaser and my PPE/clothes with Simple Green is the washer.
I am extremely sensitive to the stuff and it is everywhere in my neighborhood. I managed to process a large Red Oak post-Sandy that had 3 or 4 vines on it that the main runners were 4"+.
I tied the runners to the truck and pulled 'em off the tree, dragged them into the woods to die. Not impossible to deal with, especially after the leaves have fallen off for the winter. Getting close to the time I like to cut the vines with loppers too. After the plant has gone dormant all winter and used up it's root reserves, take a 1 ft section of the main runner out before the leaves begin to bud. I also used a mixture of glyphosate and triclopyr ( I think it was Round-Up's Poison Ivy/Tough Brush formula) and that did wonders to stop the new vines from growing. Only the big 'uns left and I'm working on those now.
Leaves of three, fear me.
Technu: Great stuff that's realtively affordable, will wash off the oil that is the root cause of the rash in the first place.
Ivy Block: Expensive, and worth it. I use it before working anywhere near the stuff and follow up with a shower using Technu, or some other oil dissolving detergent.
PI, PO, and PS do not "spread" systemically but it is very easy to spread the oil in the shower. When showering after an exposure, wash head to toe, in that order,
, making sure you wash/rinse all the way down to your toenails. I've showered and wound up with a mild rash on my feet the day after. Use cold/cool water for the initial wash down. As hot as you can stand it if the rash breaks out.Most of the products that are labeled to use specifically on poison ivy rash are labeled with very specific instructions. Follow them to the letter and make sure you shake 'em up good 'cause most are suspensions that separate easily. Most have a specific time limit as to how long they are effective for. Know that when the time runs out for a product like Ivy Block, if you haven't washed the oils away by then, you are still in for an itchy 2-3 weeks. The single most important factor is time. Minimize time between exposure and thorough cleansing for best results.
Another good way to remove the oil from your skin is mechanic's hand cleaner. (Fast Orange, GoJo, etc.) If it can cut through the grime I accumulate in a day, it can surely handle a little Urishiol. Also, I wash down my equipment with citrus-based degreaser and my PPE/clothes with Simple Green is the washer.
I am extremely sensitive to the stuff and it is everywhere in my neighborhood. I managed to process a large Red Oak post-Sandy that had 3 or 4 vines on it that the main runners were 4"+.
I tied the runners to the truck and pulled 'em off the tree, dragged them into the woods to die. Not impossible to deal with, especially after the leaves have fallen off for the winter. Getting close to the time I like to cut the vines with loppers too. After the plant has gone dormant all winter and used up it's root reserves, take a 1 ft section of the main runner out before the leaves begin to bud. I also used a mixture of glyphosate and triclopyr ( I think it was Round-Up's Poison Ivy/Tough Brush formula) and that did wonders to stop the new vines from growing. Only the big 'uns left and I'm working on those now.Leaves of three, fear me.
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
PI, PO, and PS do not "spread" systemically but it is very easy to spread the oil in the shower. When showering after an exposure, wash head to toe, in that order,
I wash my arms and hands several times before going head to toe. Want them as clean as possible before letting em rub the rest of my body. I wash my special parts with extra care. Last place I want to be dealing with a rash is down around the midsection...front or back.
That requires a doctors visit, witch isn't cheap now days without insurance.
we have TONS of poison ivy here on our 1 acre lot. No matter where we work in the yard we are bound to encounter a small plant or vine. We have treated the yard, cut the vines and manged to keep it from spreading more. BUT it is a battle...we fight every year. My wife is very sensitive and has been to the doctor several times to deal with it. We now wash with tecnu (at the advice of our neighbor). It makes a HUGE difference.
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
I inherited a property like that... and I am very seriously considering buying a couple goats and a dozen guinea fowl to eat the bamboo, honeysuckle, and chinese bittersweet that plagues my property... the "bushy" form of PI that exists in my area doesn't affect me... ever... the vine form that grows at my former MiL's house in KY.... kicks my arse... hard...
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
Minute clinic will prescribe for PI. No clue what it costs without insurance, but they gave me extra for the next spell.
Hearth Mistress
Minister of Fire
This may seem weird but this soap works miracles on PI. It's been around for 100 years and it's usually on a top shelf near the laundry detergent at the grocery store, a few bucks a bar but its huge. I cut it in half, keep some in the bathroom for PI and the other half in the laundry room for stains. Check it out, it's not an old wive's tale, I swear it works!
![[Hearth.com] Poison Ivy in the winter](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/90/90603-948366d54e9781e58ab09ce17978603d.jpg?hash=7Rm4Zrd-k- "[Hearth.com] Poison Ivy in the winter")
+1
Hot or warm water causes the pores in your skin to dilate, so this warning should be heeded when trying to get any type of harmful substance (poison, caustic, corrosive, etc....) off of your hide.
WeldrDave
Feeling the Heat
Hearth mistress, Good call! my Mother used to keep that around the house when we were kids, It just went by the wayside for years and not thought of... as my memory serves me, it was good for insect bites as well, it burns like "hell" if it gets in the eyes though.
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
My next door neighbor had guinea fowl. Those suckers are insanely loud. Start squawking anytime someone walks or rides by on a bike. My street is pretty secluded, so people from all around town come over here to walk. The fowl are far enough away that it doesn't bother me that much, but I assume the the neighbor on the opposite side gets a pretty loud earful of them frequently. I'm actually surprised the fowl have survived this long. We have ample fox, coyote, and fisher cats in the area.
WeldrDave
Feeling the Heat
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