Poison Ivy soap ???
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Ruthie
Well-Known Member
I used to get it really bad when I was a kid. I do not know if there is any research to back this up, but my grandma always said a "pure lye" (low superfat) soap works best.
melstan775
Well-Known Member
Hmm, good question! When I was a kid poison ivy we just used calamine lotion. Or maybe that was for poison oak. Honestly I don't remember and it's been decades since I've had such an encounter in the forest anyway. Can you put calamine in soap? That might be interesting!
Kansas Farm Girl
Well-Known Member
With the info in the link (thanks, Pilar) the problem with poison ivy is the oil from the plants, I would make sure I used a high cleansing soap since the cleansing measurement is based on the amount of oil it will remove. I am one of the lucky people who don't have much of a reaction, if any. But my siblings are not so lucky. They are highly allergic. One thing they discovered was that if they washed very well, very soon, they did not have as bad a reaction. They used dish soap to get the best results. Dish soap's purpose is to cut oil. Maybe a high coconut soap with high SF not to dry their skin out. As teen-agers sis and bro were told to learn what it looked like and stay away from it. If they had to be around it, they wore long sleeves and pants, even in summer.
"Leaves of 5, stay alive. Leaves of 3, let it be." -- that's how I recognize it. Poison ivy and poison oak are pretty much the same thing - a trailing, climbing vine that has 3 leaves growing on each stem. We have lots of it in TN but we also have a lot of Virginia Creeper which is harmless (and has 5 leaves). I'm not affected by poison oak, thank goodness, but I do know its the oil in the plant that causes the problem so a good scrubbing with a good soap to remove that oil is a good idea.
paillo
Well-Known Member
Isn't pine tar soap supposed to be good for poison ivy and oak? Also, when washing well with soap, COLD water is key. It keeps the pores closed so the poison oils won't penetrate the skin any more than they already have.
My son was a wildland firefighter in CA and was always getting into poison oak. The oils get into the clothing fibers and he would continually get re-infected. Nasty stuff!
Anyways, I made a soap, my regular recipe, and added dried mugwort to it, just kept it unscented. I think what really helps is just the gentleness of the soap itself, not necessarily the mugwort!
Anyways, I made a soap, my regular recipe, and added dried mugwort to it, just kept it unscented. I think what really helps is just the gentleness of the soap itself, not necessarily the mugwort!
TonsOfFun
Member
I got a load of firewood that apparently had poison ivy on it at some point because I broke out all over. I read everywhere that I could find on how to help clear it up quickly. Many sites said that all lye soaps will wash away ivy oils and will leave you with no rash....obviously that didn't hold true since that's all I was washing with before/during the rash.
The only thing that I found helpful was "Tecnu Extreme". It has Grindelia Robusta extract in it along with some ground pummice. I'm not sure how the extract will hold up in soap, but it might be worth looking into. Other than that, I think the better the cleansing the more of the poison ivy oils will get washed off.
The only thing that I found helpful was "Tecnu Extreme". It has Grindelia Robusta extract in it along with some ground pummice. I'm not sure how the extract will hold up in soap, but it might be worth looking into. Other than that, I think the better the cleansing the more of the poison ivy oils will get washed off.
Ruthie
Well-Known Member
There is a vaccine now. I think I would get it if I was likely to be exposed.
Genny
Well-Known Member
Is there really?
My husband is horribly allergic to poison ivy & it grows everywhere on our land, so every summer he comes into contact with it.
I'm not allergic to it, so I'm the one that gets to deal with the stuff. But I always miss some.
I'll have to tell my husband to talk to his doctor about a vaccination. Of course, he's deathly afraid of needles, so that'll be interesting. :roll:
paillo
Well-Known Member
Jewelweed is a fantastic antidote to poison ivy, and is commonly found growing close to it. I love the idea of using it in soap, but not sure how well it would survive the lye monster. Anyone tried it?
As for me, I tracked down pine tar at my local ag coop and am going to try soaping it this week
As for me, I tracked down pine tar at my local ag coop and am going to try soaping it this week
Ruthie
Well-Known Member
Our local pharmacy has been advertising it, like they do the flu shots.
Gosh, what an interesting topic! Google comes up with a lot info on jewelweed salve and soap. Here are a few tidbits:
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CP soap" http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbal/msg0810402020102.html
A snippet: Hi, I make soap out of jewelweed-- have used it dried & fresh & on both sides of the oil/water equation. I like making a tea out of the jewelweed (double fisted handful of the whole plant to 1 qt of water, simmered 20-30 minutes until water is dark) & using that as my water for the lye solution. The soap will turn out brown from the tea. If you add the dried jewelweed to the soap, POWDER IT, because it's really really scratchy otherwise, which is not cool with poison ivy. BTW, I've found that splitting fresh jewelweed & applying it neat to my skin BEFORE I garden helps cut down on the amount of poison ivy I end up getting. The cooked jewelweed, however, is what helps the most afterwards.
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Salve: http://druidgarden.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/jewelweed-salve-for-bug-bites-burns-cuts-and-scrapes/
*****
Identification, uses, and more links: http://www.nyctophilia.net/plants/jewelweed.htm
Mockingbird Ramble
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I was exposed to ivy last year while on a wildland fire, luckly I dont react bad to it but we stocked up on tecnu like no tomorrow.
I have had breakouts many times. From my research and experience if you can get the oils off the skin within a few hours of exposure it will reduce or eliminate the breakout. Thats if you know you encountered it before the itching starts. A far a clearing it up once an outbreak occurs I haven't found anything that works for me. Once I get the rash I know its two weeks of itching hell before it starts to go away. The best way I have found to deal with it is water as hot as you can stand as long as possible over the affected area. Then coat the area with baking soda. This will typically relieve the itching for around 18-24 hours before needing to be repeated. Clean everything that may have come into contact with the plant or you will be re-exposed. Nasty nasty stuff.
Kansas Farm Girl
Well-Known Member
My brother and sister used to get these shots back in the mid-1970's. The shots worked, they would get one in the spring and I don't think they got another one all summer.
