Do Poison Ivy Home Remedies Work?
By Scott Mogul, Editor
Growing up I tired every poison ivy home remedy known to man. I lived in an area covered with poison ivy, and being a normal active kid, got myself into it every now and then. I probably had poison ivy a dozen times by the time I was 16. I must have tried at least 30-40 poison ivy home remedies. So what worked?
Well there are two important lessons I learned. One is that by washing the affected area as soon as possible with cold water and soap, you can dramatically decrease the skin reaction. (Don’t use hot or warm water, it makes it worse). And two, that poison ivy home remedies usually don’t work, and they can be very painful.
Some of the poison ivy home remedies I tried included chlorinated water, vinegar, shoe polish, tea tree oil, Vick’s VaporRub, salt water baths, swimming in the ocean, rubbing alcohol, mashed banana, baking soda, jewelweed, hot soda, cream of wheat, oatmeal, green tea, ice pack, and even bleach. None of these worked, and I can tell you that the pain I experienced from the bleach, rubbing alcohol and Vick’s were unforgettable.
I saw several doctors and tried several prescription and OTC medications, but either they didn’t work or I had problems with side effects. Benadryl gave some relief when I had more severe symptoms, but I wouldn’t say it was a great treatment. Steriods helped sometimes, but they are very dangerous to use.
So what works? Did we find a poison ivy home remedy that was effective? Well for me, nothing really worked. I basically suffered, took benedryl and eventually the rash subsided. Looking back I am not sure how I endured the pain. But I did.
About two years ago, my 5 year old son got poison ivy for the first time. I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing him suffer the way I did, so I decided right there that I was going to search until I found an effective treatment.
Treatment For Poison Ivy
As I said earlier, I have never tried a poison ivy home remedy that worked. My experience is that poison ivy home remedies further irritate the skin, and can make things worse.
It is important to remember that there is no cure for poison ivy. The goal of treatments is to limit the severity and duration of the symptoms.
Most medications for poison ivy have drawbacks. Some take a long time to work, or don’t work at all. Others can have side effects that are worse than the poison ivy.
For this reason, we at the Healthy Skin Guide believe natural treatments are the answer. Natural treatments have no side effects, and for many people, is the most effective treatment.
** Recommended Natural Product **
After an extensive search of natural treatments, the editors of Healthy Skin Guide have finally found a safe and effective treatment for poison ivy that we are comfortable in recommending. That treatment is called Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap.
Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap is an all-natural treatment that helps to eliminate the symptoms from poison ivy. It works to soothe the constant itching and burning, and to eliminate the welts, blisters, bumps, and rashes. As an added benefit, it contains no steroids.
While Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap may not work for everyone, we found it to be a very safe and effective treatment for poison ivy. Follow this link to learn more about Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap, and see if its right for you.
If you have tried a poison ivy home remedy and want to share your experience, please contact us. If have want to suggest any poison ivy home remedies for us to review, please let us know.
More than Poison Ivy Home Remedy on our Poison Ivy Symptoms page
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