Which Household Remedies For Poison Ivy Work?
There are many different home remedies for poison ivy. Some are bizarre, and you wonder how anyone ever came up with them. Others are dangerous, and can cause serious complications. The bottom line though with household remedies for poison ivy, is that they usually don’t work.
The sooner you begin effective treatment of poison ivy, the better the results. For this reason, we do not recommend home remedies for poison ivy. Many people spend weeks trying different home remedies, only to find that their condition has worsened.
Some of the household remedies for poison ivy that we have heard include: Bleach, chlorine, tea tree oil, aloe vera, horse urine, apple cider vinegar, jewelweed, salt and even liquid shoe polish. Not only are these usually ineffective, but some of them like bleach and shoe polish can damage skin tissues and cause serious complications.
The bottom line with home remedies for poison ivy is this: Why use them, when there are safe and effective treatments that work?
Before discussing how to effectively treat poison ivy, lets go over some basic information about what poison ivy is.
What Is Poison Ivy
Poison ivy is a plant that has three leaves on each of its stems. Each leaf is 2-4 inches long, with the middle leaf being the biggest. When mature, the leaves are green, and either dull or glossy. All parts of the plant contain a chemical called urushiol, which can cause a painful skin reaction. Symptoms usually start in 1-2 days, and include inflamed itchy skin, red patches and blisters. You can get a reaction from touching the plant, or by touching something that has rubbed up against it. Examples include pet fur, gardening gloves, or tools that have come into contact with urushiol.
Poison ivy can grow different ways: it can grow as a vine, a small bush (2-3 feet high), or it can spread along the ground like a shrub. All parts of the plant, including the roots, can cause a reaction.
You cannot catch poison ivy from another person. The only way to get it is by being exposed to urushiol oil.
Now that we have gone over some basic poison ivy facts, lets discuss treatment.
Poison Ivy Treatment
If you think you have been exposed to poison ivy, the first thing you should do is wash the area with soap and cool water. If you can wash off the urushiol oil before it penetrates, it will lesson the reaction. It is important not to use warm water, as warm water will help the urushiol oil to penetrate the skin faster.
As we said earlier, it’s best to avoid home remedies for poison ivy. Household remedies for poison ivy rarely work, and just delay effective treatment. Poison ivy responds much better when treated early with an effective medication.
There is no cure for poison ivy. All you can do is limit the severity and duration of the rash.
As far as treatments go, there are many to consider. Unfortunately, most of these treatments 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 example prednisone, which is a commonly prescribed medication, can have side effects that include nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, joint pain, dizziness, darkening or lightening of the skin, etc.
** Recommended Product **
Over the years, many people have written to us and asked about better treatment alternatives. Unfortunately, until recently we never had a product to recommend.
After a long and expensive search, the editors of Healthy Skin Guide have finally found a safe and effective poison ivy treatment 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 quickly works 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. It does not contain any dangerous steroids.
Follow this link to learn more, and see how the Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap can help you.
If you have any questions about any home remedies for poison ivy, please contact us. If have tried any household remedies for poison ivy and would like to share your experience with our readers, please email us.
More than Home Remedies For Poison Ivy on our Poison Ivy Symptoms page
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