The Best Treatment for Poison Ivy

Looking for the best treatment for poison ivy? Poison ivy is an irritating rash caused by contact with any part of the plant. Find out what causes it and how to treat it!

If you’ve ever had a bad case of poison ivy, you fully understand how severe the itch, burn, and pain can be.

I’ve had small tiny bouts with it in the past, but those were NOTHING compared to what I experienced a few years ago.

It was the most painful experience ever and it lasted for a month.

And the thing is?

I didn’t even get it while gardening. Ugh!

I went through several over the counter products and treatments plus went on steroids. And nothing really worked.

Until I discovered THE BEST treatment for poison ivy that cured it.

So how did I come in contact with poison ivy and finally get rid of it?

Here is what you need to know plus the best treatment for poison ivy and how to prevent the same thing from happening to you!

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What Is Poison Ivy?

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a deciduous woody vine often found in home landscapes, woodlands, fields, pastures, and farms.

While it grows by attaching itself to objects for support such as trees, fences and shrubs, it can also take on other growing habits too, like an upright shrub that needs no support.

Identifying Poison Ivy

Be on the look out for anything with three leaves.

Some incorrectly assume the leaves need to have some red on them to be poison ivy but that is not always the case.

Always err on the side of caution because having direct contact with this plant is not worth the risk.

Leaves of Three Leave Them Be

While the leaf forms can vary even on the same plant, they all have the same characteristic of three leaflets. However, the leaf margins can be wavy, smooth, toothed or lobed.

Some people mistakenly call the leaf form that resembles oak leaves ‘poison oak’ but in reality, true poison oak is not the same plant and is found in the western part of the United States.

Keep in mind that the ENTIRE poison ivy plant is poisonous because all parts, leaves, stems, and roots, contain the potent, irritating oil, urushiol.

Thus touching any part of it at anytime throughout the year can cause the resulting rash.

The oil does not go dormant. So beware!

For more information about identifying and controlling Poison Ivy, see Poison Ivy and Brush Control Around the Home Grounds by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

The Cause of Poison Ivy Rash

Poison ivy rashes are caused by a substance found in the sap of the poison ivy plant called urushiol.

Urushiol oil is responsible for causing the redness, itching, burning, and blistering associated with a poison ivy rash.

It is not known exactly why people who come into contact with poison ivy are allergic and develop a rash while others don’t.

If you are one of the lucky ones that is not allergic right now, you can develop the allergy at any time. I believed I was not allergic and over time, started becoming more susceptible to small rashes.

How Do You Know If You Have Poison Ivy?

The poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic reaction to the urushiol, so the best treatment for poison ivy is preventing the outbreak to begin with.

Wash your skin right away with cold soapy water if you come into contact with the oil because the quicker you get it off your skin may reduce your chances of developing the poison ivy rash.

And as I’ve explained, that rash can last several weeks, so avoid it at all costs!

You can treat mild cases of poison ivy rash at home with soothing lotions, over-the-counter products, and cool baths but you may need prescription medication if the rash is severe or widespread.

The rash typically appears within 24 hours after exposure.

How I Got THE WORST CASE OF POISON IVY EVER

It was a few days before labor day weekend.

I vividly recall letting the dogs out front to run around. As soon as I let them in, Koda layed on top of my lower legs to cuddle up and nap.

I remember showering that day (hot shower of course) and shaving my legs.

The next day, I had the worst, full blown case of poison ivy ever. It was terrible and covered the lower half of both my legs and parts of my back where I must’ve transferred the oils somehow.

It itched, it burned, and I literally wanted to tear my skin off.

FOR WEEKS!!!

When I looked back to determine how I was exposed I knew I did not work in the gardens at all. So in hindsight, I’m certain my dog stepped in a small patch in one of the gardens and transferred the oils to my legs when she layed on top of me. (I was in shorts).

I saw her in the gardens right before she came inside and knew there was a small patch there that I had not gotten around to pulling yet.

Well that was a huge mistake that I’ll never make again.

Note to self: don’t wait to remove poison ivy, particularly if you have pets that run through the gardens.

Lesson learned.

How to Prevent Getting Poison Ivy

While you can still unknowingly come in contact with poison ivy while out hiking or working the gardens, you can significantly reduce your chances of getting the rash by taking a few precautions.

Here’s what you need to do.

Remove Poison Ivy When You Find It in the Home Landscape

As soon as you see poison ivy in the home landscape – don’t wait to remove it.

Grab a pair of disposable gloves and get it out. Given what happened to me, it’s not worth walking away thinking you’ll pull it later.

To insure the follow through, preparation is key!

I now keep kitchen gloves on hand together with my garden supplies, so I can quickly grab long, disposable gloves to yank those vines out.

Why kitchen gloves?

Because they are cheap enough where you won’t mind tossing them after you mess with poison ivy.

Sure you can use regular garden gloves, but the oils can stay on those gloves for years. So you can give yourself poison ivy later.

Why take that chance?

When removing poison ivy, be sure to get the whole vine and root system out. If you don’t pull the whole plant out, it will grow back.

Throw it all away in a garbage bag and do not compost it or let it lay around in your yard.

You can try using a homemade weed killer but it’s not guaranteed to remove poison ivy. It is pretty difficult to eradicate.

Clothing

When hiking or working in the garden, I strongly recommended wearing long sleeves, long pants, socks, sneakers and completely cover as much skin as possible to protect yourself from poison ivy exposure.

Admittedly, this is not always possible, particularly in the heat of summer.

But the less covered your are, the more at risk you are for coming in contact with the plant.

So cover up!

Clean-Up

After hiking or working in the garden, always wash up with soap, a washcloth and cold water.

This is extremely important, particularly if you know you came in contact with poison ivy. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wash with warm or hot water.

Warm and hot water will open your pores and allow the ivy oils to penetrate the skin.

Always always ALWAYS use cold water!

In addition to washing yourself immediately, be sure to wash everything you wore and any tools you used.

Those oils can remain on things for a very long time and the last thing you want is to reinfect yourself later.

So be sure to wash it all with hot soapy water.

The Best Treatment for Poison Ivy

There are some that swear by a good scrubbing of soap, washcloth, and cold water when they come indoors.

That’s great if that works for you.

In general, I do that.

However, I also use the following products when I have been knee-deep weeding in my gardens or know I came in contact with poison ivy because I want to insure I got all of the oils off me.

As with any product, follow the manufacturer’s directions of each.

I cannot guarantee you will never get Poison Ivy with the use of these products. However, for me, these products have significantly minimized the impact after coming in contact with the plant.

If you try these products, I hope you find the same success.

They are pricey, but well worth the cost!

Technu Products

I use several Technu products religiously and they work extremely well.

During the gardening season, I keep supplies in the shower and around the house so I can quickly grab one if necessary on the fly.

The Cleanser

I keep the Technu cleanser in both my kitchen and shower so I can quickly wash off any potential contamination after working in the beds.

Since I use this product often, I ususally purchase the larger size.

The Scrub

I keep the Technu scrub in the shower.

The tube is not large so get the two pack and keep the other one on hand. This products not only helps to get the oils off but also helps control the itch.

Maximum Strength Anti-Itch Gel

This soothing gel helps relieve the itch and pain associated with the rash.

The Itch Relief Spray

This anti-itch spray helps reduce the itchiness of the rash.

Truly the Best Treatment for Poison Ivy Is Zanfel

In my opinion, Zanfel is one step above Technu products, but a little more expensive.

And I say this with the utmost respect for Technu because I love those products and use them regularly.

But, when I had the worst case of poison ivy ever, the Technu products did not provide me with as much relief as Zanfel.

From my experience, Technu has great products that work well when you know you’ve been exposed.

Since I had no idea I came in contact with the oils, it remained on my skin for a while until it was too late.

When I realized I had poison ivy and it was getting worse, I tried everything and went through several Technu products but nothing really resolved the severity of that particular rash.

After a few days, my doctor prescribed a steroid which helped a little but I was still miserable. A week and a half in, nothing was working.

So I started researching home remedies as well as other products on the market. I even cut the leaves from my aloe plants to help cool the itching burning sensation that spread throughout my legs.

Through research, I found lots of positive reviews for Zanfel. With no healing in sight, I was so desperate for a cure that I bought it and let me tell you, it was the only thing that really helped with the pain, suffering and healing process.

From the very first use, that rash started to improve.

Since that happened to me, I keep this product on hand. Zanfel was not well stocked in local pharmacies. And where I did find it, the product was more expensive than online.

Conclusion

While the best treatment for poison ivy is taking the precautions not to get it, to me the best product on the market is Zanfel.

Again, I’m a huge fan of Technu products, but if you get a really bad case, Zanfel is the way to go.

Want More Gardening Tips and Tricks?

Be sure to check out these posts!

• Gardening 101: A Guide for Beginners
• Spring Gardening Hacks that Will Save You Money
• How to Start a Garden the Easy Way
• The Secret to Keeping Houseplants Alive
• How to Make the Best Compost Recipe
• The Basics of Hydrangea Care
• Container Garden Basics For Beginners

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