Dreaded Poison Ivy!

What To Do After Poison Ivy Exposure

I don’t know about you, but I am severely allergic to poison ivy. I’ve had my encounters over the years and found relief mostly with products made from Jewelweed. I shared my secret with friends and neighbors who also had good results with Jewelweed products. Recently, I decided to make some Poison Ivy soap for my soap business, Marigold Soap & Bath, using jewelweed tincture, but I wanted to be sure it worked before selling it. Poison ivy is abundant where I live so, I picked a leaf, and rubbed it gently but efficiently on the back of my right hand.

The thing about Poison Ivy is that it gets into your system and doesn’t just stay on the exposure site. It pops up in other areas of the body. Within a couple of days, I had a bad oozing rash on the inside of my left knee, and the back of my hand was blistering as well. I treated it with my Poison Ivy soap, two nights with a bentonite clay and essential oil poultice on my knee and began taking Hyland’s Poison Ivy pills. After a few days the rashes had healed up well enough to believe it was over and I was excited about the quick recovery. The rash on my hand was almost completely gone and the knee, which had been much worse, was close to healed. Feeling pretty confident with the results, and thinking I was out of the woods, I went out in the late afternoon heat to do some yard work. Within about 45 minutes, the itching became intense. I knew I was in trouble, and I grabbed my tools and went inside to try and shower off the discomfort. This was the beginning of a really bad poison ivy reaction.  

With so much poison ivy around my yard, I’ve been determined to find a solution in the event of exposure, for me and others. The Jewelweed Soap worked well and I’m comfortable selling it now that I’ve tested it on myself. It did make a difference. But since the urushiol seeps through the skin and gets inside the body, more needs to be done.

Here’s a few tips I’ve learned from my experience with the Poison Ivy:

1. The urushiol can be washed off with Dawn dish detergent if you catch it within 10-15 minutes of exposure. Dawn breaks up the Urushiol oil relatively effectively and you have a good chance of no further issues. Wash two or three times in warm, not hot, water. The warm water will help emulsify, but you don’t want to open your pores while you’re trying to wash the ivy oil off your skin. While you’re washing, be sure to wash well under your fingernails and in between fingers if your hands were exposed.
2. The expensive over-the-counter medications don’t work, not for me anyway. Calamine lotion was a common choice when I was a kid in the 70’s, and it served to eventually dry up the blisters but didn’t help much with the itching. I know some people go for steroid shots, but I’m not a fan of any type of medication if there’s a natural alternative that can be tried first.  Do what you think is best for you.
3. The best remedy I’ve discovered is Jewelweed, which is a plant that often grows next to poison ivy. Good Jewelweed products can be a little hard to find but can be located online and at the health food store. I’ve found great Jewelweed sprays in the past but then couldn’t find the same product later when I needed more.  Salves didn’t do it for me because it kept the rash site oily and made it hard for the blisters to dry up. I’ve not tried Jewelweed lotion, and that could possibly be a great product. If I try it, I’ll add my findings to the post later. I did rub a little of my wetted soap onto the affected areas and did not rinse. I believe the bentonite clay helped to dry the blisters and the jewelweed sitting on the affected areas brought relief from the itching. During my first bout, I washed my hands frequently with my Poison Ivy soap, which I believe is why my hand healed so quickly.
4. Whatever you’re putting on your skin is being absorbed into your body. I recommend Hyland’s Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Relief pills so you can combat the infection from the inside as well. I’ve used these pills for years and I believe they have helped to heal the infection, with consistent use.
5. Stay out of the heat, and perhaps bright sunlight, which seems to activate the infection and make it much worse. Keep your body cool, and dry, and drink plenty of water.  

 I have to say, the secondary infection has been much worse. But it has given me an opportunity to experiment and pay attention to the results of various actions; observe and report. I understand why people might think they are spreading the infection by scratching, but most resources I found online state this doesn’t happen, and I’m not finding this to be the case. It’s most definitely coming from within.  

The Universe provides us with what we need to thrive on the earth. If we get in tune with nature and our inner being, the answers will come, and we’ll be shown what to do. Google can provide some answers, but you may want to do a deeper dig for valid sources of information and then go with your inner guidance. Our connection to Source is the ultimate “go-to”. The inner wisdom will give you answers that you may not have considered in your outward search for results. If you end up with a poison ivy infection, be patient and know that it will be over within a week or two if you take good care of yourself. If you’re interested in trying my Poison Ivy soap, you can find it at MarigoldSoapAndBath.com.