How to Prevent a Poison Oak Rash

Though medication helps alleviate the symptoms of poison oak, nothing beats preventing the outbreak in the first place. Anyone who has experienced a poison oak rash knows how miserable it can be. To avoid it, you should know how to prevent it from ever appearing.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gloves
• Heavy work shoes
• Chalk or flag markers
• Herbicides
• Medication such as Tecnu and oral antihistamines

1. Learn to identify poison oak. You can spot the plant by its distinctive three-leaf configuration (which led to the traditional warning, "leaves of three, leave them be"). It appears on the West Coast and southern or southeastern portions of the United States, especially in wooded areas or near streams.

2. Don heavy clothes whenever you go out in areas that feature poison oak. You want to show as little skin as possible. Work boots or shoes, gloves, denim jeans and long-sleeved shirts made of durable materials are recommended.

3. Check the areas around your home or workplace for poison oak. If you know where it grows, you can prevent coming into contact with it inadvertently.

4. Mark the areas where you have spotted poison oak by planting marking flags or making a symbol in chalk on the bark of nearby trees.

5. Spray the poison oak you have spotted with an herbicide certified to kill the plant. Look for brands containing triclopyr or glyphosate, and always follow the directions for proper use.

6. Cut wounds into the stumps of growing poison oak and apply the herbicide there. That will prevent the plant from growing back.

7. Wear heavy clothes and gloves when applying herbicide, so that you do not inadvertently come into contact with the poison oak while you are spraying.

8. Apply Tecnu or similar medication to your hands and face once you are done. Soak your clothes and equipment in the treatment as well to make sure none of the urushiol remains on your clothes.

9. Check carefully when handling pets or outdoor animals. The poison oak toxin may be on their fur if they brushed by it. Clean the animal with medication, and then wash them with water before handling them.

Tips & Warnings

• Washing the exposed area doesn't always help a poison oak rash. Indeed, it might do nothing more than spread the urushiol oil across a wider area, thus expanding the rash. When you clean the area, make sure you use medicines that will remove the oil (or at least relieve the itching).
• Don't spray herbicide on poison oak if it is raining or going to rain within a day or so. The water will wash the herbicide off and you'll have to do it again.
• Apply herbicide delicately if the poison oak is growing on a tree of other large plant. You want to kill the poison oak without harming the larger tree.
• Do not get rid of poison oak by burning it. The toxic oils it secretes will become part of the smoke and cause pain or irritation if inhaled.

Resources

• Walkingabout.com for photos of poison oak

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