Comments on: How to Treat Poison Oak, Ivy and Sumac

on 6/24/2008 I have huge blisters from poison ivy on my ankles that are keeping me from wearing shoes and socks and going to work. How can I dry them up??
HELP!!!

on 6/21/2008 Thanks. Going through my own maladies now. Swollen glands, pounding headache and itching. Yikes. I'll try what you suggest.

on 4/26/2008 For poison ivy, poison oak and sumac: For two miserable weeks of itching and red blisters the only products I found that really helped were zanfel and natural colloidal oatmeal. Zanfel is available at Wal-mart ($35.00 for 1 ounce but stops the itch in 30 seconds!!!!). Zanfel is much like a sugar scrub and is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women. The oatmeal is actually a soothing bath treatment in individual packages. I would mix half of a package at a time with a little warm water in a bowl making a paste then I would use
to cover the blisters. Both applications worked extremely well and gave me much needed rest during the night and quick relief!!!!! I used zanfel for the first 4 days to eliminate the itch then I was able to use the oatmeal to dry up the blisters during the last phase of this lovely experience. Remember, even this will pass!

on 4/26/2008 For poison ivy, poison oak and sumac: For two miserable weeks of itching and red blisters the only products I found that really helped were zanfel and natural colloidal oatmeal. Zanfel is available at Wal-mart ($35.00 for 1 ounce but stops the itch in 30 seconds!!!!). Zanfel is much like a sugar scrub and is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women. The oatmeal is actually a soothing bath treatment in individual packages. I would mix half of a package at a time with a little warm water in a bowl making a paste then I would use
to cover the blisters. Both applications worked extremely well and gave me much needed rest during the night and quick relief!!!!! I used zanfel for the first 4 days to eliminate the itch then I was able to use the oatmeal to dry up the blisters during the last phase of this lovely experience. Remember, even this will pass!

on 4/26/2008 After two miserable weeks of red blisters and nights without sleep the only products that really gave me any relief at all were zanfel and natural colloidal oatmeal. Zanfel is available at Wal-mart stores $35.00
for 1 ounce (stops the itch in 30 seconds). It's much like a sugar scrub and is safe for children and pregnant or nursing women. The oatmeal comes in packets as a soothing bath treatment (look for the generic brand name or Aveeno which is a little more expensive). I would mix the oatmeal in just a little water making a paste then I would cover the blisters with the paste. Each product helped to stop the itch and dry up the blisters. After a total meltdown from the itch and sleepless nights before using these products I now sleep for most of the night and see the end in sight. Remember even this will pass!

on 4/26/2008 After two miserable weeks of red blisters and nights without sleep the only products that really gave me any relief at all were zanfel and natural colloidal oatmeal. Zanfel is available at Wal-mart stores $35.00
for 1 ounce (stops the itch in 30 seconds). It's much like a sugar scrub and is safe for children and pregnant or nursing women. The oatmeal comes in packets as a soothing bath treatment (look for the generic brand name or Aveeno which is a little more expensive). I would mix the oatmeal in just a little water making a paste then I would cover the blisters with the paste. Each product helped to stop the itch and dry up the blisters. After a total meltdown from the itch and sleepless nights before using these products I now sleep for most of the night and see the end in sight. Remember even this will pass!

on 9/21/2007 Just saw a doctor for my poison oak rash whose husband does landscaping. She says whenever he knows or suspects he's come in contact, he must wash with dish soap (they keep a small bottle of it in shower area) because it breaks through the oil. She stated that showering and just using soap "just spreads the oil around".

on 8/8/2006 Don't scratch it!!!
It only makes it worse.
I recommend prescription painkilles...vicodin morphine or codine.

on 8/8/2006 Mix white vinegar and baking soda, make a thin paste and put it on the blisters. They will dry up in 2 to 3 days.

on 8/8/2006 There is a weed called plantain that will heal poison ivy. This is the plant that we used to pull off the stem and flower, wrap the stem around the flower and then pop - or shoot - at our friends.
Take the leaves of this weed and mash them up into a paste. Put the paste on the poison ivy with a band aid or tape. Leave it on overnight, or sometimes longer, and the blisters dry up.
For the best paste, if you can stand it, chew up the leaves a little bit and spit them out. Tape this over the blisters. This is the most effective.

on 7/27/2006 If you can handle a little burning sensation (slightly more that a facial astringent) then bleach is great! The smell may not be wonderful, but this does help to dry up the rash.

on 7/10/2006 Dilute some bleach with water at about 3 to 1 and use a cotton swab to rub to mix on the skin till it absorbs.
Do this every time the thought crosses your mind.

on 11/22/2005 For poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac, nothing makes it dry up faster than whole milk. Dab the milk on to the rash with cotton balls (do it in the shower) a couple of times a day and it will be completely gone within 3-4 days. No scarring either, so it works great it you or your child gets it on their face. It has to be whole milk.

on 11/22/2005 I used prednisone 20 mg dose pack and Z-Xtra for the itching. My symptoms went away in 24 hours.

Z-Xtra is at http://www.magnaweb.com/z-xtra.asp
The prednisone is less than $10.

on 11/22/2005 Take a shower and use a dish soap, like Dawn. Dawn cuts grease and will cut the oil from the plant in the same way.