Some people recommend simple table salt. They recommend wetting the affected area and rubbing the area with table salt which draws off the oil-based liquid from the skin. It is an old, tried and true remedy.
Another remedy involves the use of Fels-Naptha soap, which is sometimes hard to find at the store. The action of the suds gets the oil-based liquid off the skin so you don't have as many poison ivy lesions and the lesions do not spread. You need to just put water on the area and lather with the soap. Rinse it off and see what happens.
While it might burn some people's skin, bleach will get off the oil-based liquid that causes poison ivy. Let it pour over the skin and then wash it off. You need to wash it off carefully so that it doesn't stay on your skin and burn it.
Some people put Calamine lotion on poison ivy once it breaks out. Calamine lotion will dry up the lesions and control itching. You can get calamine lotion at the local drug store or pharmacy. It's pink and it has a drying effect on the lesions.
Because the liquid involved in the poison ivy is acidic, use baking soda and water to neutralize it. Because baking soda is alkaline (basic), it can neutralize the poison ivy oil and prevent the spread of poison ivy. Make a paste out of the baking soda and water, and put it on the poison ivy. Let the paste dry and flake off when it is dried.
There is a plant remedy known as jewelweed that herbalists use. They place it in a pot of boiling water and allow the jewelweed to boil down. The mixture is kept in a sealed container. You wet down the area affected by the rash and rub the remedy on the lesions. It is an old remedy that is also tried and true.
Benadryl ointment can be gotten at the drug store and when put on the poison ivy rash. It acts as an antihistamine to block the itch signal. Itching is less than it would be if you didn't put the ointment on. You can get the Benadryl ointment in a generic form as diphenhydramine ointment. Another interesting remedy you can get at the drug store is Vicks VapoRub. It is usually used for colds and flu but it works well when you apply it to areas affected by the rash. It helps prevent the spread of the itching.
Just remember that the substance that causes the rash is acidic and oily. Regular soaps don't often help resolve the symptoms so you need to buy degreaser soap that you'd get at an automotive store or in the automotive section of the department store.
Katie Hoffman is a certified master gardener and a lifelong garden designer. She writes about garden décor [http://www.egardendecor.com] and garden lanterns [http://www.egardendecor.com/gardenlanterns.html].
By Katie Hoffman
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Cures-for-Poison-Ivy&id=5479258 Home Cures for Poison Ivy
No comments:
Post a Comment