A Tip About Poison Ivy

Your gonna need an ocean,
Of calamine lotion.
You'll be scratchin' like a hound,
The minute you start to mess around! 
Music: Mike Stoller
Lyrics: Jerry Lieber

As a long time gardener I have often been plagued by this pernicious weed.  I have tried all kinds of remedies both over the counter and home style to stop the itching.  

This year my crop of poison ivy seems better than ever, so after weeding recently I ended up with a case of it.  I tried some cortisone cream but it really wasn't helping  much so I decided to see if I could find some new home remedies on Pinterest.  There were many, but the one that caught my attention was using Dawn Dish Soap. 

Well, I was amazed how well it worked!  

Not only did it stop the itching almost immediately, it kept it away for a long, long time. All I did was rub some Dawn onto the itchy spots, then rinse it off with some hot water. Using hot water is also helpful for stopping the itch but by itself it doesn't last that long. 



I  want to point out that this is not a "cure."  Poison ivy is one of those things that needs to run its course and can often take a week or more to completely go away.  This is just a way of helping you get through it. Now truth be told, my husband tried it also but it did not work as well for him as for me.  Why I don't know. 


I also want to mention that I used the blue Dawn so I don't know if other types of Dawn, or for that matter any other dish soap will work as well.  

Of course, one of the best ways of dealing with poison ivy is not getting it in the first place.  That is why I always garden in long pants no matter how hot it is.  It is also helpful to wash your gardening clothes with bleach afterwards, since the oils from the plant that cause the itching can rub off onto your clothes.


Have a fun day!
Cynthia

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