I can't believe I got poison ivy already!!    Luckily I don't get it bad like some people, and at this point it's not bothering me too much.  But I have a small patch on my face, some on my neck and leg.  I think I was pulling weeds and must have touched some, then maybe touched my face.

Does anyone have a good home remedy for poison ivy?

jewelweed, grows wild here. Google it and read the info and look for a picture. Babs 

I guess this doesn't sound too safe.. but my mom use to always put some Clorox in her bath water when she would get poison ivy. She got it constantly and this seemed to work for her (dried it up I guess). I don't think she put much. Of course, I wouldn't recommend putting that on your face! LOL.

God bless,

Julie

Following on Julie's post, my Mom always diluted bleach with water (not sure of the raito) and rubbed it on the PI rash.  It stung like heck, but seemed to take away the itch.  Like Julie, I don't know how safe that is...

If you want to buy something for it, that "TechNu" (sp?) stuff is pretty good.

Growing up (I haven't had PI in adulthood) we used Shaklee's Basic H soap directly on it. Not sure what was in it but it worked! Also on 'skito bites!

<<I think I was pulling weeds and must have touched some, then maybe touched my face.>>

Leaves of three, leave them be.  Time to invest in some weed killer to spray from a distance.  :-)  Just don't do like my stepfather did and try and burn it out.  He burned a lot of brush knowing there was posion oak in it (having already found it personally), and he inhaled it and got it in his lungs!  He was kind of bad off there for a bit.  You know how they say it's the oil in the plant that causes the skin irritation, but apparently there's something it can emit through the air too.  So play it safe and use poison (there's a statement, huh?). 

A coworker got into it really, really bad last year.  She was telling me that nail polish has something in it that stops the itch.  Only she had this over most of her body.  So she took a can of clear spray paint (sealant), which had the same necessary chemical in it, and sprayed herself with it until she could see a doctor and get something to stop the itch.  She said her doctor was surprised when she told him she had spray-painted herself, but reckoned that would work okay. 

Thanks all, for the ideas and the products mentioned.  I did google jewelweed.  Neither dh or I haver have heard of this plant, but it seems like it would grow around here.  It would be fun to try to make my own ointment.  I'll probably dab on a bleach and water solution, see if speeds up drying out the spots (but not on my face).

I'm a little late to the (garden!) party, but we fight poison ivy every year as we live on a lake.

Just to make it stop itching for awhile, run the hottest water you can stand over the p/i spot for a minute or two (use a hot rag on your face).  It'll itch like crazy for a few minutes, then quit itching for a long time.   

For topical relief, we like Benadryl gel or if it's really bad, the doctor can prescribe some cream with Triamcinolone (sp?).  You can also take Benadryl or the equivalent no-name allergy pills to dry the ivy up faster, plus reduce itching.

If things are really, really bad, either the doc or the ER can give you a shot or prescribe a round of steroids.  Yes, we've had to do all of these things at one time or another.  Hate that evil weed...I hope you get some relief soon!  Liz

I have a tea tree oil face mask that I got at a Bodyshop party a few years ago that I accidentally found out really helps with itchy bites and poison ivy.  (It was expensive though.)  I haven't tried plain tea tree oil, but that might work too.

Undiluted tea tree oil can irritate your skin though, so you might want to look up the best way to use it.

I have heard that Burdock leaves are supposed to help.  If you have any growing wild in your yard, you might try it.  (I haven't.)