do poison ivy blocks work?

[+Notmiefault]

here is the deal. i am very allergic to poison ivy. recently i got it on my hands, which as many of you know is hell, because if u rub your eyes, or scratch your leg, etc, it spreads. regardless, i have seen these blocking lotions advertised on geocaching.com, an i want to know if they actually work. please, do not reply unless you have first hand knowledge that can tell me one way or the other if they actually do some good.

 

P.S.: i did search, please dont burn me if there was already a post on this, and if this is in the wrong forum, just let me know and i will move it.

[+Notmiefault]

bump

[+SgtSue]

They help, but not 100% from what I have experienced. Or my application may not have been 100%. I do use them, but also try to stay aware and try to avoid the evil three leaf ivy.

[+Bill & Tammy]

I haven't tried the poison ivy block but I found an inexpensive urushiol rinse that I purchased at Wal-Mart to be very effective after contact. I even used it on an area which had started showing a reaction and it halted the irritation.

[+Notmiefault]

got it, i really appreciate teh help.

[chuckr30]

Don't know about poison ivy prevention, but liquid Benedryl works great as a topical for me.

 

But in general, wear jeans, or light pants if it's really hot, to protect your legs. They make light pants for joggers which are nylon.

[+Kealia]

I use and swear by Tecnu. It's not a block (apply before) but it goes on after you think you've been exposed.

 

I've used it after grabbing Poison Oak (which I react to) and have not broken out.

 

I love it and would highly recommend buying some and keeping it in your pack.

[HugTreesWorshipDirt]

+1 to Tecnu.

 

Swear by it. I tell my workers to use it after they've been in the woods if they think there's even the slightest chance they came across poison ivy. I believe they recommend to use it up to two hours after exposure.

 

Since the oil (urushiol) can last 20 years or more on fabric or leather, you're better safe than sorry.

[chuckr30]

 

Since the oil (urushiol) can last 20 years or more on fabric or leather, you're better safe than sorry.

Archaeologists have found dry poison ivy in ancient egyption tombs and have gotten a rash from it. Yes I read it in a major magazine, perhaps Popular Science. No it was not a hoax article. But I really wonder if poison ivy grows in Africa?

 

So we're talking about 2000 year old poison ivy here.

[+TrailGators]

I use and swear by Tecnu. It's not a block (apply before) but it goes on after you think you've been exposed.

 

I've used it after grabbing Poison Oak (which I react to) and have not broken out.

 

I love it and would highly recommend buying some and keeping it in your pack.

Good stuff. If you've already gotten it then I like some stuff called Ivy Dry. It dries it up pretty fast! Also don't use moisturizing lotions if you have it and be sure to thoroughly wash everything you were wearing when you got it including your pack! Edited January 24, 2007 by TrailGators

[+edscott]

 

Since the oil (urushiol) can last 20 years or more on fabric or leather, you're better safe than sorry.

Archaeologists have found dry poison ivy in ancient egyption tombs and have gotten a rash from it. Yes I read it in a major magazine, perhaps Popular Science. No it was not a hoax article. But I really wonder if poison ivy grows in Africa?

 

So we're talking about 2000 year old poison ivy here.

 

What we call Poison Ivy is a North American species, but plants containing the irritant Urushiol can be found lots of places including Africa. Google "Urushiol" and you'll find lists of plants that contain it.

[+cimawr]

+1 to Tecnu.

 

Swear by it. I tell my workers to use it after they've been in the woods if they think there's even the slightest chance they came across poison ivy. I believe they recommend to use it up to two hours after exposure.

 

I'll add to the chorus on Tecnu! I'm very allergic to poison ivy and oak - not only do I get a very bad topical reaction to the oil, but a day or so later, I often break out in secondary hives in areas not exposed.

 

A few months ago, while traveling home from a competition, I went looking for an urban cache after dark, and it turned out to be in a tiny patch of woods behind a restaurant. The woods were illuminated enough by the parking lot lights to enable me to find the cache, but somewhere along the way my face encountered one of the evil vines.

A few minutes after I drove away (and still 40 minutes from home), my skin began to itch, burn, and break out. I got home as fast as I could, and immediately washed with Tecnu.... 10 minutes later, no itch, and by the next morning, no rash or reaction was visible.

[+hydnsek]

Yep, Tecnu is da bomb. As an orienteer, I often run through thickets of poison oak, even fall in it, and as long as I apply Tecnu afterward, it's all good. No rash, nothing. Orienteers in general swear by it, and we buy it in the big jugs.

[Team Macha]

Well the best way is just to be born without an allergy to the stuff and then you don't have to pay money to get some potions to keep you from breaking out.

 

(sorry I just had to)

[+larryc43230]

Well the best way is just to be born without an allergy to the stuff and then you don't have to pay money to get some potions to keep you from breaking out.

 

(sorry I just had to)

I hope what happened to me never happens to you! When I was younger, I was totally immune to poison ivy and poison oak. I was exposed a zillion times and never suffered. Last year, soon after I discovered geocaching, I happened to grab a micro that turned out to be surrounded by poison ivy vines. Not long after, I broke out with my first-ever case of poison ivy, and suffered for weeks before it subsided. I learned the hard way that you can start out totally immune and develop a sensitivity when you least expect it.

 

--Larry

[+werethehekowie]

Technu (sp?) is the best way to go. If you have contact with the ivy you can wash with this soap up to eight hours later, depending on your sensitivity. It works almost 100% if you wash within two hours. My experiences.

Also, if you anticipate contact with the ivy, (if)you can find green soap, you can lather yourself up. Like your hands and arms, and let it dry. Then after your close encounter you can wash it off PDQ. In fact, if you get the blisters from PI you may find "tincture of greensoap" at your pharmacy. When it itches scrub it in there. It dries it out. Tears for my brothers and sisters.

[+cimawr]

Well the best way is just to be born without an allergy to the stuff and then you don't have to pay money to get some potions to keep you from breaking out.

 

 

Only problems with your comment:

 

1. People aren't "born with" or "born without" allergies. You can develop an allergy at ANY time in your life; all it takes is what's known as a "sensitizing dose". So don't get complacent about your supposed immunity to a particular allergen - especially if you move from one geographic location to another, where you may encounter pollens or other allergens your body isn't accustomed to. (Generic "you/your", not specific.)

 

2. Getting a nasty rash from PI (or any other plant containing urishol) does NOT require being allergic to it.

See below.

 

The following is an excerpt from a post to another discussion list a couple of days ago, tangential to a discussion on homeopathy:

 

1) The initial rash <from poison ivy> is not due to an allergy, but to the fact that the plants contain an oil called urishol, which is a skin irritant. When you come into contact with the plants, or they are burned near you, the oil gets on your skin and irritates it.

You can also get it if your pets or livestock brush against the plant and then against you, transferring the oil from their fur/hair to your skin, or from oil which has gotten on clothes or the like.

Some people are more sensitive than others to the effects - IOW, some people have tougher skin than others - but the severity of the initial rash usually depends more on how much of the oil was present in the plant, how much got on your skin, and whether or not you washed or bathed to remove the oil from your skin after exposure.

 

IOW, severity of the initial rash has nothing to do with "luck", and everything to do with a) the severity of exposure and b ) how quickly and how well you removed the oil from your skin after exposure. A lot of people who think they're "immune" to PI simply happen to have showered or washed their hands relatively soon after coming into contact with it.

 

2) Having said that, some people do develop a *secondary* allergic reaction to the exposure - just as some people break out in hives or rashes when exposed to certain perfumes etc. (For example, I'm allergic to some detergents, and will break out in hives if I wear clothes washed in them.)

That's what makes the initial rash seem to "spread" - actually, it's a secondary allergic rash. The rash can also seem to "spread" if you scratch and irritate it, and/or it gets infected.

Again, this isn't a matter of "luck", but a matter of whether you actually are allergic to the oil on top of the initial skin irritation.

 

3)There is some evidence to support the idea that taking a small amount of the plant internally will increase your resistance to the effects of the oil. I'd have to do some Googling to find the references, however.

 

4) If you're sensitive to poison ivy, poison oak, etc., there IS a commercial product which is extremely effective - it's called Tecnu.

<snipped rest of this, since it's been covered in this forum>

 

There's my 2c, which is worth what you paid for it.

 

<edited to remove annoying smiley which usurps my outline structure>

Edited January 25, 2007 by cimawr

[chuckr30]

What is the active ingredient in Tecnu? Would a zinc oxide cream work to dry out the urushiol? (Sold to prevent sunburn on noses and other sensitive parts.)

Edited January 25, 2007 by chuckr30

[+blazerfan]

I'm a big fan of rubbing alcohol. It will remove oil from the skin... you should shower after applying. Plus if you have scratches on your legs and arms it provides a cool burning sensation.

 

The next advice I'll give will probably turn some people off from caching with me. You should avoid showering before you go out in the woods. The grimier you are the better. Natural oils in your skin will help protect you from "light" exposure.

Edited January 26, 2007 by blazerfan

[+jellis]

http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/faq.htm

lists some products

Edited January 26, 2007 by jellis50

[HugTreesWorshipDirt]

What is the active ingredient in Tecnu? Would a zinc oxide cream work to dry out the urushiol? (Sold to prevent sunburn on noses and other sensitive parts.)

http://www.amazon.com/Tecnu-Skin-Cleanser/...8975427-5675219

 

Label Information

Indications

Removes oils of poison oak, ivy, and sumac.

 

Ingredients

Deodorized Mineral Spirits, Water, Propylene Glycol, Octylphenoxy-Polyethoxyethanol, Mixed Fatty Acid Soap and Fragrance

 

Directions

Apply Tecnu to dry skin, rub vigorously for 2 minutes, rinse skin clean with cool running water or wipe off with a cloth. If itching persists, reapply Tecnu and rinse in a very warm shower (not a bath)

 

roduct Description

Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser cleans and decontaminates clothing and skin after exposure to poison oak, ivy and sumac. Its unique, waterless cleansing formula has been proven to remove the cause of the irritating itch and spreading rash, the poison plants' oil, urushiol. Urushiol "locks on" to skin cells within 20 minutes after exposure. Left untreated, skin will erupt into a red, itchy rash in 3 out of 4 people within 12 to 72 hours. Tecnu is specially formulated to "unlock "urushiol. Other products simply cover up the problem, while Tecnu cleanses the oil that causes the rash.

 

.

[+Thomas D]

Well it's pretty well covered but I'll relate my experence here anyway. LOL!

 

First a question, has it ever killed anyone? The worst case I've personally seen almost did! The wife of a co-workers friend (a city girl moved to the country when she married) burned some in the process of cleaning up around the house and got the smoke all over her and also inhaled it! Spent a few days in the hospital. She won't do that again.

 

I cut and sold firewood for about 10 years so each year was unavoidably exposed repeatidly. I am not extremely affected by it but do break out from it, usually about 24 hours after exposure. I sware that after the 2nd breakout each year it no longer affects me. Don't know why, believe it or not.

 

I never used a commercial pre treatment BUT if I know I am going to likely be exposed I rub in a good coat of vaseline to my hands, lower arms face and neck. Then as soon as I can, I shower and scrub it off. This I know works very well. For me anyway.

 

The best solution would be to both pre treat and post treat.

 

And lastly...

The "Myth Busters" actually did a show on this and found that the commercial post treatment products DO work if applied soon after exposure, and NONE of the home remedies POST applied worked.

 

I just wish they would have tried to pretreat...