Poison Ivy

Pinion said:
You wont get poison ivy on the palms/insides of your hands for the same reason you can pick up a jellyfish and chuck it at someone.

No pores. [smile]
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No pores?

The palms have millions of pores, that is why they sweat.

The reason most people don't get poison ivy on their palms is the ivy oils are removed by abrasion as they handle things and deposit it elsewhere on the clothing, or other spots on the body.

Regarding Technu soap, it can be duplicated pretty close using odorless mineral spirits, antifreeze and dawn dish soap.
 
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Can anyone tell if this is poison ivy? It's all over the side of the house, but not sure if it's poison ivy, since it's not shiny.

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Sure looks like it to me....I'm already itching.

As above, when in doubt it is. Treat it accordingly.
 
Varmint said:
Can anyone tell if this is poison ivy? It's all over the side of the house, but not sure if it's poison ivy, since it's not shiny.

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Yes. Definitely.

I used brush killer with a hand sprayer and hunted that shit down in my 1 acre yard. Just went around and hit the leaves. After 3 years my yard is finally free of it.
 
Yes that is poison ivy.
One of the best defenses against it is to recognize it and respect it. I'm not very allergic to it. The worst I've ever had it is smaller than the size of a dime, but I won't risk taking chances with it. I can spot that shit from a long distance away.
[LEAVES OF THREE LET IT BE]
 
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A1850 said:
I'm hoping I am one of them. I spend way too much time in the woods looking for my golf balls and ive never gotten anything and that stuff is everywhere.
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Lucky you. Don't push it though. Have heard many stories of people developing allergic reaction to PI later in life. Not sure whether it's cumulative expose over time or metabolic/hormonal changes with age, but either way, be careful.

Canndo said:
Well, I got it. I've been doing 5 to 10 mile trail hikes, daily, over the summer. Looks like I picked up a rash along the way. Luckily, it's just confined to my lower extremities, from the knees down. I've been trying everything from calamine lotion, to alcohol, to Cortizone cream. Today, I put diluted bleach on it.
Any good remedies?
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First thing is to be sure you've cleaned all the oil not just off your skin, but also off all your clothes and other items that touch your skin (ex. pillows & sheets).

The best treatment I've found is to then soak or wash with hot Domeboro powder solution. Domeboro is an astringent that dries the blisters and rash, and the heat is a natural antipruritic. I found this worked better than any salves or pills, including prescription antihistamines and steriods.

Second best treatment is swimming in a well-chlorinated pool. Stings a bit on any raw rash, but dries the blisters quite nicely.

A hot shower brings some natural relief from the itching.

rocket500 said:
i have had incredibly bad poison ivy on the palms of my hands. I am so allergic to that crap.
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Same here. Was very highly allergic as a kid. If I got any on my hands, say from petting the dog, I'd get so many large blisters between my fingers that I'd have to hold my fingers as far apart as I could for days until the blisters broke and healed. <shudder>

PI allergy shots really helped. After I got the shots for a few summers in ~5th-6th grade my PI allergic reaction dropped noticeably. I still get it about as often, with rash and scattered small blisters, but rarely if ever do I get the huge blisters and welts I used to.
 
kevin9 said:
Lucky you. Don't push it though. Have heard many stories of people developing allergic reaction to PI later in life. Not sure whether it's cumulative expose over time or metabolic/hormonal changes with age, but either way, be careful.
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May be an old wives tale but I've heard its based off exposure. I remember there was this one kid in like my 8th grade class that bragged to everyone about how he was immune to poison ivy or some shit like that. So he was playing with a plant he picked up on a trail on an outdoor field trip. Next week we see him in school and his hands and arms are covered with the shit. [rofl] Another nipplehead that thought he was immune ended up getting hit by a cloud of it while it was burning. Burning poison ivy is basically a chemical weapon... anything the smoke comes in contact to will get ****ing ravaged. [rofl]

-Mike
 
I'm extremely allergic to it, one time I got it literally from my groin to my eye lids, looked like I had scales. Doctors gave me prednisone, but the best medicine is called Calagel. Its right next to tecnu and Ivarest at cvs/walgreens. That soothed the burning more than anything else.
 
Watch out for the vines that are poison oak. It makes poison ivy look like a kiddy ride at the carnival. Sumac is in the ivy league, it is everywhere. Roundup will do it in.
 
knoxy said:
Yes. Definitely.

I used brush killer with a hand sprayer and hunted that shit down in my 1 acre yard. Just went around and hit the leaves. After 3 years my yard is finally free of it.
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Thanks guys! My next question was gonna be does the spray kill it permanently or temporarily - sounds like permanent - I will spray it all tomorrow, thanks!
 
Varmint said:
Thanks guys! My next question was gonna be does the spray kill it permanently or temporarily - sounds like permanent - I will spray it all tomorrow, thanks!
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Just sprary the leaves. It will kill it permanently but some may come back til you get it all. Take precautions when yanking the dead vines/roots since those ooze urishoil too.
 
knoxy said:
Just sprary the leaves. It will kill it permanently but some may come back til you get it all. Take precautions when yanking the dead vines/roots since those ooze urishoil too.
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I pulled up a bunch of vines in the backyard a month ago, managed to only get one spot on a finger, I suspect from the gloves somehow. But those were small (and shiny and reddish) compared to the big ones I posted a pic of. I don't want to pull such big leaves.

I didn't know the vines have the oil, damn.
 
Rubbing alcohol / hand sanitizer works in a pinch. I carry some in my pack on day hikes and if I've gone through an area with poison ivy I just slather some on my legs. The alcohol works as a solvent. However, it's not a complete solution to the problem because the oil is still there but I believe it's just diluted. You still need to thoroughly wash the affected area to avoid a rash. The hand sanitizer seems to work as a temporary stop gap until I get home. This is important particularly if I won't be home for a few hours. I'm extremely allergic to poison ivy but I've been using this trick the last two summers and the worst rash I've had was about the size of a dime.
 
When I was a kid, I made decent money ripping it out of people's yards. I wasn't allergic to it at all. Then one day I touched some when I was almost 30 and got covered with the rash.

It's something that just develops sometimes as you get older. Don't get cocky
 
There used to be a product that blocked the oils from getting to your skin, worked great - https://www.amazon.com/Ivyblock-Lotion-4-oz/dp/B0000Y3C9M?tag=donations09-20

Unfortunately, it's not make any longer. It was made of special (organic) clay that would absorb the oil. Someone needs to come up with another similar product to protect the skin. I'm very allergic and always trying to find ways to avoid the dreaded rash.
 
I've been using dish detergent and sponge to shower off after working in the yard, seems to be working. i occasionally get a little spot of it, I think it's coming from my shoes, or gloves or something.
 
There's a product for coating hands prior to working with them. I've used it as a mechanic, to make cleanup easier after working with petroleum-based products. Might work for you?

BlueMagic 5215 Invisible Glove Protective Hand Coating

For removing ivy oils, I've gotten excellent results using a treatment called Tecnu, available at pharmacies.
 
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Welp, I got it good. Pointed it out to my sister and told her and the kids to avoid it. Not to worry though, I don't get it. Never have, never will. Proceeded to cut trees down without gloves or long sleeves, had shorts on. 1 hr later, washed myself with dish detergent and went home. This was last Sunday. On Tuesday morning, not Monday, but almost 2 days later, I awoke to my arms and legs covered. I proceeded to wipe everything down with gas and then shower with Dawn detergent...too late. It keeps getting worse and some places the rash has become big blisters. I have been taking oatmeal baths and using IVAREST. Is it because i am getting old, climate change, or just because i was cocky?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Varmint said:
Thanks guys! My next question was gonna be does the spray kill it permanently or temporarily - sounds like permanent - I will spray it all tomorrow, thanks!
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Old post, but pretty sure your pic was Virginia Creeper or another of the plants that looks similar but isn't PI. The leaves on PI are reddish when small. Vines get hairy, especially as they get larger. That being said, if it looks at all like PI, it's getting a dose of brush killer from me and I am not rubbing it on my face for sure.
 
I never got poison ivy in my life until i was 50 years old. Zanfel is the best ive found but i keep tecnu around also along with rubbing alcohol.
 
TLB said:
Old post, but pretty sure your pic was Virginia Creeper or another of the plants that looks similar but isn't PI. The leaves on PI are reddish when small. Vines get hairy, especially as they get larger. That being said, if it looks at all like PI, it's getting a dose of brush killer from me and I am not rubbing it on my face for sure.
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ETA: On a second look, it could be PI. Anyone ever notice there are two forms of PI? The vines that wind up trees and the smaller bush like forms that grow on the ground? This could be the non vine type I have seen. When in doubt, kill it.
 
Artie said:
Welp, I got it good. Pointed it out to my sister and told her and the kids to avoid it. Not to worry though, I don't get it. Never have, never will. Proceeded to cut trees down without gloves or long sleeves, had shorts on. 1 hr later, washed myself with dish detergent and went home. This was last Sunday. On Tuesday morning, not Monday, but almost 2 days later, I awoke to my arms and legs covered. I proceeded to wipe everything down with gas and then shower with Dawn detergent...too late. It keeps getting worse and some places the rash has become big blisters. I have been taking oatmeal baths and using IVAREST. Is it because i am getting old, climate change, or just because i was cocky?
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Karma, and age. [wink]

As a lifelong PI sufferer the best post exposure treatment I've found is to soak and wash the affected areas with a very warm to hot Domeboro powder solution. Domeboro is an astringent that dries up the blisters and rash. Or, go swimming in a well-chlorinated pool. A hot shower brings some temporary relief.
 
Artie said:
Welp, I got it good. Pointed it out to my sister and told her and the kids to avoid it. Not to worry though, I don't get it. Never have, never will. Proceeded to cut trees down without gloves or long sleeves, had shorts on. 1 hr later, washed myself with dish detergent and went home. This was last Sunday. On Tuesday morning, not Monday, but almost 2 days later, I awoke to my arms and legs covered. I proceeded to wipe everything down with gas and then shower with Dawn detergent...too late. It keeps getting worse and some places the rash has become big blisters. I have been taking oatmeal baths and using IVAREST. Is it because i am getting old, climate change, or just because i was cocky?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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See your doc and he'll most likely put you on Prednisone. Did the trick for me years ago.
 

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