Poison ivy treatment begins right after you think you may have rubbed up against the plant by washing off the area.  Here are some other things you can try to help ease the pain and itching.

If you have ever had a poison ivy rash then you are well aware of how painful and irritating the rash can be.  Unfortunately, I have had an awful rash from it a couple of times.  Each time I’ve had the rash I am overwhelmed with tips from people about how to treat it or make the pain hurt less.  It is hard to know whose advice to trust and what exactly you should do.  Well, I’ve done some research and here are my suggestions for the best ways to treat poison ivy.

How Does Poison Ivy Cause A Rash?

The first thing I want to talk about is what causes the rash.

There is an oil, called urushiol, on the plant that causes the rash.  This oil is actually on all parts of the plant, including the stem and vine itself.  This means that you can get the oil on you if you touch the vine and no leaves.

Not everyone gets a rash if they come into contact with the oil.  In fact, about 85% of people get a rash, meaning about 15% are somehow immune to it (lucky them!).

Is The Poison Ivy Rash Contagious?

No.  The rash itself is not contagious.  In fact, the rash is just your skins reaction to the oil.

However, the oil itself sticks to everything and can spread very easily.  You can get the oil on your pants, shirt, watch, cell phone, or even on the inside of your sleeping bag (yes, I had this happen to me once and it caused me to get the rash everywhere).

Poison Ivy Treatment – What To Do First

*Note – I am not a doctor and the advice that I give here is not medical advice.

Here are some tips to help you identify poison ivy.  If you think you may have encountered it, the first thing you need to do is wash your skin with warm, soapy water.  This includes washing anything that might have the oil on it, such as clothing, shoes, sleeping bag, and such.

Poison Ivy Treatment – Next Steps

If you have the rash, now you want to do everything you can to soothe the pain and itch.

One good method is to take a cool bath and soak in the tub.  Try putting some oatmeal based product in the water to help soothe your skin, such as Aveeno.

You can also try anti-itch cremes on your skin.  Put something like cortisone, caladryl, calamine lotion, or aloe vera on your skin to make it feel better.

Another option is to try some medicine that you can buy at the store such as benadryl.  Benadryl is an antihistamine, which means that it will dry out your skin and hopefully, ease the itching.

The next option, if your rash is very bad, is to see your doctor.  Your doctor may be able to prescribe you some stronger medication to help with your rash.  When I had it in my sleeping bag after camping a few days I went straight to the doctor, who gave me a cortisone (I think?) shot.  That shot along with me not sleeping in the sleeping bag again and cleaning it, helped a lot!