What Will Cure Poison Ivy?

Not everybody gets a nasty rash when they come into contact with the poison ivy plant. You have to be allergic to it in order to get an outbreak. But if you weren't allergic as a kid, you may very well be allergic as an adult. If you're not sure, your best bet is to avoid the plant. It's a three-leaf plant with a slight shine and it doesn't grow very high. Make sure you're always wearing long clothes when venturing into the woods and stay away from any plants you're unfamiliar with.

Immediate Wash

• If you can, use rubbing alcohol to wash the affected area within 10 minutes of coming into contact with the plant. After the 10-minute mark, the poison ivy is there to stay, but if you wash quickly, you can prevent it. After you wash with alcohol, rinse the area with water. Then take a shower and wash the area with soap and water.
  Many products on the market are made specifically for those 10 minutes immediately after you're exposed to poison ivy. Aside from washing the affected area of your skin, you should also wash all clothes that you were wearing. The resin from the poison ivy plant can stay on clothes for months.

Home Remedies

• Oatmeal: Mix oatmeal with warm water to create a paste. Rub the paste over the affected area and let it sit until it dries up. You can also add a quarter cup of honey and a quarter cup of aloe vera to mixture if you'd like. Once dry, rinse it off with cool water.
  Garlic: Rub some garlic oil over the affected area and let it sit there for 15 minutes. Wash it off with cool water.
  Baking soda: Make a thick paste with baking soda and water. Rub the paste over the affected area and let the baking soda sink in for about 20 minutes or until it dries. Rinse the paste off with cold water.
  Banana: Rub the inner side of a banana peel all over the affected area. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then wash it off with warm water.
  Aloe vera: Get some aloe vera juice and apply it to the rash. Let it sit there until you take a shower and wash.

Heat

• The oils in the poison ivy rash penetrate through the first layer of skin and cause severe itching. In order for you to fully heal, the first layer of skin has to dry up and peel and new skin has to replace it. You can use heat treatment to help dry up the first layer of skin and speed up the healing process. Take a blow dryer and put it on the lowest setting. Blow dry the affected area for 20 minutes. You should feel a slight relief from itching and your skin should be really dry.

Over-The-Counter Products

• You will find a long list of products at your local pharmacy store that will help you deal with the poison ivy rash. You might want to use an antihistamine to stop the itching, or possibly a cream to cool down the area. You will find wipes that can easily be carried around and sprays that you can keep in your pocket and spray onto the area when the itch is unbearable. All the products are pretty much the same, and all will have to be frequently applied to the area. Home remedies should be used about twice a day and it may take up to three weeks for the poison ivy rash to completely disappear.
  Try not to scratch at it, as this is the worst thing you can do. Scratching will possibly scar and infect the area.
  If you don't think your symptoms are getting any better, go see your doctor. You may not even have poison ivy, or it may be so strong that you need to be prescribed a form of steroids for it to go away.