Oh, bother.

[learnteach]

Woke up this morning with my right arm itching.  Oh bother, I did get poison oak from the work weekend.

Comments

[sbuchler.livejournal.com]

I am extreamly allergic to poison oak, but find the "hot water" treatment works wonders - run the affected area under as hot water as you can stand until it stops itching (generally a minute or two. It will itch A LOT while you're doing this). Heat releases the histines (which is what makes you itch) and it'll be a few hours before it's itching again.

Good luck! Warm fuzzies!

[etaine-pommier.livejournal.com]

J! did too - lots. My mom swears by Zyrtec to keep the itching under control.

[shutt3rg33k.livejournal.com]

Which I have if you want to try it.

Grew Up in the SC Mountains... Poison Oak = teh Evol!

[beanolc.livejournal.com]

After exposure (next time), shower with Tecnu. Use it in your laundry on the clothes you wore last weekend. Black streaks on your clothes are poison oak oil a day or more old. (NB: Native Americans in this area used poison oak as a black dye).

Best thing I've found for the rash is liquid Benadryl. I've wanted to bathe in the stuff before.

Re: Grew Up in the SC Mountains... Poison Oak = teh Evol!

[erzimagdalena.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes and yes.

PO is why you won't see me at many work weekends. That evil plant sent me to the ER in college.
*shudder*

Re: Grew Up in the SC Mountains... Poison Oak = teh Evol!

[redsquirrel.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! Tecnu rocks! Use it if you have any suspicion that you might have run into the stuff. Stinky but worth it.

(Mostly where I live it's poison ivy. But the same chemical in both plants - urushiol - is responsible.)

Tecnu also has stuff you put on before you go out in the woods to block you from getting it on you in the first place.

Re: Grew Up in the SC Mountains... Poison Oak = teh Evol!

[martianfencer.livejournal.com]

I will add to the endorsement for TecNu. It's amazing stuff. You can probably find it at your local garden store.

itches

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry for your discomfort!

If nothing else works, sometimes baking soda paste brings some relief. There's a juice in impatiens plants that can be helpful too.

Good luck to you.