How to Treat Poison Ivy – The 10 Best Natural Remedies

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Posted Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 09:32am EDT

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Poison ivy has been well known as a plant that can cause allergy to your skin. Every year, there are approximately 10-50 millions people in the US that are affected by poison ivy.

Causes of Poison Ivy

Poison ivy can be found through out of the United States, especially along riverbanks. You can easily recognize the plant through 3 green leaves and a red stem.

The allergy caused by poison ivy often occurs on the trips of nature outing or any where outside of the door. This is because the condition is only triggered by the contact between the skin and the resin of the plant, in which the resin instantly penetrates into the skin and causes reaction.

Symptoms of Poison Ivy

As soon as you come in contact with the plant, there will be some noticeable reaction, including redness, itchiness, skin rash, red pumps and blisters.

Commonly, the rash will last for 4-7 days. However, in some cases, the reaction can be severe and stay longer in 1-3 weeks.

For more natural treatments of skin problems, please go to Home Remedies for Eczema and How To Get Rid Of Itchy Skin.

Here are the best 10 home remedies on how to treat poison ivy that you can count on to alleviate the condition…

1. Baking Soda

When it comes to skin problems, do not forget baking soda, a powerful ingredient that can help you with how to treat poison ivy. Basically, after being applied, baking soda works actively to draw out the toxins and reduce the rash. This way, in turn, alleviates the irritation and speeds up healing.

  • Mix 3 teaspoons of baking soda with a little water to make a fine paste.
  • Apply the paste to the affected skin.
  • Let it dry naturally before remove and cleanse the area.

2. Banana Peel

Most of people think banana peels are useless. If you have the same opinion, think it again. In fact, none of banana parts should be wasted, especially the peel. This is due to the soothing and cooling properties of banana peels that make you quickly ease the skin reaction to poison ivy.

  • Simply use the inside face of banana peels to rub on the affected skin.
  • After a few minutes, rinse off with clean water.

3. Cucumber

This is the simplest but most effective treatment on how to get rid of poison ivy. Cucumber with its ample source of water helps immediately ease the rash, irritation as well as redness on the affected area. Furthermore, the vegetable also provides various nutrients like vitamins and minerals that can aid the healing process of the skin.

  • Cut a fresh cucumber into thin slices. Place them over the affected area and wait for some minutes.
  • Alternatively, mash some cucumber to get a paste and apply to the affected skin.

4. Cold Compress

It has been confirmed that the coldness is beneficial for the infection, itchiness, rash and redness. Some ice cubes are definitely what you need when the itching and burning sensation hit you.

  • As usual, make an ice bag by wrapping some ice cubes with a towel.
  • Apply the ice bag to the affected area whenever you find it needed.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Thanks to the anti-inflammatory property, apple cider vinegar can deal with the poison from the plant resin. Accordingly, you should not miss this tip on how to treat poison ivy.

  • Use some cotton pads to dip in apple cider vinegar.
  • Apply the cotton pads on the affected area.
  • After several minutes, remove the pads and rinse off with clean water.

6. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera has been a wonderful companion of women in beauty care. And now it becomes an excellent ingredient in treating skin problems, including poison ivy. This is thanks to the anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and soothing properties that give you a quick relief from the condition as soon as you apply Aloe Vera for how to treat poison ivy.

  • Take a fresh Aloe Vera leaf and cut it open.
  • Get the inner gel and apply directly on the affect skin.
  • After it becomes dry, rinse off the area with clean water.

7. Green Tea

Green tea can give you a lot of benefits besides preventing cancer, aging or other problems happening inside your body. Specifically, it can help deal with skin problems by cleansing the area, removing toxins, bacteria and accelerate healing. As a result, we will not definitely miss this ingredient on our list of home remedies on how to treat poison ivy.

  • Dip 2 green tea bags in hot water.
  • After a few minutes, remove the bags and let the liquid cools off.
  • You can apply either the tea bags or the liquid to your affected area.
  • With the liquid, use cotton cloth or pad to apply to the skin.
  • After the area gets dry naturally, rinse off again with clean water.

8. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is beneficial for your skin since it possesses excellent soothing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties. In case of poison ivy, the ingredient is able to reduce itchiness and moisturize the skin. Consequently, you not only eliminate the toxins but also improve your skin.

  • Grind some oatmeal into powder form.
  • Dissolve the powder into a bathtub of lukewarm water.
  • Soak your body in the bathtub in 20 minutes.
  • Finally, wash off your body with clean water.

9. Lemon Juice

The natural acid in lemon juice works brilliantly as astringent that cause the contraction of the skin. With this acid, you can easily eliminate toxins in your skin as well as prevent the plant’s oil from absorbing into it.

  • Squeeze the juice from a lemon.
  • Directly apply the juice to the affected area as soon as you come into contact with the plant.
  • After a few minutes, rinse off with clean water.

10. Water

The quickest, simplest and most available ingredient you can use for how to treat poison ivy is water.

After getting contact with poison ivy, immediately wash the affected area with clean water so that the liquid can wash away the resin and prevent it from penetrate into the skin.

Make sure you use lukewarm or cold water but not hot water because the heat can make the pores open and let the toxin get in easier.

Source:

Jenny Heth
Jenny Heth is the senior editor of authorityremedies.com. It is the website that is specialized about do-it-yourself tips at home regarding beauty and health.
You can find on the website everything you need to know about beauty and health from how to maintain a young and beautiful look to even how to treat common problems as sore throat or complex diseases as measles.