Poison oak/ivy identification and relief

Watch out for poison oak and poison ivy on trail this summer! Tim is super sensitive to it and reacts terribly. Renee has never had it at all. Poison oak is more common on the West coast, while poison ivy is more common in the Midwest and East. Neither is fun when it gets on your skin.

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[A-N-]

PEOPLE: Please rinse the area with COLD WATER. Before anything else. The oil will rinse with the water & dilute. DO NOT get home & take a hot shower. Your pores open up & the oil seeps in, hence a horrific itchy rash. (This depends on allergy severity) however since I have done this - with run on the mill allergy to both of these - cold water rinse in the creek nearby & a cold water rinse in the shower = No Rash. You may want to have a hot shower that same day, but run the risk that it may result in some itchiness or a whole rash anyways. I’ve done it enough times that I know with my level of allergy, showering the same day Hot is possible for me. Not everyone! I’ve recommended this to friends & they hot showered later the same day, & still broke out. So just be aware! It’s all about oil & pores & heat once it touches you. The quicker you can rinse cold, the less itch. Happy hiking!

[shannonrickard]

Immediately after it happens, wash with Dawn (if available, obviously). It's gentle on the skin and breaks down the oil that causes the rash much better than regular soap. You can also use it to wash any clothing that came in contact with it.

[CraftyLadyLinda]

When I was a little girl, I had such a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy that I had to be hospitalized. My eyes, nose, and mouth were crusted shut. They had to scrape the crust off my nose to put the cannula on it just so I could breathe. My whole body was covered with a crusty rash. I was given milk shakes for sustenance because I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat. I had a fever because the rash covered my entire body. It was a nightmare.

[stephanr.rosier]

Many Years ago, i was leading several young boys on a hike, and had told (showing them the plant) about my Mother having made 'sassafras tea' with the roots of small sassafras trees, when one of the kids, having pulled-up a long piece of 'poison oak' root, saying "MMMM...Smell that Sassafras!", as he ran the length of the root along his nose ... And in short order, we carried him to the local ER.
i Love Your Videos. Thanks So Much, Renee & Tim!!!

[RiotWild]

I have never been happier to be immune from poison oak and ivy

[pinkyblue]

Lesson learned; stay away from plants that look like poison ivy

[rockercaterrorencountered]

just a reminder that if you take your furry friend on walks they can collect the oil on their fur and transfer it to your skin. We used to have an indoor/outdoor cat and I would sometimes get rashes when I pet her, turns out she was rolling in poison ivy outside.

[wendywitch]

Depending on where you’re located you can often find jewelweed which is the antidote to poison ivy and poison oak. Most of the juices you need are in the stems of it so you can snap a stem in half and crush the folded apart and that will turn into a brush. The crushed brush head gets brushed on to the affected area leaving behind the oils of the plant and it will heal it. A little tip for those who don’t have the money to Stuff in tubes for it

[Flower-Power-]

Another cool tip you may not know. 9 times out of 10, there’s going to be jewelweed grown in the area if poison ivy is. If you get into poison oak or ivy, split open the stem of the jewelweed and rub the juice on your skin. It is a natural remedy for it! If I can get it on the area quick enough, I won’t even break out and I am very very allergic

[kimberlydudman]

Thank you for being honest. Sometimes you too make it look really easy when we all know it's actually very hard.... Even for people who do it all the time, it's very hard. I love your honesty and your clarity.

[givepeaceachance]

Jewelweed often grows near poison ivy and can be used to treat the rash on trail by crushing the leaves and stems and rubbing the juice on your skin.

[millybob]

The cheeriest explanation of poison oak care I’ve ever heard! Hope you feel better soon, love your channel!!

[victoriamahon]

They left off the most important tip. As other people said in the comments rinse with cold water but if you know you’ve been exposed wash yourself with dish soap or degreaser quickly and sometimes you can avoid a reaction or have less of a reaction. I used to keep a bottle of cheap dish soap around for when I would bump into poison ivy while working in the yard. Would always take a cool shower right after and lather up with that, and never had a rash. If it’s very hot or you wait too long this may not work because then the oil may have gotten into your skin and pores. Quick and cool with gentle dish soap does it.

[northwoodsmama]

Black tea can also reduce swelling due to tannins. Many wild plants have tannins...good luck!

[TheAlexander]

Jeez thats sucks, a lot of my family and friends get really bad poison ivy/oak reactions. One of my friends in HS legit looked like he got temporary chemical burns his poison ivy was so bad.

Luckily, for some reason I’m totally immune to poison ivy and oak. I can walk through fields of it and tear it out of my garden barehanded lol. My only theory is since I’ve been exploring the woods since i was a very small child, I’ve built up an immunity to them? Or maybe I’m just genetically lucky lol.

[dananab]

One can only know the horrors of poison oak growing up in a heavily wooded area with parents who are both immune

[sdufrane]

As someone who grew up in a place with lots of poison oak and ivy, I prefer calamine lotion. It helps to dry out the bumps on my skin and reduce inflammation. When I got poison ivy a couple years ago, I had friends recommend several of other options, but my poison ivy didn't start to go away until I used calamine lotion.

[gracetrentini]

The brand Technu has saved me on multiple locations. It’s great.

[theethuntv]

One thing I do to help mitigate the spread is covering the affect area with a big bandage or covering it with gauze and taping it down. This isolates the area. Now it won't spread in your sleep and you're not likely to scratch it by accident. Good luck and safe travels!

[MysteryWoman]

I hope this gets seen because it always helps me. Maybe keep a small amount of dish soap on you. The second you feel the tingle of the poison oak, wash the area with soap water to get rid of the oil. dish soap is really good at breaking up oil. It's made my cases way less severe when I get it. Maybe even a soap and water solution in a small spray bottle. I hope this helps! Hoping for a quick recovery!