Treating Poison Oak
Keep it from spreading and calm the itching and inflammation.
There are numerous ways to relieve the itching and pain. Calamine lotion has been used to keep the skin dry and inflammation down. Tecnu, which can be found in most pharmacies is an excllent product for helping to clear up the effects of poison oak.
Thentix has been used for treating it for years as it has anti inflammatory properties with the calendula extract and the chamomile. They will help stop the itching. Honey and other ingredients will soothe and heal the skin. Apply a small amount several times a day to affected areas. Keep this up until it is completely healed.
Poison Oak Spreading
To keep the oils from spreading make sure that they are controlled. If you aquired it from walking about the woods, then it is very likely on the clothes you wore and/or the footwear. Wash the clothing separately from other things and use some baking soda to neutralize the acids in the oils. Use the baking soda on your footwear as well. This is important as the oils can hang around active for months and cause a reaction later.
A poison oak story that was sent to us:
“If you are a hiker on the west coast, in California or Oregon and you’ve experienced poison oak then I would suggest finding and taking poison oak honey on a regular basis. It acts as a homeopathic remedy. While I was taking it on a regular basis I didn’t have any episodes of poison oak inflamation.”
As the oil sit on the skin, if you bathe or shower soon after contracted you may make it spread to other areas of your body. So, don’t be tempted to sit in the bathtub to try and soothe the itching. This will in all likelyhood spread the toxins. If you are careful to not let the poison oak inflammation spread, it usually starts to go away within 5-7 days. Use calamine lotion or something similar to keep it dry.