Shopsmith Forums

We don't have poison ivy out this way but we do have poison oak…I've never been overly sensitive to it but others I know, including my wife, are very sensitive to it. For years, we've always used Tecnu and it's worked great in most cases. You have to use it shortly after potential exposure and the key with the stuff is to use it on dry skin…no water. It won't do much for you once the radish and itching set in but always seems to work to prevent things from getting to that point if you use it soon after exposure. My guess is you've tried this stuff before and it didn't work for you but for others out there, it is another option and has always worked well for us with poison oak.

Don't ever burn Ivy, the smoke carries the oil and if you breath it in it can kill you if you get enough.

That said, I am going to share this with my wife. She is super allergic to the stuff. Thanks.

I have tried the tecnu wash and it does work if you wash right after exposure. Zanfel works before or after the rash but it's VERY expensive.

Never tried the pee though

JPG40504 wrote:How did y'all 'discover' that cure?:D

I can't claim to be the inventor. Passed down from my pure Irish grandfather. But, despite the "yuck" factor, it does work.

[quote="joshh"]I have tried the tecnu wash and it does work if you wash right after exposure. Zanfel works before or after the rash but it's VERY expensive.

Never tried the pee though ]

Yeah, it's always worked well but as said, do it right after and use the "soap" on dry skin with no water until you rinse it off. I think the theory is that is pulls the oils out before they soak in, hence the need to do it quickly and also the need to avoid water in the process. IIRC, Tecnu also makes a product that you can apply in advance that helps prevent any oils you may be exposed to from soaking in. We used to use this before we went out to do brush wood cutting, brush clearing and other similar activities where exposure was hiughly likely, and then we'd wash up with the Tecnu soap immediately upon finishing (or even more frequently if exposure was bad).

WmZiggy wrote:Don't ever burn Ivy, the smoke carries the oil and if you breath it in it can kill you if you get enough.

Same deal with poison oak - it's a real problem out this way with firefighters - I've know a few who have gotten a nasty systemic reaction to PO due to breathing it in while fighting a fire.

anmius wrote:I can't claim to be the inventor. Passed down from my pure Irish grandfather. But, despite the "yuck" factor, it does work.

Well that certainly explains much:D!













Was yer grandfather prone to 'practical' jokes?:eek:

JPG40504 wrote:Well that certainly explains much:D!
Was yer grandfather prone to 'practical' jokes?:eek:

Nope. But he was an excellent shot.