poison oak shield

[RobertN]

So, do anyone have a poison oak shield for thier self and tractor? Man I got a good case of it while out mowing/brushing two day ago! I hate it when it makes your eye swell partially shut!

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[Bird]

Whew! I've been there and done that, RobertN. You sure have my sympathy.

Bird

 

[Thomas]

Hope your okay Robert.
There was a farmer and he use to spread lime in the areas where the poison grow.
I'm not sure what the lime did to the poison oak but it seem to work.
Take care and be good to yourself.


Thomas..NH

 

[gordon]

Ouch I hate that soooo much. Hope your feeling better just remember don't itch!!!!!!

 

[Roger Mulkey]

Hey Robert we are neighbors. I live in Loomis and have the same problem. I try to cut the poison oak on a slightly rainy or foggy day to keep the clippings and dust down. I am allergic to everything so I find ways to avoid the exposure. Of coarse I could just stay inside, but what fun would that be. When the weather is hot I wear goggles and a respirator. I also found that spraying the active growing poison oak with brush killer (not roundup) a few weeks before I cut will keep it down for the season. This season I invested in a 55gal PTO sprayer to keep the Blackberries and Poison Oak in check. This has made life MUCH easier.

 

[TomG]

Here's two products suggested in a thread on the CTB:

IvyArmor or IvyBlock barrier cream
Oak-N-Ivy Brand tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser.

The full discussion contains some tips about working around the stuff. Good luck. The home remedy I remember for treating rashes was buttermilk with salt added. There must be something better now.

 

[RobertN]

Roger, your just down the road from where I got my trusty B8200, over at Gold Country Kubota...

I believe they call this the "Gold Country" becuase of the gold color those poison oak leaves will turn in a few weeks!

Best I have come up with is Spray spray spray! I have used Round up, as well as another brand(can't remember at the moment) that was for brush. I don't like to spray too much though, as my well is right down there 450'...

I do wear gauntlet(long wrist) gloves, coveralls, pre-exposure lotion, and wash at every break I take with TechNu.

Dang that stuff! What's worse, is I do some each weekend, and wind up with it continuously!

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[fredoroberts]

Re: poison oak home remedy

I once read about this home remedy in a book and never tried until years later when my eyes were swollen shot and I looked like a monster! In the middle of the night when it was really bad I said, shoot, I will try anything. The book said to fill up a bucket, bath or whatever, with hot water, as hot as you could bear. Then dunk the affected part in and hold on as long as you could. Wait a 30 seconds or so and try it again. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.

While the itching gets intense while going through the process, I experienced complete relief from itching within 5 minutes or so. The book says that the heat helps metabolize the stuff that make you itch (histamines) and burn it out of your system. I found it took about 5-6 hours for the histamines to build up again to the unbearable point. Spent a couple of days dunking my face in a hot dish washing pan every few hours! but hey it worked for me.

 

[TomG]

Re: poison oak home remedy

I do the same thing with black fly and mosquito bites. Actually, I've got a battery gadget that generates infrared and will heat a small area. The sooner heat is applied, the better.

Literature with the gadget says that toxins in many insect bites are heat sensitive, and heating the bites helps break down the toxin. Don't know if it's toxins or histamines or both, but it does work.

Our camp has a dug well, and I've run it dry by taking hot showers to stop the itching. Around here, insect bites can cover areas as large as poison oak rashes, and take about as long to get as brushing up against a bush.

The home remedy I grew up with was buttermilk and salt. Can't say I have fond memories about that remedy.

 

[Bird]

Re: poison oak home remedy

That buttermilk and salt was as bad, and as messy, as the Calamine lotion we used when I was a kid./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif For the last 30 years or so, I've used Ivy Dry, but this year the Eckerd pharmacist recommended Eckerd's "Maximum Strength Allergy Relief GEL" with 2% Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride and I do believe it works better.

Bird