Cheap and Easy Home Remedies for Poison Oak

Need some quick home remedies for poison oak? The best poison oak rash treatment.

Maybe you were trying to wade through the overgrown weeds in your garden and stumbled upon a ripe old poison oak plant. Or you were doing yard work and didn't see it hiding in the corner waiting for you.

Perhaps one of your kids just came running through the back door screaming "mommy!" and pointing to a big rash on their leg while scratching at it fervently.

In any case, poison oak can be a huge pain. The large majority of people across the world respond with an allergic reaction to the urushiol oil inside the plant. There are a lucky few who don't- but that isn't very many of us!

Poison Oak Treatment at Home

Leaves of three, leave them be!

The absolute first thing you need to do when you get a poison oak rash is to wash it with plenty of soap and hot water. If you do this quickly enough, the soap can prevent the urushiol oil inside the plant from bonding to your skin.


Couresty of Chuck the Photographer
This natural oil is what triggers an allergic reaction in most people. It is best if you can wash it within the first five minutes!

Your second task, as difficult as it is, is to try not to scratch the area! It is a myth that the poison can spread this way. However, scratching can cause scarring.

The next step in home remedies for poison oak, is to use some hydracortisone cream if you already have it in your medicine cabinet. This cream relieves itching from poison oak, ivy, sumac, insect bites and minor burns and wounds. This will be a good thing to keep by your bedside when the itching starts up again.

However, note that there is only a certain amount of hydrocortisone cream that you can use daily. Because it can thin your skin from the steroids it contains, make sure you read the label and don't overuse.



If you are past your limit of steroids cream or don't have any at all, try using some aloe vera gel. You can use it either straight from the cactus plant (preferable), or from a commercial bottle. Either will work. Aloe vera will not only provide poison oak relief, but it will also help heal your skin as well.

Courtesy of Ed Bierman

Need to try even more poison oak remedies?

Take an oatmeal bath. Or, if you don't have the oatmeal bath mix, add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your hot bath and soak for at least 30 minutes. This is cheaper than an oatmeal bath and just as effective at relieving poison oak symptoms.

Poison oak relief works differently for every body. If worse comes to worse, you can always try icing the area for a minute or two at a time. This will numb your skin so you cannot feel the itching anymore.

Home remedies for poison oak- prevention style: If you know you'll be in an area where poison oak is prominent, take preventative measures so you don't have to deal with the aftermath. Wear tall socks and long pants. Make sure you have on a good pair of sneakers or boots.

Keeping yourself physically protected in the first place is much better than trying to treat the problem after it has already occurred. Obviously, if you're symptoms are worse than just a small rash, you need to see a doctor right away!

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