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Poison oak home remedy and natural treatments

Many people enjoy the great outdoor activities when it is summer and in these circumstances, we can have some rashes that are caused by poison oak. But also when we get in a contact with the poison sumac or poison ivy, then we can come in contact with the urushiol. This oil is found in berries, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots in the poison oak and poison ivy. When we touch this plant, then the urushiol is affecting our skin. This skin irritation can range from mild to severe. Many people all around the world are allergic to urushiol which means this is a very severe infection. This skin irritation is characterized by swelling, blistering, and redness. You should remember that you should never burn the poison oak. We can use some poison oak home remedies and natural cures that can help us to combat the urushiol. Talk with your doctor before you start using some of the mentioned natural remedies for poison oak.

13 poison oak home remedy

Medicated body powder/rubbing alcohol

One of the easiest and quickest methods for treating poison oak and poison ivy are these remedies. You should clean the areas where you have poison oak rash. Then, you should dry this area. You should spread a layer of rubbing alcohol on the clean areas which you have cleaned before. Then, you need to sprinkle the body powder over the areas where you have applied the alcohol. You should make a paste from these two ingredients. You should continue with making it until you have noticed that all areas are completely covered. Then, you should wrap these areas with gauze. This natural cure will help you to get relief from the itchiness that is caused by the poison oak rash and those areas will be dry and clean.

Banana peels

If you do not have gauze, rubbing alcohol, or body powder in your house, then you can use banana peels as your natural cures for poison oak. This will give you temporary relief from this condition. You should rub the inside area of the peel on the irritated areas. This will give you temporary relief from this condition until you find another home remedy that will be better. [1]

Potato/oatmeal pastes

If you do not have enough amounts of body powder, then you can use foods such as potatoes that are natural substitutes. Many people who have sunburns that are a kind of inflammatory condition are using potatoes as their natural remedy and they have noticed improvements in their condition. You need to blend the potato. You should apply this paste to the areas where you are feeling itching. Also, you can use oatmeal as your natural poison oak home remedy. You can add it in the bathwater so you need to soak your body in it or you can apply it as a paste. Before you apply any kind of anti-itching remedy, you need to start with rubbing alcohol.

Teabags

You should soak chamomile tea bags in water. Then, you should soak the affected areas of your skin. Before you apply this natural poison oak home remedy you should be sure that the water is cold. Dab a cotton pad in the cold tea and you should apply this pad to your rashes after every few hours.

Cucumber

You need to cut slices of fresh cucumber. Then, you need to apply these slices to the places where you have poison oak rashes. This will help you to cool down the inflammation. [2,3]

Vodka and vinegar

You can use a high–proof alcoholic beverage as a substitute for rubbing alcohol. You can sterilize the area with this alcohol and this can help you in the prevention of an infection. After you have come in a contact with a poison oak you need to apply the vinegar or vodka as soon as possible in the same way as you apply the rubbing alcohol. Poison ivy and poison oak have urushiol oil which is an allergen. This allergen is a reason for the itchiness. These alcohols will help you to wash away this allergen which means that it works properly. If you do not have to rub alcohol or vodka in your home, then you can use vinegar as your natural poison oak home remedy because it can help you to calm down the itchiness.

Coffee

If you do not have any of the mentioned foods and alcohol in your home, then you can use a coffee as your natural treatment. One of the most popular ways to treat the poison oak is to use one cup of cold black coffee. This product has an anti-inflammatory component which is known as chlorogenic acid. This will help you to soothe the irritation. You need to wash and sterilize the areas which are affected before you apply some of the mentioned poison oak home remedies.

Wash your skin ten to fifteen minutes after you have a contact with the poison oak

If you had contact with poison oak, then it affects you with the urushiol. Your skin can absorb this oil in a period of 30 minutes. You need to use warm water and anti-bacterial soap to scrub these areas. You need to wash every part of your body that you think is affected by the urushiol oil. But also you need to wash your hands and wash under your fingernails. Also, you can apply to rub alcohol to those areas because it can prevent the urushiol to be absorbed by your skin. You need to cover your skin with olive oil or sheen and then you should wash it appropriately. You need to wash your footwear, clothes, or any other object that you had at the moment when you came in a contact with the poison oak. You should use detergent and also you need to use bleach on your clothes. Also, you can apply to rub alcohol on the objects which came in a contact with the poison oak. There are many cases when people are not riding off the poison oak rashes because they keep reintroducing the poison to their skin via pets, clothes, objects, and shoes.

Apply soothing lotions like calamine or Aloe Vera directly to the poison oak rash:

If you want to rid of the poison oak symptoms, then you should use calamine lotion. This lotion has anti-itch properties and also it is mildly antiseptic which means it will protect you from this infection. When it evaporates, then it leaves a powdery residue that will soak any oozing from the blisters or rash. When you have noticed that the rash has started to crust over or to heal, then you should switch to Aloe Vera or another lotion which is less drying. [4]

Use a cool, wet compress to rid of the poison oak symptoms

You should fight against the fire of this condition with ice. You should rag ice cubes or place an ice pack on your rash. You should do this poison oak home remedy treatment in a period of half an hour to one hour several times per day. You need to keep your rash cool which will constrict your blood vessels. This will lessen the inflammation and itching. Also, you can compress using whole milk.

Natural cures for poison oak

Be patient and allow your poison oak rash to heal

As the time passes by you will notice that you will be rid of the poison oak rash and after this time has passed you can see improvements in your condition. You need to be patient in this period and you should let the natural remedies for poison oak to stay comfortable and sane. When you are healing this condition, then you need to keep your fingernails trimmed. You need to do anything which can help you to stay away from scratching because this will prolong the poison oak rash and also it can lead to scarring and infection. After you came in a contact with the poison oak, you need to change your clothes as soon as possible and you should be careful when you are taking off the clothes from you because the urushiol can spread to other objects in your house. You should launder your clothes several times before you wear them again. After you have been exposed to poison oak exposure, you should not wash your body with any concentration of liquid bleach. This is not a helpful product for your condition and the vapors can be irritating to your lungs, throat, nose, and eyes. This will irritate your inflamed skin even more which can lead to pain and redness in sensitive parts of your body.

Buttermilk or yogurt

You should apply yogurt or buttermilk to the affected areas because you will get relief from this condition. These natural poison oak home remedy will draw out the fluid from the blisters which mean that you will get relief. [5]

Baking soda

You need to make a paste from one part of water and three parts of baking soda. Mix them and make a paste. With a help of a spatula or brush, you should apply this paste to the rashes. You should let this paste dry. You need to apply this poison oak home remedy paste every few hours because this will prevent your rashes to turn into blisters.

References:

[1] Sampath Kumar KP, Bhowmik D, Duraivel S, Umadevi M. Traditional and medicinal uses of banana.  Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2012;1(3):51-63.

[2] Mukherjee PK, Nema NK, Maity N, Sarkar BK. Phytochemical and therapeutic potential of cucumber. Fitoterapia. 2013;84:227-36

[3] Tabassum N, Hamdani M. Plants used to treat skin diseases. Pharmacognosy Review. 2014;8(15):52–60.

[4] Fox LT, du Plessis J, Gerber M, et al. In Vivo skin hydration and anti-erythema effects of Aloe vera, Aloe ferox and Aloe marlothii gel materials after single and multiple applications. Pharmacognosy Magazine. 2014;10(Suppl2):S392-S403.

[5] Yeom G, Yun DM, Kang YW, et al. Clinical efficacy of facial masks containing yoghurt and Opuntia humifusa Raf. (F-YOP). Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2011;62(5):505-14.

Hanan Marshal
Hanan Marshal
Hanan, a medical student (MBBS) having passion for writing and is very much interested in holistic living along with nature. He is very much interested in doing community service and watches anime and play PS4 during his free time. You can reach him through [email protected]

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