Last week I had one little bump on my leg that turned into several overnight. The cause: Poison Ivy. I haven’t had a Poison Ivy rash in years, maybe even decades. Well, I shouldn’t say “decades,” because that ages me…but still, acquiring the annoying itch was aggravating, especially when I didn’t even know I came in contact with the stuff. The first thing I did was Google “Poison Ivy Rashes.” I do not advise anyone with a weak stomach to Google Image search this topic. Trust me, it can be very gross. Thanks to a lot of searching, I came up with my own home remedy and it worked great so I have to share. Please note that I am not a doctor or medical professional, though I have worn a white lab coat a time or two.
The first thing I did was wipe down the itchy area with Rubbing Alcohol. It didn’t sting as bad as you would think, and I am a wuss when it comes to pain.
After the Rubbing Alcohol I applied Lavender Oil. Not everyone has a bottle of Lavender Oil lying around like I do. Recently I began a hobby of collecting essential oils and have been trying new uses for them and learning Aromatherapy. I do recommend everyone get some now. It is awesome stuff! The plus side to using the Lavender Oil is the soothing smell and no-mess effect.
I repeated the Rubbing Alcohol and Lavender Oil application once every morning, evening and bedtime. It seemed to relieve the itching for about 8 hours. The Rubbing Alcohol dried out the Poison Ivy rash and the Lavender is an antiseptic/antibiotic so it helped heal and relieve the itch. In less than 5 days the rash started clearing up. I am not posting personal pics of it, so don’t even ask! hehe
Hopefully I will never have to use this home remedy again. Always remember, “leaves of 3, leave them be.”
Hopefully you don’t have to use this remedy either!
